RJs New Soulcraft, New Sacs, & Message to Dad's

[ragboy]

The Jimmi Six
I think the name of the board is actually the "Soulcraft Custom Wakesurf Jimmi Sparling Pro Model" but I don't have time for that. ;-) So we have been calling it the "Jimmi Six", mostly cause I think it sounds cool. RJ has been riding a couple of generations of Soulcraft and just really feels at home on them. He loves many other boards but for whatever reason when its time to compete he always jumps on his Soulcraft. We were riding on the Z3 of course, but with the new custom sacs that we just got in time for the West Coast Open. There are just plug and play sacs, probably about 1500 lbs or so on the regular side and a bit less on goofy. They are perfectly fit for the Z3 and on this day it was just these plug and play sacs, Maddie driving, Jesse and me.


IMG_1958 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2396 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2403 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_1742 by wake9, on Flickr

RJ started out riding backside and I could tell watching him that he was feeling good on this board and this is the first time he was riding. Speed and his turning looked good, but I really noticed when he started practicing his smaller backside airs. They are by no means "Sher worthy" but he was doing them with less effort. This board seemed to have good pop, but it also release well from the water. Some boards that I see him ride don't exit the water cleanly and don't allow him to get good, clean, high airs.


IMG_1725 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_1760 by wake9, on Flickr

When he got on his best side he started having even more fun. He likes this fin setup because he feels it gives him good "grip" in his turns yet still loose enough to his preference. He likes this setup for the balance between down the line and pumping speed. Here are some pictures of the board.


IMG_2140 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2149 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2153 by wake9, on Flickr

And then some pictures of bottom turns and slashes.


IMG_1827 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_1842 by wake9, on Flickr

He immediately was getting solid airs, but not necessarily his highest.


IMG_1895 by wake9, on Flickr

I am not sure which board he has gotten his best airs, I think either his older Jetty or the Walker Bomb Pop. But he soon got right up there, and I am guessing with a bit of time he is gonna top his best with this board.


IMG_2054 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2111 by wake9, on Flickr

And a few grabs.


IMG_2097 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2102 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2106 by wake9, on Flickr

And a 180, gonna have to try more and some air 180s next time.


IMG_2131 by wake9, on Flickr

Of course Jessie and Maddie got out. Jesse is so pumped after having 4 people in juniors and competing with her, she is starting to carve.


IMG_2349 by wake9, on Flickr


IMG_2370 by wake9, on Flickr

Maddie wants that air bad.


IMG_2380 by wake9, on Flickr

Fun board and a fun day. We had a great time with everyone at the event, but it was REALLY nice just to get out and enjoy the lake and relax. We made a quick video, check it out. There is a message to all the Dads out there at the end. Hope to see some of you at the WWS Shred Fest in Fort Collins.

[Timmy!]

Looking forward to meeting you guys this weekend...and riding that bad azz wave! Have safe travels out here to Colorado! We're going to turn the thermostat down a little bit for you and just keep it in the high 80's or low 90's instead of 100.

[shawndoggy]

lol, I can never watch your vids ragboy because a short one is six minutes long.

[ragboy]

I have some 3 min ones. ;-) Some of us like to hold out for at least 5 mins.

[Duncan]

Nice vid. Interesting board. Great message. These boats are amazing family time platforms

I assume you do not put the old school wax board in the bimini pocket because of the mess -- so where does it store?

[ragboy]

We do put it in the bimini pocket actually. The main thing, is make sure you use tropical wax. Also, we don't normally do that, so its not up there baking and melting. RJ usually does that on a new board to figure out his perfect traction placement, then he will clean off the wax and place his traction. Even then, though, he will use wax around the edges of the wax and then sometimes on the wax itself. As long as you use tropical, it is really not that bad. If you use the cool wax, it melts and gets all over everything.

Have you tried wax? RJ does those 180s and stuff and so needs a lot of traction, and will do the wax on his traction, but the rest of us don't. I like the feeling of wax under my feet, always have. I guess its what your familiar with. When I was a kid surfing, we always used wax, their wasn't really traction then. Its a lot easier to move your feet while riding IMHO, at least if you a big fat guy. ;-)