JN Kites Fish 5’5 2010
Reviews / Surfboards
7,092
At A Glance
This is a new direction for JN, the first surfboard they have made and the model we had on test was a pre-production prototype. The finish on the pre-production board we had was for artistic impression only, we have seen an off-the-shelf version and it is much sharper looking in the flesh. The boards use a recycled foam core with a bamboo veneer top and bottom, so the construction is pretty green as far as surfboards go. The core is also waterproof so if you ding the board during a session it shouldn’t soak up any water meaning you can quickly fix it when you get back to the beach. The shape of the 5’5” is quite wide, with a lot of the width towards the back of the board. There is a swallowtail and an FCS quad fin set up underneath with a concave running under the rider’s feet. The final boards will come supplied with straps and pads and there is a leash connection point for your surfboard leash too.
On the Water
We tried the Fish in a variety of conditions and each time it left us smiling. Underfoot the shape feels lively and quick, the extra width helping the Fish to get on the plane early and enabling you to ride with a smaller kite than perhaps you would normally. The quad fin set-up allows plenty of drive to go upwind, but in the waves it gives the board a looser feel. It is really easy to break out the back end and slide it about in the waves if you want to. The swallowtail helps the board to drive through the turns and the fast rocker line allows it to keep its speed up during moves on the wave. For larger riders the 5’5” may come up a little small, but if you weigh under 85kg then the board is a good size for a variety of applications. It gets going early on those light wind days, is fun to chuck about in onshore mush with the quad fin set up and the speed makes it a fun ride when the waves get a little bigger.
For
Green in its construction, fast, nimble and great fun to ride no matter what conditions you throw at it.
Against
We’d like to ride a larger version for the bigger riders out there; we have been told there is a full range in the pipeline.
Overall
The Fish is a great board for European conditions, it works really well on those onshore days and can still mix it with the big boys when we get those rare days of cross offshore perfection. Well built and from what we have seen of the production models, well finished too.
This review was in Issue 18 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit JN KitesRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
