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JEG said..
I would like to test the 8'0" x 30" 115L and compare with Franky baby 8'0 x 30"x 4.2" liters 115L

x2 ^

Hey Rob,
what dims do you reckon a custom Destroyer for a 5'4" 63 kg intermediate/ advanced surfer might be. My latest sup challenge is a very beaten up 7'3"x 24 3/4 " and 74L Naish Hokua. Which is great to surf but the glide is gone. That is to say in the often choppy and windy conditions she not much of a paddler. I did have C4 Waterman 9'0" batwing, which I enjoyed a lot, it was a fast paddler, very stable at 26 3/4 , but at 105Lwas a lot of board in more critical waves. I'm thinking I'll keep the Naish for cleaner days it does surf great but I need some paddle power back and the Destroyer is such a great shape.
cheers

Hi SRrat, your only choice really is the 7'7 Destroyer as that's the smallest one so far sorry...it will give you the paddle power & glide & as you said just keep your smaller Naish for the clean days

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SRrat said..
what dims do you reckon a custom Destroyer

If you go custom with JL, maybe you can have him make you a SUP based on his "Canary" prone shape?
jimmylewis.com/shop/canary-2/
For small choppy waves, a wide tail give a lot of stability and power and take off and compensate the shorter length, and is quite fun once on the wave. But paddling back out is slow. I use a 6'10" fish-like shape for this.

The other option if the wave face is bigger (shoulder+) is a longer board for paddling speed, but with a somewhat pointed nose with rocker to pierce the chop and smooth the ride in chop. Something more like a "stun gun". I use a 8'4" for this.

I do not use longboard shapes with wide nose in chop. They are stabler, but the chop hits them hard on the wave face and lifts a lot the nose, not very pleasant in my opinion.

Thanks for the quick responses, at my height and weight 29" wide is just too much. I live in the Capes region in the far SW corner of Western Australia and the waves are often overhead and have plenty of push. My ideal is a board that has plenty of paddle power in a compact shape, that can cope with a variety of conditions but is comprised toward the bigger days. A step up board that I can use when it's not so clean or I need some paddle power to navigate shifting or more remote lineups. The straighter outline and semi pin tail I thought would fit that pretty well.
Colas you make some interesting points. The JL Canary has a similar plan shape to my old C4 Batwing with the C4 having a set of flyers that stepped the tail in and a similar semi pulled in nose. It did work well, but overall just too big for my fly weight once my surfing shifted from speed generating to speed controlling( if that makes sense). It did make a big difference once I trained myself to not only step back on the tail to shorten turns, but to step back and across. But overall I didn't need all that volume. Also I'm enjoying not getting dragged around by my leg rope so much with the little Naish on the cleanup sets.
Cheers All

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SRrat said..
Colas you make some interesting points. The JL Canary has a similar plan shape to my old C4 Batwing with the C4 having a set of flyers that stepped the tail in and a similar semi pulled in nose. It did work well, but overall just too big for my fly weight

Yes, these "stubby" shapes need to be ridden small, otherwise they become quite a handful. But they will not be adapted to your conditions, they seem too powerful for them unless you undersize the board, and thus kill the paddle speed.

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colas said..

SRrat said..
Colas you make some interesting points. The JL Canary has a similar plan shape to my old C4 Batwing with the C4 having a set of flyers that stepped the tail in and a similar semi pulled in nose. It did work well, but overall just too big for my fly weight

Yes, these "stubby" shapes need to be ridden small, otherwise they become quite a handful. But they will not be adapted to your conditions, they seem too powerful for them unless you undersize the board, and thus kill the paddle speed.

So... longer, narrow, pulled in , typical gun shapes.

Hi SRrat,
I'd suggest either the 7'7 0r 8'2 Stun Gun then with the conditions you have described....

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Jimmy Lewis Boards said..
Hi SRrat,
I'd suggest either the 7'7 0r 8'2 Stun Gun then with the conditions you have described....

Didn't know they did a 7'7"SG

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JEG said..
I would like to test the 8'0" x 30" 115L and compare with Franky baby 8'0 x 30"x 4.2" liters 115L

anybody do this yet? It seems like an excellent comparison.

Hey Rob,
What's the bottom shape on the Destroyer? The surfboard is flat to a V... is this the same?

Hi Hoppo3228,
It's a light concave through to a V down through the tail.... that's why it lays over on to a rail so well & then with the nice rounded pin tail it surfs well off the tail...

Any more reviews on the 10' Destroyer.
is it more a performance longboard, does it nose ride, does it have good glide, how would it compare to a Smik Hipster Twin Lingboard or is it closer to a Lord?

