it looks like they are trying to put something out there to keep in front but it looks like a step backwards for FCS IMO
will you lose a fin.. i bet yes if your leggie gets hold of it..

What do the shapers think of them

Weiry, it's so far from a step backwards. It's a major step forwards. Take every good fin system and the best attributes from it and put them in 1 system and this is it.

If people are paranoid about fins falling out they can simply put a grub screw in and lock it in. It also works with your old fins due to these grub screws.

Won't bother too many Longboarders though. It will slowly trickle in the Side Biters... Until someone revolutionises the Centre Box !

Honestly cmc how long does it take to loosen and tighten some grub screws + i would take my fins out 4 times a year max. will future fins do it

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CMC said..
Weiry, it's so far from a step backwards. It's a major step forwards. Take every good fin system and the best attributes from it and put them in 1 system and this is it.

If people are paranoid about fins falling out they can simply put a grub screw in and lock it in. It also works with your old fins due to these grub screws.

How easy/hard are they to glass in?

i suppose im just looking at it as the average joe surfer, if i was a pro well it would be a different ball game with travel, training, tuning the board for different breaks and endless fin supplies

Sorry Weiry... Gotta disagree there. I carry four boards on the roof of my car... two for me and two for my missus.

We have three boards that are all within six inches of the same length. If I don't take the fins out of the bottom two I can't tie the boards on because they have to sit so far forward the top one doesn't line up with the racks.

If I move the bottom one back any further I can't get into the boot to get to the wetties.

So yes I take them out and put them in all the time. Have already shredded one grub screw because of it.

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Mahanumah said..
Sorry Weiry... Gotta disagree there. I carry four boards on the roof of my car... two for me and two for my missus.

We have three boards that are all within six inches of the same length. If I don't take the fins out of the bottom two I can't tie the boards on because they have to sit so far forward the top one doesn't line up with the racks.

If I move the bottom one back any further I can't get into the boot to get to the wetties.

So yes I take them out and put them in all the time. Have already shredded one grub screw because of it.

Get a longer grub screw, I did the same and this worked perfectly

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Mahanumah said..

Sorry Weiry... Gotta disagree there. I carry four boards on the roof of my car... two for me and two for my missus.

We have three boards that are all within six inches of the same length. If I don't take the fins out of the bottom two I can't tie the boards on because they have to sit so far forward the top one doesn't line up with the racks.

If I move the bottom one back any further I can't get into the boot to get to the wetties.

So yes I take them out and put them in all the time. Have already shredded one grub screw because of it.

thats a fair point mate.

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Simondo said..

Won't bother too many Longboarders though. It will slowly trickle in the Side Biters... Until someone revolutionises the Centre Box !

simondo, simondo , simondo. its not like you to be out of the loop.


fcs have a new fin box system too. its in the fin it's self.



now research that fella

Geoff MCCoy had that system on his fins before Fcs.
For existing centre box fins you have that you want to take out (or adjust) quickly and easily with no tools or fin keys these are good.
https://www.essentialsurf.com/shop/misc-surf-accessories/quick-fin-release/
Great for when you want to put two or more similary sized boards stacked on one another on the roof racks.
I'm going to order a few and emailed the shop in the US and postage was $23.95 for US priority mail (6-10 days) for 2-4 of them fyi.

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weiry said...
i suppose im just looking at it as the average joe surfer, if i was a pro well it would be a different ball game with travel, training, tuning the board for different breaks and endless fin supplies

There are more be benefits to the fit and performance of the fin rather than removing and I find it stange that this video not made by FCS but a customer did not focus on the important bits. Easy to install, front of fin is inside the board, more fin base held along the box, more stable fin base etc etc.

The other big thing is that FCS was able to renew their patents meaning dodgy Chinese and South Africans can't rip off their fins and plugs anymore....

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CMC said..

weiry said...
i suppose im just looking at it as the average joe surfer, if i was a pro well it would be a different ball game with travel, training, tuning the board for different breaks and endless fin supplies

There are more be benefits to the fit and performance of the fin rather than removing and I find it stange that this video not made by FCS but a customer did not focus on the important bits. Easy to install, front of fin is inside the board, more fin base held along the box, more stable fin base etc etc.

The other big thing is that FCS was able to renew their patents meaning dodgy Chinese and South Africans can't rip off their fins and plugs anymore....

Hey that sounds great and thanks for a bit more infoBUT I'm just the average joe and all the above don't mean diddly squat to me and if someone told me the their new FCS system have a more stable fin base and the front of the fin sits inside the board more i would laugh at them.
as for FCS getting ripped by a chinaman or the AfriKans why should i have to pay for that.
to me the only plus is its Quick
Sorry I'm a thick pr!ck but i dont see it other than a FCS marketing point.

BTW i only have FCS fins , im not batting for another team.

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CMC said..

Weiry, it's so far from a step backwards. It's a major step forwards. Take every good fin system and the best attributes from it and put them in 1 system and this is it.

Then add a bit of Mac Bank business smarts in.....I could not have said this better myself so I have decided to cut and paste some comments from another site that I frequent


They were early to market with a removable system and managed to get established as a quasi-standard. While still under patent they could use the selling point of compatibility(with both shapers and surfers) to protect market share and margin. Now out of patent, other companies making either or both plugs and fins are benefitting from FCS compatibility network effects. So FCS has to get a new product into market to avoid losing market share. There are a couple of options

1. new non-compatible system
2. better compatible system
3. compatible system that can be changed to non-compatible

Looks like they going with 3. The new system is backward compatible, so no one loses installing the new plugs - the fins in your drawer will still work. Shapers can still use compatible plugs or FCS S2. FCS markets the hell out of their sexy new S2 fins. Once they can get enough drawers filled with patent protected S2 fins, they launch an update to the plugs which has no threads for the old screw in fins. They've then transitioned their market over to a new standard that they own (for five years anyway)



So taking the best bits from others is ok then? So why can others not take the best from fcs? Seems fair then.

