I have seen/felt the board at a shop recently.
It’s a real beauty and I love that outline… there’s something about
those bold stripes.
Anyone ride one?
Opinions otherwise?
I called the factory and they said a 6’6 runs 19.25" wide.
I’ve made a very accurate template of the board but was forced to go narrower.
The extra width didn’t feel right to me.
I’m 6’ft 180lb and my template is 6’10 x 19.25" for overhead to double-overhead travel surf.
My answer will be biased b/c I’m a big fan of AM, and a HUGE fan of Curren.
Check out Curren’s part in TK5 where he’s riding the Black Beauty.
I haven’t ridden one yet but a friend of mine has and said it’s a great ride. I too love the smooth lines of that board and I even like the width and thickness. I’ll probably pick one up one of these days.
post some images of that board…love to se it…
I haven’t seen it yet either.
I’m 155lbs. and would like my 6’10" boards to be around 18.5 wide, as it’s easier for me to paddle really fast with a narrower board, and penetration in offshore winds is easier with narrow. I just compromise and make it a flatter deck with blockier rails.
For Hawaiin surf that size, I’d go to 18" wide, and add a little length.
I’m very happy to pass on my experiences- I’ved owned five or six of 'em and I love the design in the right waves. Great outline! I currently have only the 6’3 size, and it’s fantastic for fast lined up head-high to well overhead waves. Think “hard carving”, up and down, but it is not a small wave board as it needs some size and speed to get going. I parted with the 6’6, as I weigh 170 and that length at 2 3/4" thick is just a bit too thick and corky for me. But it is good for my heavier buddy who loves it. Think “wet bar of soap tossed in a bathtub” - friction free and loose loose loose. I tried the 6’10 for one or two waves but it was way too thick for me. Might suit a 200 lb guy. This design is retro, with a flat tail rocker, a very pronounced vee in the center of the board which is never seen anymore, and slight double barrel concaves. The vee gives it a feel of it’s own, different from today’s full concave/high rocker boards. Like to carve rail-to-rail hard at full speed? Then try one!
here is a pic of the paper template I made…the actual template is smoother than the pic shows - paper templates dont photo very well.
The Channel Island website has the best pics of shortboards on the net INCLUDING rocker/foil photos which is a real blessing for us amateurs…thanks AM! I simply scale up the photo using my own measurement technique and make a template.
I actually spend more time on the template than shaping.
I have a narrower semiguns but I really wanted a BB for more
open faced, mushy to semi-tubular waves.
I just bought a 7’0R blank today and hopefully will shape early next week.
I’ll have to find that TK5 video as Im a huge fan of TC - I just ordered The Search.
I generally like the noses of my boards a little wider, so I don’t end up with a pixie nose board that should have been cut off.
Warbly template is fine, you are just projecting the overall flow of the outline.
So, a board with V under the front foot for roll ease, then a straight rocker out the back for boatspeed, but with double concave for…I’d go with panel V every time, unless you like thin rails and ride slow mushy waves
the movie ‘the 5th symphony document’ might have a fair amount of footage of that board in action
i have a 6’9 Black Beauty. It is my travel board and i dont ride it unless the waves are well overhead. It handles very well and is a butterknife on the faces. I got mine heavier than normal and with tinted resins. I can post pics if anyone wants them, i would recommend it. The wider middle, pointed nose, and thicker board is the ticket on the North Shore.
Finished shape pic is attached along with a rocker pic.
Not really a true BB…much more narrow in width and much more rocker
so it will likely work well in tubular waves.
Dimensions
Length = 6’10
Width = 19.2
Thickness = 2.6
Nose = 10.5
Tail = 13.4
Tail Rocker = 2.7
Nose Rocker = 5.0
Medium-thin down rails with 0.5" bottom radius at center.
Deck has step up feature for improved flotation/paddling as shown in the rocker pic.
Shaping it was a real treat…its Miller time.