The first delivery of the ALL-NEW Super Frank's arrived today & after unpacking the container & shipping boards out to waiting customers I couldn't get in the water fast enough to give one a spin....(shame the surf was 2' & low tide with the southerly change threatening)
It didn't matter though because I was frothing & had it all to myself...I decided to put the 8' x 31.5 (127L) into my demo fleet to take it to Scotts Head next week...I thought this would be the most versatile size for people to try (I'll be getting the 7'6 x 29.5 (100L) for next summer)
I decided to just try it as a thruster because the thumb tail isn't too wide & I find thrusters work better in narrower tails as opposed to quads that seem to work better in wider tails like on my World Wide...
Straight away the board felt ridiculously stable but without feeling like a boat or sitting to far out of the water (I'm only 80kg) & paddled effortlessly through the break...
I paddled straight into my first 2 foot right-hand closeout with ease & the board felt fast & loose & went off the bottom & then off the top like I'd been riding it for ages...
I surfed tiny little lefts & rights for the next hour until the southerly brought hail along with strong winds...Bummer as I was having a ball on the new Super Frank...
I forgot to mention that when I unpacked it I was blown away by how light it was & it's the NON-Carbon model...Exact weight to come but it didn't feel anymore than 6kg...
Overall a real performance sup that is super responsive but very functional, stable, LIGHT & STRONG....

What Jimmy says about the New Super Frank-
The Super Frank is the ultimate SUP groveler. It's meant to be ridden quite a bit shorter than your normal board and still offer plenty of stability. Flat rocker with a very deep single to double concave for high speed and drive in flat and weak surf. The outline has the wide point a bit forward coming into a performance thumb tail to make the board very responsive and easy to whip around. The Super Frank comes in two widths for each length so you can choose the width and volume that best suits you.
5 Fin Box Set Up.
Comes with JL 5 fin set. (allows for thruster or quad fin set up)
Thruster set Size - 4.5"
Quad set size- Front 4.5" Back 4.0"
SIZES7'6"x29.5"x4" (100L)8'x30"x4.2" (115L)8'6"x30.5"x4.4" (130L)7'6"x31"x4.4" (115L)8'x31.5"x4.5" (127L)8'6"x32"x4.5" (141L)
COLORS Green or Orange

Tow ball is a step ahead of you aussies......he already has one

I have to agree about the Thruster set up I had two surfs as a Quad and changed back half way through the second , much happier with a bit more drive ,maybe I'm dreaming It just feels better

Hi Towball,
I agree....I think because it's a nice size thumb (squash) tail it works better as a thruster whereas my World Wide having the wider tail works better as a quad...

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towball said..
I have to agree about the Thruster set up I had two surfs as a Quad and changed back half way through the second , much happier with a bit more drive ,maybe I'm dreaming It just feels better

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Jimmy Lewis Boards said..
Hi Towball,
I agree....I think because it's a nice size thumb (squash) tail it works better as a thruster whereas my World Wide having the wider tail works better as a quad...

Interesting that the 8'x31.5" Super Frank is working better as a thruster. I have the 8'x30" SF Lean model and found that it works better as a quad. I tried it both ways in various conditions and found it definitely goes better as a quad. I weigh 90kgs, for me, the Lean model has a bit more speed on take off, down the line and maintains turning speed better as a quad. Must have something to do with the width of the two models, go figure.

Hi Railbanger, thanks for that & you are probably correct....I had another surf on it this morning in bigger hollower waves & was thinking the quads would have been good...I'm keen to get on the 7'6 & see how it goes...Cheers

Maybe a knubster is the go ?
just about to try one in the striker for some drive in weak waves.

The Super Frank surfed great as a quad....waves were 3' plus & super fun....Knubster looks good :)

Surfed it overhead this morning still as a thruster , board went great was wondering about running as a quad in a bit of size

Mine just landed in WA and looks superb, came in at 7.8kg on the bathroom scales. Can't wait to get her wet at the weekend

hi rossall ,

what size is your board please?

I went for the 8 ft x 31, I was looking for something to compliment the Mad Dog on choppy lumpy days so hopefully this will fit the bill.

HI Rossall,
It looks beautiful...Enjoy

Finally got out on the new Super Frank at the weekend in 1.6 mtr / cross off conditions at North Beach (Mettams Reef). I can see why Jimmy added "Super" in the title.

First up disclaimer, usually ride Naish (currently on a Maddog 8/6 x 29) and have no connections to Jimmy Lewis brand and pay hard earned $$$$$ for my boards. 85 kg, surfed sup'd for about 4 years. I was after a short stable board for the choppy conditions we often get in WA but the board needed to turn on a sixpence, handle bigger stuff when needed, paddle onto waves easy, be light, tough and preferably turn into a sixpack of Corona at the end of each session. Well after two sessions this weekend I can honestly say it hit all the requirements except the sixpack transformation.

When I first unpacked the board I was glad to see the copious amounts of tail kick and continuous rocker throughout the board. There is a moderate amount of nose lift, compared to my Naish Maddog and past X32's this worried me slightly but after the first few drops into some steep waves at the weekend that worry has gone. The Frank came in at 7.8 kg ex fins out of the box for the 8 ft x 31 version so super light for a standard construction board. Rode this weekend as a quad but will try the thruster setup next weekend.

Out on the water the Frank is very stable and paddles well through some pretty nasty shore break and punched out no problem, although short it didn't yaw about and maintained a decent speed on the way out. Sat out the back was easy in a strong NE offshore wind (choppy waters). Dropping in was great as the Frank paddles well into the wave having lots of planning area up front, the nose is well clear so no chance of catching as the overall rocker seems to aid this. Once on the wave stepping back on the tail and engaging the rail turned the board nice and smooth into bottom turns and she snapped a nice cutback and into the next section. All good and I can see this board quickly becoming my go to board. I was a interested where Jimmy had gone with this design as its very different to anything else in the range but the ease of use and smoothness in some decent sized set waves set my mind at rest. This is a great all rounder and will handle small beachy breaks and larger reef breaks, never felt bouncy like the X32 used to and held a nice edge during some big drops. Quality and finish are excellent and came with a set of five honeycomb JL fins.

All in all happy purchase and a keeper.

Phil

Hey Phil,
Great review thanks & stoked you love your new "Super Frank"
It sure is one easy board to ride....Happy surfing!

So that was you I was surfing with at sunset at Mettams yesterday Phil?
I was on the Sunova Style.

Yeah TL, managed to get that last wave in before the monsoon commenced, never seen rain like that since I lived in the UK. sub 1 ft slop was not the ideal conditions for the Frank !!!! hopefully the weekend will deliver like last weekend :-) had a ball on the Frank at Mettams on Saturday and Sunday loving it.

Phil

Putting the 8'6" Super Frank to the test yesterday!

Looking good Bank

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benk said..
Putting the 8'6" Super Frank to the test yesterday!

Stable as I bet

Hi Towball, compared to other boards I've ridden, it's more stable than Naish X32 8'8, less stable than Hypernut 8'6". Rocker is in a nice place between the two. It's a great board, light, fast, loose for its size and has nice stability for me at 98kg. I rate it very highly.

hi phil, paddling the baby bomb,down here at southcoast ,goolwa area south oz, length and float,plus using supplied 5.5 fronts,and 3 x 3.5 trailers seem s to work in 3 to 5 foot surf,how much of a jump for me to go to a 7.6 x 29.5 110 litre super frank,im only 60 kilos, but slow paddler appro 57 years young,aim to use super frank in clean 2 to 4 foot reefs cheers paul