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JP MAGIC WAVE S-TEC: IN THE BOARDROOM WITH ROBBY SWIFT AND MORGAN NOIREAUX

JP have just launched their high-performance all-round wave board, the Magic Wave S-TEC! We asked Team riders Robby Swift and Morgan Noireaux to tell us all about the upgrades to the Magic Wave, when they would ride it and what sizes they use for different conditions. We also get the lowdown on the 2026 Ultimate Wave S-Tec from Robby and Morgan with tips on how they set it up and where and when they ride it!

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WINDSURF: What changes have been made to the 2026 JP Magic Wave S-Tec?

ROBBY SWIFT: “We made a lot of significant changes that have really improved this board. The previous Magic Wave hadn’t been updated for 5 years, so we learned a lot in that time. We pulled in the nose a little so it has a little better drive off the bottom and can grab the water better when cutting back. We still left it quite wide though, so it’s buoyant enough to get you going quickly and to punch out through white-water. We widened the tail a little; to make the rails a little more parallel in the back and we made the rails quite a bit sharper from the tail to just before the front footsteps.

This gives you really good, responsive early planing and great bite off the tail when carving but we then rounded off the rails in the front even more to make the board as forgiving as possible when sailing full speed, either in a straight line or on the wave. When you first jump on the board, it feels really lively and you notice that it rides high up in the water, so you kind of glide over all the chop. It feels really secure in the bottom turn and super snappy off the top, but it will hold its rail if you put it on the rail on a side shore or side – offshore day. Takas and goiters and 360s are easier now too, as there’s a wider tail to land on, plus it’s a tiny bit shorter than the previous model.”

WINDSURF: How much were you involved in the testing?

ROBBY SWIFT: “I was extremely involved. I came up with the shape concept with Werner having competed on the previous Magic Wave for the past 4 years and we almost hit the nail on the head with the first two prototypes.

Marino Gil and I got them in Pozo a couple of years ago and took them to Tenerife and absolutely loved one of them. I took them back to Maui and we made a couple more prototypes to test against. They worked great in Maui too. Both at Sprecks and Ho’okipa.

I also had a group of guests on Maui for my clinic at the time and a couple of people were renting gear from me at Kanaha and I let everyone try them and they all said they had their best day of the trip on the board that ended up being the final prototype for the 85L. We then worked on the 78L, which I absolutely love, and wish that I would have had in time for Pozo this year, and the 91L. These are the sizes we mostly use for competition, but we also made a couple of the bigger sizes, 99L and 107L and they came out incredibly well too. I just had an email from a friend in Ireland who was one of the first people to get a 107 and he absolutely loved it for side-off down the line conditions and was blown away by how well such a big board could work. It always makes me happy hearing that about something we have worked so hard on for so many years!

WINDSURF: When would you ride the Magic wave and any tips on how you set it up?

ROBBY SWIFT: “I use the Magic Wave in a lot of conditions, anywhere where it isn’t side-offshore with very steep waves, it works really well. I have used it in Sylt in bolt onshore, in Pozo in side-onshore, and in Tenerife in more side shore conditions. I also regularly use it at Ho’okipa when the wind is more Northerly rather than the usual North-East direction, and I want to jump as high as possible. I really like the way it gets going instantly as soon as you get power in your sail. This is extremely helpful at Ho’okipa where there is a very short run up to the waves and you have to get up to full speed really quickly to take advantage of the steep waves there on the inside. It’s also helpful in Pozo and Tenerife, basically anywhere where you want to be up to full speed as quickly as possible to do your highest jumps. 

Compared to the previous model, it is a little snappier on the wave and the light weight is instantly noticeable. I would say it holds its rail better off the top too, so when you are wave riding, you can enjoy this board in a wider variety of conditions than the previous one.”

WINDSURF: Any tips on fin set ups and foot strap positions?

ROBBY SWIFT: “You’re going to love this! But I just go right in the very middle of the fin boxes! Foot-straps, I like a slightly wider stance than the standard production board stance, so I put the back one in the middle position and the front one all the way to the front. There are little plastic washers in the JP foot straps which have a wider side and a narrower side and I always put the wider side facing inwards on both sides of the straps to make the strap opening as narrow as it can go with those washers. I find this lets me set the strap quite loose on my foot (having broken both feet twice each, I don’t want anything putting pressure on my mid-foot) and despite the open strap, having the sides narrow allows me to control the board with my foot straps.”

WINDSURF: What is the performance like from The Magic Wave?