Hi Flying High,
first delivery of production Destroyer's arriving next month... Yes it is more of a performance longboard with a pulled-in pin tail that still nose-rides... The 10' Striker at 31" wide was made for the broader market but I asked Jimmy to make a performance 10 footer for me as the Black & Blue model is too specific to old school longboarding...sorry can't tell you how it compares to the Smik models but I can tell you my custom 10' Destroyer surfs unreal so like the production Destroyer's in the smaller sizes that have already landed I'm sure it will be even better...

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Jimmy Lewis Boards said..
Hi Flying High,
first delivery of production Destroyer's arriving next month... Yes it is more of a performance longboard with a pulled-in pin tail that still nose-rides... The 10' Striker at 31" wide was made for the broader market but I asked Jimmy to make a performance 10 footer for me as the Black & Blue model is too specific to old school longboarding...sorry can't tell you how it compares to the Smik models but I can tell you my custom 10' Destroyer surfs unreal so like the production Destroyer's in the smaller sizes that have already landed I'm sure it will be even better...

Thanks, for some reason I thought they may have been here already.
I wasn't necessarily wanting a direct comparison with a Smik but you answered my question ref you can still nose ride.
Also is the 'crimson colour' the only colour it will be arriving in?

Hi FlyingHigh,
No the only 10' Destroyer that was in the country was my custom one.... The first delivery of Destroyer's that came in were the production sizes...The 10' Destroyer was added last minute due to the response & how well mine turned out...Jimmy was happy to listen to my feedback on the Australian market & add the size to the range.... The US market is a little different than ours...
The Pink/Black board in the photos wa smy custom but there are limited numbers of white/black (like my 7'7 Destroyer) Blue/Blue, Yellow/Black & I think 1 x Pink/Black still available out of the delivery coming in...

Anyone have some pics of the 8' Destroyer MP?

Hi railbanger,
There's photos of the 7'7 Destroyer at the start of the thread so the 8'0 is nearly identical but just slightly bigger... I've got a customer who just got the 8'0 recently who loves it so I'll ask him to send me a couple of his new board..

That 7'7" looks rad but too small for me. Would love to see the 8'er.

So what's the latest and greatest on this board? Hoping to get an update now they have been out for a bit. Would be looking at the 7'7"

Maybe they haven't sold that well....?
I'd like to hear more but in the 8"8' range. The Allwave is a good all rounder but would like something with a bit more "go".

Hey Milsurf, I'd have to say the 7'7" is the best Sup I've ridden, & I've ridden a lot... I've lent mine to a couple of guys who took mine on the spot.. only had great feedback from everyone who has bought one.. they can't believe the stability & the performance...
First delivery sold out Bobajob so have been quiet with posting but next shipment due start of June...
Stay tuned for reports on new production 10' Destroyer

I purchased a 8.0 destroyer approximately 3 months ago and find it very stable for its size at my 98kg it's a smooth fun board that just works well in all conditions! it picks up waves well for its length and turns on a dime . Construction quality is typical kinetic factory standard, one of the best in the industry!
The only thing I would improve is the deck pad ,I find it quite slippery, it also could do with a arch bar and a better set of standard fins but then again most of us change our fins anyway. Overall I'm very happy with purchase from the quality, looks, performance and value
Would recommend to anyone and am looking forward to the new 10 footer

Great to hear, made me a bit nervous when the thread got quite. I have been in touch with Jimmy and will be going with a white and black 7'7" just as featured on this thread. Not one to buy new or sight unseen I am going solely on info/reviews I can find online. This board really struck me by the shape and dimensions, it was just what I was looking for. Add that to killer construction and experience/reputation of Jimmy Lewis I had to go for it. Anxiously waiting next shipment.

Hi Milsurf, I just PM'd you...I have 1 x 7'7" left in the warehouse & it's white/black..

Just wondering what fins setups are working for people with the smaller sized destroyers?

Hi funkyllama, I'm just surfing mine as a regular thruster with 4.5" Future fins all-round but some customers have loved it as a quad...

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funkyllama said..
Just wondering what fins setups are working for people with the smaller sized destroyers?

Just experiment. These "mini-longboard" shapes around 8' are surprisingly fun with very different fin sets: Thruster, quad, 2+1, twin fins, single...

Hey guys ..these jl boards look great. I'm 6ft , 95kgs and currently have the sunova 8'5 speeed@ 113L andvthe 8'7 Acid @106L for real clean days. I'm foiling alot more and looking for one all round board to use in most conditions to go along with foilboard. what size board destroyer would you recommend that will give me the stability of the speeed and performance of the acid. Is the jl destroyer 8' as or more stable than the 8'5 speeed.
Thanks

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Jimmy Lewis Boards said..
Hey Milsurf, I'd have to say the 7'7" is the best Sup I've ridden, & I've ridden a lot... I've lent mine to a couple of guys who took mine on the spot.. only had great feedback from everyone who has bought one.. they can't believe the stability & the performance...
First delivery sold out Bobajob so have been quiet with posting but next shipment due start of June...
Stay tuned for reports on new production 10' Destroyer

When ?