9'0" Taylor Jenson Special T Longboard Review

[@andrewnewman2695]

I bought the 9'3" in timber tech (before the thunderbolt tech was released) primarily to use on the smaller days where I live on the mid-west coast of Australia. I mostly ride short boards, so I wanted to go with a single fin, figuring if the waves are good enough to ride a high performance longboard, I would be out on a short board. I've been blown away by the performance of this board, the glide in small waves is fantastic and when the waves start to have some shape to them, that tail rocker lets you do some pretty tight turns and it nose rides pretty well. I've surfed it at Margaret River, Yallingup and Gnaraloo at 6ft+ and was surprised at how well it went, I find I can barrel ride it frontside well, but struggle going backside in regards to trim in hollow conditions, though that's my poor technique more than anything else! With regards to fins, I liked the Futures 9” performance fin in honeycomb, it had a nice combo of stiff base with moderate flex tip, that fin got destroyed, so I’m currently using a narrow base, fairly upright carbon fin, which is very stiff. It lacks drive and hold on steeper waves, so I’m going to replace it with the TJ Power Drive 9”, in the hope that I get some of the performance and feeling back that I like. I also ride with the fin at the front, I rarely move it, even in the bigger surf. After 4 years the board still looks brand new and I would by another one in a heartbeat if something was to happen to it, but I would be torn between the tech as I love the look of the timber, but appreciate the thunderbolt tech would likely have a slight performance advantage. Either way, a great board that I ride way more than I thought I would.

[@lawson45uk]

Yeah that’s a great take mate thanks for sharing your experience. I hope people read that too. We don’t get hollow waves and I don’t nose ride so it’s great to hear it nose rides well and also doesn’t run out of hold or nose rocker when it’s barreling. Timber tech does actually have a nice feel to it and a little note momentum and stiffer. It’s partly the one bad experience and some feedback from others on delam and water ingress issues is why I’m a little more weary now but myself and others have had them for years with no issues whatsoever too and they are a good bit cheaper. I think back in the day when they were on offer you could pick them up for 1350 nz still 1500 now. Thunderbolt have gone beyond the 2k mark now so you want to be sure your getting the model you want. Another great thing about the special T as you say. Easy to recommend and justify a purchase when you know it’s that good. Thanks for your feedback mate. Appreciate it.

[@ren1818ren]

Great comment! Would you mind sharing your weight and height?

[@lawson45uk]

@@ren1818ren cheers mate. Yeah of course. I'm 5'7" and about 84kg give or take so about 170cm and about 185 lb if your backwards metric imperial rather than imperial metric measurements. You would have thought we would be universally one or the other by 2022 :-) lol

[@ren1818ren]

@@lawson45uk thanks so much! How about you? @andrew Newman. Also, we were talking the other day and I was debating between getting a special r in timber tech and a takayama ITP in tuflite. I ended up getting the takayama but your reviews and all the community comments are inching me closer to getting the special y as well. I actually live out in Vietnam and have to travel abroad to pick up any good boards at good prices. Planning a trip around picking up my boards I’m Thailand soon. I already bought the takayama and I’m like 90% leaning towards getting the special t. I could also get a 7’6 outlier or a a 7’6 OVA but for the waves that I have here I think that having two longboards might be a better choice, in case one breaks and I have to send it in for repair, and also to have some variety. The INP is a 2 plus 1 and seems like quite a different board. Do you think they’re too similar? Would you recommend getting one of the other 2 boards? I already have a 6’8 Torq mod fun board.

[@lawson45uk]

@@ren1818ren Yeah tough call. The in teh pink will be different to the special T for sure but both are good all round easy to ride boards that perform decently for average waves. The special T just carries a lot less bulk in the nose. You can probably ride the ITP as a single fine too. Personally I would take the Special T over the ITP but I like both and if you are really keen to learn to nose ride the ITP might help you out with learning while still being good off the tail. If you really need both that's a tough one to answer. I think if I had the special T and something like the Moe or the ova I would feel pretty covered for most of the fatter slower local waves I surf. Nothing wrong with the Torq boards either they do some nice shapes and the basic ones are really tough. As you say an Outlier, Ova or Moe could be a really nice compliment to the collection and if your waves are mainly smaller or weaker and duck diving isn't that necessary something in that 7'6"-8 range might be nice. I generally go from 9 down to 7 or less but that's mainly for duck dive. I would like to own a nice 7'10" too. Totally up to you really. Both the longboards are really great boards. I would say the special T will feel a little more performance but the ITP probably easier to nose ride and will still turn both are two of the best all rounders you can get. Then look at the other boards based on what you like the idea of and what waves you get. If your not worried about duck diving I think the Ova in a 7'6" could be really nice. It's got a low refined rail and a nice round tail in the back and a decent amount of rocker. Hope that helps some but i dont think you can go too far wrong with what you have shortlisted. Cheers.