ROBBY SWIFT: “It’s really amazing. I would say that if I didn’t live one minute from Ho’okipa, in the Canaries for example, I would probably only ride the Magic Wave. I like the thruster set-up, and you can play with smaller back fins and larger side fins to get a surfier feel out of it and then use a bigger back fin with maybe 10cm side fins for more onshore conditions. The fins that come with the board are great, but I would put slightly more surf-style fins for side-shore conditions to really get the maximum performance out of the wave riding side of the board if you predominantly sail in side or side-off conditions. The only time I think you really need an Ultimate Wave over the Magic Wave is when you predominantly sail in side-off conditions with steep waves. But the Magic Wave is still pretty decent in those conditions so most people will be happy with it all the time!”

WINDSURF: Tell us about the S-Tec construction and how the light weight makes a difference?

ROBBY SWIFT: “S-TEC is an incredible construction. We have been using it in the team prototype boards for about 3 or 4 years now, only we have been painting the boards to match the production graphics, so we didn’t quite have the full weight saving of S-TEC as it is now (with no paint). You would be surprised how heavy a coat of paint is on a board, so I think we saved about 700g in total off the previous boards, which feels like a massive change. I really love the construction and would not go back. It somehow feels to flex slightly differently too, so even though the Ultimate Wave stayed the same shape from 2024 to 2025, the introduction of S-TEC made it feel like a totally new board. I actually wish the whole range was made out of S-TEC and hopefully over time, all the boards will move across to this technology!”

WINDSURF: What level of rider and conditions would recommend the Magic wave for?

ROBBY SWIFT: “I would say it’s good for anyone to be honest. As long as you are comfortable getting out into small waves, it will give you a boost of performance to jump as high as possible and it’s very responsive on the wave but also forgiving. If you’re an advanced to expert wave sailor and sailing in medium to large waves, it will feel fast and comfortable and let you push yourself to your limits. I have for sure done my highest jumps ever on this board and I am not scared to use it in mast high – plus conditions at Ho’okipa so it’s really a great all-round board and probably the right choice for around 80% of the wave-sailing population!”

MORGAN NOIREAUX

“The new Magic Wave is incredible. I really like the direction Werner went with this board. It’s a true onshore board that will get you moving and having fun no matter how tough the conditions are. What I look for in an onshore board is planning ability, speed, the ability to maintain that speed, and a board that is smooth and easy on the wave, and this board does exactly that.

The lighter weight has been a huge improvement as well. When conditions aren’t ideal, weight matters the most, and a light board makes everything that much easier. I’ll be ordering some of the bigger sizes, like the 91 and 99, for Sylt and Tenerife. I know Marino was loving this board in Pozo, so I’m tempted to order a 79 as well.

I’ve been using the board with Robby’s fin setup, which is an 18 in the back and 11’s on the sides. For straps I usually keep my front straps in the middle and move my rear strap all the way back, and I have been keeping my mast track around the middle.”

JP ULTIMATE WAVE S TEC

WINDSURF: Tell us when you would ride the Ultimate wave and any tips on how you would set it up?

ROBBY SWIFT: “I use the Ultimate Wave almost every day at Ho’okipa. It is my board of choice here on Maui where the waves are steep and the wind is predominantly side-offshore. I also use it in Chile and Fiji and Cabo Verde. Basically, anywhere where you don’t have a massive need for early planing where you get a lot of power from the wind direction and wave quality, the Ultimate Wave will give you the absolute best performance possible.

Again, we have set up the fin boxes so that right in the very middle of the box seems to be the perfect place for the fins. I personally love the Black Project side shore quad fins in my boards but unfortunately, they aren’t making them at the moment, so I have been playing around with other fins and the MFC Kauli fins work really well for side-offshore conditions. The foot-strap setup is exactly the same as on the Magic Wave, so I put them in the same place. Middle at the back and all the way in the front at the front. Again, I turn the plastic washers around to make the straps as narrow as possible, and I set up the foot straps very wide, so my foot goes all the way in for maximum control of the board on the wave.”

WINDSURF: Tell us about the performance of this board in down the line conditions?

ROBBY SWIFT: “This board was made for down the line conditions, but it’s also surprisingly fast to get planing and extremely fast in a straight line. Until we had this new Magic Wave (2026), I actually used the Ultimate Wave in all the side-onshore events too and only really used the older Magic Wave in Sylt where I really needed the extra power. The narrow tail and beautifully tucked rails give you ultimate control throughout the bottom turn and a lot of grip off the top. I even use this board at Jaws (I have used both the 93L and the 87L at Jaws), so it really is an insane all-round board.

WINDSURF: If you went on a road trip to Europe or Cape Town what would be your three-board quiver and why?

