Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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JS Blakbox Review
Rider: Havoc
Height: 5’10
Weight: 160-ish
Level: kook+ hero to zero and back again on nearly every wave these days. I’m coined as the most inconsistent surfar dude ever...
Experience: 23 years surfboarding
Age: Middle or getting darn near it
I picked this board up at the froghouse on a whim as a birthday present to myself… felt just right under my arm with a nice foil in the rails, nose, and tail. JS rec’s you ride these 3-4” inches shorter than a good wave thruster.
My standard good wave thruster which is 6’2x18.78x2.38 or so, so 5’10 fit the bill. Board is 5’10x19.75x2.38. At first I thought the width was a bit much but there’s a reason…
From my very first wave I knew I had something special under my feet, felt very front foot friendly in the sense that I can pump off my front foot and initiate my turns with my front foot as well, almost like a steering wheel. When I punch it off the back foot coming off the bottom, it also feels really good with lots of drive there so I’d say the board is pretty neutral overall. Really snappy but at the same time carvy if you will. Nice balance of the two. Bottom contours are flat entry to double concave inside a single that goes deeper through the fins and exits in a single concave. Similar to a pavel speed dialer Rocker is relaxed with no crazy flip, just a nice gradual entry and exit which I like. Board is very refined and balanced. It looks like a lot of thought went into the foam placement, rails, template, and especially bottom contours.
So far I’ve ridden the board in everything from knee high slop to HH lined up beachbreak. It goes good in everything. Feels like the tail is a bit too wide for the bigger days as it wants to skip out and it doesn’t grovel as nearly as well as a lot of other boards out there, but the blakbox is a terrific daily driver. When the reports say 2-3 or 2-4 ft socal this is my weapon of choice. It’s fast down the line and goes top to bottom well. Cutbacks are smooth and flowing and I’ve gotten a few nice vertical (in my mind  ) end section smacks on it. Everyone who rides it digs it.
The finishing quality is second to none. Has a madluc label but not the made in oz logo so I assume made in USA. I don’t know who signed it but it looks like ‘79’ or ‘97’ or something. I’ve noticed this same sig on some of the cleanest finished JS boards at some of the other surf shops… Hoyte maybe? Either way, after almost 4 months of continuous use, this thing only has minor denting on the deck… everything is solid. One of the lightest and strongest poly’s I’ve ever ridden.
Couple things, the double concave makes the board ride a lot narrower than it is and the front rail never catches due to this bottom and the way the rails are foiled. Feels more like 19” wide versus 19.75. Lastly, I could go 1” shorter with ease on this puppy which I will likely do on my next one but I do not have any issues with getting my back foot far enough back. It’s nearly always in that sweet spot in between the front and rear fins. Often further back during turns or lippers. One of the most intuitive and easy to surf boards out there… always leave the beach with a smile on my face. Stoked!!
Cheers,
Havoc
Edited by Havoc (11/05/10 07:07 PM)
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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cameraphone pics when new:
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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winwin
Billy Hamilton status
Reged: 07/11/07
Posts: 1737
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Thnx for the great review! I was really surprise that the board is that wide....the times that I tried it, it felt like 19.1/4 at most....pulled in nose area probably. Not bulky at all and flows really well! Really like that board from the very first wave....would love to try it in better conditions the next time we surf.
Win-win
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nkpheous
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 04/07/08
Posts: 2947
Loc: Huntington Beach
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i concur. one of the most user friendly boards out there for sure. i'll end up going for some bottom contours like this on my next board
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mikeg711
Grom
Reged: 04/01/05
Posts: 104
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what fins have you been using on this?
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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Quote:
what fins have you been using on this?
rode it with fcs fg5's and liked those fins a lot, maybe a hair underfinned. Currently riding it with Griffin G10's 4.5" front w/ 4.38 rears. That set-up is great for small waves. For some bigger/steeper stuff I think the money set-up would be griffin G10 4.58 fronts and 4.38 rear or 4.5"'s all around.
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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LaRusso
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 02/20/10
Posts: 295
Loc: the bro-c
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Thanks for the review. Sounds like you're riding it in what I was hoping to use it in 2-4ft CA days. Defiantly picking one up when I get back to CA 
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retodd
Tom Curren status
Reged: 02/22/09
Posts: 11170
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nice review
i tried this Blk Box for a few waves and had fun , for sure this bottom contour likes to be driven off the front foot ! i felt like it wanted to be on rail at all times . rail volume is perfect for my taste .
