Primal Surfboards - JS Surfboards Online Retailer

JS "letters" logo:

JS "Tractor" logo:

Did you know: The JS "tractor" logo is a tribute to Stevenson's dad who drove heavy equipment for a living.

Bruce Irons surfing a board shaped by JS:

Jordy Smith surfing a board shaped by JS:

Sunny Garcia on a JS at the Reef Haliewa Pro 07:

About JS Surfboards

written by Mike Laielli - PrimalSurfboards.com and Jason Stevenson - JSindustries.com

About JS Surfboards, aka "Tractor Boards" or just "Tractors" for their distinctive logo of a tractor somewhere on the board, are manufactured in NSW, Australia on the Gold Coast minutes away from famous world class surf breaks such as Snapper Rocks, Greenmount, Kirra and Duranbah. It's really no wonder why JS has been able to refine his shapes to be considered some of the best in the world by many pros and amatures alike. "JS" (Jason Stevenson) shaped for DHD (Darren Handley) before going solo and starting JS Surfboards.

JS skyrocketed in popularity and respect in the early 2000's as a surfboard-shaper when many top pros on the WCT began requesting custom-shaped JS Surfboards. Among the first were Andy Irons, Bruce Irons and Dean Morrison. Many other pros began requesting his shapes, despite being sponsored by other surfboard companies. It was a common sight in the popular surf magazines to see a Lost, Channel Islands, or Local Motion surfboard with a tractor logo somewhere on the board and it still is. The official JS surf team today includes Joel Parkinson, Bruce Irons, Mark Occhilupo, and Luke Egan. Andy Irons surfs Billabong surfboards which are shaped by JS. Joel, Bruce, and Occy each have their own signature JS model surfboard.

JS offers an array of different models for differing surf conditions and surfers. Here are most of the surfboard models available from JS: Fly Boy, Fat Fish 2, Combat, 300KW, Bruce Irons, Parko, Occy, Paraletic

The "Fly Boy" model JS Surfboard

     A super high-performance shortboard. Ideal for good surfers in good waves; no extra thickness or width. Really for surfers who fit the physical mold of a pro - relatively light for how tall they are, in good shape, quick on a wave and have progressed well past the beginner level.

     The Fly Boy is a direct result of JS conducting R&D with his top pros in the best waves. A typical Fly Boy is 6'0" in length, 18-1/4" in width and 2-1/4" in thickness. The tail is a smooth squash tail. Moving up the board... JS employs soft, "non-stick" rails. The concave is single to double with a modest amount of rocker. Nothing crazy here. Just a perfect harmony of all the most important elements of a high-performance shortboard.

     Best conditions for a Fly Boy: a fast, hollow, 6 to 8ft wave like Snapper Rocks or Rincon.

     If the Fly Boy were a woman, it would be: Kate Olson - Skinny! Intolerate of any kind of thickness. Built for speed, and beautiful in the eyes of some. However, some guys may like a little more meat. A Chunky dude would be a down-right mismatch for her.

The "Fat Fish 2" model JS Surfboard

     Yes, there was a Fat Fish 1, but the Fat Fish 2 ate it! 1 is good, but the Fat Fish 2 is better. A high-performance surfboard for small waves. Extra width and thickness, flatter rocker and a swallow tail all make for a mush-buster, but this small-wave destroyer can handle the crap out of a nice bowl section.

     A typical Fat Fish 2 may be 6'0" in length, 19" in width, and 2-1/4" in thickness. Give or take an 1/8" to 1/2" on the width and 1/16" to 1/8" on the thickness. The FF2 really gets its extra flotation from increased width in the middle of the board. For a fish, the nose and tail remain relatively narrow. The rocker is signifigantly flatter than the Fly Boy, but the nose still retains enough to pull a vertical off-the-lip in a bowly section. Swallow is the typical tail to go with here. It gives enough width, freedom and looseness to manuever through small mushy waves where you want to avoid getting bogged down. JS also shapes the FF2 with a squash tail to tighten-up the turning a bit. This is good for someone who wants a Fat Fish 2 that can handle a bigger, more powerful wave or maybe just dislikes swallow tails.

