Going Ballistic

[burchas]

Just in time for the new year…  my custom 2017 Blackfish

[burchas]

Some specs:

The boards is 14’x24” and came in at 19.5LBR
I went with 275L to compensate on those low salinity days on the river.

[Night Wing]

I know you must be chomping at the bit to ride it. Congrats on a new addition to your stable.

[burchas]

The board has a modified nose. I asked Dave to shape the nose
based on his 2017 Blackfish, the 2016 All-Star 28” and the NSP Puma,
He did a bang-up job, this nose works very well in my usual conditions.

Here is a little video with nose action:

[burchas]

The 2017 Blackfish has a lower rocker than previous models. What sold
me on this board when I saw early prototypes 4 months ago was the rounded
bottom that leads to a nice wide channel that still maintains the roundness on the
edges before transforming to sharp rails

Very straight outline with wide shoulders on the bow.
This translates into a very, very stable board. Both primary and secondary stability are
off the charts for this width, had I known that I would order it at 23” just to keep the legs
more engaged.

The board has the Larry Allison 4 fin system installed as well, but up until now I didn’t
really see the need for the twin fin only using the center and ventral fins.

Construction is solid, I had the chance to bang the board few times with no visible marks on it.
I like the fact that there is no paint to chip on that board and the distressed finish will mask just
about anything.

Still early days but this board is a pleasure to ride, stroke rate still needs to be on the higher side
to get it to a good speed.

Riding bumps, this is by far the most fun board I rode. Surf stance feels natural on it,
even at lower speeds. It makes is easier going on the face of the wave and in tandem with its modified
nose it makes connecting bumps a lot easier.

I’m really pleased with that nose, It skips over bumps very easily and when going under it releases
very easily as well, without loosing too much momentum. It’s a lot easier to ride and does not require constant foot work like my SIC FX.

Due to its stability I can ride it with much smaller fins. While I always have the small ventral on,
I changed the center fin based on conditions. I have yet to go over the Allison 7.5” Dolphin junior
which is great for just about every condition, but I felt the Allison 6” Stinger will cover me in various conditions.
For those light conditions days I can go with my Allison triple 4” stealth fins for minimum  drag and better release,
directing the water snake into the deep channel.

If you’re looking for the speediest All-Water board this is probably not going to give the best top level speeds,
but for overall performance and speed this board is the best I got to ride.

[Luc Benac]

Oh yeah!!!!
Congratulations.
Would love to be able to try it or the plain 2017 Blackfish. The channel looks pretty radical this year.
For now will happily paddle my 2015 duo but that is a very nice looking board.

Enjoy.

ps: If you have  a chance to post a picture of the two ventrals to compare sizes, it would be great.

[burchas]

Oh yeah!!!!
Congratulations.
Would love to be able to try it or the plain 2017 Blackfish. The channel looks pretty radical this year.
For now will happily paddle my 2015 duo but that is a very nice looking board.

Enjoy.

ps: If you have  a chance to post a picture of the two ventrals to compare sizes, it would be great.

Dave definitely wanted to add some speed to this board with the extended waterline and the
rounded bottom without compromising stability. Mission accomplished.

If you happen to be in NYC drop me a line. for now here are the ventrals (Medium & Small )
and some other shots

[coldsup]

Very interesting....looks like it works well.

[Luc Benac]

Dave definitely wanted to add some speed to this board with the extended waterline and the
rounded bottom without compromising stability. Mission accomplished.
If you happen to be in NYC drop me a line. for now here are the ventrals (Medium & Small )
and some other shots

That looks like a great board for flat to light chop bringing some flat speed to the design.
Then you could get a more traditional a little bit wider Blackfish for open and choppy, and then a Blackfish Downwind for dedicated downwind pleasure....
 
Awaiting a new set of LA fins, see if Larry sent me a small ventral or a medium ventral....

[Wetstuff]

Very interesting indeed.  24" in cold water has to be test, eh?  I got a little nervous for you at about :31...  Best of luck.

Jim

[Zooport]

Looks really fast.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Burchas, I had an Exocet with a similar nose. The board itself had a lot of problems, especially a paper-thin skin, but that front end was perfect for the light, variable chop of the Hudson.

We still need to get together and paddle. Soon.

[burchas]

Dave definitely wanted to add some speed to this board with the extended waterline and the
rounded bottom without compromising stability. Mission accomplished.
If you happen to be in NYC drop me a line. for now here are the ventrals (Medium & Small )
and some other shots

That looks like a great board for flat to light chop bringing some flat speed to the design.
Then you could get a more traditional a little bit wider Blackfish for open and choppy, and then a Blackfish Downwind for dedicated downwind pleasure....
 
Awaiting a new set of LA fins, see if Larry sent me a small ventral or a medium ventral....

I'll be taking it open water soon, I expect it to be very manageable & capable, especially with
the added twin fin combo.

As for the ventral, I use the small one even on open water, I found the medium ventral
making my board too nose dominant. Never tried it on this board by I'll definitely will once in open water.

[burchas]

Very interesting indeed.  24" in cold water has to be test, eh?  I got a little nervous for you at about :31...  Best of luck.

Jim

I thought so too, was very prepared for impact but no go. I had 6 sessions of 2-3 hours on
it by now, was never even close to go in. Very stable board.

Burchas, I had an Exocet with a similar nose. The board itself had a lot of problems, especially a paper-thin skin, but that front end was perfect for the light, variable chop of the Hudson.

We still need to get together and paddle. Soon.

Indeed I had the Hudson in mind when working on the nose, to my joy it works just as
I expected. Yes, lets get together, email me what dates you have open

[PonoBill]

Congrats on your new board. I'm a fellow Blackfish fan.

Do try the side fins with a small ventral between them set back in the box. In my experience, that combo is substantially faster. the fastest side fins are the rounded nubs, but the raked fins are fast too. Also very quick--meaning substantially faster acceleration. The speed difference is not small. It's unavoidably obvious with any kind of metering.

I don't believe in these side fins. the theory of them makes no sense to me. In particular, I don't believe in the asymmetric thruster foils. Why? Why would you want that?  I discovered I don't have to believe for them to be faster.