I take it from your last comment CMC that you were talking about Futures

front of fin is inside the board, more fin base held along the box, more stable fin base etc etc.


Seems a few others have thought the same in recent times

Here's an interesting anecdote on the fin system you mention above thing Ted.

Back in the day when a very large portion of my mortgage was being paid by the sale of fin plugs and fins there was a credible threat to that income in the name of the fin company you mention above. There were monthly containers heading out by one of my customers and the recipient had requested said fin system to be in all boards. This was a big chunk from my sales and I was a little concerned.

1st container in production the tails of these thin boards and light glassjobs were being pulled flat and even sometimes reverse rockered by the long box of the fin.

150 boards later and a costly error the customer came back to me a lot less likely to stray again in the future. They never did again and became a huge advocate even to the point for a while refusing any other system to be installed than FCS.


PS that Futures poster is a little misleading to have you believe all CI boards are with Futures, they actually use far more FCS and have the same kind of collab with many different fin companies.

Not to bag on Futures, it's an exciting product but if you were to ask me honestly I would say that FCS for a number of reasons being weight, tail flex, ease of installation, availability, service footprint, price etc etc still have it over them.

Forgetting the FCS v Futures debate, how the hell do they work? I am dubious of a snap in system as I would think if it is that easy to snap out, will there be wear over repeated use which will make the fall out?

PS Hi Ted, I'm having a week at Byron with my son and getting great waves. The pass, the wreck, broken, all working. We are surfed out today and too tired to try your Circus Trapeze show.

CMC did FCS ever patent the fin and its fitting system if they did i know it won't affect China but as far as imports to Australia i would of thought FCS could take action against importers. + how will they stop people selling copies of FCS current style of fins to fit the new setup.
if they don't phase the old system out for five years i would of thought people are still going to buy copies of the old fins.

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weiry said..

CMC did FCS ever patent the fin and its fitting system if they did i know it won't affect China but as far as imports to Australia i would of thought FCS could take action against importers. + how will they stop people selling copies of FCS current style of fins to fit the new setup.
if they don't phase the old system out for five years i would of thought people are still going to buy copies of the old fins.

TBH the Patent system in Aus is a complete joke.

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jbshack said...

weiry said..

CMC did FCS ever patent the fin and its fitting system if they did i know it won't affect China but as far as imports to Australia i would of thought FCS could take action against importers. + how will they stop people selling copies of FCS current style of fins to fit the new setup.
if they don't phase the old system out for five years i would of thought people are still going to buy copies of the old fins.

TBH the Patent system in Aus is a complete joke.

True but it hasn't stopped US & AUS companies successfully winning lawsuits except when it comes to china, but it can stop the imports of rip offs .

CMC,
I haven't read every post here... But in terms of snap in / snap out... people are raising some questions about snapping out... Am I right in assuming that if I install a couple of Grub Screws, then they won't snap out???...

Or was that issue solved above...

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Simondo said..
CMC,

I haven't read every post here... But in terms of snap in / snap out... people are raising some questions about snapping out... Am I right in assuming that if I install a couple of Grub Screws, then they won't snap out???...

Or was that issue solved above...

Nope thats right Simo.

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WA71 said..


Get a longer grub screw, I did the same and this worked perfectly

Yep this would work... except the one I've shredded is stuck in the fin box so deep I can't get it to unscrew. I need to find a way to get that one out before I put a new one in.

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Mahanumah said..

WA71 said..


Get a longer grub screw, I did the same and this worked perfectly

Yep this would work... except the one I've shredded is stuck in the fin box so deep I can't get it to unscrew. I need to find a way to get that one out before I put a new one in.

If the fin is out already the trick is not to pull it out. Push it through..... It will simply pop out the bottom and is obviously easier to push through, you can use an oversized allen key or the like if way too threaded.

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Simondo said..

CMC,
I haven't read every post here... But in terms of snap in / snap out... people are raising some questions about snapping out... Am I right in assuming that if I install a couple of Grub Screws, then they won't snap out???...

Or was that issue solved above...

Hey Simondo, the roller bearing they have in each plug is on a titanium rod.

The one I seen had been popped in and out 60000 times and was still as firm as well.... you know what.

I really dont see fins falling out will be ank kind of problem. But yes, if you were paranoid you could add a grub screw to the rear plug and it could not fall out.

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CMC said...

Mahanumah said..

WA71 said..


Get a longer grub screw, I did the same and this worked perfectly

Yep this would work... except the one I've shredded is stuck in the fin box so deep I can't get it to unscrew. I need to find a way to get that one out before I put a new one in.

If the fin is out already the trick is not to pull it out. Push it through..... It will simply pop out the bottom and is obviously easier to push through, you can use an oversized allen key or the like if way too threaded.

Fin is still very firmly in place. So much so I can't get it out at all...

Something like this:

webapps.myregisteredsite.com/frozen-redirect.html

or reverse drill bits.

And a very slow and steady hand.

^^ yep or fcs have a tool that has any easy out that's the right size..
Or go to your hardware and get 1. Off the top off my head I think fcs thread size is 1/16 whitwoth type.

Thanks guys. Will look into using my easy outs.

The problem is the thread is stripped and its getting no purchase when I try to undo it. So its stuck in there and the fin is stuck by default.

Lucky this is the board that sits on the top of the stack at the moment so they don't come out that often.