The Super Ride from JP is new to their 2019 line-up, sitting between the Magic Ride and Super Sport as their "Sportive Freeride" offering. We believe it is going to replace the All Ride and X-Cite Ride, but time will tell when the full 2019 range is released. We have the 116 here - the second smallest in a four board line-up from 102 to 146L. We managed to spend some time on it yesterday, so here are our initial findings.
What JP Say:
"They are a bit sportier than the Magic Rides and almost as fast as the Super Sports, but way easier and more comfortable to ride. In fact, riders who are not as advanced, will be faster with the Super Rides than with the Super Sports, because it is way easier to go fast with the Super Rides.
"A trade mark of these shapes is that they reach incredible speeds already in moderate winds.
"For this new concept we picked the best features of all our board lines to come up with an amazing all-rounder. We took the bottom curve and V flow from our Slalom boards resulting in early planing, explosive acceleration and incredible top speed. The high water position lets the boards fly over chop. Even big chop won’t bother you or slow you down.
"They are compact and relatively short overall and not too wide in the midsection. The center of gravity is close to the mast base, which reduces swing weight, provides an incredibly smooth ride and gives you a lot of control. The parallel outline delivers stability when not planing. All this makes it a real pleasure to ride in all conditions.
"Towards the tail we reduced the width creating additional outline curve. Your success rate of making all kinds of gybes, and the fact that you will plane out of them, will leave you and your sailing buddies speechless.
"The smoothly domed deck shape guarantees a comfortable stance and makes it easy to get into the footstraps, no matter if you chose the inboard or outboard option. All strap options provide good leverage to load up the fin and accelerate."
What We Say:
We used the 116 in everything from light winds with a 7.5m, to overpowered 6.5m weather, and have got to say the more powered it is, the more the Super Ride is in its element. When the conditions are challenging and when other boards begin to protest, the Super Ride provides maximum reward for minimal rider effort. But let's get back to the marginal wind performance and leave the best bit to the end!
Directionally very stable and easily capable of carrying a 7.5m (probably an 8.0m at a push), the 116 does feel smaller than its quoted volume underfoot, yet responds positively as power is delivered and accelerates instantly. It requires little rider intervention and doesn't demand a stiff steer off the wind gather pace and release (as its wider counterparts do). The deckpads are very comfortable, whilst the straps are easy to locate, the narrower tail feeling very familiar and intuitive. There is quite a bit of volume in the tail, giving the board a definite dome in the rear, akin to a slalom board's tail so that you can wrap your back foot around the rail and push against the fin. This is our first realisation: such is the narrow tail that the board shouldn't be forced like a slalom board. Push through the back foot too hard and the fin loses traction, slipping sideways. Instead, in these marginal airs, stand more upright, let the board and fin do their work and the lift from the fin will help the board to fly and accelerate.
As the wind strengthens and the sea state becomes more confused, the Super Ride's performance increasingly begins to stand out. It is just so easy, dancing over the chop whilst its shoulders fly high and clear of any danger. It feels active and lively in nature, yet always gives the sense that it is in control, responding predictably and demanding nothing more than a passive riding style. Compact and easy, the narrow tail means there is little leg burn over long reaches and you can't help but smile as you pass other people that seem to be focussing incredibly hard at staying on their boards. It certainly feels fast as well, riding high on its fin and skimming over the water. We didn't get a chance to really judge its speed in comparison to something similar - time will tell. I'm sure we'll be back on the Super Ride for a magazine test in the near future; watch this space.
In the gybe, the Super Ride responds well to an assertive style and can adjust mid-turn to varied angles. Equally though, if you enter with a more relaxed style, it will grip predictably and carry its speed well through the turn. We did think it would be a more technical board to tack, being that it is narrower than most conventional 115L boards on the market. But carve smoothly up to the eye of the wind and there is plenty of volume and stability as you step forward, the parallel shoulders helping to provide the stability even if the board feels small underneath you. If you are hesitant through the transition, it will sink a little but does so in a predictable manner.
We'll no doubt get a chance to thoroughly put the Super Ride through its paces in a future test for Windsurf Magazine, but such are our initial findings that we're very excited to do so. Turning on as the conditions improve, it was a lot of fun to sail and provides masses of easy, accessible performance for minimal input. It seems the 'compact concept' witnessed in the wave sector of the market is filtering into the freeride board segment very nicely indeed!
Vital Statistics (Quoted):
Length: 234cm Width: 68cm Volume: 116L Fin: JP Ride G10 38cm (Foil Box) Sail Range: 5.5-7.7m