INCREDIBLE!
Forget about pandemics. Forget about cancellations, deaths, Great White Shark attacks and SeaWorld trainers crushing the spines of baby Killer Whales, a wobbly stock market, Kelly Slater, abundances of caution, toilet paper, Donald J. Trump sending you $2000 (if you happen to be an American), millennials and their war against boomers, Kanoa Igarashi.
FCS has released a new fin and acceptable, respected surf media has lost its collective mind.
In one day, headlines across august publications were synched and screamed, using a font size not seen since Laird Hamilton towed Teahupoo.
Magic Seaweed: “Testing the world’s smartest fin.”
Stab: “FCS Just Released The Most Premium Progressive Fins Of The Last Decade
CoastalWatch: “Tested: FCS’s New H4 Fin Set Is Scary Good.”
Surfline: Nick Carroll Tests FCS’s New H4 Fin Set And he finds the space fighter smart fin…scary good
But can it be true? Is it possible that a fin could be so incredible, so wonderful that every important surf media bumped every other bit of planned editorial in order to celebrate?
We must turn to Nick Carroll himself, who found the time to write three of the above four stories at over 8,000 words each.
The H4 is another thing. At first look you’d think you’d got hold of the wings off some sorta hi-tech mini Space Fighter. The fins are a deep grey verging on black, with a super-fine grooved finish that shimmers slightly in a certain light, like a vinyl record surface. Moulding is super precise, with fine edges and no spare flesh anywhere.
As with other H-series products, the fin design is distinctive. The side fin has a conventional leading edge template and a less conventional trailing edge, which cuts short and up at the tip, hatchet-style. The foil follows the trailing edge, creating a slight ridge on the outer surface of the fin where it tapers into the hatchet. The inside face is dead flat, and all the edges are sharp and tight. Like I said, very precise.
The rear fin begins conventionally enough at the base, with a curve in both leading and trailing edges, but just a couple of cms up, the whole fin tilts back and the template lines straighten, tapering into a football-ey tip.
I know you can see all this in the graphics, but you won’t quite be able to pick that ridge running back to the hatchet, nor maybe absorb the hard precision of it all. The fin materials are also highly precise and “built”, with a shell of unidirectional carbon tape containing an injected composite core, which produces an extremely quick-flex, tight fin that’s also very light.
I was high on them pretty much immediately.
Now I understand. A fin that makes a person high.
H4 + Surfing: A love story (buy here).
But do you remember the day that SurfStitch purchased Magic Seaweed, Stab and FCS but then uh oh?
Simpler times.
Whooof that looks cold.
https://youtu.be/mxtfdH3-TQ4
Amerika fuck yeah!!! Drumpf Bucks. !!!
nick carroll whoring himself out for the surf companies….what else is new?
Show me a (real) surf company to whom I can whore myself out to, and I’ll do it also, thanks
Oh me too!
Any companies will do fine for me. I need to up my whoring myself out game.
Tried the fins – it was good
fins are bullshit. Like Jiu Jitsui.
Yeah, but do they work backwards?
I’ve got a runny nose
give us a kiss
My boards are old / kooky enough to not have any futures or FCS2 boxes.
I do have a $5 booger I picked up for the kids at the markets. I reckon if I use the sharper end of the fins I could sorta bash a slit in the base of the sponge and then ram all $150 worth into those. Should do, eh?
I’m planning on skulking down to the water again soon, so that’ll be an appropriate start to my recovery as a potential World Champion contender.
Nickelarse Carrot writes for three mags ? Really ?
He writes “scary good” ? Twice ?
Is there anywhere in the reviews that he says what they feel like in the water, and not just what they look like on land?
How much does FCS pay him ?
1. I write for everybody!!
2. No I did not. Don’t always write the taglines.
3. Yes, see below, it’s a bit long because I really like surfing and sometimes overthink it.
4. Nothing. Well the fin set I guess.
3. The boards I used: a 6’9” Jim Banks custom pintail, a 6’1” Eye Symmetry Leaf model, and a 5’91/2” Webber Creature. All wildly different craft, with one thing in common, I’d battled to find a magic fin set for any of ‘em. Different reasons: the Banksy wanted to be a quad and I wanted it to be a thruster, the narrow-tailed Leaf’s fin set is an inch further forward than most thrusters, and the Creature’s reaction time is a bit quick for most fin sets.
Conditions varied from 6-8’ reef/beachies (Bansky), 3-6’ beachies (the Leaf) and 3-5’ beachies and sand point surf (Creature).
Here’s what I got:
An “invisible” feel. This I always identify with a good fin set — when you can’t feel the fin set dragging, when you only feel the fins in turning pressure when they’re fully engaged. When you’re not pressuring them, they’re not there.
