Covewater's Jimmy Lewis Stryker 9'5" tried it out

[SUPcheat]

My Vernor is in the surfboard hospital for a couple of weeks so I rented the 9'5" x 31"Jimmy Lewis Stryker from Covewater to try with my 75 yo neighbor, since he is looking for a shorter, wider, and much lighter board.

His standard board is a massively built Pearson Laird Surftech 10'6" x 29 3/4" that weighs about 30 pounds and he is tired of lugging it up stairs.  He weighs probably 175 wet and I weigh about 220 wet. He's much more experienced than me.

I started getting a cold Tuesday when I got tossed in the big water around Sharks, but was toast with sickness yesterday. I felt well enough today to go out again even though still a little wonky from the cold.

Conditions were still a bit challenging, though easier than Tuesday.  Lots of churn, white water, toss, etc, probably not the best day to be trying a new board. Still some shoulder to overhead waves around Privates and Sharks Santa Cruz.

The Stryker is set up with three fins, two smaller laterals and what looks like an eight inch center about half way forward in the fin box. I had trouble catching waves with the JL Stryker, like I did with the Naish Mana 2013 9'5" that I had rented a couple of months ago.  I lost a lot of waves that I knew I could have gotten with my Vernor.  I liked the JL Stryker better than the Mana, however, and it could just be that I don't know how to dial it in  compared to a more mature surfer.

  When I did catch waves, it seemed to be a good turner compared to the Mana and, again, within my primitive turning abilities. It also seemed to turn around easier than the Mana to catch waves, but harder than my quad Vernor.  The JL Stryker was not hard for me to balance, but I just started getting the balance much better  toward the end of the session. It seems to have less secondary rail stability than my Vernor, not bad, just a little less.

However, just to show that boards and riders are different, my neighbor LOVED the JL Stryker to the point where he thinks this may be what he is looking for. Still a bit long-boardish, very stable for him, but a lighter shorter board than his 10'6" Pearson Laird. Since he is the much more experienced surfer, I would probably defer to him in evaluating the board.

The strange thing about the session was that we switched boards, and I was able to stand up and ride his board in challenging conditions right away without a lot of trouble. This amazed me, since I thought there would be an ice cube's chance in hell of me going below 30 inches.  31 inches is not problem.  However, in January(Feb?), I was not even able to figure out how to stand up on his other 11 foot by 29 3/4 Pearson Laird, and today i was able to stand up and ride around on his 10'6" model without too much grief. The Pearson Laird has a very good secondary rail stability, as has been noted.  I went over toss and waves and could keep my balance. I caught two waves on the Pearson Laird standing up.  I almost liked his board better than the JL Stryker.

I guess the session was worth it just to stand up on that Pearson Laird board, since it's brother humiliated me in January.  it means that I am continuing to make balance progress. For me, though, I still think I want 9 foot or below board. I also like my Vernor better than what I experienced from either the Mana or the Stryker.  The Stryker has an 8'11" model, but Covewater doesn't have one to try.

[SlatchJim]

In the FWIW department: My normal board is 9-5x33 and I had no issues at all with the laird 11x30. The board surfed great.  I was a bit concerned on durability because I was on a custom and the nose had a full snap repair, but the repair held up on my one trip to the tip (about the time I noticed it).  Lots of width at the tip and tail with those.  Got plenty of good ideas from that demo. 

Does covewater carry the JL Black and Blue Machine?  That's the only board that I didn't get to try that was on my demo bucket list.

[SUPcheat]

Hey, Slatch,

For me it is identifying a bit of progress.  When I tried his Pearson Arrow Laird 11" by 29.5" (sorry, I got the dimension wrong) I had trouble even using it on my knees, wobbled like crazy, but I caught some waves on my knees.  I literally didn't know what to do to stand up on it when I tried it last winter.

I guess the 10'6" model is a slight bit wider at 29 3/4", but I really did not have trouble with it in some choppy conditions, stood up and rode/paddled it first time. A session or two would mean I would find it a use-able board.  It drops in like a dream, at least with me on it.

So far, for drop in, the 8'8"x32 L41 is still the best I have tried, the Arrow Pearson Laird may be second with my Vernor the third.  The Naish Mana 9'5", JL Stryker 9'5" and the Gerry Lopez Surf Music would be last for wave drop in, but of course, weight and skill would also factor in and my skills aren't that great. One thing about the Surf Music, it is a rocket when it finally launches.

