Product Description

Fin Setup - Twin Fin / Semi-Keel
Fin System - FCS II
Size - Small / Medium
Construction - Performance Glass
Fin Family - Carver
Feel - Fast, Drivey & Manoeuvrable
Best For - Modern Performance Twin Fins & Keel Twins

Top 3 Reasons We Love These
1. A brilliant middle ground between a traditional big keel and a modern upright twin fin — you still get loads of speed and drive, but the board is much easier to turn
2. The swept outline gives you hold through longer turns, while the narrower tip and lower profile stop the fin feeling like it's tracking in a straight line
3. Designed with Matt Parker of Album Surfboards specifically around modern keel twins — if you've got a fast contemporary twin and want to surf it hard rather than just cruise, this is a really interesting fin

Product Description
The FCS II Album Keel is a high-performance semi-keel twin fin designed to bridge the gap between traditional keel fins and modern performance twins.

That's what makes this fin interesting. A traditional keel gives a fish incredible speed, drive and hold, but all that fin area can sometimes make the board feel quite committed to its line. At the opposite end, a smaller and more upright performance twin will pivot and change direction much more easily, but doesn't necessarily give you that classic keel drive.

The Album sits right between the two.

There's plenty of width through the base and middle of the fin to generate drive, combined with a high sweep angle for hold through powerful turns. But FCS has significantly curved the trailing edge and tapered the tip, reducing the tracking sensation you can get from a big traditional keel.

The result is a fin that still wants to generate loads of speed down the line, but allows you to push a modern twin through tighter, more radical direction changes.

If you've got a contemporary keel twin and feel that a traditional keel makes it slightly too stiff or tracky, the Album is exactly the sort of fin we'd try.

Fin Specifications - S/M
Base - 4.69" / 119mm
Depth - 4.77" / 121mm
Area - 16.51in² / 10,650mm²
Sweep - 37°
Foil - Flat
Construction - Performance Glass

Features
• FCS II Album Keel twin fin set
• Designed in collaboration with Album Surfboards
• Modern semi-keel template
• Small / Medium specialty fin sizing
• High sweep angle
• Low-profile design
• Wide base for drive and acceleration
• Tapered tip for improved manoeuvrability
• Curved trailing edge
• Designed to reduce the tracking associated with traditional keels
• Fast and drivey feel
• Designed for smooth but aggressive turns
• Carver fin family
• Performance Glass construction
• Flat foil
• FCS II compatible
• Particularly suited to modern twin and keel-twin surfboards

What Is A Semi-Keel?
The easiest way to understand the Album is to put it between two very different twin-fin designs.

A traditional keel normally has a very wide base, lots of surface area and plenty of sweep. That produces loads of speed, hold and drive — exactly what makes a classic fish feel so fast down the line.

A modern performance twin generally has less area and a more upright outline. It'll release and pivot more easily, giving you a looser and more responsive board.

The Album is a semi-keel. You retain enough of that wide keel-style base to generate serious drive, but the more refined outline and tapered tip allow the board to turn much more freely.

For a lot of modern twin-fin shapes, that's a really nice compromise.

Why Choose The Album Keel?
We'd choose the Album if you want your twin to feel fast and drivey without becoming difficult to redirect.

The 37-degree sweep gives the fin plenty of hold and encourages powerful, drawn-out turns. That's why FCS places it within its Carver family.

But compared with a big old-school keel, there's less material towards the tip and significantly more curve through the trailing edge.

That means when you put the board onto rail and want to redirect it, you're not fighting against a massive slab of fin.

What Will It Feel Like In The Water?
Expect speed, drive and hold, but with more freedom through your turns than you'd normally associate with a traditional keel.

Push through a longer bottom turn and there's plenty of fin behind you to drive against. Start surfing more vertically or trying to snap the board around and the tapered tip helps the fin release and redirect.

It's still a keel-inspired fin rather than an ultra-loose upright twin, so we'd expect the board to retain that lovely fast, flowing twin-fin character.

What Boards Work Best With The Album Keel?
Although FCS lists it for a broad range of compatible boards, we'd particularly look at this fin for a modern performance fish, contemporary keel twin or performance-oriented twin fin.

