It is true to say that Jimmy Lewis is really famous for his surf shapes so why start producing inflatable paddleboards?
I won’t lie. When I was asked by my retailers to consider producing a range of inflatable paddle boards, I was pretty hesitant. My life has been surf and I’m pretty much an old school believer so what could I provide in an inflatable sup board.
It took us a while to decide on the shapes and sizes of board as there is so much option out there with inflatable paddle boards and my own thinking as with my solid boards is less is more. You learn to ride a board, you spend time on it, so why get confused in the whole – “my board is 32 wide and not 33 so it must be unstable thing”.
An inflatable will never be a surf board. Currently it isn’t possible to build the rails and give a rocker line that holds like a solid board so the purpose of these boards is very different, but a lot my friends who travel around have really opened my eyes to inflatable paddle boards.
The Shapes
Like I said, don’t complicate things. The shapes we decided on would deliver performance and fun to paddle boarders looking to just cruise, surf a bit, downwind and even race.
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Jimmy Lewis Stiletto 12’6
The Stiletto comes in one length only but 2 different widths – 32 or 29 wide.
There is a slight nose rocker/kickup that really comes into play when you’re downwinding as it keeps that nose clear and pops you up if you get it wrong.
At this length of board you get better performance with a bit more pressure in the board to keep it more rigid. I have tested it at 21 max and it is hugely different to the base pressure of 15psi.[vc_column_inner width=”1/2″]
Jimmy Lewis Maestro 10’3 or 9’2
Gotta say that this is the board we keep in the truck just in case.
15psi is the lowest I would recommend but 18-19 works even better to take out that sponge feel.
If you’re thinking of having a family board and a bit of surf and play then dad needs to go for a 10’3 as it surfs real well.
If you aren’t carrying so much weight, say 13stone or less then the 9’2 is great, but it won’t track so well if you did decide to paddle up the river or along the beach a bit further.
