Black Pearl

A. It depends on what you want the board to do. The featured sizes run from 9'0" to 10'4" in 2" increments; the full catalog runs 9'0" to 11'0" with intermediate sizes available. The general rule is the same one that applies to every single-fin log: longer is paddle and glide, shorter is sharper turn and a tighter rail line. If you're between sizes, size up for the soft-day glass-off and size down for a head-high wall where you want to step-and-pivot.

The 9'2" pilot size at around 22 9/16" wide is the "if you have to pick blind" recommendation — it covers the broadest waveband the Black Pearl is built for. Heavier rider or you mostly surf soft-breaking points and reform? Step up to a 9'6" or 10'0". Lighter rider or you want the board to turn tight in the pocket? 9'0" reads cleaner. Talk it through with me before you commit — single-fin sizing rewards a conversation.

A. No. The Black Pearl is single-fin only — a 10.5" Stavron long box, centered on the stringer. Same goes for the rest of the Lundquist log line; the Magic Carpet is the lone catalog 2+1 longboard. If you want a 2+1, that's the board to look at.

The single-fin-only constraint isn't a limitation; it's the design intent. A traditional log steers from the rail, not from the side fins, and a clean long-box single-fin setup is what gives you the trim line, the noseride lift, and the pivot-turn feel that defines the Black Pearl. Side bites would compromise that without adding the kind of drive a thruster bottom would need.

A. Ankle-high to shoulder-high, soft-breaking points and reefs through medium beach-break reform. It's at home at Old Man's at San Onofre on a head-high south, the sand-bottom reform at Doheny on a dropping tide, and the long friendly walls at Cardiff Reef when the surf turns soft and the parking lot empties out by mid-morning. Take it on the trip and it traces the long right points of mainland Mexico — Saladita, La Saladita, the Punta de Mita zone — exactly the same way.

What it's not is a heavy-water log. Once the surf gets steep and hollow, the low entry rocker and the belly forward want a smoother, rounder face. If you're dropping into double-overhead points, that's a different conversation.

A. Yes — that's exactly who the Black Pearl is built for. A true traditional flagship log demands a lot from the rider before it gives anything back; the trim discipline has to be there before the board comes alive. The Black Pearl opens that door wider. Subtle modern refinements in the entry rocker and a touch more lift through the wide point make this a single-fin you can grow into — one board for the morning when you're working on your hang-five and the afternoon when you just want to paddle in early, drop, and trim a long open wall.

If you're brand new to longboarding (your first or second log), I'd still start with a wider, more forgiving build — talk to me about sizing into the upper end of the catalog. If you've put real time on a log and you're ready to step into something with more refinement, the Black Pearl is the next move.

A. That's the design split that makes the Black Pearl modern-classic instead of pure traditional. Belly through the front two-thirds gives you the classic hull contour — water rolls rail-to-rail across the bottom and the board traces a long unbroken trim line across the wave face. That's what you want for glide, paddle, and noseriding lift; nothing else gets there.

But behind the wide point, the bottom transitions to a double convex tail. Water releases off two subtle convex panels rather than rolling continuously off a uniform belly. The practical effect is that when you weight the inside rail and step back to turn, the tail breaks loose and pivots cleanly. A pure-belly log holds trim brilliantly but locks into it; the double convex tail is what lets the Black Pearl turn when the wave asks for a turn.

It's the same idea as the 60/40 pinched rails through the midsection — slightly lower than a traditional 50/50 for a quicker rail-to-rail transition, but still forgiving enough that a rider building their longboard chops won't catch an edge mid-trim.

A. The closest reference points in the broader market are probably the Almond Joy and the CJ Nelson Apex Liner — both are modern-classic single-fin logs in the same general design camp.

The Apex Liner pulls slightly more toward dedicated noseriding — more pulled-in tail, more refined for trim and nose. The Almond Joy sits closer to a true all-around modern log — accessible single-fin feel for a wider skill range. Bing's Levitator is in the same neighborhood but slightly more performance-leaning, with a touch more entry-rocker lift.

The Black Pearl sits in the modern-classic all-around camp — not as nose-dedicated as the Apex Liner, more refined than a pure traditional log, accessible like the Joy but with the belly-forward + double convex tail combination tuned for the way Southern California waves actually break. Same general neighborhood; the specific feel comes from the rocker numbers and the tail bottom.

A. Three finish tiers on every Black Pearl:

- Clear resin sanded — $1,050. Functional, fastest turnaround, off the lam and into the water. - Resin tint sanded both sides — $1,200. Color in the lam, sanded smooth. - Resin tint + gloss + polish — $1,400. Show-quality finish.

The deck and bottom both run a 6-ounce S-cloth + 4-ounce E-cloth schedule by default — that's the standard Lundquist longboard schedule, heavier than a shortboard, because a long board takes more flex cycles and the deck takes more weight under foot. Optional add-ons on top: a volan tail patch (the traditional green-tint patch, +$40) and a nose patch (extra deck glass at the nose, +$40, common on noseride-leaning builds).

What I recommend for most Black Pearl orders is the resin tint gloss + polish ($1,400). That's the classic log finish — it photographs well, ages well, and matches the modern-classic intent of the board. If you'd rather get in the water faster and you're not chasing the show-finish look, the clear-resin sanded build does exactly the same thing in the water at the entry tier price.

For sizes 8'7"–10'5" the three tiers above cover the full price. For 8'6" or anything 10'6"–11'0", the price falls outside the standard band — message me and I'll quote you direct.

A. We don't run a formal demo program — every Black Pearl is built to order, so there isn't a stock fleet sitting in the shop the way a multi-brand retailer would have. What we can do: I keep in touch with a few team riders and customers who own Black Pearls and would let you paddle one out at the right break on the right day. Message me with where you surf and what dim you're considering and we can usually find a way to put you on one before you commit to the build.

The faster path: there are usually one or two clearance Black Pearls in stock — finished new builds we're moving to make room for the next batch. Right now there's a 9'0" at $745 and a 10'0" at $690 listed under "Available Now" on this page. Those go in the water the day they ship. If one of those dimensions works for you, that's the lowest-friction way to get on the board.