My Jimmy Lewis Super Tech review

Just a bit of feedback from my experience on the Jimmy Lewis 7ft 10" Super Tech.
I weigh around 77 to 80 kilos. Usually 78 to 79 at this time. Age 57 years. Fairly fit. SUP surfing about 4 years. Ideal comfortable board, 8ft 3" Sunova Soul 110 litres.
First day: I got to stand up on it on flat water but was a bit wobbly so paddled on & it was Ok.
The surf was pumping big time & some waves were more than double over head not good for the first trial. Lol.
Nearly got washed onto rocks of the breakwall when heading out. I actually ended up standing in waist deep water on a weed covered rock before diving out & away from it. How the board missed getting damaged I don't know! Lol. Should have heard me swearing & cursing. Lol!
Finally made it out past the break on my knees.
But then just could not get standing long enough to get stable & catch a wave so returned my paddle to the car & got back out on the board & prone surfed it. Lol. Was fun.
Got onto waves very early & surfed it. Fell off a few times as wasn't totally used to the feel.
Was a bit disappointed that I couldn't stand up & paddle it. And thinking I maybe should have got a higher volume board.
Day2 in week2: Surf was small, full & not much chop on water. I was able to stand & paddle continuously. Fell often but was happy about the improvement. Caught only a few waves & couldn't tell if the board was a good performer.
Day3 in week3: Surf was very small but there was some chop at time from the wind & tide but fairly smooth condition in between.
Stayed up on the board for longer periods & didn't fall as often. Did a bit of stand still practices & caught heaps of knee high waves but obviously couldn't put the board through it's paces.
So at this stage very happy with the board & relieved that I can use it. It is definitely at my lowest volume limit for my capabilities but this is exactly what I wanted.
I was a little surprised when I read the board volume as being 90 litres? Instead of what I thought of being 94 litres as it says on the Jimmy Lewis site. Don't know why?
I have realised that I must get on the back pad if I want to make radical turns. Doesn't turn easy standing further forward.
Day4 in week4: Surf was pumping. Double overhead & off point break in perfect weather & light winds.
Unfortunately there was a continuous small side chop from the rocks that had me falling regularly enough to be unable to get into position to catch waves. Although some waves were just missed.
After 1 hour I called it the end of another session as the wind picked up a little & increased the chop having it come at me in two directions. If I had my 8ft 3" 110 Litre Sunova Soul I wouldn't have had a problem of balance whatsoever. Still have yet to put this board through its paces. Lol.
Day5 in week4: At beach break. Wind & chop picked up & fell off often. Was one of those days I didn't feel like trying. Caught one wave & slipped off the back of board & called it the end of a hopeless session. Lol.
Day6 in week5: At beach break. Light winds. Waist to shoulder high waves with occasional head high.
First couple of tries to stand up & fell off! Lol. Then tried again on knees with a few paddles to keep moving & stood up with feet close to surf stance but feet also close together. This seemed to be the easiest & best to stand up & get paddling.
Was able to stay up & paddle for over an hour & only fell off about 5 times. I didn't stop paddling to maintain easier balance.
Caught numerous waves & had nice down the line speed & getting on the back pad to turn sharp & hit the lip without the use of the paddle. I was stoked!
My testing was complete. The board will be a keeper in my quiver for those calm weather low chop days. Hopefully with head high waves.
Although hard work & continuous effort to balance. But great for fitness & confidence when getting back onto a more stable board.
I love its high performance, easy to paddle & catch waves & its strong & very light construction.
This board will last.
Thanks Jimmy Lewis!
Thanks Rob from Jimmy Lewis boards NSW Australia for the great deal on a nice near new 7ft 10" 90 litre Super Tech.!

The 8'8" Sounds about right at 112 litres. Similar in size to my Sunova Soul.
For me the Soul is my most reliable board for a perfect balance & performance in all waves. Except for very choppy conditions. And that's when my JP 8'2" 32 widebody is used.

Thanks Rob. I would recommend the board as great performance board that does have good stability at a volume to suit a rider.
In my case at approximately 80 kg the 8ft 8" would be perfect.
But as I said. I wanted a board that would make me work & to throw around on a wave like a short board in good conditions.
I'm up for a challenge. Haaaa!

Great news adamj2281. I think the 8'8" would be a great all round performance board for you. I hate to use the words all round for these boards as most people would think, "Oh. Not much performance." Which is a gross understatement.
A performance board at the right volume with good stability would be the main board one would grab in just about all conditions giving the rider the utmost satisfaction after a session. Cheers & have fun!

these boards look and sound like my next board , anybody got a second hand one for sale in QLD or close

Seajuice/everyone else -
I went ahead and got the 8'8" SuperTech and absolutely love it. It's exactly what I was looking for, much lighter feel rail to rail than the WW. I'm 175 lbs/72kg or so and it's super stable for me. That's been the biggest surprise, I figured I would struggle a bit with the 112L, but really no major issues in all conditions. I've moved around on boards a lot in the last year, from a 7'11" F-One Madeiro to a 8'5" JL Worldwide, and this board seems to be a nice compromise between the two. It has the thinner rails and feels more like a surfboard (like the F-One) and has the stability of the WW.

I think I could have dropped down to the 8'3", but would have suffered in smaller, weaker surf.

With regard to the build quality, JL makes some bulletproof boards, but I will say this one is a bit more susceptible to paddle dings (I went with RSpro rail tape - no issues after that). I debated getting a deck pad, but I really like wax now that I'm getting back used to it (I haven't ridden a prone longboard in 15 years).

Mark if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

Just to reiterate the toughness of this board, I have hooks with foam in my garage that I store my boards on. The SuperTech sits up top and basically leans against the wall and these hooks. Well - somehow or another the board wasn't in all the way and fell flat onto concrete from about 6' up - not a scratch, fin boxes are good, I'm shocked.

JL - keep it up, I'm still pondering either going smaller on the ST or getting a Super Frank to fill out the mid-range in the quiver.

whats the difference between stungun and supertech.

what waves suit each ?

Still enjoying the 8'8", although at this point it's probably a bit too big for me, I've lost a bit of weight, bouncing in that 165 lb-170lb/75-78kg range. It's my go-to when the waves get a bit bigger or steeper, keep the 7'6 SF lean for slow/mushy stuff.

My only regret is not going to the 8'3", I feel like I could really get back on the tail and be a bit more aggressive with the 8'3", but i went longer because of 90% of the time I'm in slow EC waves without a ton of power.

Any thoughts on moving down to 7'11" or 8'3"? I feel like it would be a bit of a overlap with the SF if I jump down too much.