[@chrisfindlay5963]

Always find your reviews really helpful. I'm looking for a 9'6" longboard for nose riding, glide and fun in 1-3' surf. No bigger, I have an 8' mid length for 3' plus. I don't want to break the bank, there is quite the selection out there but I'm not professional and don't need the best. I think 70-75ltrs would be good, I want to be able to catch a small lump and ride it to the beach, perfect for those very small Northland East Coast waves. I'm looking at a second hand Stewart Hydro hull, I have no idea what they are like. I have missed a few bargain thunderbolt board around $1200. Any recommendations?

[@saulocampos9811]

What’s up, mate! If you were to pick one, which one would you pick TimberTech or thunderbolt? Is there a difference in weight between the two? Hope all is well! 🤙

[@lawson45uk]

Sorry for the late reply. Yeah definitely thunderbolt if I could. Think they are a bit note durable and better flex. Timber tech feels stiffer and a little heavier but some of that older ones could be prone to delam issues if not made right and looked after well. Thunderbolt is lighter and more lively. Cheers.

[@sccols736]

Hi there, thanks for the reviews, they are very good. Can you tell me how much the 9'0 special T weighs in the Red construction? I really like light decks and tried a number of thunderbolt Red boards and surprised to see the variation in weight! Also can you compare the Special T to the Heaven? -- they are different for sure, but still seem to have some similarities in template and rocker

[@lawson45uk]

Hi Mate. I didn't actually weigh the Special T when I got it but it's pretty light I was worried it was almost too light when I picked it up in a shop for the first time. Mine is all waxed up with a fin in but I know that my Timber Teck Wingnut was about 8.5-9kgs and my Haven was noticeably lighter than that so maybe that was around 7.5 so I'm guessing the special probably more like 6.5-7kg can't get at it easily to weigh at just now but that's probably a good guess. Yeah the special T definitely feels lighter shorter and more nimble than the Heaven. I think the length, weight volume and rocker just really suits me and my size I dont feel like i'm giving up all that much paddle power on the special T and it's shorter with a more refined rail and less aggressive concaves which I think works well with our slow wave here but both are great boards and obviously depends on what your after. The Special T definitely feels a bit more like a very usable and more mellow version of a performance board where the Haven is a bit more of an all rounder DNA but also performs well for what it is. Obvioulsy i'm comparing a 9'0" with a 9'4" so it's not apples to apples but most people think the Heaven feels a bit shorter than it is then so does the special T in comparison to that lol Hope that helps.

[@sccols736]

@@lawson45uk Good stuff, thanks. I'm bit surprised how performance oriented this board actually seems to be when looking at the template and rocker shape, I suppose it's the combination of a flat bottom and hard edge at the tail. But liking the sound of an easy to use board. I guess it does look like an allrounder, hopefully it can still noseride okay. I've only tried one allrounder, and I really didn't like it at all, if the nose caught the water it would never recover.

[@lawson45uk]

@@sccols736 Yeah a mate of mine bought the 9'6 and he said it still nose rides decent and he's used to the Sprout and the Apex. He was struggling to find something that worked for him at the more performance end didn't get on with the Neo Classic as well but loving the Special T in the 9'6" I can't really nose ride at all so it's hard for me to say but I think the design should allow if to be half decent for something that's not really designed to priorities nose riding. I can't see Taylor Jensen wanting to ride something that doesn't nose ride well.. I think the combination of the rocker, bottom contours and lower rails help the Special T really use the volume well. Do also feel like length must play a part in nose riding?? I'm guessing a 9'6" is always going to help. I don't like riding the more traditional nose rider style boards they just hold onto the water too much for me and too heavy, feels like your stuck in the pocket and having to walk the board into trim all the time and can't really turn them till you walk back too not for me. Haven could be a good one too but again it's hard to say for me. It might nose ride a little better with the wider nose and super deep nose concave and that bit more tail flip but i can't say I definitely feel the Special is more nimble and spritely though. Guess it depends on what your used to. As I say my friend is used to heavier nose riders and he's loving the Special T for a bit of a different feel when he's not on the Apex. Cheers.

[@trab185]

Thanks for the review updates - It’s great to get the use/ ownership comments!

[@lawson45uk]

Cheers yeah the guy that had it before me wanted the 9'6" ended up with this but thought it was just a little racy for the slow fat waves and nose riding then went to the other end of the scale with the Apex and sounds like he might go back and get the 9'6" of this that he originally wanted. he's a lot lighter than me, wants to nose ride and enjoys the traditional side too so I suspect the 9'6" will have that extra glide and nose ride ability but still have the user friendly all round nature of this design. I personally think the pig shaped hull bottoms are really quite hard to ride less your already pretty good with your cross stepping nose riding trimming game. I'm more of a ride off the tail kinda guy so this does a nice job of being balanced and easy to ride.