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grecksy
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 07/09/07
Posts: 376
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thanks for the review. been eyeing one of these as a dd for a bit now.
i'm the same size as you (5'10 x 160), but the 5'10 x 19 3/4 x 2 3/8 sounds big to me. would you go 5'8 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/4 if you could now?
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it would be swell if we got some waves today.
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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Quote:
thanks for the review. been eyeing one of these as a dd for a bit now.
i'm the same size as you (5'10 x 160), but the 5'10 x 19 3/4 x 2 3/8 sounds big to me. would you go 5'8 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/4 if you could now?
I could easily go for the 5'8... it still has enough foam. However, the board is much more foiled out than say a dumpster diver or wd. The nose and tail are considerably thinner so you can ride them a bit longer. I never have trouble getting my foot back, in fact, I was popping wheelies and chit today on some of the facier waves since my foot was all the way back. My next one will likely be 5'9x19.75x2-1/4. or maybe 19.5 width. They ride narrower than they are due to the double concave. If you are surfing punchier stuff, go with the 5'8". I think a 5'9 scaled appropriately would be money but it all depends on preference. Keep in mind I'm a wheezy old middle aged asthmatic... but I did smack the lip today hard and the crowd backed off me for a bit and let me get some of the better sets.
Havoc
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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grecksy
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 07/09/07
Posts: 376
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"popping wheelies"... 
good stuff man. only asked about the 5'8 as that's the only available here. very curious about the d concave under the front foot. sounds ideal for hh under days with good shape. the blakbox, a groveler, and a 6'1 or 6'2 step up could be a good minimalist quiver for the fiscally challenged.
again for the review.
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it would be swell if we got some waves today.
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camcoll
Grom
Reged: 11/17/10
Posts: 19
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Really liking the look of this board. Tossing up between this and a WD.
Trying to get a grip on the dims i need. Im roughly 5'9 x 135.. maybe a bit more after Christmas (I asked Santa for a bit more height). My current ride is a 6 x 18.5 x 2.25 K board. Im thinking the 5'8 x 19.5 x 2.25 stock board. Or could I go smaller? Im not gunning to go smaller, just to do whats best. I only get one new board a year (poor student budget) so i really want to get it right before i commit.
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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Quote:
Really liking the look of this board. Tossing up between this and a WD.
Trying to get a grip on the dims i need. Im roughly 5'9 x 135.. maybe a bit more after Christmas (I asked Santa for a bit more height). My current ride is a 6 x 18.5 x 2.25 K board. Im thinking the 5'8 x 19.5 x 2.25 stock board. Or could I go smaller? Im not gunning to go smaller, just to do whats best. I only get one new board a year (poor student budget) so i really want to get it right before i commit.
I'd say 4" shorter than a good wave shortboard (not stepup) is a good starting point. That's what I did and I'm happy. I could've gone down maybe 1" or so but that would also take away some of the grovel.
hard to say, WD grovels better and is more fishier. this is more of a mini hpsb that can also grovel. I's say thigh high to shoulder high is a good range for it.
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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retodd
Tom Curren status
Reged: 02/22/09
Posts: 11170
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Quote:
Really liking the look of this board. Tossing up between this and a WD.
Trying to get a grip on the dims i need. Im roughly 5'9 x 135.. maybe a bit more after Christmas (I asked Santa for a bit more height). My current ride is a 6 x 18.5 x 2.25 K board. Im thinking the 5'8 x 19.5 x 2.25 stock board. Or could I go smaller? Im not gunning to go smaller, just to do whats best. I only get one new board a year (poor student budget) so i really want to get it right before i commit.
if you like to drive off the back foot get the WD
front foot driver BB
the 5-8's stock dims would put you with more of an all-rounder , with a good set of fins you would be covered up to 7 foot faces .
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Makoto3838
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 11/18/10
Posts: 222
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Great review. I'm selling my sonic and planning to pick up a blakbox in a couple months. My level is nothing great but I'm 5'8 and about 145 lbs. I'm thinking of either going 5'8 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/4 or possibly 5'7 x 19 1/4 x 2 1/8. Any reccomendations ? I know some guys my size would ride it 5'6 but I don't think I'm there yet...
Edited by Makoto3838 (12/01/10 10:43 PM)
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rossmoor
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 03/28/10
Posts: 451
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I actually got one of these about a month or so ago. A 5'9 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/4. Really fun here in SoCal, and as smooth as butter. My question is this. I am moving to Hawaii, so should I take it with me? I lived in Hawaii previously so I am familiar with the surf. I'm sure it would work fine there. I gotta make a choice between taking it or my 6'0 CI diamond tail ksmall. 
