Boat – Mastercraft X-Star with custom rasta colorway – I just got it dialed in! I’ve had it for 2 weeks now and it is absolutely insane! We have a new motor company Ilmor and the engines are insanely strong. All the team riders this year will have the 6.2 liter engine which is the biggest we’ve ever had, as is the wake. I’ve loaded it to the max and it’s still jumping up on plane effortlessly. It’s ridiculous. It’s exactly what the tour boat will be and I think people are going to be surprised at just how big the wakes will be on tour this year, even at the smallest venues. Also the new hydraulic tower has been amazing. I keep my boat in the lift at my parents place and I never used to be able to lift my boats more than a foot before the tower hit the roof, but now I can hit 1 switch and lift this baby high into the sky…

 

A: How’d you manage to pull off the custom colorway?

 

JP: That was a bit tough. Initially they were pretty hesitant because there’s not too many Jamaican’s looking to buy X-Stars (laughs), so the resale of a Rasta boat could be tough. We decided to order it up in a black and yellow colorway and then we custom ordered the green and red decals to top off the rasta palette. That way they can change it back to black and yellow if needed.

Rastafarians included for a limited time only.

Board – CWB Kink 140It has a couple of modifications to it that will be in the 2012 line that mostly has to do with the fin setup. It comes with some longer blocky fins which are great for railparks, but I have it set up with our aluminum wake fins set pretty far back towards the tip and tail. My favorite feature of the board is definitely the responsiveness. It’s not crazy wide so it turns super easily and rides fast.

 

Boots – CWB Answer Bindings – Their simplicity for sure. What I have found with boots is the less moving parts the better. THey’ve just got the two laces which when pulled tight allow the boot to form fit to my foot and ankle better than any other boot I’ve ridden.

 

Rope / Handle – I’m really weird about my handle. I had the same one for about 3 years which had medical tape and duct tape wrapped all around it, but once I started riding for pro line I finally found a handle that I was happy to replace the old one with. It’s the LGS series which is like a shammy style diamond grip. Then I’ve got the 80′ mainline from proline to total 85′ with the handle.

 

Boardshorts – I actually wear these almost every set cause they have a sweet rasta vibe that matches my new boat. They’re made by Rusty and dry super fast…just like rasta hair.

 

Vest – CWB Faction pullover vest I really like it because even though it’s not CGA, it’s pretty close to that and definitely does a good job of floating. I had a really bad fall a couple of years ago that was pretty scary so I like knowing that if I were to get knocked out the vest will keep me afloat.

 

Knee Brace – CTIThey just started building some new braces for all of the riders in the beginning of 2010 and they’re way lighter than they used to be, and they added a tiny bit of flex to them to prevent bruising. THey also have some new straps that are way more comfortable and when they get wet they are super tacky so the brace never slides around on you.

 

Mobil Fishing Pole – I got it as a birthday gift not too long ago and it’s AMAZING because it breaks down into 6 parts that are all about a foot long. That way I can travel with it anywhere I go. I keep it in my boardbag with me at all times and it’s a great way to round out the day after riding. I’ve only caught 1 or 2 on it so far, but this season is going to be way better.