It's especially relevant to boards that combine traditional twin-fin speed with more modern rails, rocker and bottom contours designed to be surfed harder.

And unsurprisingly, if you've got one of Matt Parker's Album keel-twin designs, this is one of the obvious fin sets to consider — it was developed specifically to complement that style of board.

Album Keel vs Traditional Keel
If you're riding a classic, wide, flat fish and want maximum down-the-line speed and that traditional locked-in keel sensation, we'd still consider a more conventional keel template.

The Album makes more sense if you want to push harder through turns and change direction more easily.

Traditional Keel: Maximum drive, hold and classic fish feel.
Album Semi-Keel: Keel-style speed and drive with noticeably more manoeuvrability.

Album Keel vs Upright Performance Twin
Go in the other direction to a more upright performance twin and you'll generally get even easier pivot and release.

But you'll also move further away from the drive and drawn-out feel of a keel.

The Album is the option we'd look at when you don't want to lose that fast keel sensation but still want to surf the board aggressively.

Performance Glass Construction
The Album Keel uses FCS Performance Glass construction, with the fins machine-cut from layers of solid fibreglass.

Performance Glass is stiff and extremely responsive under load. Rather than excessively flexing away when you push hard through a turn, the fin maintains its intended flex characteristics and gives you something solid to push against.

It's a construction widely used by experienced and professional surfers and makes loads of sense on a performance-focused fin like the Album.

What Does S/M Mean?
FCS has changed the sizing used across its Specialty Fin range. Older specialty fins were often simply labelled XL, which wasn't particularly useful when comparing completely different keel and twin templates.

This Album is rated Small / Medium within the newer specialty sizing system.

That relatively manageable size is an important part of the fin's character. Lighter surfers can control it more easily through turns, while anyone wanting a performance-oriented keel gets plenty of drive without the huge area associated with some traditional designs.

Expert Advice
This is one we'd recommend based as much on the board you're riding and the feel you want as your body weight.

If you've bought a modern twin because you want something fast and loose, then put an enormous traditional keel into it and suddenly find the board feels a little too tracky, the Album makes loads of sense.

You're keeping the wide base, sweep and drive that make keel twins so much fun, but taking enough area out of the tip to make the board considerably easier to dominate through turns.

Think of it as one step more performance-focused than a traditional keel, without going all the way to a small upright twin.

Q & A

Q: What type of fin is the FCS II Album Keel?
A: It's a semi-keel twin fin, combining characteristics of a traditional keel with a more contemporary performance twin template.

Q: Who designed the Album Keel?
A: The fin was developed around the modern keel-twin designs of Matt Parker and Album Surfboards.

Q: What boards does it work best in?
A: We'd particularly recommend it for modern twin fins, performance fishes and contemporary keel-twin designs using the FCS II system.

Q: Is it suitable for a traditional fish?
A: It can work, but if you want the maximum drive and very traditional feel of a classic fish, you may prefer a fuller traditional keel. Choose the Album when you want more manoeuvrability and a more performance-oriented feel.

Q: Is this fin fast?
A: Yes. The wide base and keel-inspired template are designed to generate plenty of drive and speed while maintaining enough hold through powerful turns.

Q: Will it feel tracky like a big keel?
A: That's specifically something the Album is designed to reduce. The tapered tip, lower profile and curved trailing edge allow the board to redirect more easily than a traditional high-area keel.

Q: Is this a good fin for lighter surfers?
A: Yes. FCS specifically positions this S/M template as a more manageable keel option, and lighter surfers should find it easier to control and push through turns than a much larger traditional keel.

Q: What is Performance Glass?
A: FCS Performance Glass fins are made from layers of solid fibreglass. They're relatively stiff and maintain their flex characteristics under significant load, giving experienced surfers a very direct and responsive feel.

Q: What's the closest alternative in terms of feel?
A: Think of the Album as sitting between FCS's more traditional keel-style templates and its more upright performance twin fins. Go towards a traditional keel for more hold and drive; go towards an upright twin for more pivot and release.

Q: Do these fit Futures fin boxes?
A: No. This version is specifically designed for the FCS II fin system.