CJ Nelson Sprout 2.0: Gear Review by Matt Rode

What Is the Sprout 2.0?

The original Sprout was a replica of the board CJ rode in Thomas Campbell's 2004 film Sprout.

For the 2.0, CJ and shaper Ryan Engle updated the design without losing what made the original work. We talked through every change with CJ, and that conversation is in the video below.

Who Is the Sprout 2.0 For?

Intermediate longboarders who want to noseride. If walking to the nose and hanging five or ten is your goal, this board is built for it.

Surfers moving up from beginner. It is very stable when you cross step, which makes it a good board to learn walking on. It is not a turning board, so pick it for noseriding, not tight turns.

Experienced loggers. You get classic noseriding with a little more hold in steeper waves.

What Changed From the Original Sprout?

More rocker. Rocker is the curve from nose to tail. The 2.0 has a bit more, closer to CJ's Slasher Low Pro.

A small step deck in the nose and tail. It lets the board flex and respond without feeling unpredictable underfoot.

A slight edge in the tail rail. The rails are 50/50 with a little edge near the tail for more grip. The bottom also borrows from the Parallax for a smooth, easy trim and roll.

What Sizes Does the Sprout 2.0 Come In?

Volume, in liters, tells you how much float the board has. If you like a longer cross step or are a heavier surfer, lean toward the 10'0".

What Did Matt Rode Find After 20 Plus Sessions?

Matt Rode, who writes gear reviews for our blog, rode the 9'6" in Thunderbolt Silver for more than 20 sessions, in waves from ankle high to a bit over chest high. He weighs 150 pounds and mostly rides shortboards.

Paddling. At 76 liters, he caught plenty of waves. In steep waves you need to set up quickly to keep the nose up, as with any flat nose noserider.

Walking and noseriding. He found it about as stable as a noserider gets, with cross stepping that felt controlled. Hang fives were easy almost anywhere on the wave, and hang tens and heel hangs were all there.

Turning. With a 10" pivot fin it is not built for big cutbacks. Power turns, like drop knee cutbacks, worked best to get back to the pocket.

Downsides. If you love heavy, traditionally glassed logs, the lighter build feels different. He would also have liked the 10'0" for a longer cross step.

What Fins Does the Sprout 2.0 Take?

CJ told us to start with a pivot fin, like his Classic Pivot or Noserider fin. A pivot fin gives the hold you need to set up and stay on the nose. See our CJ Nelson longboard fins.

Matt found about 10" was the minimum that worked well, and he often rides 11" fins on his logs.

How Is the Sprout 2.0 Built?

The Sprout 2.0 is built in Thunderbolt Silver or Thunderbolt Black. These are construction names, not colors.

Thunderbolt Silver is the most traditional feeling Thunderbolt construction. It has carbon fiber stringers inside an EPS foam core and a glass outer shell, so it feels closer to a classic longboard while staying lighter. Thunderbolt Black adds a carbon fiber outer skin and has the quickest spring back.

More on the builds is in our Thunderbolt questions post. To learn about CJ, read Who Is CJ Nelson?.

Frequently Asked Questions