Jimmy Lewis Mano V Starboard Converse

As there's been a bit of debate about pointy nose v full nose boards, I thought I would share my experience with these two boards.

About me: 44 y/o male 87kg x 174cm (5'7). 14 months stand up paddling.
Surfing style: While I appreciate the skill involved with cross stepping and nose riding and will occasionally try those maneuvers in very small surf, it's not my preferred style. Generally I prefer to stand over the fins and try to pull off more shortboard type maneuvers. I surf Gold Coast beach breaks 90% of the time and point breaks 10%. Double oh is about my limit in wave size so this review only applies to waves up to that size.

The boards:

Jimmy Lewis Mano 9'9 x 29.
Construction on this board was excellent. Deck grip was good with a nice tail block built in. Fins supplied are excellent, no need to change those babies out. The board is a middle weight (not heavy but not light either). Previous to the Mano I was riding a 10' x 30" and the change to the slightly shorter and narrower Mano was not a problem. Paddling out the narrow nose with a lot of rocker pushes through or up and over the white water easily. Out the back the board is quite stable but if conditions deteriorated or there was a lot of water moving around from rips and current, I found my limit was about an hour before the legs started to get the shakes. Paddling into waves was surprisingly easy, I rarely had problems picking up even fat waves on the Mano. Once on the wave the Mano is a high performance machine. Easy to put it where you want and easily the fastest sup down the line I have ever been on. The nose rocker lets you take some very late drops and the turning ability of this board is excellent. If you want a sup that looks like a short board and goes like a short board, the JL Mano range is for you. They are not as stable as some other boards in the same length range though.

Starboard Converse 9’ x 30.
I have the Toughskin Touch or bluetouch version (no deck pad), which I think is pretty close to the bottom of the construction range that Starboard offer. The construction on this board is very good. I have thrown a lot at this board and the only blemish I have is a couple of depressions in the deck from my feet where I normally stand. It’s hard to say as I’ve never had a board without a deck pad before, but I think this would normally happen without a pad. Anyway, that’s the only thing stopping it getting an excellent rating. I really like the bluetouch. I much prefer it to a pad. However I have slipped off it a couple of times when my foot has moved too far onto the rail where the bluetouch ends. I solved this problem by adding a tailpad. The fins supplied with the board required a bit of tweaking for me. I didn’t even try the side fins as they looked too weak and flexy. I put in some Shapers SM-L. The centre fin is a huge swept back 21 cm (8.3”) behemoth but I thought I would give it a go before passing judgment. That setup actually worked pretty good but I thought a smaller centre would work better. I put a 7” Tolhurst cutaway in and it works great. The converse is very light. Significantly lighter than the Mano. Paddling out, the board is super stable for a 9 footer. The full nose and wider tail width obviously help here. It is significantly more stable than the longer and narrower Mano but punching through white water is not as easy due to the full nose. The stability of the board is truly awesome and I don’t think I've ever felt uncomfortable on it. Paddling into waves is a breeze on this board. I think being so stable really helps as you’re not afraid to dig the paddle in and pull hard. It does have a bit of nose rocker but nowhere near what the Mano has. It also has a significant concave under the nose area. Despite the lack of rocker and full nose, I rarely nosedive this board and I have only caught the nose on a steep wave once and that was my fault for not being far enough back on the board. It would be fair to say that I am in awe of the capabilities of this board. It won’t win any beauty contests. It has thick round rails, a wide arse and a big nose but somehow it just works. It’s not as fast down the line as the Mano and doesn’t turn as fast, but it's pretty close. Combine that with its stability, lightness and relatively short length and the Starboard Converse is almost the perfect one board surfing quiver for me. I’ve had it out in a wide range of conditions from nearly double oh (I’m only a short arse though) to knee high and it hasn’t disappointed me yet.

Thanks Thomo, great review.

I'd be interested in hearing which board you like for what sort of conditions and at what point do you change preference for the other board.

Cheers

Shane

Hi Shane,

I only have the Starboard now as I traded the Mano to buy the starboard. It's not really a matter of which board is better, it's more about the rider and what they want from a board. Both boards will handle most conditions well. If you prefer a board that will give you top line performance in more critical waves and don't mind the challenge of the more performance oriented shape, the Mano is the way to go. If you prefer to be on a more stable platform and don't mind sacrificing a bit of performance, the Starboard is a better choice. I think narrow boards seem to be quicker and perform better in more critical waves, but the cost is stability. I chose the Starboard as I have found 30" wide seems to be a good compromise between stability and performance for me. Hope that helps.