Like most of the Freeride boards we have tested this Spring Break, the Jones Hovercraft is a directional hybrid camber/rocker board, with the camber spread out across the middle to the bindings.
We tested this out on the first day in bad conditions, with hardly any visibility. But despite all this, we had a lot of fun on the Hovercraft.
We can see why it is called the Hovercraft as on powder, it simply floats like being on air. This is helped by the slight lift on the blunted nose. We didn't have great powder on the day and wished we did because we could tell it would be dreamy
The board also has a slight lift with the rocker on the tail, and combined makes it more forgiving that previous versions and less catchy.
Though saying that, this is a stiff board and not quite as forgiving as we would have liked.
The Jones Hovercraft is a lot of joy for carving, as it really holds the edge well for those big long carves. We were riding the 156 which was short enough to control those smaller carves and was quite playful.
What was surprising was how good the Hovercraft was for little side hits and kickers. It had good pop and super stable in the air.
For any other element in the park, forget it! Also, not the type of board to go messing about with butters and presses.
The Jones Hovercraft is a great all-rounder freeride board, that is damp enough to handle uneven terrain, but lively enough for great pop. Although, in powder is where this board really comes alive.