[@csgalang]

@@lawson45uk Thanks for providing some context on the previous owner’s situation. I’m actually interested in getting a 9’6 Apex but your comment is making me hesitate slightly. What does the previous owner dislike about the Apex?

[@lawson45uk]

@@csgalangHi Carl. Really depends on what your looking for. I actually rode a friends apex this week and it rode better than I expected on but similar to how I expected. So the apex has a lot of volume and it still what some refer to as a pig shape so wide point back on the hips. It rides a little like the Aussie slasher model but it’s got a bit of hard edge in the tail Also it’s in thunderbolt silver so deliberately heavier by design. Basically in my opinion most of those wide point hips back boards with rounded rails and an element of rolled or hull bottom require you to be competent at walking a board to get the best out of them. You ideally want to step your foot over the hip to turn and walk forward back into trim then set it up to ride the nose. If that’s your think and you want a heavy board for all the glide and stability and don’t mind something a little more cumbersome then it’s probably a great board. My friend has a sprout and is preferring the apex now but he’s taking about something like the special T in a 9’6” for when the waves are better. The special T is much more of an all rounder and far easier to ride and better to turn. You can. Drive around sections turn off the tail and it will release and you can stand a bit forward and out of position and it will still turn it’s just a completely different board for me personally and much more my style but that’s me I don’t nose ride just want to get in early have some speed and be able to turn easily. The special T was developed to make an all round board for weaker waves for a pro and the apex was develop by an incredible traditional rider that’s spent a lot of time mastering nose rides and can still turn as he’s got that ability but watch Taylor Jensen surf the special t and watch cj Nelson surf the apex that’s the styles. Taylor can still nose ride it but rip turns on the rail all the way round. Cj more of a dance and traditional style and amazing weight shifts and food movement. Taylor just flowing powerful mixture of everything in his riding. Hope that helps.

[@csgalang]

@@lawson45uk thank you very much! Super helpful! Out of curiously, have you had the chance to ride a Parallax? From the way that board is marketed, it sounds like it checks all the boxes for “gets in early, has speed, and turns easily”.

[@lawson45uk]

@@csgalang All good mate. Hmm Yeah I think the Parallax came from the outlier (or the other way round) If you hunt through CJ Nelsons Flowish Fridays episodes on youtube you should find a good bit of him talking about it. I fancied an 8'0" Outlier but was worried about our waves having enough power to get the Hull bottom going and the tail is pulled in and rails quite refined on the 7'6" and 8 ft i'm sure the longboard version is different. Real Watersports I think reviewed that too they are pretty regular guys so have a look at what they say and how it looks to be riding for them might be a good reference point too. Does look like a nice shape, would be good to know if it works well. I'm always a bit weary of hulls but did want to try these as it sounds like a new more modern take on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKvFc5yBi8l3h80 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZq7eZ-wi8lghs0

[@fabmanly1070]

Thank for this information, from someone looking into it for the first time. I’m new to all this, who stocks them thanks.

[@lawson45uk]

Thank you glad you found it helpful. Yeah they are produced by Firewire now so most people who stock firewire can probably get hold of them for you depends on what country you are in etc. If you look online i'm sure you will find what you are after. Thanks.

[@thomasedison2806]

Can you pump this board to get speed? Im torn between this and gem.

[@lawson45uk]

Hi Thomas. Yes you can pump the Special T it's really quite responsive in the Thunderbolt tech. I find a 9" Christenson Tracker fin pushed right to the front of the box works well for me. Board has good projection down the line and nice glide over flat sections too. The GEM I haven't ridden in Thunderbolt but would love too.. It would probably sit somewhere between my blender and the special T. If it's anything like how they compared in the TimberTech I would imagine the GEM being even easier to pump and even more responsive but that would come with some element of needing to be pumped a little more and wanting a little better wave to so that's the trade off. I would say for slower waves and somoene that loves single fins the Special T is great (ironically it feels a little more like a single and sides when you ride it) and for someone that loves the single and sides set up with the deeper concaves and a slightly more performance orientated rider and or wave the GEM probably comes into it's own.. I would like to try the GEM in thunderbolt as my blender is feeling a little lower on volume now Ih have the Special T but I have been loving the Special T so much i'm put off from messing about and confusing myself any more especially with boards at this price point!! :-)

[@XiscoMoreySerantes]

How would you compare it to the Gem? Thanks for being awesome!

[@lawson45uk]

Hey mate there is a whole video comparing the two if you go back to the really old ones. Gem is a bit more of a perform board. More pulled in tail more aggressive concaves more rocker less volume thinner foil etc but it's still very practical and usable too. Cheers.

