JS - Black Baron

SCALE 1-5 - Rating lowest (1) to highest (5)

Where to Buy:
The Surf Station
Surfboard Empire (Australia & NZ)
Jack’s Surfboards 

Support Surf N’ Show:
No obligation, but these links & ads help support the site and keeps the reviews coming! If you decide to buy somewhere else or would like to support the show, please give at https://www.paypal.me/surfnshow

In this episode I put the JS “Black Baron” Twin Fin through the paces in 1-4’ surf. The folks at JS send me two stock boards (5’3” & 5’4”) in their Fusion EPS construction. 

To my surprise the 5’4” at 26.3 liters felt big for me. On most of the waves I caught my turns felt long and drawn out with the board bogging in the nose area. The more I surfed it the better it felt but at the end of the first session in perfect 2-4’ surf I knew it was too big.

The 5’3” at 25 liters on the other hand was extremely responsive and surfed like the performance Twin Fin that I was hoping for. I noticed the board having more get up and go speed from the take off and quicker from turn to turn. The nose was free from bogging due to it being 1”shorter with less volume. This board is a GREAT paddler and has good glide so don’t let the lower liters scare you off to buying it bigger and getting less performance.

The Black Baron is a Favorite of mine for 2019 and I highly recommend it for intermediate – pro level surfers. Sizing for this model is crucial to maximize performance in 1-4’ surf. I suggest going with the same liters as your High Performance Short Board (HPSB) if you want true performance in a Twin Fin.

Board Sizes:
Stock 5’4” x 19 5/8 x 2 ¼ Liters 26.3
Stock 5’3” x 19 ½ x 2 3/16 Liters 25 

My Height: 5’9”
My Weight: 160 lb or 72.57 kg 

Recommended Fins:
Futures: Al Merrick Keels (AMK)
Futures: EN Fins
FCSII: Power Twins