Jimmy Lewis World Wide - What are they like?

Tom,
Your progression sounds like mine (I'm around 78 kg), I started on a big 10'5" beater, quickly progressed to a AW 9'2", and then made an intermediate step to a Hokua X32 8'8" 140L. I just got the Worldwide 8'5" and have probably 10 sessions on it.

So, you will instantly find that the WW turns and snaps much quicker than the AW, everything will be quicker and easier. It was like that even jumping to the X32 from the AW, and the WW even more so. I also have a smaller 7'11" 104L F-One and while I love how it surfs, it's hellish in terms of stability for me in any sort of wind/chop. I almost went with the 8'1" WW, and if I didn't ride slow, mushy east coast (US) waves, I probably would have. The WW is extremely stable, no issues there at all. The rails could be a bit thinner, but then you would obviously lose stability. The flatter rocker allows for quicker entry into waves as compared to the X32 and a lot of other boards I've ridden.

The other big plus I've found is the WW is extremely light for it's size. I have the basic construction and it weighed in with fins at 16.3 lbs, in comparison my Hokua X32LE (carbon) was around 18.5 lbs, and my 7'11" F-One (bamboo) was at 17.5.

Lastly, I really like Jimmy and his son, Marlon, they are really responsive if you e-mail them with questions or if you are debating between boards. I would look at the SuperTech as well, it may suit you better given your weight, although the WW will be more stable.

I'm 6ft 80kg and ride 7'9" WW in all conditions. At 103 litres and 29" wide it has heaps of stability, if i didn't know what it is i would say it feels like 108-110 litres.
Performance wise it is the best board I have ever had, if i broke it i would buy another straight away, wouldn't bother demo paddling anything else.
Super fast, heaps of drive and knocks out awesome turns.
The fins that come with it are a perfect match.
6.3kg out the box in classic construction.

I found the deck grip too slippery so I changed it to FCS, it's the perfect board for me now.

Ahhh........after all of these posts, I kinda wish I had gone with a 8'1. I'm around 80 kg, I went with 8'5" just because I'm on weakish waves typically.

I may have to work a trade down the road, or switch to the SuperTech.

Hi Biliiekrub,
The 8'5 or 8'9 WW are just as stable but the only difference is when jumping between the 2 is that you miss that width & stability in the nose that the Striker has because of the WW's pointy nose... But if you jump between the 2 regularly it's no problem as I jump between the 8'5 Striker & 8'1 WW all the time....
Fuller nose boards like the Striker will always glide on a little earlier because you have no yawing compared to a pointy nose board but as far as stability goes they are not to dissimilar but as far as maneuverability goes the WW turns on a dime!
As a quad they are super fast & really accelerate in gutless waves....
Hope this helps..

Hi biliiekrub,
Sorry it's getting lost in translation...I'll start from the top & try to clarify...
I meant the 8'5 WW & 8'9 WW are very similar in stability but the 8'9 is definitely for a heavier guy (at your weight of 77kg you would only need the 8'1 or 8'5 WW if you were concerned about stability & yes the 9'3 WW would be way to big for you)
The Striker is always going to be more stable than the WW because of the fuller nose which will also give you more glide & speed into a wave...Wider nose = stability under foot especially in bounce or bump....
The Striker is a performance board but more so in the 8'5 & 8'11 but more so with the correct fin set up & also will always depend on the rider...The 9'5 Striker is for a bigger surfer...
Because of Jimmy's shaping experience & the way he distributes the thickness of a board you can ride a smaller board with less Litres than the average sup & still get the stability you need & more importantly performance...
To answer your last question the 8'3 Super Tech would be perfect but it all comes down to peoples abilities...
Feel free to call me if you want to discuss...

I've got a 8'9" WW Carbon at 105-108kg.

I have yet to weigh it, but damn it is light. Especially compared to my 140L Sunova (which is by no means heavy). The carry handle is awesome too - nice and deep. I also like the little things on it like - genuine "Futures" branded fin boxes and a proper "Gore-tex" branded vent. Not that it means much really, but it does mean no corners have been cut. I can't say the same for most other boards i've seen / own / ridden.

Cannot fault it except as has already been said - the deck pad is slippery - it's the only thing that I would change if I was JL. The best deck pad by far i've ridden is on a Naish Nalu LE - it's like glue!

I prefer as a thruster than a quad, with bigger sides than what comes with the board. I just get more drive than surfing as a quad. Compared to a nalu (which is very similar to my Sunova in shape) it turns on a dime - it's like it wants to turn all of the time. Doesn't matter if you are a front foot or back foot surfer, or if you're not right back - it'll turn.

One of the biggest things I noticed as soon as I started on it was how much fitter I need to be to surf it well. I get to the end of a long wave puffing hard as it just has so much energy and wants to rip the wave. My longboard is certainly much more cruisy - maybe i'm just lazy haha. I also found the wave needs to have a little push, if it's gutless it doesnt pick up waves as well as a longboard style board (pretty obvious really).

On another note...I wish JL did a 28" wide, 10' Performance Longboard in Carbon at about 130L ...I'd be all over that like a kid in a candy shop

Looks like the WW is not for me. In the volume I need to reap the benefits, it lacks the stability of my 77 kg, on the 8/11 x 30 x 130 Liter Striker. A performance longboard would do the trick for me as well, allowing me to paddle upright, catch waves earlier and also turn well off the tail. No nose-riding wanted or planned, narrower nose for the wind. Also, a proper windsurfing mast track would be nice for displacement sailing. Striker full deck pad is good.

Alternatively, a Simmons, Tomo, or other wide and short shape with speed, but not overly fat rails.

Just wondering what everyone is running fin wise on the WW. I have the 8'5", and i started with the stock quads, then switched to GL-1 quads which I liked, but unfortunately I slipped and fell and broke 2 of them (fin boxes survived - JL makes a solid board).

So, I went back to the stock quads, and then tried the thruster setup just for the hell of it. I think I like the quad setup better, just wondering if anyone is running anything different.

I think you got to demo boards if you can. One persons view on stability can be totally different to someone elses. Just saying your weight means not a lot. If you are a seasoned SUP surfer with very good skills then you can surf most boards well. Not everyone is the same.

Im average when it comes to skills and so are my pals.....we are about the 90 kg size and one 75 kg. We all tried the WW 8,5 and certainly didn't find it as stable as others on here suggest. Quite tricky actually for the dims. So much so my pal sold it after a couple of months to someone with better skills.

My brief go on it....I found it high performance, certainly less stable than any of my other boards. I was amazed how fast it paddled for its size though and I guess it shreds big style. It was really light like all JL boards and flawless construction. I'm a big fan of JL boards but you have to demo and not take others views as gospel....