Jimmy Lewis noserider, first impressions!

[linter]

Okay, I just spent my first few hours on a Jimmy Lewis Black and Blue Machine noserider, the 10-2x31 model with the concave nose.  In brief, the jury is still out.
   Firstly, it's the slowest paddling board i've ever been on.  I mean, I'm leaning on my paddle and can barely get the thing to move.  Really odd at first (like so many things about this SUP) but then I kind of got used to it.  Ain't no fast-paddling way to scratch over sneaker sets, however.  luckily, today, the sneakers were all of 3' if that.
   2nd: if it's slow to paddle, it's even slower on the wave.  So slow I couldn't figure out how to even turn the thing at first.  Then I realized the only way I could get it around was to stomp on the tail (lots of tail rocker) and pivot turn it.  managed that a few times.
   3nd: nose is almost dead flat.  i'm used to flat noses, so i'm good with how it is, though i did pearl once in front of some snickering proners.
   4th: everything changes once you get on the front third of the board.  everything.
   5th: it just speeds the heck up and more or less on its own finds its way to above the top half of the wave.
   6th: i got pretty close to having five over a number of times, and the thing won't pearl.  it just blazes forward.  and if it needs to drop down to make a section, it will.  it did this twice with me just standing in front of the comp stripe line with a stupid grin on my face.  board woggled down and around, came back up and got itself reset.
   7th: i got some very long rides, longer than i think i'd have gotten on my 10-6 laird.
   8th: it handles the soup very well, probably because of the 50/50 rails.
   9th: it comes with a 13" fin.  I rode the board with that fin first, but I was so frustrated with not being able to turn that I swapped it out for a 9-3/4" Geenough 4A.  Much better.  But a little squirrelly at times.  Need to experiment a little.

    Near as I can tell, this board is not an all arounder that noserides.  It is a noserider, plain and simple.  I don't even think I'll be able to carve it down the line, though maybe with time I'll figure it out.
   I think a lot of the oddities about the shape have to do with the concave.  And Jimmy does make this model with the regular nose, though it wasn't in stock.  Don't know whether i'd like it better or not, if only because I don't know how many of its positive attributes as a NRer are due solely to the concave.
   In all, I obviously love the way the board works on the front 1/3.  Perhaps more time will allow me to figure out how to better deal with its various quirks.
   I still can't believe how slow it is to paddle and how slow it is on the wave until you step up.  Never experienced anything quite like it.  Very interesting!

[capobeachboy]

Hey Linter I'm intrigued by this board as the original Blue Machine was such a great board in it's day and I see it's influence in a lot of current longboard nose riding shapes.  Did you buy it or do a demo?  I'd love to try one out sometime and now that the swell has dropped it's tip riding time. That 13" fin is probably what JL put in his early 11'ers - I remember you have to go out in water above your knees before you can hop on.

[Bean]

Great review Linter, I've been waiting for an objective view on this board for some time so thank you.  I would love to demo this board and an Infinity Competitor but I'm on the wrong coast for that at the moment.

Looking forward to your followup impressions!

[Dwight (DW)]

....... I don't know how many of its positive attributes as a NRer are due solely to the concave.
 

There was a thread over on the shapers forum, dedicated solely to that question.

The consensus was, it didn't matter.

But, boards won't sell on the rack without it, so shapers keep adding it (concave nose).

I think I told you privately, what my testing showed.

[linter]

capo: i'm in pacific beach.  where you at?  you're welcome to take it for a spin any time at all.  mostly i'm at tourmaline but i often go to san o on sundays.  yeah, i bought the thing.  and i have one waiting for me back in RI.  don't ask.  but the thing is, i recently lost out on a 64 porsche 356, one owner, matching engine, etc etc, and it so bummed me out that i mail ordered the jimmy.  sadly, that hasn't made me feel much better about the car.

bean: will post more as the days go by.

dw: well, i'd certainly love to try the concave jimmy and then hop on a flat jimmy during the same session, so i could see for myself what diff it does or does not make.  that said, other than the concave, i'm at a loss to explain how tremendous the concave version is at what it's intended to do.  it's really weird what happens on the front 1/3 of the board.  i've got to get somebody else from the zone on it -- capo? -- to confirm what i'm feeling.  could be it's just me.  don't know.

[Dwight (DW)]

Concave doing nothing here

[supthecreek]

actually, the concave amidships is doing something here[/i

mr linter sir;
you are an interesting study my friend always good to her your take.
Glad you found happiness on the nose.... that was the Grail right?