[@XiscoMoreySerantes]

@@lawson45uk hi! Yes, that video is the one where you convinced me to go and get the Gem. I just wanted to know if the new Red technology makes it a game changer. I was thinking on getting a longer longboard for the weak mushy waves in the Mediterranean and I was considering the TJ PRO V or another in red technology. It would be great to know your opinion. Thanks again for being awesome and have a fantastic weekend!

[@lawson45uk]

@@XiscoMoreySerantes Yeah I hear you.. I can't say completely 100 percent scientifically proven as I haven't ridden both back to back and it's been long time since I had the timber tech one but I definitely feel like the Special T feels lighter and more responsive in thunderbolt. Almost like it got lighter, more responsive and still paddled better. Perhaps the Timbertech carries a little more momentum with it having a little more weight but yeah I feel like the thunderbolt is the way to go.. If I already had a tibertech one would I take teh loss from new to sell second hand to then buy a new thunderbolt that's a different question as that would be a lot of money lossed and added so less worth it. If i were looking at the two side by side new and the money wasn't an issue I would personally go thunderbolt every time, even if it were just for the fact of less likelihood of delam. Then add the weight pop and feel advantage if you like the feel. So if you have a GEM is that the 9'1"? If so the Pro V is a shorter lower volume board than the GEM? I still think the Pro V is a pretty performance board for length width and volume it's just got a more sensible rocker and nose size than the TJ pro.. If you wanted longer or just less performance I think it probably depends on the gap your looking for. If you want a little more paddle and glide and want to stay at 9'0" and go single fin the Special T would be fun. If you want to pump that up more you could go for 9'6'" special T or something else around the 9'4"-9'6" it's really upto your personal preference and what you are looking for. I think it Red and for more length and glide your probably only getting the options of Special T, Hi 4 and Diamond drive to be fair.. Everything else is Silver, Black or as a good bit of rocker. Perhaps the Peacemaker too.. The Hi4 9'3" is nice but probably not adding that much to the GEM as it's still got a decent bit of rocker adn reasonably pulled in tail but not too grazy. The 9''0" special would be different as it's more volume and width and a single fin. the 9'6" would definitely set them appart and probably a good choice. I like my Heaven but that would actually sit probably between the 9 and 9'6" special but hard to say. Many of the other boards are in silver and designed more as nose riders so yeah hard to say... The flat rocker, parallel outline, subtle concaves, single fin and forgiving rails of the special T suit weaker waves well but it's still not a loggy nose rider and if your looking to add length and volume and keep a fairly responsive ride in a smaller wave all rounder the 9'6" Special makes a lot of sense to me. What do you rekon?? Cheers.

[@XiscoMoreySerantes]

@@lawson45uk thank you very much for your quick reply and support. Now it's time to do some thinking for my Xmas shopping list. Thanks again. May the waves be wherever you go!

[@chrisfindlay5963]

@@lawson45uk I found the Gem pretty unforgiving in not so good waves.

[@dlotway399]

Did you ever try the Special T with a quad fin setup?

[@lawson45uk]

Hi sorry for the late reply. Never got that far unfortunately. Was going to give it a go but ended up having another surgery on my back and not back to surfing yet. Cheers.

[@dlotway399]

Sorry to hear about the need for surgery. Hope that has gone well and you are on the road to surf recovery? @@lawson45uk

[@brba1325]

You'll be on a FW Gem in Thunderbolt soon.

[@lawson45uk]

Lmao. I would love one mate 😂 would probably consider that in red instead of my black Skindog but it's tooooooo expensive ;-)

[@brba1325]

@@lawson45uk which do you prefer, Timbertek or Thunderbolt?

[@lawson45uk]

@@brba1325 thunderbolt it's lighter and got more pop. TT is decent ans especially if you get a good price it's cheaper but they can have delam issues. I just like the feel of the thunderbolt

[@brba1325]

@@lawson45uk Wingnut Noserider OR Special T?

[@lawson45uk]

@@brba1325 Hmm depends on what your after to be fair they are both good boards. I think I have either done a comparison review or discussed in depth if you have a nosey around the comments. The Special T is thunderbolt is going soooo well for me at the moment so I would go with the Special T but I always enjoyed the Wingnut too. If you have decent waves and want a decent wave range and a forgiving pretty performance single fin it's a cracker. Wingnut has a pretty special feel to it too though just something really nice about how that pulled in tail projects but the wide nose and flat rocker can be a little more restrictive in a punchy wave. Wingnut has a small sweetspot too probably better suited to flatter waves than the special but all good if you have that and a more performance board for a one and done in small to medium average waves the special is pretty mint. Cheers.