Lost Puddle Jumper Demo'd Today... at a price...LOL

So I finally got to demo a Lost Puddle Jumper today. 6'4"x 22.5x 2.88 47.3L. I am 47 225 with my wetsuit and boots, 6 ft tall and have been surfing for about 4 years. My past boards were 7'6"x 24x 3 5/8 at 70L and 7x 23x 3 1/4 at around 62L . I surf mainly in New England where our waves in the summer are1-3 at best and mushy with a day or two here and there that are ok but not great at least in the summer.

Today was 2 ft mushy, choppy, wind blown junk in SE winds.. not the best conditions to say the least but perfect to try out this Puddle Jumper. I have to say, it was a blast to ride! I didnt think I would be able to stay afloat with 47.3 L and thought I would sink in these conditions and with that volume. A big wake up call for me as this board not only floated me but easily paddled into waves and allowed me to catch anything I wanted. I belly and knee rode the first two waves just because I was paranoid that I would either pearl or sink the board once popped up. After that I went for it and popped right up and the board TOOK OFF again even in these junky conditions! I was riding it as a QUAD with the FCS II Performer MED fins in place. It felt so good I think I could even go to a 6'2" instead of the 6'4" which has the same dimensions except for the length and would put the volume in at 46L flat.

Only two problems I found both which were corrected....1. It took me a while to "TRUST" the design of the board and not being use to a much shorter board than I normally ride, I was afraid I would Pearl the nose, which it didnt at all, so once I trusted it and popped up and positioned my feet normally, it was a dream to ride.. 2. On my last ride I was a little too enthusiastic and tried for a choppy peaky wave very late and tried to bale on it, but when I did the board shot forward before I GOT UP on it, an instead of balling and covering up I body rode it head up and head first and of course the board shot back at me from the side and a fin caught me right in the forehead!!!

My day was done, and 13 stitches later(inside and out) I am out of the water for 7 days... UGH!! But it still was a great day and a great learning experience on what I can handle in junky days with a lot less volume than I am use to... Pics attached!

 

Not the first wont be the last!

 

well at least when people see the lobotomy scar it will explain a lot!!!

 

Yea I agree I was checking out a 6'2" carbon wrap in a shop today... So sweet looking and same width and thickness as the 6'4" but 1 L lower I doubt I would notice it sooo nice and the carbon wrap construction is suppose to be much lighter than the poly and add a bit of float. May pull the trigger but resisting the urge to... Sooo nice though.... 46.2L gorgeous looking....

 

Yea my wife loved the lobotomy comment.. But my favorite is my daughter running around the house saying
"Your a Wizard Daddy"...