Geeze, when I saw you were on the B&B I thought you had come home by mistake.
Just in case you missed it:
Blizzard
snow
Blizzard
snow
work day
blizzard
rain
snow
1/2 of work
blizzard
Boston closes semi permanently
snow through tomorrow
blizzard forecast for Sunday

we are closing the boarder and deporting all undocumented snow

[coldsup]

Very interesting to hear. He certainly doesn't try to sell this as an all rounder but an out and out Noserider for advanced surfers. That's the message I got. He made it more or less for his brother who apparently is a very skilled Noserider. It certainly doesn't look like an allrounder with those rails etc. I was also told it was very much a pivot type board .....not something you turn otherwise.

Really look forward to hearing more......sounds very much a niche board......not for everyone. I hope you stick at it to get the best of the board and find out all its quirks.

[Subber]

All right!  Thanks for the review linter!

I think you were right to switch out to a smaller fin.
On my original (3 box) Pearson Laird Surftech 10'6" I've noticed a whale of a difference with
different fins.  In my quest to hang 10 on that board, I've learned you need to have that drag,
the problem is in order to have the drag when noseriding, you often have it when paddling.
I'm thinking that the Black & Blue already has enough suction because of the 50/50 rails
(as opposed to my Laird which has somewhat sharp rails).  So, you don't need as large of a fin.
(I've found the actual shape of the fin also makes a difference...really I can only know by
trying fins, one by one.)

I did get to some kelp-free water last week - I was down in  Newport Beach and surfed
"the Point" (19th Street) and had a terrific day......using a Cheyne Horan Star Fin (Winged Keel).
I'd used it before but not all the way back in the box.  Because of the tail kick, putting it all
the way back in the box, tilts it and gives the winglets more bite.  I was up as far as ever....(but didn't push
it as I don't like to fall in! ha!).  This fin also made the board a bit slower to paddle.  It also
makes the board turn very well.

I wouldn't mind getting daily updates on your surfing the Black and Blue.
I'm  going to get a SUP where I can perch hanging ten! - well, that is my goal and I've
been waiting and waiting to figure out which one to get.  I love to carve my Laird,
but maybe I'll have to give that up to hang toes over.

Thanks

[Dwight (DW)]

actually, the concave amidships is doing something here[/i

Who's said it had concave mid ship?  The great shapers forum debate was the nose concave everyone is forced to scoop out or it won't sell.

I wish I had a better memory. They were trying to figure out what old guy is to blame for this

[linter]

dw i think mr creek was talking about something like, like maybe his little mr creek, that it'd suddenly gone concave on a single viewing of the pic in question.

subber: your experience with the laird is mirrors mine exactly.  because of the sharper rails, it's somewhat of a speed demon.  i tried to slow it down by stalling because the second i came out of the stall, went on zipping out toward the shoulder.  just couldn't get it to hang in the pocket.  rider issues, sure, but it isn't an easy board to learn to NR on.  will keep you posted on further developments, for sure.

creek: man o man do i not envy my brothers back home.  wow.  what a winter.

cold: the shorter one is the one designed for advanced riders.  not even jimmy is stable on that board.  the one i have is for the rest of us.  yes, it's a very niche board.  manana will tell me more.

[supthecreek]

mr linter.... you be on the right track... I kinda liked her concaves... shame to write them off as worthless

DW... that would be Phil Edwards (and Hobie Alter)  who employed the concave to win the big bucks at the 1965 Tom Morey Invitational (noseriding contest) at the Fairgrounds in Ventura ca.

They made the concave design and Mickey Munoz  (Hobie team Rider) won the contest riding it.... the Hobie Noserider was born (my very 1st new board by the way)

[linter]

day 2.  crappy little closeouts at la jolla shores.  even so, i had a ton of fun on the jimmy.  it's still snail slow to paddle around on, but since it was beach break, i took off at an angle standing 2/3 of the way forward, so i didn't have to turn and i was in the sweet spot from the get go.  if creek was riding this thing, he'd have 10 toes over easy.
   what i really like about this board is how stable it is going around little sections and how easily it lifts itself back up into the pocket.  i gotta think this is because of the 50/50 rails.  nothing catches or hangs up.
   more later.

[Dwight (DW)]

Linter, is this what your bottom looks like?

[Subber]

Day 2, Hey linter,

How was the speed in the beach break?

Were you able to carve down the line?

Howabout pulling out of the wave, can you turn it sharply to exit the closeouts?

I'm really intrigued by this board - do you think it is the 50/50 rails that make it slow
to paddle or maybe the back edge of the concave?