Riks Windsurfing News Centre | JP Australia Super Light Wind 90 v154

May 2010: Riks Review - JP Australia Super Light Wind Board

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So after receiving the initial batch of the new JP Australia Super Light Wind boards (in Pro Edition build) I was really eager to get one out and onto the water to see how well the design performed - particularly given the fairly poor start to the year that I and most other sailors have endured thus far.

The Test Day I made a point of going to Rutland Water when the conditions were forecast to be approx force 3-4, so that's about 7-15kts. When I first went out it was more like a force 2-3 but even when the wind did kick-in there were still plenty of lulls out there! I am fairly light (approx 64kg) so I decided to take a 7.5m NP Helium sail and fitted a 57cm Select slalom fin to balance the conditions.

Performance Impressions We were told this was a blend of the proven JP Formula, Slalom and Super Sport designs. I have to agree as initially the planing and upwind abilities markedly outclassed both the SL's and SS's I've sailed. Off the wind the sensation and the trim/handling is like being on the SL. Around the bends and along the straits the forgivingness was reminiscent of the SS's.

Rider Suitability It's no mickey mouse design, you have to provide clear instructions from the off, whether that's coaxing the hull onto the plane or getting clicked-in and secure before it rocket's up to full speed in an instant! Anyone who's proficient sailing a freeride board with the foot straps on the rail will be fine on this although the hull width may initially take some getting used to.

Sail Choices That will depend upon the rider weight and the intended purpose. I ran the 7.5m Helium and the other sailors (up to about 75kg) who tested this combination also found it went well. As a general guide heavier users should choose a sail between 8.0m and 10m - but I have no doubt that this will carry sails as large as they go. A cam'd design is essential to ensure the sail shape can be maintained even through wind lulls - the Helium or Hydrogen are perfect.

Fin Size This will be critical as those running larger rigs or looking for out and out upwind ability will need to balance those loads - so a 'smaller' formula fin should be considered. The supplied JP 56cm is under-powered and too flexible so although probably fine in the ocean when well powered-up it doesn't really cut it...we will be supplying an alternative Select slalom fin with these boards.

Information & Action Movie

Approx 20mins (10mins talk & 10mins sailing)

This short film goes through the design and shows the board actually in use >>

GPS track from the initial SLW test session - plenty of upwind, downwind and reaching runs completed!

GPS Logger Track

This was from my initial session when I created the film below GT31 GPS

I began from the club and sailed upwind to the top of Rutland's south arm.

The lighter line colours signify higher speeds.

Riks News - JP Australia Super Light Wind Board - Click To Play

JP Super Light Wind 90 v154 Information & Action Video

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Rik's Verdict!

I was really surprised by how much fun I had in such a low amount of wind. I thought it would be a quick testing sesh to film the board in action, but instead of being at the lake for just 2-3 hours I was out for most of the day zipping around having a great time on the water.

It felt like being out on my smaller slalom equipment in the sense of being constantly on the plane and having to pay attention to what was going on - whether that was ensuring I was sailing where the wind was most solid, heading up, down and across the wind, and best of all flying around the turns! Sure a more relaxed experience but a solid workout none-the-less.

My top speed averages (see here) were just over 21kts and the fact I managed an Alpha speed (basically 250m distance in, a gybe, and a further 250m trip back out) of nearly 17kts demonstrated how well the speed can be maintained throughout despite the board size.

Who's It For?

Anyone who wants to maximise their planing time on the water in a proper* sense without having to own really technical to use equipment that prevents the development of core skills will really love what this offers. *By 'proper' I mean not just someone who gets going intermittently and says 'yeah I got planing today' - instead this board actually allows long spells of locked-in planing action - burning around and all over the place even when it's light.

Rather than being a formula board that in many senses is a bit alien to normal windsurfing, this is very much a performance freeride cross slalom solution.

It's engineered for those who are already competent in the straps and have some idea of how to fast tack and gybe yet maybe wants to develop those techniques further (as regularly as possible) and apply such to smaller equipment when it does get windier.