The new JP-Australia Downwind is designed to provide high stability, glide and paddle speed with its shape. According to the manufacturer, the board was specially designed for easy and early take-offs. In contrast to many other downwind-specific SUP shapes on the market, the manufacturer claims to have taken a different approach here: instead of extremely bevelled or completely rounded bottom and rail shapes, the focus is on a very flat bottom area in the standing area. The focus of the JP-Australia Downwind is on SUP foiling, but the board should also be suitable for wing foiling.
The sloping, concave deck shape of the board is designed to help convert paddling power into forward motion. The flat bottom area under the footprint ensures stability, while the rounded nose and heavily bevelled tail should ensure smooth landings and efficient onset of flight, according to JP. Particular attention has been paid to the shape of the edge, with the apex of the edge radius kept as high as possible to further increase stability. The deck has a slight concavity in the standing area, which changes to a slope towards the bow. This is intended to ensure optimum power transmission when paddling by preventing the front foot from slipping forwards at the crucial moment of the paddle stroke. The manufacturer emphasises that stability when launching was the primary goal during development.
S-TEC construction for lightness and rigidity
The board is manufactured exclusively using the manufacturer's new S-TEC technology. A precision CNC-milled core is wrapped in a full PVC sandwich with lightweight biax carbon. In addition, a unidirectional carbon patch is used to cover the entire standing area as well as the mirrored bottom area to support the foil. A special lamination method is used to achieve a resin to fibre ratio similar to prepreg materials. According to the manufacturer, a brushed top coat was used to further reduce the weight.
New tracks for easier foil assembly
The manufacturer has redesigned the foil tracks, which now have large openings for easy foil board mounting. The plate nuts can simply be inserted into the track while they are mounted on the foil. They are then pushed into position and the screws tightened. To remove the foil, simply loosen the bolts and slide the foil backwards and upwards. In order not to compromise the structural integrity of the tracks, additional openings have been omitted. All boards with the new tracks are now equipped with a standard set of 4 plate nuts. These nuts ensure a perfect fit to the tracks, superior load distribution and ideal thread engagement. The positioning scale between the tracks is reflected in the design of the deck EVA pad. This allows the rider to know exactly where the foil is placed in relation to the position of the rear foot. The EVA pad has a fine corduroy pattern for increased comfort.
Technical data JP-Australia Downwind
- Volume: 130 litres
- Length: 248 cm
- Width: 49.5 cm
- Weight 5.9 kg (according to the manufacturer)
- Info under jp-australia.com
