Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder - will it, won't it DW

[Eagle]

Has anybody tested this board? Any comments?

Not heard any feedback that isn't from a dealer or sponsored rider.

Any hype from undisclosed dealers or sponsored riders or others who have derived compensation one way or another really only discredits that brand in the end.  That person posting simply loses credibility and loses face.  Much better to disclose any relationships in the signature so all can plainly see on an ongoing basis.

Getting a close-out deal anyone can get - is another matter though.   

It seems finding out someone being a shill can cause long term problems and really hurt the brand.  And really do appreciate when relationships are fully disclosed.

[UKRiverSurfers]

 ........

[coldsup]

I think someone did quite well on one at a flat race the other day around the Thames.

[mr_proper]

I think someone did quite well on one at a flat race the other day around the Thames.

https://www.supboardermag.com/2016/05/11/2016-battle-of-the-thames-in-london-event-video/
3th place was a JL Sidewinder. But was it a 14x23 or 14x25?

Edit: it was a 14x23 -> http://www.ezsup.co.uk/#!Battle-of-the-Thames-2016-National-SUP-CLUB-Series/c1b9y/572f26bb0cf20cbfb294f74e

[GlideMarko]

review in German but  Google translate does ok job: :-)
http://www.supshop24-7.com/sup24-7-sup-infos/sup-news/

[Eagle]

Generally it seems like 25s are better for heavier paddlers - and 23s better for lighter.

[PonoBill]

A friend has this board in 14 X 23 and came on a dw with us. The first thing I noticed was the board is incredibly flexy which I wasn't expecting, upside down on the ground you can see it flex just by using one hand and lightly pressing down  its almost like they left something out although it was very light. it was looked prity hard work by all accounts and he was on his knees at the end going into the harbour when I was still very happy on my 26 wide dw board and normal prity much ok on my 24 wide on the same run which is about 7 miles, the board is very thick which is probably not helping with stability.

That's odd, Jimmy's boards are generally a full on sandwich. If anything they feel too stiff to me. Wonder what that deal was.

[covesurfer]

Yeah, that sounds like a board with water damage.

I don't know about the JL downwind boards but I have a Stun Gun surf sup and it is plenty stiff. I love that board. If I were going to try a fixed fin downwind board, I'd definitely give the JL's a chance. The shapes look very good to me.

[supuk]

yes i was surprised too it was the chaps board in the earlier link that mentioned it and showed me before we did the dw it was almost brand new at the time, he still seams to be using it so i don't know what the deal was he seamed a little disappointed at the time, it was very light maybe only 9kg so perhaps it wasn't a sandwich board.

[paddledaddy]

I absolutely love my sidewinder.  I posted a review of the 14x25 Sidewinder in the gear review section.

[Area 10]

I'm trying a 14x25 Sidewinder at the moment. There isn't any more flex than you'd expect for a board this light. In fact, the fit and finish look to be up to the usual excellent JL standard - although the handle is slightly off. Maybe the 23" wide is aimed at elites and super-lightweights and so is a different layup?

The one I've got is stable for a 25" wide board. I haven't finished testing it yet but I'll let you know when I have. First impressions were very favourable.

It's pretty ambitious for most people to go to 23" wide in the conditions supuk often downwinds in, I think. Supuk's boards are tuned to them and so are extremely stable for their width. And supuk has balance that is well into the elite class. So I'm not surprised that someone might have to Pocahontas a 23. That will be a very valuable lesson learned I suspect.

I see that Jake Jenson had to give up during the first lap at the San Sebastián race because he started on a 21" wide board, but there was a messy bumpy section of the course. I suspect that the elites are now finding the point where a theoretically faster board becomes a practically slower one, once you stray from millpond conditions. As Larry Cain has pointed out recently, in some situations stability=speed.

[coldsup]

Good one Area 10.... I think you will be the only one so far that that will be giving an independent view of this board. All the rest of the reviews are by JL dealers or have connections so I don't pay any attention to those ( no offence to the others).

Of course, the only way to know if a board is for you is to demo it. One person's like doesn't transfer to someone else.

[Area 10]

Well, I had the board for a few days, but the weather didn't completely co-operate as far as being able to try it downwind was concerned. So as far as DW goes I can only say that in hell choppy crazily short period stuff I didn't find the Sidewinder as easy as I thought I would. But I'd really need to try it again in some more typical DW conditions before casting judgement on it's DW abilities. Certainly though the board was harder than one of supuk's heavily-rockered full-on planing design DW boards would have been. But maybe in lighter wind and better groomed stuff it would really shine. I hope I get another chance to try it in those conditions.

