Fcs Pc Series Fin Review » Jethro Lynch's PC-3 Review

I had always been rather sceptical of all the specialist fin designs. G5 fins were what I usually surfed and although they are now a bit dated and replaced by the M5 fins, I was perfectly happy with them. However, when faced with a set of PC-3 fins I was very eager to try them out.

The first thing to notice was the weight and feel of the fins themselves. They were light and stiff, made from a very different material altogether. This was down to the fact that the fins benefit from RTM (Resin Transfer Moulding), enabling the fins to be made stiffer yet also lighter. Something which was also different was the shape. The PC3 incorporates Inside Foil Technology. If you look at a G5 fin, you will notice one face is rounded and the other flat. This design actually disrupts the water flowing past the fins. However the PC3 fins have a rounded leading edge to the fin and a concave inside face. This enables water to flow over the fin with diminished disruption to water flow.

What does all of this mean and how does it effect your surfing? According to FCS, the stiffer flex pattern from the RTM allows for a large amount of pressure to be applied through turns. The Inside Foil Technology also gives a smoother and faster ride, as well as more hold and control. All this is geared towards the more powerful surfer.

These fine tunings to the materials and hydrodynamics of fins seem convincing and impressive on paper, but does it transfer from paper to practice as promised? Like the most of us I am certainly no aspiring pro-surfer, so with a fin labelled as “another favourite with the pros”, I wondered how I would find them. After trying them in a variety of conditions (I was riding a 6’0”) I found them to work best in head high surf. They gave a smooth and reliable feel through turns. Being the PC3 model (as opposed to the larger PC5s or 7s), I enjoyed a looser and more responsive feel to my board. However, when the surf got big I felt like I could have done with a larger template.

Although the PC3 fins did not drastically change my surfing, they did show me what effect swapping and varying fins can have. With the correct equipment for the conditions you can surf to the best of, and push, your ability.