Very fast reactions. No resistance to the start of a turn, no hang-ups in a turn’s mid-section or finish. Recoveries clean and simple. All that stuff happened with great speed and snap and with no delay. This I felt was also good, I hate fin delay. I really felt this most when riding the Creature, which is made to turn at speed, and turn quick, without hesitation. The H4s let it do its thing and added a tiny zingy feel here and there, as the materials released the flex.
Not even a lil bit of slide. This was especially obvious in the Leaf, whose forward fin set-up had often caught me out. Having a forward set on a shorter board is a kind of battle. Pressure on the tail area behind the back fin can lead to slide, and had done so a few times, despite me sticking in bigger back fins and all that jazz. Nothing quite seemed to fit, but the H4s just clicked with the board, bringing out its inner fast-twitchiness and somehow defeating that tendency to slide. This might just be a fluke via the back fin being tilted back from the base more than your average, but whatever. It worked.
Consistency across all these boards. With the Leaf and Creature especially, the H4’s best quality seemed to be getting out of the way and allowing the board’s own better qualities to come forward. The fin set didn’t quite fit the Banksy as well as the other two, the board felt a bit too chunky for the set, but it didn’t wig out at all.
A slight high pitched whistle at speed. I got this once or twice, both on the Banksy (on a solid 8’ wave going fast into the wave base) and on the Webber (a savage lil board that sometimes gains speed from almost nowhere, like a Tesla). I think the whistle was coming from the frontside side fin in each case. It wasn’t a hum, there was no vibration as such, more a whine or hiss, like a big knife swung hard through air. Maybe the acute front edge and zero-give inside flat was responsible.
A week and a half of persistent use led to some slight scuffing on the fin surfaces, but it rubbed off quickly and the fins were back to their scary Space Jet finish. No other wear and tear.
Good as gold, the whistle sounds interesting (in an undesirable way) though…
Thanks for the report here, so now there’s no need to go looking at those other sites.
Cheers
(Can ya put a photo of them here too so also no need to look at their adverts ?)
Yeah…that whistle is a big deal breaker for me, but not always the fin’s fault in my experience. In fact, I recall having a banksy many many years ago that whistled, so maybe …
My arse whistles occasionally, but there’s not much I can do to swap that out for another model.
Speaking of which, I made up little poem while cycling home the other day:
There was young turtle,
Named Yurtle,
Who’s favourite flower
was a myrtle.
He decided one day,
to eat one,
and hey!
Out of his bum came a,
“FFFFFFffffffuuuuuuuurtle“.
Thank you for your time.
CB, us adults are having a nice conversation here about important things, can you please just go and play with your toys!
Sorry Dad.
(sulks off and kicks dog)
Why are people so mean to you?
I’m an easy target online.
I’ve been reading you for years. Keep it up and go make some guilt free $$$ while you’re at it!
I would say Nick gets his usual piece-rate while masters scoop cream.
You’re a good sport about it though man. You face us down on here day in and out. Wiggs loves ya too, I’m sure of it!
Is that cuz of yer shiny bald head?
(me too)
Not so easy to attack the world’s greatest authority on surfing in person. Phenomenal memory and impressive, physically, in his English-style shorts and too-tight tank tops.
hahahaha. no.
I was very pleased to have clarification that he wasn’t the one who wrote “scary good” and receive a good explanation about the fins without looking at those other sites…
To clarify, although no one said so, it was a sponsored post on Surfline, Magic Seaweed, Stab and Coastalwatch. Obviously, we’re sore we didn’t get a ladleful of that particular gravy.
Hhmmm
Can’t ya hold ’em to ransom and say you aren’t prepared to mention their new products on this site full of respectable (and respectful) big spenders unless they give you a kickback and also some product to distribute to your readership as spotprizes ?
Only Futures boxes around here.
Oh
Bummer, I guess
No, no, very happy etc. Official fin box of BeachGrit. (Sorta paid sponsored post.)
One day I will buy some.
you don’t get the relentless futures pop up ad every time you blink on this site?
I probably do but actually never read any of the ads at all, I know they’re about to popup so just look for the little X in the corner and push immediately before I see what they’re for and then glance at the TV for ten or so seconds and when I look back they’ve gone. You should try that technique…
Where there is hope there is a new Fin design
What, the youth of today are demonstrably rejecting older generations’ values and systems?
This is a truly shocking and never-seen-before moment in history.
What are the values and systems of the youth of today?
Whatever they are, I’m shaking my head at them and grumbling under my breath. Damn kids. In my day…
“Fuck off, let us do drugs if we wanna!”
Oh wait, that ain’t new. (Buy Here!)
Lets be real here… how many of (Nick would qualify in my criteria) us surf at a level where fins – other than say size or set up, thruster, twin, single etc actually make much of a difference. I just got a board with Futures plugs and have always used FCS, so had to buy a new pack and honestly cant tell much of a difference.