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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Quote:
I actually got one of these about a month or so ago. A 5'9 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/4. Really fun here in SoCal, and as smooth as butter. My question is this. I am moving to Hawaii, so should I take it with me? I lived in Hawaii previously so I am familiar with the surf. I'm sure it would work fine there. I gotta make a choice between taking it or my 6'0 CI diamond tail ksmall.
that board would kill at the vans triple crown at sunset beach right now!
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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alohasurf
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 218
Loc: southbay
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Quote:
Great review. I'm selling my sonic and planning to pick up a blakbox in a couple months. My level is nothing great but I'm 5'8 and about 145 lbs. I'm thinking of either going 5'8 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/4 or possibly 5'7 x 19 1/4 x 2 1/8. Any reccomendations ? I know some guys my size would ride it 5'6 but I don't think I'm there yet...
makato-
i would go a bit smaller than you on the blakbox. im about 5'11/180lbs and the 5'9 stock dims work great for me. Havoc's review is spot-on. Awesome board for sure. shoot me a PM if you are looking to move your Sonic, how big is it?
rossmoor-
risky to take blakbox for hawaii unless its small or depending on where youre gonna surf i guess, for bigger waves mine just doesnt have the paddling or the length, ive made the mistake a couple times and taken it out in waves i wished i just had my shortboard in.
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camcoll
Grom
Reged: 11/17/10
Posts: 19
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Cheers for the help guys. Pinned this down as my next board. 350 skins for shipping and the wait have put a line through my WD aspirations.
Going to pull into my local shop tomorrow and suss out the difference between the 5'8 and 5'7. A 5'8 would grovel a bit better than a 5'7 right? Im wary of going too big though. I shouldnt take any notice but the js site has bruce irons riding a 5'7 weighing 30 pounds more than me. I hear what youre saying though, Im not bruce irons.
Also, Im curious as to what fin setups guys are riding? Havoc, I might give your fg5/fg3 setup a burl as ive got a set of each already. Wont be surfing it in much more than waist high waves for the next few months (summer here at the moment) so small wave fin options are what im after.
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kolohe
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 2067
Loc: Kaimukesia
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thanks for that nice review Havoc. when I saw that video of Parko riding it at small snapper the hook was set.
I "soft" ordered a Blak Box in stock dims without ever having felt one up several months back and ended up with only a 5'10" and a 6'0" to choose from so I passed.
I (5'8" 175+ lbs. and old) picked up a stock 5'11" tonight and am taking it up to the unseasonably small NS tomorrow to try it out. 
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"Those fvcking pedicurists, they're all fvcking cvnts!"
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manjushri
Gerry Lopez status
Reged: 01/03/09
Posts: 1262
Loc: 638
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christmas came early will be perfect day for tryin it out . out the back might be fun holler
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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Quote:
thanks for that nice review Havoc. when I saw that video of Parko riding it at small snapper the hook was set.
I "soft" ordered a Blak Box in stock dims without ever having felt one up several months back and ended up with only a 5'10" and a 6'0" to choose from so I passed.
I (5'8" 175+ lbs. and old) picked up a stock 5'11" tonight and am taking it up to the unseasonably small NS tomorrow to try it out.
damn. nice ride kolohe! you're stoked!!
Havoc
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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kolohe
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 2067
Loc: Kaimukesia
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Alright, I've had 4 sessions on the Blak Box and have it (somewhat) figured out. It's a stock 5'11"x 19 3/4"x 2 3/8" PU/PE. for it's maiden voyage I took it out to the country on a very small Sunday. although Pastures probably had the best waves that day we decided to skip what would certainly be a circus of all manner of high volume wavecraft ("I could give a rat's a$$ what the anti-anti SUP echo chamber has to cough up") ended up paddling up and down the stretch between waist-high RR's, Benzinkammers and Poops, the latter having the occasional soft HH set.
having only 2 sets of FCS's I grabbed the PC-7 side fins out of my step-up and the AM-2 trailer out of my biscuit and tried it like that. Initial reaction paddling out was that I'd sized it correctly. it didn't paddle around any better than my HPSB but caught waves with ease due to the flat entry rocker.
the board felt a little stiff probably due to the fact that I'd normally be riding my WD in those conditions but made sections with less effort. there really weren't enough waves to get it sussed out that session but all in all, pretty much what I expected.
the next three sessions were out behind the house in chest to HH ultra-clean conditions. I left the same fins in at first and the board still felt a little sticky on all but the biggest waves. plenty of down the line speed and nice wrap-arounds though.
last sesh I tried it with all AM-2s (normally too small for me) and had my best session yet. Still plenty of drive and enough hold off the bottom and cleaner and quicker release off the top with just enough drift to fight off old age for another day.
stocked!
