Tkb Review: 2022 FCD Blunt

Sizes Available: 4’8″, 5’0″, 5’2″, 5’4″
Sizes Tested: 5’2” x 17.85” x 2.01” x 27L

FCD Says:

Everyone seems to have a cut-off-nose style board these days, but with our kite-optimized rocker and features, the Blunt is becoming a favorite in all conditions. The Blunt carves very tight radius turns instead of having to “fight” the rocker and fins. The quad fins and concave/4-channel bottom give you edge control and speed to get you upwind faster when it’s light and overcomes bad current with speed and power and planing area. With light weight and wide template, the Blunt sticks to your feet in the air during strapless freestyle tricks. Pre-shaped deck depression/grab channels lower your center of gravity and make it feel like your “old favorite.”

Visit for more info: www.fcdsurfboards.com/blunt

TKB Says:

From the moment you hold the Blunt’s iFoam rails in your hand you can feel that this compact shape is built to fly. Offering an incredibly light-weight construction the Blunt is a speed demon in the water and a levitation machine in the air and will rip at everything in between.

Design and Features
The Blunt is one of the perennial favorites of the test with its single concave bottom transferring into channels through a hybrid squash diamond tail with a designated quad-fin configuration. Crafted with MARKO composite ”˜iFoam,’ FCD has found an exceptional material that blends chop-dampening control, flex and maneuverability to meet the demands of kiteboarding while retaining that perfect blend of flex and stiffness. New in the latest batch of boards is FCD’s power rods routed into each board; it’s basically a carbon rope that starts a couple inches from the nose and follows the rail into the fin boxes which adds to the strength and durability while maintaining its flex pattern and a very reasonable weight.

Impressions
Right off the bat we noted how quick and easy to plane the Blunt’s bottom shape was, with a super-efficient planing surface that feels faster than both the Kite Boar and Shrike boards that we tested. With its channeled bottom and flatter rocker, the Blunt drives upwind like a champ with a really steady rail that cuts cleanly though the nastiest chop. While the Blunt has a nice locked in feel for easy upwind travel, it also has an incredibly carvey feel that likes to rail into tight turns that makes chop and mushy surf super fun.

Stocked with a host of qualities that help it dominate strapless freestyle riding, the Blunt’s super power is its aerial game. By far, one of the most noticeable characteristics of this board is when you hold the Blunt in your hands it features an impressive light weight build that makes it feel extremely flickable. The Blunt’s tail is wide and offers god pop for aerial launches, and with its shorter length and square nose, it tends to levitate against the wind so you can keep the board glued to your feet on longer jumps with more amplitude. Due to its cut-off nose, the Blunt has a lower swing weight and is much easier to complete strapless rotations. The beveled rail provides a nice grip for you a place to grab on bigger airs. The other strapless air quality that we noted was how soft the landings were due to the Blunt’s channeled bottom which broke up the impact on bigger airs. On some boards, strapless airs tend result in knee-jarring landings, but the Blunt’s bottom shape seemed to smoothly disrupt the water tension and make the drops much easier to stick all while being extra forgiving on your body parts.

Overall the Blunt is an excellent freeride surf shape that rockets up wind with super-efficient planing in under-powered conditions with a fast, high-end speed that’s easy to control. It carves well in small to medium sized waves and chop with extra playful turns that keep you looking for the next smack. While fun for surf, the Blunt is equally adept at aerials and strapless freestyle that will aid in progression for every skill level.