Hey sorry to bore whoever with a post like this but I just got an interesting board that I had custom shaped for small waves, it’s 5’11 x 18 3/4" x 2 1/4". The thing is, that the board has a very flat rocker and hardly any outline break at all, to top it off, the rails are boxy and the deck is super flat. It came with G3’s (which I use for my regular curvier 6’1") but they didn’t work at all, I then tried the k2.1’s which worked better but still felt stiff. Would a twin fin set- up (with a rear keel) make the diffence to keep the drive but allow tighter turns and hence, more response? Any help you can give me would be great because I am not ready to give up on this board yet. peace
Of all the fin system out there, FCS is probably one of the worst. A word from the wise, don’t bother using FCS on your next board.
Thanks, I am not planning to, but still would like to know if anyone knows of a fin set that might save this board (it was made with fcs). By the way, what would you recommend besides FCS and why?
Ask your local surfshop if they participate in the FCS Test Drive program. They should have a selection of FCS fins that you can demo for free. All they ask is that you put down a deposit which is refunded when you return the fins.
got a set of whitelines? if ya don’t… testdrive em in a twin setup i’ve been using them twin and tri on my fish (twin in small sluggish stuff then throwing the tail in when it builds) (and also, i just LOVE idiots who say that something sucks without any backing info)
Try it as a twin both with and without the rear keel–at this point, how can it hurt? I’ve only shaped a few boards of this size, but I follow the same thinking as the shaper in this instance: lower rocker, flat deck (even a slight deck concave), and thicker, boxer rails which all increase the volume of the board. Good luck!
The percentage of failures of FCS system in comparison to all the other systems like Red X, Futures, and LokBox are quite noticeable. We rarely get repairs for the other systems. The FCS system is the weakest and has the most failures. I’m sure anyone that’s been in the business for any length of time will agree.
You’ve had lots of failures. Neither me, nor the people I surf with have had failures other than blatant accidents (driving fins into boulders… etc.). Honestly, there’s no need to be trashing on what someone uses just because you feel the need to. I’ve seen some awesome shaped boards with alternate fin boxes or glassed on fins and most of the time I’ve shyed away as I don’t want to spend more money on alternate fins. But back to the point, you just added your retarded two cents and didn’t help the situation or the question, piss off and go trash on FCS elsewhere.
Sorry No troll. Just facts. Infact majority of the failures were caused by riders pushing the plugs through from the deck side. The plugs just don’t hold up from hard surfing. Just my .02 cents.
The fact remains, you didn’t answer ANY of his questions whatsoever. You got on with the usual “fcs sucks blah blah” that we’ve all heard before. You added no suggestions as to what he should do. How you get “don’t use fcs” to be a good idea for a board he already has and is trying to make work is beyond me. I’m sure everyone here knows how well all the fin systems work and what works for them. So, refer to my previous statement.
Trying to toubleshoot the problems hes having is quite difficult with out actually seeing the board and the rider and what type of waves he is riding it in. Not enough information to actually make a recommendation. It’s like asking a mechanic what’s causing the wierd power loss in my engine with out actually seeing the engine/car to make a diagnosis. My response is still the same FCS sucks, I think he’s realized this by his response by not planning on getting them on his next board. [wink] Relax.
The K2.1 side fins are probably a good fin for the board you described. You may just want to find a test center and try a smaller trailing fin to loosen it up a bit.
Those of us who actually use FCS gave him the insight necessary… One of his statements “with k2.1’s its too stiff would going to twins help” pretty much spelled it out for us, that have or have used k2.1’s. He also stated it was a small wave board. Thanks for proving your cluelessness.
I’d also suggest maybe the YU’s in twin setup. I’ve used them on my 5’10" fish (haven’t gotten a chance to test them on my new double swallow… only been running whitelines or redlines)
Nice attitude. I know he said he thought the K2.1s were still too tight. I recommended using the sides and a smaller trailing fin template to loosen it up. Geeze get a grip and stop attacking anyone who post on a thread.
Is it just me or is fcs more response performing than Futures (the only two brands I have tried, no wait I tried lock box which seemed way stiff from the templates I tried but are probobly great on bigger boards/waves) and I think they have a great range that also seem more interchangeable. The futures are probobly are stronger it seems except when the plastic hook breks like what happened to me when on vacation! although they recently reinforced that (we shall see). The FCS system broke out of several of my boards but they just seem to work better for me although waiting to have them fixed sucks! (thanks for listening to my inner battle, anyone else going through this?) In regards to loosening up that board previously mentioned those KS blue and white ones did the trick for me after I switched from G5 on my pirahna mod- fish (c5). Good luck!
That was for finny, not you. Look at the general view… Sorry if ya got confused
Thanks guys for all the responses, I wish I could just test out at a test centre but my local shop has abandoned it. Anyways, the board is a driving machine, it’s made for drive, I thought the 3000’s would loosen it up some but just couldn’t keep up (I’d pump hard and the board wouldn’t travel any distance), the k2.1’s added that but it remained stiff (as in slow to respond) I think I may just have to go for two deep twins (for drive) and a really puny trailer for pivot. I am still open to suggestions and thanks again for the help. As for the FCS versus other set-ups debate, I really could care less. This board has FCS, I have tried other fin systems and liked most of them as well, glass-ons are the best but I travel, and FCS is the easiest to buy when you are on the road in countries that don’t always have all the latest in their shops. peace
Hey Tom, thanks for the tip on that K2.1, it might be as simple as that, I just don’t want it to slide when I pump hard like it did with those g3’s. The K2.1’s worked well in hollow surf, it was in the flats and shoulder where it was stiff. I think I’ll just have to try some different things out but i’ll start with a trailer fin peace by the way, greg webber swears by FCS but it doesn’t seem like any of his teamriders like em’, check his site out at www.webbersurfboards.com
Howzit Finny, FCS works just fine here on Kauai and I think we surf just as hard if not harder than any place. The only failures we’ve seen have been systems that were installed at a certain factory here. But that’s not the only problems they’ve had. The repair guys tell me that it’s not only FCS that this factory screws up installating, they have blown the installs of every system they install. I guarranty any system I personally install and after using the FCS system for the last 7 years the only repairs have been the result of reef hits. I’ve said this before, there’s no bad systems, only bad installations. Future systems seem to be the one that has the most problems over here. Another thing to consider is the fact that FCS is the easiest to repair. Aloha, Kokua