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FREE DIAMOND 65
Length: 271 cm Width: 65 cm
Volume: 122 Weight: 16/7.4kg
Upwind: NA Planing: NA
Speed: NA Handling: NA
Jibe: NA Overall: NA
Price: $1,399 Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin
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FREE DIAMOND 65
Length: 271 cm Width: 65 cm
Volume: 122 Weight: 16/7.4kg
Upwind: NA Planing: NA
Speed: NA Handling: NA
Jibe: NA Overall: NA
Price: $1,399
Includes: Straps, Pads, Fin
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AHD
FREE DIAMOND 65 & 70
The Free Diamond 65 and 70 are freeride versions of the Diamond Race 62 and 67. The bottomskeep the concave shape, but there are a number of significant differences, including in the outlines, noses, tails and footstrap locations. But mostly it’s in the rails: The freeride boards have thin rails with considerable tuck for easy turning and jibing. The tails are also narrow, for control in rough water. At only 272 and 280 cm long, the widths are key to the volumes of 122 and 140 liters.
It’s a creative blend of shapes that don’t normally go together, to achieve a new range of performance, not unlike the RRD AvantRide 70.
But it’s a good thing AHD doesn’t make watches; if they did, the Swiss reputation might be chinked. The fin of the Free Diamond 65 ripped through the first time it was sailed, and the Free Diamond 70 ripped shortly thereafter; in addition, on the Maxxride 62, the Power box fin screw also ripped through the deck. In all three cases, good sailors hit the reef, and we believe them when they say the hits were not that hard. The reef was a chronic problem for fins, but it was also a good strength test. Some boards survived horrific hits—the HiFly 272, for example, which also uses a Power box—and only the AHDs broke on impact.
AHD is using a brand new construction method with these boards, which they call Protec Sandwich, basically a plastic laminate over the sandwich. (When told of our experience, AHD acknowledged that there was an inconsistent batch of high density foam used in early models and that steps have been taken to rectify the problem.)
Three AW staff members, Mark Archer, Glenn Fuller and Andy Gurtner, all got on the 70 before it blew. Together, they gave it 4.1 in Upwind, 4.4 in Planing, 4.1 in speed, 3.7 in Handling (Mark and Andy gave 3’s, Glenn a 5) and 3.7 in Jibe (ditto). The differingopinions over maneuverability only show, once again, that styles and tastes are everything. Still, to live up to AHD’s claims, Handling and Jibe probably should have been more impressive, despite the width.
Glenn wrote, “I found the tail more comfortable to jump into whereas I didn’t have to fumble on the outside of the board as much.” For the translation, we reached him on Maui. He stayed there after the test, got a job at Extreme Sports Maui. He was in the process of installing a window in the storage container he was moving into. Don’t laugh, he said, it beats New Hampshire winters—cozy fireplaces and all. He told us he had recently saved the life of a sailor who had lost his rig way outside on a big day at Kanaha. Towed him back in, before a wave snapped his mast and swallowed them both. Glenn swam, the Coast Guard had arrived by then to complete the rescue of the other fellow. Who bought Glenn a new mast.
He explained his cryptic comment on the AHD 70. It means that he liked the rear footstrap position, located farther inward than on many wide boards, whose straps are out on the rails and are challenging to get into. Of course, the tail on the 70 is not so wide, and there are four rear strap positions; presumably, the straps were mounted inward for him. But maybe not.
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