Hi,
just sold my HRS 9'6" 2014 prowave. Reason being that I have been using my 8'8" JP surf wide body AST and loving it. I just have not even thought about using the ProWave. I took out the ProWave a few weeks a go and found it corky and just not AS much fun cf to JP in the normal conditions I surf in.
So question is whats next. I was thinking of a 8'10" JP surf AST because of the different shape and lower volume for the bigger waves days. I think it will be a challenge as i am 95Kgs but it has 126L so should be ok after a few sessions. Or I could get a 9'2" JP with a bit more volume at 136 which is about the same as my JP WB.

Any advice appreciated but i think JP Surf 8'10" would be a good companion for the Surf WB

Cheers

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brusier said..
Hi,
just sold my HRS 9'6" 2014 prowave. Reason being that I have been using my 8'8" JP surf wide body AST and loving it. I just have not even thought about using the ProWave. I took out the ProWave a few weeks a go and found it corky and just not AS much fun cf to JP in the normal conditions I surf in.
So question is whats next. I was thinking of a 8'10" JP surf AST because of the different shape and lower volume for the bigger waves days. I think it will be a challenge as i am 95Kgs but it has 126L so should be ok after a few sessions. Or I could get a 9'2" JP with a bit more volume at 136 which is about the same as my JP WB.

Any advice appreciated but i think JP Surf 8'10" would be a good companion for the Surf WB

Cheers

I have a JP 8 8 Widebody.....it is a keeper.....fun and forgiving and fast for a wide board. I think you will find stepping down in size to a 8 10 JP Surf a huge step....feedback I have had is that the template is waaaaay more tippy. I would be going the 9 2 as that will probably be tippier than the Widebody still but okay ......but great in bigger surf.

cool, just what i needed to hear. Cheers Slab.

That's too funny Brusier, my JP 8'8" surf wide body also ruined me regarding my 9'6" Prowave for pretty much the same reasons! So I'm in the same situation as you are, looking for a more capable "bigger day" board while still trying to be realistic about the waves and conditions I surf most often.

I believe it says more about how nice a design the surf wide body is in every respect...for a bigger surfer (especially) in marginal conditions than taking anything away from the Prowave, a completely different style board.

Spent time on the JP Surf 9'6" and loved it...fast and controlled with just the right progressive rocker line and thin rails. I could really lean a hard bottom turn and rail to rail transitions were smooth and quick while also being very stable and fast paddler.....but felt I could have gone smaller still with the 9'2" surf and gain in performance. I'm 6'4" and under 200 lbs these days.

I'd pick the 9'2" to go along with your 8'8".

May look into the new 9'2" Prowaves as well when they show up as apparently it was redesigned from last year's model in a good way but would definitely have to see and try one out first to be certain.

I have an order in for an 8'9" Jimmy Lewis World Wide (which is a shape that I'm really excited about)with my local shop, but who knows when and If it will ever actually arrive so not holding my breath

And there's also the JL Stun Guns, which guys seem to really love.

I'll have a pointy nose pulled-in tail board by the end of August. Keep us posted with your search.

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AkeG said..
That's too funny Brusier, my JP 8'8" surf wide body also ruined me regarding my 9'6" Prowave for pretty much the same reasons! So I'm in the same situation as you are, looking for a more capable "bigger day" board while still trying to be realistic about the waves and conditions I surf most often.

I believe it says more about how nice a design the surf wide body is in every respect...for a bigger surfer (especially) in marginal conditions than taking anything away from the Prowave, a completely different style board.

Spent time on the JP Surf 9'6" and loved it...fast and controlled with just the right progressive rocker line and thin rails. I could really lean a hard bottom turn and rail to rail transitions were smooth and quick while also being very stable and fast paddler.....but felt I could have gone smaller still with the 9'2" surf and gain in performance. I'm 6'4" and under 200 lbs these days.

I'd pick the 9'2" to go along with your 8'8".

May look into the new 9'2" Prowaves as well when they show up as apparently it was redesigned from last year's model in a good way but would definitely have to see and try one out first to be certain.

I have an order in for an 8'9" Jimmy Lewis World Wide (which is a shape that I'm really excited about)with my local shop, but who knows when and If it will ever actually arrive so not holding my breath

And there's also the JL Stun Guns, which guys seem to really love.

I'll have a pointy nose pulled-in tail board by the end of August. Keep us posted with your search.

Be interested to get a comparison of the WW with the JP Widebody.

i have the chance to get a 9'2" so might take it. Its a 2015 WE so should be good. Just a note, the centre fin on the JP Surf looks big compared to what I was using in my pro wave. Any ideas why its quite a big bigger?