ROBBY SWIFT: “I would take the Ultimate Wave 81L and 87L and the Magic Wave 85L. I think the 85 Magic Wave could really be your only board to be honest, but if I’m allowed three then I’ll take the Ultimate Wave’s as well since it is really nice to have them when the conditions get really good. The Magic Wave 85 can take you from 3.7 to 5.3 and you’ll feel comfortable all the way through the wind range, if just a little overpowered on 3.7 and 4.0 but you’ll have the 81L Ultimate in that case, so you will be really covered. If it’s side-off I would use the 81L Ultimate with 3.7 to 4.5 and then the 87 from 4.7 to 5.3. If it’s onshore, unless it’s mega windy, I would just use the 85L Magic Wave all the time!” 

WINDSURF: How does it feel to be riding such light boards?

ROBBY SWIFT: “I don’t think I could go back to the other boards. That’s why I say that I hope we switch the whole range to S-TEC. I think the Freestyle Wave and Magic Move in S-TEC would be absolute machines! But for now, having those light boards across the whole wave range is amazing and I’m definitely going to stock up with the Magic Waves here on Maui as I’m sure they will be a big hit!

WINDSURF: What sort or rider and conditions would you recommend the Ultimate wave board for?

ROBBY SWIFT: “Definitely an advanced to expert rider, if you’re not really riding critical waves in the most critical of conditions, you don’t need the Ultimate Wave. It’s definitely great that we have both boards in the range as there is for sure a market for the Ultimate Wave but for 80% of sailors, I think the Magic Wave S-TEC is the perfect board!

WINDSURF: If a rider gets a mixture of onshore and cross shore conditions at their home spot, what quiver of boards would you recommend?

ROBBY SWIFT: “I would still probably recommend the Magic Wave S-TEC, unless the waves get really big and steep in the side-offshore spots. To give Klitmøller and Hanstholm in Denmark as a reference that a lot of people probably know, I would mostly just use the Magic Wave but there are some side-offshore days when the Ultimate would be better at Hanstholm. If you’re lucky enough to be able to afford a three-board quiver and weigh a similar weight to me (around 78-80kg) then I would go with the same quiver I mentioned earlier. I think the 85L Magic Wave is a supreme, all-round board and can cover almost all conditions so if you get to sail mostly on 4.2-5.0 (as I think most people do) then that will be your go-to board. If you get some really epic down the line days, then the 87L Ultimate would be the next board I would add and then if you are lighter or get some really strong days, then the 81L Ultimate would be the cherry on top of the quiver!

That being said, the 78 Magic Wave S-TEC is also one of my favourite boards, so if you do get a mixture of side and side-off conditions but the waves aren’t too steep or you are not concerned with making the absolute most critical turns possible, then you will probably have more fun on the smallest Magic Wave and could just have a 78L and 85L Magic Wave. If you like to get out in really light winds, then the 91L or even 99L, could be great options too. Luckily for me, we don’t really get winds that light so I don’t think too much about those boards for my personal quiver, but they are really excellent boards and will let you maximize your time on the water!”

Magic Wave S-TEC – JP Australia

www.robbyswift.com 

MORGAN NOIREAUX

“The 2026 Ultimate wave is a lot lighter! For 2026 we really worked on getting the boards as light as possible while still having a strong construction. That’s where the new S-TEC technology comes into play. But it’s also down to the little details. There’s no more paint on the boards, they reduced the anti-slip, and a number of other things. The boards are now at least 500 grams lighter, which is pretty significant.”

The versatility of this board is my favourite thing. I’ve had some amazing boards in the past but there were always certain conditions where they struggled. With the Ultimate wave I know I can take it anywhere and it’s going to work well.

I use it in everything which is really nice. I like to try to keep things simple. Having boards, I can use everywhere in all conditions, is really nice. I don’t have to think about it or worry if they are going to work or not!

Yes I use a quad in Pozo. I’m not against thrusters but I feel like it depends a lot on the board and I feel like the Ultimate wave has always worked better as a quad. For Pozo or most onshore conditions I’ll use some more onshore fins. They’re a bit more upright. You want maximum speed in Pozo for jumping. I’ll also play around a bit with fin positioning. Maybe a bit more forward if I feel like the board is a bit stiff. My mast track doesn’t move.

I pretty much only use 14.5 in the rear and 9 on the sides. I do have different sets of fins I like to use in different conditions. I have some sets that I take with me everywhere and I’ll use them in all conditions. I have some I only use in side off down the line. I also have some fins that I’ll use when I go to Jaws or sail really big waves. You generally want to use smaller fins when it gets really big. For positioning my general rule is that I’ll line up the leading edge of my rear fins with the front of the back foot strap.

I don’t move the mast track. When I get a new board, I move it around to test out where I like it most and then that’s where it stays. I have tried moving it around depending on the conditions, but I don’t think it makes enough of a difference and with conditions constantly changing often times it just makes things worse as opposed to better.”

Ultimate Waves – High-Performance Wave Boards for All Conditions