You must be a real kook if you can’t even feel the difference between your fin models. I switch between the supplied fin and my Boost motorised fin on my Wavestorm all the time and I can always feel which one I’m rocking without even looking.
ha! Indeed I am. I surf the fin design intricacies
I surf the fin display/storage unit
My mega-‘Merican Trump schlong would get caught in a Boost fin. So no good.
I haven’t done enough resaarch on different models of fins, but I do know there is a difference between materials. Bought a set of cheapish fins that were softer and flexier than the ones I had been using. Horrible. Gave them away. Now I tend to trust my shapers instincts and go with the set he shapes the board for.
For sure. I didn’t specify what fins when I ordered so just went and bought the recommended Futures after picking it up. Tbh, I was keen to try as everyone seems to rave about em. They aint bad by any means, just not much different to FCS for me. I learnt years ago with any surf related shit, or even by extension cloths, shades, tech, bike stuff, whatever really, if you buy cheap normally you are just cheating yourself out a better experience.
Everyone needs a Mincekit.
https://youtu.be/45C16tToen8
I’m hungry now.
I bought a set yesterday in consolation for my Indo trip all but being effectively cancelled. I haven’t surfed them yet but I promise a honest review. To Nick’s comment on the moulding — for the most part true though the trailing edge on one of my side fins has a rectangular notch out of it where the unidirectional carbon fibre appears to not have been set properly.
Take ’em back I say. That’s a lot of money to pay for a defective product.
Well I didn’t exactly pay full price for them and I’m pretty certain I won’t notice a diference in performance of the fin from the 1mm long by 0.05mm segment missing… I mean it’s not like it’s going to effect my calculations for knifing under the lip, like a Gath would…
Shoplifters of the world, unite and take over!
Who cares! Tulsi is out and I can finally read beach grit without wanting to vomit over their political views.
how many times do you think he Leo intentionally fucked up the take so they had to shoot it again?
Is he trying to blow coke up someone’s ass?
Leo blow’n all the blow!!
They say a picture tells a thousand words.
certainly saves me from reading the dribble underneath it.
I might get Nick to write my obituary.
He can certainly polish a turd.
you can’t polish a turd negs, they are not hard enough. best you can hope for is letting it dry out then coating with some lacquer.
Nick can certainly desiccate and lacquer a turd. How’s that?
Untrue though actually
Years ago on Mythbusters they proved it possible through heat and compression to form the turd into a type of ‘rock’ similar to a poolball which was then hard and dense enough to be polished.
Quite fascinating really…
Look me shirts them a-tear up, trousers are gone
I don’t want to end up like Bonnie and Clyde
Poor me coprolites
…on that subject, I wonder why Peter Tosh’s chose that as his stage name over Winston Hubert McIntosh?
Was he from a wealthy family and slumming it to be cool?
Legit dirt poor trenchtown homie according to Wikipedia..
” He was abandoned by his parents and “shuffled among relatives”
‘Winston’ is legit.
What about glitter?
Cocaine will make it expensive shit.
I could do it in three words… “Harsh, but fair”.
And a bit of a snarky weasle at times to be fair.
I feel that could be encapsulated in ‘Harsh’.
Negs aren’t you a plumber?
I could just write that. “Here lies a plumber.”
To this day my life could be summed up as rather worthless, meaningless etc…. but there is now way your envy-riddled vocabulary is having the final word on my ending.
I have a plumber mate who can’t even rig up a decent bong. That should be noted on his tombstone.
Fuck, all Plumbers Lie, alive or dead.
“oh no, you’ll need the whole unit replaced, we couldn’t possibly fix that leak by tightening a washer..”
Test them backwards and ill buy em.
Yes, didn’t they just have a test recently where surfers put their fins in backwards and rode their boards, seemed to work Ok.
I think you’re on drugs mate.
No idea what you are on about.
You must be hallucinating. No one would be that dumb.
https://www.youtube.com/wat… think this is the right one.
All I see is an advert for the Billabong x Metallica shorts which open automatically in the water when you need a poo, while playing an 8-bit chiptune version of ‘The Four Horsemen’.
What the fuck is the matter with Bilbo Goggans and this “…Of The Last Decade” cliche schtick he keeps graffiti sharting onto the walls of Stab. That fuckwit is going to ruin what Derek made just because Beach Grit was made even better, better and higher like a FCS H4.
This is Bilbo’s decade, we’re just passing through!
Can I get credit for the phrase “Bilbo Goggans”? I’m 99% sure I created it. But then again, I once told a woman I coined the phrase “Pardon my French”, so maybe I’m just an unreliable silly bitch.
Remember that episode of Curb when Richard Lewis claimed “From Hell?”
Gold (en)
I’m sorry! From now on he shall be known as Arn Anderson’s Bilbo Goggans.
He’s got quite a journey ahead of him. Fraught with all the evils of middle earth. Better bring the beanie.
Given how the 20’s are going so far.. He can have it!
Long live the Derek days and to hell with the Bilbo!