FCS II Rob Machado Keel Fins

After my first go with these types of fins on my 5’11 x20”x2.5” Shrednaught fish board at my local spot (Perth) I was surprised how good they handle on 4 to 6 foot waves , they’re not too loose and have plenty of drive but any waves under 4 foot I would stick to thrusters or quads. I would highly recommend them if you are thinking of using your board as a twin fin.

Loving these fins they have so much drive you can push on though big turns

I used the RM twin keels to replace a set of MR twins in a 4 channel 6’5” twin pin. I really liked the board with the MR twins. It was fast and responsive. BUT, I wanted to try the RM keels and now I love the board. It has increased the drive, still fast and responsive but with more glide and control. I’ve been riding it on beach breaks and yet to try it at a point break.

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