Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder Review

[warmuth]

  My highly unscientific testing has the SW right at about .2mph slower than the Whiplash in flat water at race pace over short distances. The gap may grow slightly at longer distances. Pretty good considering the Whiplash is both narrower and more flat water focused. I would certainly rather be stuck with the SW at a flat race than with the whiplash at a choppy one. For now I'm using the stock fin, I haven't tried to swap anything in yet. The board tracks really, really well but I have to get waaaaay back on the tail to pivot turn it. Don't know how much of that is fin and how much is just the board itself. My 404 is like that, it will not turn unless I get all the way back. I like that the deck pad goes all the way back on one hand but on the other hand I also cant put a kick pad on it to reference where to stop when I'm moving back.

  Looks wise, the board breaks necks, everyone has a comment on it. The Whiplash, bristling with all the latest multi fin tech and snazzy carbon brush finish is invisible next to the Sidewinder. I do wish they still did the black deck pad instead of the grey but that's a pretty minor nitpick.

[viatormundi]

I have finally received my Allstar 14x23. Here come some pictures. It is the carbon 2017 model limited edition version.

[viatormundi]

And a short video of my son testing it :-)

[viatormundi]

I had the opportunity of using the board in various conditions. It is very stable for a 25'' board more stable than my 2014 14x26.5 Allstar for example. It is surprisingly fast on flat water for its shape. I am sure it is slower than a dedicated flat water board such as Sprint but for an allwater board it has good speed on real flat water. The board shines when it gets a bit choppy which is the 90% of the time the condition here in Mallorca, Spain aka Mediterranean. Especially upwind or sidewind it does not slow down as other race boards I had before. The front part of the board just glides over the bumps easily. I did couple of 15 knot downwind session and it catches bumps easily. I like it's flat deck and where I stand it is close to the water. I don't know how much it weighs but less than my previous Allstar.

I am very satisfied with my purchase so far. I was looking for a race board that would work in all conditions especially for the races here in Mediterranean and this board fits the bill. The board looks really nice in the limited edition white version. It is a piece of art.

[Board Stiff]

Nice pics, and sweet looking board in white! The rocker is a lot more visible in those shots with it resting in glassy water than in any of the other pictures I've seen. My classic construction 14x25 should arrive in a couple days, so your post is just adding to my stoke! 

[dk78]

Awesome board!