For stability and ease of balance, the Jerry Lopez Surf Music 9'x34" would be first, my Vernor 9'x32 3/4" second, the JL Stryker 9'5"x31" and 2013 (not 2014)Mana 9'5"x31" about the same (liked the Stryker better all around), the 10'6" Pearson Laird not far behind and the 8'8"x32L41 last. I would peg all of the boards except the 8'8" L41 as close enough in balance that if you rode one, you could quickly adapt to the others plus or minus 20 percent or so, with the L41 more challenging and probably needing quite a bit more practice to become comfortable with it.

I want to try out the Gerry Lopez Sweetie Pie 9"x30 5/8" 130L next with my neighbor, I think at his weight, it might be his ideal board.

I didn't see the JL Black and Blue Machine on their rental roster, but you could call them.  The only other one was the 10'3" Maestro model.

As a note, my neighbor rented the L41 8'8"x32 S3? with stepped rails and thought it too unstable for him in chop and he thought it was too much of a "late drop in" board compared to his Pearson Arrow Laird.

[SCruzSUPr]

Hey Carl

Goin out on dawn patrol Thursday... you are going to be sawing logs, I know.  Just saying.  There's a bump.  Tide will be right earlier.  I'm bringing my Hammer.  Kooks of a feather....

[SUPcheat]

Hey Carl

Goin out on dawn patrol Thursday... you are going to be sawing logs, I know.  Just saying.  There's a bump.  Tide will be right earlier.  I'm bringing my Hammer.  Kooks of a feather....

How early, Paul?

I was able to get up and go fairly early a couple of weeks ago.  With the tides, it tends to be dawn patrol one week and afternoon the next chasing the low tide periods.

I got up about 6:50AM and was on the water by about 7:30 to 7:45AM for a couple of days.  I thought I wouldn't be able to function and balance at that time, but I did pretty well all considered, and had some good sessions. The ocean woke me up more than I thought it could.  Mornings are so beautiful and calm before the wind picks up, so I am going to force myself to go out on more early sessions.

I am back to my inflatable or a rental board until my Vernor is repaired, and the rental shop is closed on Wed. and Thurs. doesn't open until 10:30AM.

[SCruzSUPr]

Carl
I can bring 2 boards if you like.  I will be there @ 6:30 Capitola beach.  I will have my Hammer and PSH 11 footer.  I can bring another beater board if you like.... no, you won't like.

Anyways - see you there?

Paul

[SUPcheat]

Carl
I can bring 2 boards if you like.  I will be there @ 6:30 Capitola beach.  I will have my Hammer and PSH 11 footer.  I can bring another beater board if you like.... no, you won't like.

Anyways - see you there?

Paul

Hi, Paul,

Sorry I missed this message, it got rolled out and I didn't notice it, maby PM next time?  Anyway, I saw you out the other day looking very good.  I am sorry to hear that you broke your Hammer, what was the precipitating event again?

Regards,
Carl

[surfcowboy]

One note for people in the midst of a learning curve, ( me included) evaluating a board against another one you rode say 6 months prior is very dicey.

You'd be amazed at how many boards magically got more stable and turned better 6 months later. Do these things ripen like fruit? 

[SUPcheat]

One note for people in the midst of a learning curve, ( me included) evaluating a board against another one you rode say 6 months prior is very dicey.

You'd be amazed at how many boards magically got more stable and turned better 6 months later. Do these things ripen like fruit? 

So true. Grains of salt required for all reviews, they are more like journalling

My neighbor wanted to try the Gerry Lopez Surf Music 9'x34", so I tried that again after renting it over six months ago.  It is a Cadillac ride, very luxurious. It now felt like it has lots of real estate to step around on.  After my Vernor practice, I was able to get it into small waves better, but still is not the last word on small wave drop in with my limited skill set, although this one was set up as a thruster rather than a quad like the first one.

We also rented the Naish Alana 8'10" x 30.5.  This is basically the Naish Mana 8'10" with girly girl paint on it.

I was able to stand up on the Alana right away, stay up on some breaking side swell, stay up on some rotary chop, go over waves and small white water, step back and turn it, and ride a couple of waves without falling off until the end of the wave.  The means that I could probably handle it with some practice. It wasn't easy or graceful, but I did it. I estimate that I am about 220 soaking wet in the water.  I did not especially like it's big brother the 9'5" x 31 2013 Mana, but I found the shorter Alana frisky as a colt and it made me curious to pursue it's lock and key.  I loved the way it could snap around to catch a wave. At 133 liters, it was not over-sunk, the water seemed to splash up to the top curve of the rails just right.

My neighbor thought the Surf Music was nice, but too heavy, and the Alana was too much work for what he wanted now at 75 years old. So far of the several boards he has tried likes my Vernor as the best combo of features he is interested in i.e. easy chop stability with wave ability and carry lightness. He also likes the Gerry Lewis Stryker 9'5" board from Covewater.