Live Conversation with Rob Machado on the Machadocado 🥑 | Firewire Surfboards

Press play above for a live conversation with Rob Machado on his all-new versatile hybrid, the Machadocado in Helium Technology.

Filmed last week up the coast at Huntington Surf & Sport, attendees enjoyed chips & guac, Easy Rider beer, and an afternoon with Rob Machado to chat all things surfing, shaping, and board design. In the live conversation, Rob spoke to his upbringing surfing and shaping, some of his older models and inspiration for newer ones, and shared some archival surfing from Indo and home in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, as well as a few unexpected surprises during a live Q&A session. Watch as Rob shares details on:

The moment 14 years ago that eventually spawned the Machadocado shape today.
Rob's thoughts on what avocados have to do with surfing.
What it's like to have team riders today who come to him for shapes, and how he compares it to his prior experience growing up under Al Merrick.
His thoughts on Kevin Schulz, and what he appreciates about working with him.
What he thinks about longtime friend Shane Dorian's son, Jackson Dorian, and what it's like to see him riding a Machadocado today.
How Rob achieved an impossible career - professional surfer, free surfer, and surfboard shaper; now designing fins as well.
His thought process that inspired his groundbreaking Seaside Quad fin template.
Why the Seaside will always be faster than the Machadocado.
Why the Machadocado will always arc better in turns than the Seaside.
The song that best pairs with surfing the Machadocado, according to Rob.
What kind of surfboards Rob shapes for his son, Jaxon.
The difference between designing surfboards for specific waves versus specific feelings on a wave.

...and a lot more.

Shop the Machadocado in USA: https://bit.ly/3XIWrCV
Shop the Machadocado in AUS/NZ: https://bit.ly/4cnbpTJ
Shop the Machadocado in EU: https://bit.ly/3LaVdcg
Shop the Machadocado in UK: https://bit.ly/3zsvE3I

MORE ON THE MACHADOCADO
Meet your new favorite summertime shape, designed by Rob Machado inspired by the outline of an avocado mixed with the DNA of a fish and the performance of a shortboard. Experience the joy of catching waves you'd previously not even consider trying to catch on the Machadocado with ease, this is Rob's most versatile squash tail yet. Whether you're an experienced surfer or just beginning, this shape will be your best friend on smaller days.

Designed by the California-based style icon, this board embodies Rob's extensive experience and passion for small wave surfing in California. The Machadocado is slightly wider and thicker than your standard shortboard, providing excellent stability and grovel-ability, while it's thinned out tail provides plenty of control and hold in rounder, more powerful waves. It's volume distribution favors fast wraps and quick speed generation in waves knee-high to overhead. The Thruster fin configuration allows you to ride as a Twin, a Twin with a trailer, or a Thruster, depending on your desired feeling.

Recommended with the Machado 2 + 1 Fin Set for the best experience. This fin template was designed specifically for the Machadocado to enable tight turns and extreme control.

THE STORY BEHIND THE SHAPE
Inspired by the shape of his favorite fruit, Rob Machado outlined the Machadocado with generous width for its length, taking proportional inspiration from an avocado - his favorite fruit for breakfast at home where he makes avocado toast for his family on the weekends. The magic in this fruit-inspired outline is the way that the generous width creates speed while the larger fin template close to the rail enables control, working in alignment with a perfectly thinned out foil.

An idea 14 years in the making, the Machadocado was designed with weak waves in mind for easy speed creation when small waves aren't helping. Drawing from a deep history of performance surfing, Rob designed the thickness distribution from nose to tail in meticulous detail, ensuring the board can hold in the pocket without sacrificing the ability to create speed in flat sections.

With the Machadocado in his van for summer, this shape has thinned out his quiver for the season. Rob says, "less boards in the van means more kids in the van, and my son and his crew have been ruling the beach this summer and I've only had one board with me. The Machadocado is fun everyday."

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