FCS II Rob Machado Keel Fins

I ordered a set of Machado Keel Fins for the hollow wood board I recently designed and built. High volume retro fish boards can work as grovelers but I wanted to let the speed and drive characteristics of the design shine through. So, I kept the wide tail an straighter rail outline but modified everything else towards the high-performance end of the spectrum.

The keel fins were the last element I retained from the original design to make sure the board wouldn't feel too loose and instead drive hard and fast down the line. Finally, I am landlocked and must travel to surf so the FCS II system just makes sense. The FCS II would also allow me to try other fins but actually I haven't done that yet. These fins worked great!

Leave it to you guys to team up with the Mystro of Fish surfing. I’m a shaper in Mexico near Troncones, mainly doing a series of experimental shapes and fin setups. The point breaks here are some of the best on the west coast and there is currently a boom in Fish shapes and riders. Surfers are pushing themselves to see just how far they can go riding six to eight foot plus faces on a Fish. Depending on the rider both the Retro and Modern Keels work very well up to that point. With the Machado Keel it seems like 10’ is possible. And remember we are not talking about just making the wave, riding high, dropping down, acceleration, and of course the obligatory round house cutback...lots of fun. The local pros now feel confident to use their Fish in all conditions under 10’, the Retro, Modern and now Machado are quite a trifecta ! Thanks Craig