Recently I have been demoing the new Jimmy Lewis VM for a couple of weeks. I'm 183cm, around 75kg and usually ride a 95L SUNS wing board, which is a couple more litres than I need. I ride an axis 890 with a 370 rear wing on the ultrashort fuse. So I am trying the 5'0 75L Flying VM in the classic construction. First impressions are unreal. Board is incredibly light and stable. Usually, the foot transfers from switch to regular can be a little dicey, but this board, for some reason, holds, and the altitude of the board barely changes. The board also turns like nothing I have ridden before. No matter how hard I push or how quick I transition through turns, it never feels unstable. This is especially so with foot straps where I can get half the foil out and still ride out without touching the water. The most significant difference I found was how easy it is to get up and foiling, and the board has a monohull shape, so it has a big vee through the front end to about the middle of the board. So the board picks up speed and keeps it and then gets up. I managed to get it up in around 5 knots with a 6.5m slick and the 890, a new record. It is also incredibly forgiving when you touch down, and it appears to push you back up ever so slightly, which is excellent for light wind gybes and footswitches for when you need just that extra time, comfort and speed. This board has also taken my jumps to a new level as of how light the board is, and it makes it incredibly easy to control and manipulate in the air. In addition, it makes 180s and 360s a lot less scary to try as of how quick it moves. Definitely my favourite board. I have also let a couple of people try it, and despite them riding around 110L and up, they have all managed to get going and liked how forgiving it is. There was also quite an instant improvement in their gybes and turns.

@sproule.will if you want to check out any of the photos I got on it. I will continue to update this as I use the board more, and feel free to ask any questions. Also, if you are in Sydney's northern beaches and keen to have a go, get in touch with me.

(NOT SPONSORED JUST DEMOING BOARD)

Great review & such an awesome board...love my JL FlyingVM

Dam I've bought the wrong gear and I thought it was me

Warwicki,I always blame my poor gear selection,like I mean its never my lack of talent.

Warwick
I have a Demo 5'8 VM at my place on the central coast. Just down the road.
Rod

I've just bought the Flying VM 5.8 -95litres and I am a few kg heavier than Will at 78 to 80kg. I started down the wingfoiling pathway a month ago. Total newbie and currently at the other end of the ability level to Will however I bought this board because I felt It would be good for me for all sorts of conditions and I would not grow out of it any time soon. It floats me no problem and I'm up on foil with a 1550 Armstrong really easily. I spent 2 weeks on a 115 litre board and then straight onto this. I'm generally getting out in 12 to 25knts on Botany bay with 4m and 5m ozone wasp 2s and I'm not struggling with the volume in the rolling swells and chop out there as long as there is enough wind to move forward!. What I notice as I work this foiling thing out on the fvm (I've never foiled anything before but kited since 2000 and windsurfed for 10 before that) is that I can kiss the water and its not an issue I just pop back up rather than being unbalanced by it and tossed over the nose. I have two other jimmy Lewis boards 9.1 stun gun sup and a quad for kiting that's about 5.4 I think. They are both such great shapes to ride and have both been bullet proof so it makes sense to stick with JL. I'm building quite the quiver of Jimmys.

Ill pop back on here at the end of summer with an update once I progress with this winging thing, I'm hooked