     Best conditions for a Fat Fish 2: a soft, 3-4ft wave with some flat sections - anything from a mushy Jersey beach break in the summer to a decent day at Lower Trestles.

     If the Fat Fish 2 were a woman, it would be: Drew Barrymore - Cute! Actually, not really fat at all, just shorter and wider. The best part is she's fun loving and forgiving. She knows she can do better, but doesn't care as long as you can show her a good time.

The "Combat" model JS Surfboard

     The Combat is the Fly Boy with a little extra foam (i.e. width and thickness). A 6'0" Fly Boy is usually 18-1/4" x 2-1/4", whereas a Combat might be 18-3/8" x 2-5/16". If you're unsure as to whether a Fly Boy might float you enough, be safe and go with the Combat. A little extra flotation ALMOST ALWAYS does more good than harm.

     Best conditions for a Combat: Just like the Fly Boy, a fast, hollow, 6 to 8ft wave like Snapper Rocks or Rincon. Most people's dream wave.

     If the Combat were a woman, it would be: Scarlett Johansson - Sexy! Perhaps a bit more curvy, but definitley in the right spots. You don't have to be a Calvin Klein girly-man man to date her, but you do have to know what you're doing.

The "Quad" model JS Surfboard

     A high-performance shortboard with 4 fins instead of 3. There's a lot of buzz surrounding quads right now and for good reason: They work! And they work well. By doing away with the center fin, quads gain an increase in water flow, which makes them fast. The only thing they lose is a tiny bit of control. So they're good for small to medium sized surf or those real flat, mushy days.

     Best conditions for a Quad: The Quad can handle a big size range from small wave (2-4ft to over-head plus). Where it starts to struggle is waves that are fast and hollow where you don't really need the extra speed. Best for mushy waves. It will really out-perform a tri-fin on a flat section.

     If the Quad were a woman, it would be: Paris Hilton - Fast! She gets around - most of the time in the sloppiest of conditions. But surprisingly, she's thin and attractive. Good for guys who like to date around a lot (analogy: "try different boards"). Keep around for when your dream girl fails you and you're desperate. Probably don't want to marry her though, she's unpredictable and can get out-of-control. She'll never replace your dream girl.

The "Bruce Irons" signature model JS Surfboard

     Very close to the Fly Boy. Where Bruce's board may differ is the rocker - a little more flatness to get that extra speen required for 6ft air reverses

     Best conditions for a Bruce: 6-8ft and perfect with plenty of barrels and air sections. What else is there? 4 consecutive Mick-Fanning-WCT turns? Screw that!

     If the Bruce Irons signature model were a woman, it would be: Angelina Jolie - Independent Dreamer! Doesn't care about conforming to the other girls. She doesn't have to. Only cares about what's important to her ideals, everyone else can screw off. (analogy: "free surfing, huge airs")
Bruce Irons JS logo:

Special Note:

Click here to see an article from Transworld Surf on the Bruce JS.

The "Parko" signature model JS Surfboard

     Very close to the Fly Boy here too. The Parko is slightly more double concave and more volume, straighter hip squash then flyboy. There is also more curve overall in parko and slightly fuller in outline.

     Best conditions for a Parko: Glassy, 6-8ft and perfect with plenty of barrels, air sections and a curvy open face for mind-bending carves.

     If the Parko signature model were a woman, it would be: Jessica Alba - Super hot! Thin, but nice curves. Her latin heritage gives her a smoothness you just don't find in other girls. Confident and cool, she'll only date you if you've got style.

The "Paraletic" model JS Surfboard

Hand-shaped, stringerless epoxy, with carbon-fiber-wrapped rails. Something new from JS, invented for small waves. More coming soon...

The "CBL" model JS Surfboard

Something new from JS. Info coming soon...

Picture of JS Surfboards:

Official JS Website: jsindustries.com

Browse our JS surfboard inventory: primalsurfboards.com

Andy Irons surfing a board shaped by JS:

Joel "Parko" Parkinson surfing a board shaped by JS:

Jordy Smith surfing a board shaped by JS: