The idea for this board was hatched when John began riding some different, alternative style boards during a break from competing. By far his favorite in the last year has been our new flat rockered, Funformance board, the White Tiger (5'6"), and he asked me to turn that design into something he could take back on tour to ride when the surf was less than pumping or on the weaker side.
The outline is a touch on the plump side for a HPSB, but the wide point sits a more traditional inch behind center, keeping the emphasis to surfing it off the mid to back half of the board. The wider tail-block squash helps to keep area in the tail which provides lift and drive, and also helps create pop when going to the air. A moderate hip by the front fins puts a break in the outline to help create a pivot point that allows for tighter radius turns and release in the lip.
The rocker and bottom contour is really what sets this board from other boards in this category. Its our flattest HPSB so far and that rocker translates to easy, consistent speed from the moment you stand up, through flat sections and even in super weak, small waves. But, flat rocker can feel sticky and tends to make you surf flat, so we run single to double concave (JJF's favorite bottom contour) through the front 2/3 of the board and then blend that into a significant double concave/deep vee combo through the fins and off the tail. This bottom keeps the flatter board easy to roll rail-to-rail and the vee of the tail works to allow easy vertical surfing and short-arc carves, even in tight, pockety waves.
The thickness flow (foil) from nose to tail is balanced with the front of the board slightly thinner than the back. The deck is flat-ish, keeping more foam out towards the rails. The actual rails are full just in from the outline, but are tapered to keep sensitivity and bite.
Ride your Red Tiger around an inch shorter than normal HPSB & a bit wider. Volume should be close, but go up a ½ to 1 liter for added zing in weaker waves. The board will easily turn your everyday sessions into something special will outperform any other HPSB in average waves without losing performance when the surf turns on!
