Rob Machado is a style master. And a Pipe Master. He’s one of the people who paved the way for freesurfers in a time when “freesurfers” didn’t really exist. “You’ve gotta remember that when I started competing on the World Tour, that’s all there was,” he told The Inertia in an article about the day he was voted off tour. “There wasn’t a freesurfer. You’re basically groomed through the NSSA and then you come out of that and go on tour. And if you didn’t make it, you’re pretty much toast.”
Despite his stature in the world of surfing, he hasn’t forgotten his roots. He can still be found at his home break, Seaside Reef in Cardiff, California, flowing his way around the lineup. Like you see in the video below.
Machado has long since left behind the standard thruster. He’s more interested in boards that work a little better on the average days. Boards that work better for the average surfer. He is not, however, an average surfer. One of his favorite sleds in his current quiver is the Xtra Cado, a board made for smaller, softer days.
The board is basically a stretched out version of the Machadocado. It was created because Machado has had a bit of a love affair with mid-lengths.
“I have this real attraction to boards in this mid-length realm,” Machado said at the time of the Xtra Cado’s release. “It’s not a longboard and it’s not a shortboard. It’s somewhere in between. It’s for the days when you don’t feel like trying as hard as other days, or when the waves just don’t give you the green light to try and rip. Maybe you just want to glide into a few waves and draw out a couple longer turns, and maybe that’s all it is, for simplifying the day.’
Although the Xtra Cado is made for those weak days, it works pretty damn well when there’s a bit more juice, too.
“With plenty of glide and a responsive rail,” Firewire wrote, “Rob shows how the shape can draw long, flowing lines, carry speed through sections, and fit tight turns into the pocket when there’s a little more energy in the water.”
Even if you’re not a mid-length fan (which you should be), it’s hard to deny that Machado’s surfing is easy on the eyes.
