Just noticed Jimmy Lewis has added a line of "Destroyer HP" performance longboard SUPs. He sold a 10' Destroyer MP in Australia for use with their class competition scene, but did not sell it in the States. Now there are three sizes to choose from.
https://jimmylewis.com/product/destroyer-hp/
Hoping to receive the 9 x 29 I have on order in the next month or so.
Cool. Looking forward to hearing about it. Especially in that size.
Board arrived. Will report back after getting it wet.
Nice! And a cool outside the box colorway from Jimmy. Looks awesome.
So far I've ridden the 9'x29 in small disorganized chop and head high punchy faces with strong offshores. I have two other JL longboard-ish SUPs; an 8'5x30 116l Striker and a 7'7x29 100l Destroyer MP. It only makes sense for me to compare them when reviewing the 9'x29 120l Destroyer HP. All three are shown below.
The 9'x29 is pretty comfy to paddle longer distances and does not loose much stability to the Striker. Guessing it's stability comes more from it's rocker while the Strikers comes from width and wider ends. 9'x29 nose cuts the chop, Striker slaps it. Because it's so stable, you can really dig in and paddle the 9'x29 hard to catch waves, but is is not the small and medium wave slayer that the Striker is.
9'x29 is a well mannered, confidence inspiring board. Narrower nose with more flip makes late drops drama free and easy to paddle into offshores. It turns easily enough for its size and it's super fun and easy to bury the rail frontside.
9'x29 cannot be nose ridden like Striker, but easy to get front foot to front of wax in front of logo and comfortably control board from there.
For both 9'x29 and Striker, I use 2+1 set ups that are similar to stock.
Sometimes when riding 9'x29, I wanted the higher performance of the 7'7. I find it easier to generate backside speed on the 7'7 (flatter rocker?). The 9'x29 was more confident on late drops. And it's better paddleability made it easier to not get caught inside.
I ride the 7'7 with a variety of fin set ups (various 2+1s, tri, quad, Greg Griffin-esque 5 fin) and haven't settled on a favorite.
If I could only have two of the three, I'd keep the 9'x29 and the 7'7. If I could only keep one, it'd be the 9'x29. It's that versatile.
Thanks for reporting back.
Your board world is thinner and lesser volume than mine, so very interesting to hear your impressions.
Someday I'll try a Striker. It seems to be a board that people love for the right conditions.