Jimmy Lewis has come up with a real race winning design in the Stiletto.   We have been testing it out for just over 2 months in a mix of conditions and races and can honestly say it has met and exceeded all of our expectations.

The idea for the Stiletto came about as there was a gap in the range of boards Jimmy had designed. With the help of team riders he decided to create a race board capable of handling open water whilst delivering real performance on the flat.

When we try race boards the first thing we look at is rocker line.  The Stiletto has a smooth constant line giving the right amount of lift in the bow so it is easy to raise the nose when the chop starts affecting the performance.

Footwork on the Stiletto like other race boards can make all the difference. Many people stand squarely to keep an even balance from side to side but we found that it was quite affective to stand with a slightly switched foot position.  This really helped when you were trying to maintain the line in rougher water.  It also helped in trimming the board from side to side which has a massive effect on the boards ability to maintain a straight line.

Keeping the bow down and slicing open the water in smooth conditions is the key to maximum speed.  This board position should slightly raise the tail offering a smoother release from the tail. What you don’t want is to have the bow ducking under the water so if it is just move back a few inches to rebalance. As conditions get choppier you may need to move back a bit more and start riding the nose  a little higher. By releasing the sharp nose it becomes less affected by the chop but slightly loses directional stability so you’ll need to practice control the board direction by trimming the board from side to side.

At 28 wide the board offers a really stable platform. Like all raceboards they initially feel a little tippy but this tip is only minor.

The flat deck is lowered into the board of the board and this has really helped with stability and handling.   Two large drain holes are well placed to get rid of any water quickly.

In flat water this board has exceptional glide.  A smooth delivery of power from the paddler really helps to maintain the boards speed so make sure you practice your paddling technique and experiment with paddle techniques.  Compared to many raceboards with more volumeous bows this board can be a little easy to dip the bow down so be smooth.

Choppy water is well managed with great stability being offered by the square tail.   In more serious side on chop and side winds it became a little harder to maintain a line but our test was under extreme conditions of in excess of 25 mph winds and 1ft side chop so it was a harsh environment for any board.

Downwind it works really well.  Again that square tail gives you a really stable platform and the bow can be used to good effect when running on smaller waves.  Changing to a slight switched stance makes this board easily controllable.