I’m finishing up the shaping on a 7-5. I’m thinking of trying to go probox for the rail fins and a 8 inch FU center box. I’d like to be able to ride as a thruster or 2+1 widow maker, maybe even a bonzer three. I’ve searched the archives and didn’t find specific info on the exact placement of the fins or there sizes. I’m thinking of putting the center box so I could have a center thruster fin at 4" up and then a single fin would be able to be placed at 6-7" up (?). Sides at 12" (with probox ± 1/2"). Does that sound about right for the widow maker? Also since my board has the center point dead center and I noticed Parmenter’s widowmakers are always center point forward, am I wasting my time? Incompatible design elements?
The term “Widowmaker” likely has it’s roots in old logging lingo. A huge tree or limb with the ability to fall and kill you was referred to as a widowmaker. It’s also used in other fields like medicine or extreme sports to describe a life threatening situation.
With that in mind, it’s easy to assume that the original Widowmaker design is a gun shape designed for getting you out in big waves that could kill you. The fin layout is but a part of the overall picture. The original Widowmaker design has fairly extreme gun attributes. “Widowmaker” is a term that have been used a lot lately by various board builders to describe boards with what is basically a 2+1 fin layout but the overall board designs are generally not the same as Parmenter originals.
For a wide point back, more versatile daily driver like you describe, your specs sound right. Side fins can be fabricated with the tab fore or aft to give more wiggle room than the standard Probox adjustment allows.
Widowmakers that I’ve seen had good sized wide base Brewer style trailer fins with smaller than average thruster sidebites set forward a bit. I’ve also seen small sidebites set up with a single FCS plug on each side.
Hey mate, my 7’10’’ nuggety minimal has a 2+1 setup. When the waves are steep/hollow/walling, i use a thruster setup, i just put the side fins in, then measure 7.5" back, and put my thruster sized centre fin ( fits in the LB box, it’s an old 80’s twinny removeable centre fin ) so the back edge of it is on the 7.5’’ mark, so i have a 7.5’’ spread. I hope that makes sense.
WOW, it is soooooo loose and manouverable. Off the top especially, it doesnt hang at all, just releases beautifully, and flies back down again. Very fun.
BTW, with the fins setup like this, the back edge of the centre fin is a full 8" from the tail, which is probably why its so loose, but it works great.
Hope this is of some help.
A friend in San Luis Obispo allowed me to take some pics of his board this evening. We agreed that there is likely more to the label "Widowmaker" than fin placement. Another friend suggested that the roots of the design may have a connection to Spider Murphy as well as Terry Fitzgerald.
Here are pics of Doug Hendry's fine example of a 9'10" Widowmaker. The real McCoy...
something sooooo right about that orange board.