Description
Notes from Ryan: “The FM isn’t a ‘channel bottom’ in the classical sense – the channel is there as a break for water flow, but it isn’t doing for the board what most designers are chasing in the deeper more exaggerated channel bottoms that are so popular right now. This design sports a pretty hefty spiral vee in the back half of the board, and while that is amazing for rail transitions and feel, it creates suction between the board and wave; the channel breaks that water flow that is sucking onto the board, so you get the three-dimensional value of the spiral vee and its rolling sensation, but without the stickiness. You’ll notice the 7’2 has a straight channel as opposed to the curved one that most have become accustomed to in seeing the FM; the first 15 or so boards all had a straight channel like this, and as Pat’s was in that batch, so I’m running with it for this model as we’re making dead on 1 for 1 copies.”
As larger designs like the FM shrink, I try to re-design towards the strengths of a board’s actual size vs. scaling something just to keep it’s namesake – At 6’6” this FM is much sleeker in outline and tuned up for back-foot surfing. The spiral-vee is slid back and runs a little bit out the tail, so it’ll keep more planing speed off the front foot and sit deeper in the pocket, working more vertically than it’s larger counterparts. If you’re coming from a shortboard background or are starting to push your 6’9 FM into some hairy situations and want even more out of the board; This is the one.
Very well suited for travel. The rails are a bit more forgiving and have more hold in the tube; the fin placement, too, deviates from the larger FM’s in being placed farther out to the rails – this will accommodate more setups to suit whatever flavor twin/zer fins you like, as well as let the board wrap tighter with a less perfect technique on your end.
