I own a 6'4' Blackbird and love it. The nose volume is the key - translates power forward which = more hull speed. Gets up on foil way easier than my 88 armstrong. Great board!
I was calling my lokal surfshop today just to see if he had open the shop. I only needed earplugs. He asked me if i hade my gear with me because there was 8ms off shore wind. I didn't so he I demo some products. Afs hybrid, f one new seven seas 1300 and a 5m fone origin. Everything was so smooth and easy. Get up on foil easy, gybe easy. Don't know if it was the foil or the board that was so good. Maybe both😀🤙
I would be very interested to hear your views on the afs foils - particularly the afs pure 900. The shape and construction of these foils look very interesting.
The man who designs those foils rides from my beach - I haven't spent much time on them to form a detailed opinion as they are mainly considered (even by the designer) as a downwind style foil. Which is not a side of the sport I spend that much time on.
@@Wing-Tips I have been riding art pros for the last 6 months - mainly the 951 - and I really enjoy the higher aspect wings. Is that a Brit designing for a french company then?
The 900 is not a downwind focused foil at all, it’s a high performance freeride foil. there may be a mix up with the pure 800 which is downwind centered but still a fantastic winging foil. 900 is carvier but less glide than the 800, definitely recommend checking them out as they have been well received
@@BenoitRochard I sail with the designer of the pure foils and he recently highlighted to me this very thing that the Pure range has a mix of styles. Personally I find that confusing, they should really name foils differently that have different use cases. I do have the option to try the Pure foils and review them, which I may do at some point. I've only ridden the downwind Pure so far.
Many thanks Ash for a very well presented and well balanced review. The 6’2” and 6’4” Blackbirds are very much firm favourites with their owners and the one you tested has been in hard use on the Demo circuit over this last year, testament to its light, stiff, structural strength and durability. You’ll also see its superb nose shape influencing many of our AFS board range. Awesome too you’ve identified its broad appeal to a wide group of riders as a daily driver, light wind wing, or crossover board depending on rider weight and experience. Your test also highlights the benefits of trying before you buy, possible through our dealer / ambassador network and UK Demo days. Again many thanks Ash. For further interest and to see the boards in action when they starred in our Scottish Downwinder adventure: m.czcams.com/video/SEGdR4wJEvQ/video.html&pp=ygUUU2NvdHRpc2ggZG93bndpbmRlciA%3D 🤙 🏴
Thanks for a truly honest review instead of the usual paid infomercials that dominate CZcams nowadays.
Ride it - say what you found out ;-)
I own a 6'4' Blackbird and love it. The nose volume is the key - translates power forward which = more hull speed. Gets up on foil way easier than my 88 armstrong. Great board!
Thanks for sharing your experience with AFS boards.
Great review
thankyou
I was calling my lokal surfshop today just to see if he had open the shop. I only needed earplugs. He asked me if i hade my gear with me because there was 8ms off shore wind. I didn't so he I demo some products. Afs hybrid, f one new seven seas 1300 and a 5m fone origin. Everything was so smooth and easy. Get up on foil easy, gybe easy.
Don't know if it was the foil or the board that was so good. Maybe both😀🤙
Nice - glad you had a great session.
I would be very interested to hear your views on the afs foils - particularly the afs pure 900. The shape and construction of these foils look very interesting.
The man who designs those foils rides from my beach - I haven't spent much time on them to form a detailed opinion as they are mainly considered (even by the designer) as a downwind style foil. Which is not a side of the sport I spend that much time on.
@@Wing-Tips I have been riding art pros for the last 6 months - mainly the 951 - and I really enjoy the higher aspect wings. Is that a Brit designing for a french company then?
@@norfolkfoiler6466 yes, he is a Brit designing for a French company
The 900 is not a downwind focused foil at all, it’s a high performance freeride foil. there may be a mix up with the pure 800 which is downwind centered but still a fantastic winging foil. 900 is carvier but less glide than the 800, definitely recommend checking them out as they have been well received
@@BenoitRochard I sail with the designer of the pure foils and he recently highlighted to me this very thing that the Pure range has a mix of styles. Personally I find that confusing, they should really name foils differently that have different use cases. I do have the option to try the Pure foils and review them, which I may do at some point. I've only ridden the downwind Pure so far.
Thank you for the review! Wondering how you set up your 360 camera for the 3rd person view; are you wearing a harness and stick?
using a sail video systems shoulder mount - which is kind of like a harness and stick
Many thanks Ash for a very well presented and well balanced review. The 6’2” and 6’4” Blackbirds are very much firm favourites with their owners and the one you tested has been in hard use on the Demo circuit over this last year, testament to its light, stiff, structural strength and durability. You’ll also see its superb nose shape influencing many of our AFS board range. Awesome too you’ve identified its broad appeal to a wide group of riders as a daily driver, light wind wing, or crossover board depending on rider weight and experience. Your test also highlights the benefits of trying before you buy, possible through our dealer / ambassador network and UK Demo days. Again many thanks Ash.
For further interest and to see the boards in action when they starred in our Scottish Downwinder adventure:
m.czcams.com/video/SEGdR4wJEvQ/video.html&pp=ygUUU2NvdHRpc2ggZG93bndpbmRlciA%3D 🤙 🏴
thanks Paul for lending me the board for an extended period to put together the review - much appreciated.