On the Road with Jimmy Lewis :Standup Journal | Page 7

annual sales schedule. We’ve learned that Jimmy has a different flow—and we’ve learned that his flow works pretty well. Paving the Way When the tour rolled into San Rafael, California, we spent the day with one of our newer (yet biggest) dealers, 101 Surf Sports. When the shop opened a little over a year ago, co-owner Cort Larned came on strong. Rather than dabbling and testing, he and his partner David placed a huge initial order, committing to the Jimmy Lewis brand. I asked Cort why he had such confidence with Jimmy right from the start. His response articulated what many people have felt about Jimmy after riding his boards. “Jimmy is an icon for a reason. He’s a special human being. He has an innate sense of speed and slow. Whether the medium is a surfboard, a windsurfer, a kiteboard, or a standup board, Jimmy simply has an understanding of how it will react to a power source.

style boards—and every pro had to have one. His surfboards are classic and fast. One of his tow-in boards won the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave Award for taming a 67’ Peahi monster. Then, in 2006, Jimmy helped pave the road for sup as one of the first two shapers to make a production standup paddleboard. Production paddleboards refer to factory-made boards versus one-off customs. Jimmy is not shy about the fact that his boards are made at a factory in Vietnam. He is very proud of his 25-year relationship with the only sup factory in Vietnam, and he is quick to point out that a board made at this factory is very different from something “made in China.” The blanks are still shaped by hand! Jimmy says the quality and finish is better than he could do himself. In fact, Jimmy won’t even make a custom standup paddleboard. He believes that custom construction is far inferior to the quality, weight, and durability of his factory’s Signature I-Beam sandwich construction. The strengthto-weight ratio produced from this method is greater than fiberglass or bamboo veneer or even carbon fiber.

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And whether that source KEN RUSSELL "Jimmy #2" and "Jimmy #1"... always thinking is a wave or the wind or and tinkering, these two have shared paddle shapes, board a paddle, Jimmy has a designs, and many corny jokes. talent for creating the perfect shape—and Press your thumb into the he’s got it in spades.” deck and you won’t feel any Cort further answered give. Or, as Shane likes to my question about