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"Those fvcking pedicurists, they're all fvcking cvnts!"
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Greg Griffin
Phil Edwards status
Reged: 10/31/04
Posts: 6778
Loc: Sunset Point, Hawaii
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It would nice to buy a board that has the best fins for it on it. 
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www.griffinsurfboards.com
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SurfZombie
Tom Curren status
Reged: 06/29/04
Posts: 14195
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Quote:
It would nice to buy a board that has the best fins for it on it.
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kolohe
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 07/29/06
Posts: 2067
Loc: Kaimukesia
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Quote:
It would nice to buy a board that has the best fins for it on it.
but G-10 doesn't come in as many nifty colors as RTM and I only have to decide between 3 fins. 
all joking aside, I'd love to try your fins. 
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"Those fvcking pedicurists, they're all fvcking cvnts!"
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Greg Griffin
Phil Edwards status
Reged: 10/31/04
Posts: 6778
Loc: Sunset Point, Hawaii
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I would rather you try my whole board and fin design.
Someday.
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www.griffinsurfboards.com
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teleross
Grom
Reged: 03/21/09
Posts: 40
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Why must every thread about another board turn into a sales pitch?
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lukasdad
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 04/10/05
Posts: 175
Loc: AUSTRALIA
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I just made my buddy but one of these in 5'10" over a dumpster, hes 5'9ish and 165, hope ive sent him in the right direction...will find out tomorrow
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Aloha Mr Hand
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gui_lv
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 01/04/10
Posts: 355
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Hey guys
I'm about to order a custom Blak Box.
Havoc and other guys who have a BB, I was just wondering if you could share what was the biggest surf you have scored with your Blak Box?
Cheers
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retodd
Tom Curren status
Reged: 02/22/09
Posts: 11170
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i would say it gets to loose at head high and up .
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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Quote:
i would say it gets to loose at head high and up .
+1. anything bigger than shoulder high with some curve and you'd feel more secure on something with more rail line and rocker.
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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almost one year later and the blakbox still delivers. Don't know what it is, but lower tail rocker, double concave to single exit bottom contours, low rails with flat deck, dakine jordy pad with griffin g10 fins, thing feels like I can't place my feet wrong. Board totally delivered today in fairly crap conditions. some glide of a fish but way more hp. Love it!!
Havoc
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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hgsouth
Grom
Reged: 04/15/06
Posts: 46
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Riding a JS Konfusion now, 5'9. LOVE it. However, it needs a decent wave with some push to get it going. Looking for a groveler board, and was thinking of the Blak Box due to the great reviews here. Since my Konfusion is 5'9 I was thinking of going 5'6 on the Blak Box. Would that be too big for me though? According to the JS site it works out to the same volume.
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Vale46
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 01/20/10
Posts: 444
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A 5'9 Konfusion and a 5'6 Blackbox sounds like a great mini-quiver !
Especially if they're the same volume
Go for it
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Havoc
Tom Curren status
Reged: 09/10/07
Posts: 10000
Loc: The OC Life
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Quote:
Riding a JS Konfusion now, 5'9. LOVE it. However, it needs a decent wave with some push to get it going. Looking for a groveler board, and was thinking of the Blak Box due to the great reviews here. Since my Konfusion is 5'9 I was thinking of going 5'6 on the Blak Box. Would that be too big for me though? According to the JS site it works out to the same volume.
probably all personal preference. some people run more volume for grovelly waves. some keep them the same.
with that being said, it's been exactly one year since I first got this board and it still delivers. took off on a wave today and got my back foot back against the kick and the board just took off faster than I have ever gone on e waist high wave, just flying. maybe the people who think thrusters are slow need to get their back foot back yo!
when this one is done I'm getting another one in exact dims made.
Havoc
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"motions of rippage is initated by the hind leg"-Northern_Shores
"Lemme know. I got endson gas"-20W
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hgsouth
Grom
Reged: 04/15/06
Posts: 46
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Thanks for the input. I think I'm gonna try the 5'6" out. I'm sure if I don't like it I can sell it on Craigslist pretty easily.
Was trying to surf the konfusion today and just couldn't get the speed I wanted out of the less than ideal surf. On a wave with some face and punch, though, that board is buttery.
I want a small wave board that has that high performance element. I have a 5'5" quad that's a bit like a Pod, but it's so thick and the rails soo fat that I can't really dig it in for a solid bottom turn and off the top. I'm finding its a bit limited. But get it going on a fast walled wave though and it's super fun. Anyway I digress.
Will report back here if and when I do get it and ride it a few times.
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