When Rob Machado Wants To “Try To Be A Pro Surfer”

Today we’re going to talk about Rob Machado without use of the words ‘stylish’, ‘smooth’ or ‘silk’. Let’s simply appreciate his knowledge and experimentation with board design, perhaps learn something ourselves, and agree on the delightful nature of his surfing – regardless of the outline or fin system he decides to wear that day.

The 43 year-old is known for wandering on and off the prototypical performance trail. Don’t forget the goofy footer was a contest machine, brushing by the title on multiple occasions. Safe to say he has that side of the game covered. 

Often these days we see him on quads and twins, skating down the line beckoning us to swing to the alt. But the man with the afro still appreciates a tight pivot. As you’ll see below he’s backing a snubby Firewire craft, sympathetic to his broad spectrum approach. According to Rob, the Midas can run comfortably as a twin, two-plus-one, or performance thruster.

“The nose is what differentiates it,” says Mr Machado. “It’s not pointy, but it’s not eggy. It’s right in between-y, kinda that happy medium. It’s somewhat of a hybrid I guess, leaning more towards the high performance end of a hybrid. It’s still pretty shreddable.”

“I would ride this board in grovelly little waves like today,” he explains pointing past his van towards the mediocre soup behind. “You know when it’s two foot and fun, maybe ride it as a twinny, or a-two plus-one, then when the waves get good out here on the reef I’ll just throw in my high spreadability thruster vibe and try and be a pro surfer.”

“Perhaps the most interesting design feature are the new bottom contours I’ve been working on which I’ve called “BOARD EAT BOARD”, says Rob on Firewire’s website. “The original concept began years ago when I rode one of George Greenough’s edge boards which led me to a whole new approach to bottom contours and edges.”

Seems a lot like a craft for the transitional or indecisive surfer. A twin enthusiast looking for more bite, or a blade surfer chasing speed or forgiveness in soft conditions. Maybe a one size fits all approach. Two sets of fins sure runs cheaper than a secondary piece of glassed foam.

For the record Rob is 5’10 and 140 lbs (thanks Wikipedia!) and rides his Midas at 5’5″ x 18 3/4″ x 2 1/8″ 24.9L.