@AkeG - good to see its not just me becoming a JP Fanboy but the 8'8" is just great.

my 8'8" surf wide body is the 2014 Wood edition.

really like how a wood veneer board "smooths" out the bumps on the road...much like what we were discussing with the Sunova wood construction (flex properties and vibration dampening) must be at play here. I don't think it's coincidental that every wood veneer board I've ever ridden had similar qualities.

Regarding fins, I prefer a 2+1 or a thruster set-up in a big wave board....more hold and control.

I recall my Prowave had a slightly flatter and more thinned out tail than the JP. Maybe the thin-ness of that tail did not allow for the depth required to use a US center (longboard) fin box. I thought my old 9'6" Prowave could have benefitted from a larger center fin than 5.5" But really the thin tail was nice on that board because regardless of what fins were in there the tail was easy to bury on a turn and held OK.

yes agree on the tail shape on the pro wave cf JP but I am just going of photos of the JP.

Looking forward to the new JP but have not finalised the purchase yet.

Hey AkeG, how do you find your Wood Edition re heel indentations, My last two fanatics seemed to suffer from this happening but I am 95kgs. Also have you had any issues with the glossy rails on the surf WB WE re scratches etc

You won't be disappointed with the jp 9'2 surf, this is a great all round board that will hold in nicely in overhead surf and still be able to milk the smallest little rollers. Solid open faced waves are where i like it most, i do find in smaller punchy waves it sometimes feels a bit too long and straight to turn nicely but i guess the wide body could fill in on those days .

I am 105kgs and 6'3 and have been riding the jp 9'2 for about a year now. it is fairly stable (for my size) and I am very much at home on it in most conditions but when it gets rough and choppy I still struggle a bit. What I love about this board is how well it glides, picks up waves and gets in super early.

As far as heal dents, there is some slight compression after a years solid use but nothing to worry about, I would definitely go for rail tape if i were you, I have absolutely smashed my rails, it seems like there are more chips than there is paint, never had any cracks though and all still water tight

I will put rail tape on it when I get it. Good news re heal dents as I am hard on my boards , I try to go out every day but normally 4 times a week.
I had better chase up the supplier to see what is happening with the WE Edition board I want otherwise i WILL have to get a Pro Edition - and my budget won't be in a good state

Got my new JP surf :-)

Here is the 9'2" surf next to 8'8" Wide body
Interesting shape differences , rails are nice and slim on both models . I do like how you can see the wood through the glass on the Surf, its a beautiful finish . It came with the white rail tape (It was a demo board) but decided just to leave it on. I can always change to clear later. Also interesting to see the vent and mast step screw.
Rocker larger on surf and almost detect a bit of a dome in the deck at the back. Have not been out yet but will this weekend.

One thing I thought was that the handle on the surf seemed not quite middle? a little bow heavy but adding the fins added a bit of weight to stern and this was better. Also not a lot of difference in weight but the Surf is a bit bigger and felt lighter. Need to actually weigh using scales to get actual values.

So hopefully perfect quiver for me at 95Kgs.

HAaaa!!! You are in the same predicament as I was. I went from my JP 8'2" Wide 32" to a Sunova 8'3" 29" a drop of 14 Litres. Not too much difference in balance but I can feel that there is. Good thing is I can stand still & wait for the sets.
But if there is a difference in balance between your two JP boards then looks like you made a good choice.
I too did consider the JP Surf.
I think that you will notice the increase in speed & lightness under foot, plus the control of a thruster like I did. Great for larger waves.
Have fun!!!!

I've had the 8'8" wood edition since last September. Surfed it hard all Fall and Winter long, Have not noticed any foot/heel dents anywhere on the deck.

The orange/red rails got one tiny chip from a curb stone hit that's all. I have since put on some Rail Saver Pro no problems at all.

LOVE your new 9'2"!!!! (And the AST wide body looks pretty darn Sweet as well!) let us all know how you're getting along with it.

I sure do wish JP Australia could get the 2015 models to USA! No dealers/distributors anywhere with new product!

Very nice indeed....

had my first ride today. Very confused , tide affected waves of St Clair. Caught two and called it. So only short paddle but my observations were
Nice and stable.I think because its lower in the water due to 136 litres and once I got sorted it was ok Cf Pro wave.It just felt heaps better being a bit lower down. The wave I caught was mushy but the board felt quick and responsive. Easy to paddle and it actually paddles quite nice and straight cf JP WB 8'8" which seem to want to turn all the time (probably my paddling technique but probably the thruster centre fin keeping board going straight) . Not sure on weight as it seems about the same as the WB? Dragging wasn't an issue and that a big plus cf to pro wave.
So very happy and a good decision to sell the ProWave. Just waiting for some cleaner head height surf.

Thanks for the follow up sounds like you made the right decision on the 9'2".