I’d like to Thank Agent Eight and JP Australia for arranging for me to have the JP Surf Slate as an early christmas present, one I still feel I’m unwrapping every time I go in the water with it.
VP reviews the Slate in Aus
Board tested
7’2 x 26 JP Surf Slate
91 Litres
Rider weight – 86kg
Stand up Paddling has captured my soul and I’m sure it has to countless wave junkies across the globe , but whether you’ve come from a surfing background or not turning these cantankerous boards is no mean feat…here lies the Slates concept!
I believe these boards have a specific customer in mind, the weekend warrior or the paddle surfer looking for that Golden ticket to the top in sixty seconds.
If I try and elaborate by asking whether as a Paddle surfer you ever realise your back foot is anywhere near the tail pad… you may not know where or what the tail pad is !
Turning a SUP takes motivation and concentration and also an ability to feel where each foot needs to be to keep flow with the wave. Most beginner- Intermediate SUP surf riders try and ride their boards from the mid stance of the board – ie their back foot around 1-2 foot away from the tail.
Trying to turn from the midstance instead of the tail is where people can go round and round in a circle of problems. Step in The JP SURF SLATE …..You may have ideas of turning up at the beach after a week of exhausting work and tearing up the conditions however Ideas by themselves cannot produce a change of being – Your effort must be going in the right direction and one must correspond to the other.
The Slate with its chopped off diamond nose and double diamond tail keeps the board stable in relatively choppy conditions , once you dialled in the boards slight row effect (improved in Thruster mode) and on a wave the boards shortened length really comes into its own.
Now you have a board with little to no swing weight and narrow enough to ride from the mid stance allowing fast and easy turns rail to rail.
Paddling is also relatively simple – the wide nose facilitates a stable climb over approaching whitewater and its easily pulled back by sitting into your stance – try to imagine weight in your bum. Paddling stance can either be slightly offset or relative prone depending on where you are on the peak.
The slate is also super light (7’2 x 26 tested was 6kg) things are starting to slide towards that all important smooth style we all aim to achieve !
Once you understand that ‘speed’ is the all important factor in any sport which involves us trying to mould ourselves onto the surface of water you will do everything to try and achieve as much speed as possible.
Speed is a given on the JP Slate, and you can start to focus on other aspect of your surfing – your cutbacks – off the tops and re entries, however they don’t like been driven hard …which is my style of SUP surfing so….I didn’t bond straight away with this board.
loads of squirt and speed in the top section of the wave
Like with the recent trend in Sim style SUPs with wide tails – these boards have to be ridden smoothly and your turns thought out, They are never going to compete with boards with narrow tails for vertical pocket surfing although standing on a 7’2 SUP with relative ease does swing it !
That said You can’t help but feel happy whilst standing on these so called Slates – they give you everything you want …depending on what you want!
So who are they for ?
Nobody just has one SUP board in their quiver anymore , the conditions , your mood – all have a role to play in what board you choose for your 2-3 hours of water time.
Its about efficiency, options and by far the most important your experience on the water.
Its by riding different boards that we improve and If you practice on these boards you will improve.
bottom turning a JP slate
In my honest opinion these are for the intermediate paddler surfer looking for a fun, versatile and progressive learning curve without the skill set needed for narrower nosed boards which offer the same aspects.
JP slate nose rocker
There are compromises however, as I stated earlier people aspiring to the new approach in board design need a single mindedness, a focused dedicated and disciplined effort to get the best out of them.
rail volume in a Jp slate
tail rocker in the jp surf slate
If you’re seriously considering a JP slate – give us a ring for availability 01792 446511 Prices are £1599 for all models
SHOP FOR JP SLATE HERE
7’2 x 26- 91 litres , 7’2 x 28 103 Litres , 7’6 x 29 115 Litres
Words by – Matt Barker-smith
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