FCS II split keel quads

Pops's picture
Pops started the topic in Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 12:08pm

I'm thinking about getting a set of FCS split keel quads for my short/flat/wide-tailed quad.
Anyone used them?
Like em, hate em, indifferent?

Pops's picture
Pops's picture
Pops Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 12:08pm

.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 12:16pm

Popular fin it seems - FCS out of stock
Natural necessity showing avail.

Pops's picture
Pops's picture
Pops Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 12:32pm

Yep, out of stock on their website but I've found a shop with them in.

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 12:44pm

Love em in baked potato. Fun using just as twin too. Highly recommend.

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Pops's picture
Pops Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 3:49pm

That's good enough for me!

seaslug's picture
seaslug's picture
seaslug Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 6:47pm

I love them Pops in my Yahoo Impersonator

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Tuesday, 18 May 2021 at 8:18pm

I use futures controllers in my round tail fish goes great and the fins are split keels.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Monday, 31 May 2021 at 8:59pm

Pops have you tried them yet ?

Pops's picture
Pops's picture
Pops Tuesday, 1 Jun 2021 at 9:43am

Got them for my birthday; the mrs wouldn't let me open them til this morning.
I'll give them a whirl on the back end of this swell and write some thoughts.

zenagain's picture
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zenagain Tuesday, 1 Jun 2021 at 11:21am

Happy birthday Pops. Hope you get a nice set wave.

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Pops Tuesday, 1 Jun 2021 at 11:35am

Thanks Zen.
Perfect conditions this morning... banks didn't come to the party but I'll still chalk that up as a win.

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Pops's picture
Pops Tuesday, 22 Jun 2021 at 12:42pm

Haven't had much time of late to post a review, and haven't had many sessions on the board I bought them for (surf's been good enough often enough to not bother with that board much) so I haven't entirely bonded with them yet, but a few initial thoughts after a couple of sessions last week:
For context, the board I'm using them in is short, fat and flat (bugger all rocker) - I can't remember the exact dimensions but it would be about 5'2, 21ish wide, something like 29-30 L, fairly deep single-to-double concave. Couple of mates have nicknamed it the paddleable skimboard. I'm about 5'9, probably low 70s kg, reasonably fit and just ticked over to 30y.o., decent but entirely unremarkable surfer

With a "normal" set of quad fins (ie outside fins from a medium size medium stiffness thruster set, generic quad trailers) the board tends towards being skatey/slidey/slippy, which can be fun or frustrating depending on wave quality/my mood. Stupidly fast and easy to generate speed though.

With the split keels, I've noticed the board stiffen up markedly, hold/grip a lot better and hold its speed even better. I can (and need to) push a lot harder through turns, and there's just a hint of trackiness (getting used to the fins and adjusting foot placements might help with that). The type of turn it lends itself too has gone from pivot-and-slide to hooooold-fin release.
All in all a pretty big difference. In gutless springtime burgers (what I originally bought the board for) I'd probably go for the "traditional" quad setup. For steeper small down-the-line type runners I'd go the split keels.

markxxx's picture
markxxx's picture
markxxx Tuesday, 22 Jun 2021 at 8:58pm

Always found split keels like the Future controllers a little tracky in my groveler. Chucked some AMT twins in the front with the controller rears, magic set up in subpar conditions.

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Tuesday, 6 Jul 2021 at 1:14am

I used to put in futures f4 fins in heel side of my board and controllers on my toe side was great for down the line speed and then would carve a nice cutback with ease..That board had a lot of toe in(at the plugs) than regular fish though.Round tail made it feel really nice through turns.
The controllers would get rid of drifty tail during drops etc.

But then again i like fish. when i first got a fish it took a while to work out the board.

Pops's picture
Pops's picture
Pops Tuesday, 6 Jul 2021 at 9:50am

cool idea groundswell. I should try something like that.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 21 Dec 2021 at 9:53pm

6 months on Pops whats the report on the Split Keel Quads ?

Pops's picture
Pops's picture
Pops Wednesday, 22 Dec 2021 at 10:58am

Big fan Udo.
Haven't bothered to switch fins out so been surfing that board/fin setup when the surf's been small/gutless/burger-y (I've often been the only person on a board under 7ft... haven't hopped on the middy wagon yet).
Haven't had enough sleep lately to translate feelings into words to well, but suffice to say I've been having a heap of fun in sh*t surf lately, and feel like I've been surfing well by my own standards. They've been going pretty good on the backhand too.
Haven't noticed the "trackiness" I mentioned above lately either, probably just had to adjust my feet & my timing. The amount of drive off the bottom they give in crap surf is really good.

Supafreak's picture
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Supafreak Wednesday, 22 Dec 2021 at 11:54am

@pops , what type are they ? I’m using mat biolos split keels . Really good for speed and drive in crap waves and finally got to ride them in decent 4ft waves last week. They gave plenty of drive of the bottom and didn’t slip or slide at all . Rode this board ( RV hybrid ) as a thruster but much prefer it with the split keel quad set up .

Pops's picture
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Pops Wednesday, 22 Dec 2021 at 12:23pm

Can't remember off the top of my head supa. Could be wrong, but I think the various "types" are just different colour schemes ie no difference in material or shape?

chook's picture
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chook Wednesday, 22 Dec 2021 at 1:08pm

I've got the rasta keels with a split keel set up. (same as the FCS II CI KEEL) in a 6x24' fish kneeboard. lot of people have ditched them for hanalie split keels, but I can't imagine anything being better and have stuck with them.
absolutely love them in everything thing small crap to big long walls. great drive and hold. haven't noticed any trackiness.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Sunday, 27 Feb 2022 at 3:08pm
Supafreak wrote:

@pops , what type are they ? I’m using mat biolos split keels . Really good for speed and drive in crap waves and finally got to ride them in decent 4ft waves last week. They gave plenty of drive of the bottom and didn’t slip or slide at all . Rode this board ( RV hybrid ) as a thruster but much prefer it with the split keel quad set up .

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Pops said : Can't remember off the top of my head supa. Could be wrong, but I think the various "types" are just different colour schemes ie no difference in material or shape?

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Yep exact same Fin..just cost $20 more for colour and Biolos logo.
Supa did you ever check across those Finboxes with a straight edge in relation to Squareness with the Stringer ?

Supafreak's picture
Supafreak's picture
Supafreak Sunday, 27 Feb 2022 at 3:22pm
udo wrote:
Supafreak wrote:

@pops , what type are they ? I’m using mat biolos split keels . Really good for speed and drive in crap waves and finally got to ride them in decent 4ft waves last week. They gave plenty of drive of the bottom and didn’t slip or slide at all . Rode this board ( RV hybrid ) as a thruster but much prefer it with the split keel quad set up .

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Pops said : Can't remember off the top of my head supa. Could be wrong, but I think the various "types" are just different colour schemes ie no difference in material or shape?

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Yep exact same Fin..just cost $20 more for colour and Biolos logo.
Supa did you ever check across those Finboxes with a straight edge in relation to Squareness with the Stringer ?

@udo , yeah it is all good , might have been the poor quality photo taken with iPhone that possibly made it look strange to you . I did check it when you first alerted me to it . Didn’t realise the split keel fins were exactly the same just marketed different , I hadn’t really looked at other split keels besides the rob machardo ones .

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Sunday, 27 Feb 2022 at 3:53pm

I cross checked Dimensions with the clear Split Keels.
https://www.surffcs.com.au/pages/fcs-fin-data

Clear sets are actually $10 cheaper via surfboard empire than from FCS.