So that was inconclusive. But what I can say about the 14x25 Sidewinder is this:

1. Much faster in pure flat water than I was expecting. This board is basically a prone paddleboard shape, like the Bark Vapor. So you get quite a lot of spray off the nose as you paddle in flat water. This usually signifies a loss of speed, but in fact the Sidewinder is about the same speed in flat water as a typical displacement nose board that was a couple of inches wider. So, you could definitely race it in flat water. It's not the ultimate in flat water missiles, but it is perfectly acceptable unless you aspire to getting the last 0.5% in flat water speed. If the course was chopped up or there was a lot of drafting of buoy turns, the board would make even more sense as a flat water racer.

2. Surfs well for a 14ft. The Sidewinder has quite a fine edge at the very rear of the board and you can use this to steer well. It picks up waves easily and is generally pretty forgiving.

3. Goes upwind in small chop well. Tends to just skim over ripples a bit like the Ace does. It tracks well upwind also. I didn't really get a chance to try it for any length of time crosswind, unfortunately, so I can't say much about that.

4. Fit and finish seemed excellent, and the board wasn't soft or flexy , given its very light weight. The handle in this particular board was not in the right place, so it was nose-heavy which made it feel heavier to carry than it should have done. If you fitted a heavier fin and wrapped your leash round the tail it almost compensated for it, so it wasn't wildly off. But enough so that if you are buying one of these it would be a good idea to try lifting it first just to check you are happy with it. I've been told that this has been fixed for 2017. We shall see.

So, overall, I liked it enough to want to try it again, and perhaps try the 23" wide version. It is very stable for 25" wide and if your conditions are mainly flattish water and just downbreezing you might be able to go narrower than you'd think. I surfed this board about a mile offshore where there are very long fat waves (up to half a mile) but lots of rips and eddies, and had a dry-hair session of about 1.5hrs, which is pretty good for me as my balance is nothing special at all and my legs are pretty feeble. In pure flat water it is very stable and so for instance when on the waterway I was on was blocked by about 20 beginner kayaking children moving around in completely random and uncontrolled ways, I was able to happily stand and wait for them to disperse with my paddle resting on the deck without even thinking about falling. The wide tail means that the board is easy to kick turn, and the parallel outline means that tracking is good.

Now, don't get me wrong - this board isn't stable enough for most complete beginners. It is only 25" wide and is very light, after all. But it is much more stable than a 14x25 Ace for instance, and feels about the same to me as a typical 14x27 displacement nose (ie. cutting bow) race board would. The light weight and extremely rounded (almost egg-shaped) rails on the front half (or more) does mean that when it tips in side chop it can do it quite quickly and take you by surprise. But mostly the impression I was left with was of a very user-friendly and highly adaptable board. I very much would like the chance to try it again, and if you are a good intermediate or advanced paddler who is in the market for a "stable-for-it's-width", user-friendly all-conditions race board that is lightweight and a good price point for the construction (full carbon PVC sandwich), then IMO you'd do very well indeed to try the Sidewinder out.

Hope this helps. And yes, I've got no connection to JL or any part of the watersports business, and I was just demoing the board as an ordinary punter thinking about purchasing it. So this is about as independent a review as you are likely to get.

Equally, you are dead right, coldsup, there's no substitute for trying a board yourself. Which is why I did. And so should you, if you possibly can.

[coldsup]

 Good, sounds like a good all round raceboard...well done Mr Jimmy

I'm never convinced these ocean race boards are great DW boards for the masses....go for a DW one if you really want to DW. But they are probably ideal for downbreezers which for many does the job nicely.

It's weird isn't it ....how do these companies not get the balance right on their boards. That's the second comment I have heard on the Sidewinder not having bang on handle balance. Just like my Starby.

[Area 10]

Yeah the handle thing is odd.

Here's a simple solution for all the board buiłders out there:

MAKE THE HANDLES LONGER.

Then you wouldn't have to be so precise with the positioning, and changes of fin etc wouldn't throw the balance out because you could move the position of your hand to account for it.

Joe Bark does this with the long strap handles he uses. But there's no need to go quite that far. Just 2-3 inches longer would probably mean that customers are complaining much less frequently about misplaced handles.