Lost Mini Driver Hydroflex 5'8"

The Rocket hybrid design was a home run for Matt Biolos and …Lost. If there’s a shortboard that is close to the Rocket, it would be the Scorcher with the flat entry and exaggerated tail rocker. The Driver shortboard has almost the reverse theory of design with more curve in the rocker up front and a flatter tail rocker. This favors back footed surfers and has been …Lost’s most popular shortboard this season. The Mini Driver is a hybrid design with a fuller nose and more compact length based on the Driver rocker and foam flow.

Mini Driver Tech Specs:
• Driver based hybrid design
• Slightly wider/flatter nose than Driver
• Round Pin with tri/quad 5-fin set up

What we like:
Hybrids are easy to surf and fun as $%^&*! They also have a very wide range of use as far as wave conditions go. The Mini Driver focuses it’s performance on good to best days. We like to think of it as a step up board that you actually get to use every week, rather than one time a year. The Mini will surf 2-foot slop if you need it to and that’s a lot to ask of board that will destroy draining barrels and overhead sets. The 5-fin set up really helps widen the range of the board. The tri works perfectly for tube time while the quad makes the board far more playful on open faces. Huge arcs and roundhouses are a blast with the quad set up.

What we don’t like:
If you never try the quad, you might be disappointed in flatter faced waves regardless of how big they are. The board has a good bit of foam in the middle third of the board and really likes the quad to light it up.

Why you want the Mini Driver:
You surf primarily hybrids and want a board that is tuned for better days.



...Lost Description
While preparing a quiver for an Indo trip Kolohe asked for “a short, fast (flat rockered) little 5 fin tube rider”. I recommended the Rock-Up, but he felt it had more tail rocker than he liked and wanted something really, really fast the he could take off extremely deep and pump through tubes from way back. We started with a 6’0” Driver, took note of the nose rocker and outline measurements at 4” and 16” back from the tip, then shrunk the board to a 5’8” and lowered the nose rocker at the tip and 12” back till it matched the 4” and 16” from before. We widened the nose until it matched up the same way. This gave us a screaming fast low nose rocker with a forward placed outline, both attributes give tons of drive. We then rounded off the tail, but left the width at 12” the same. This gave us a very clean and elliptical outline that we expected would move free and easy inside the tube. The Mini Driver performed as hoped. Interestingly enough, one of Kolohe’s buddies (Taylor Clark) grabbed it after it came back from Indo and used it in the US Nationals event in Huntington Beach. He surfed it in 2’ slop all the way to a second place finish in the Open Men’s division. The board worked in everything.

HYDROFLEX SUPERCHARGER TECHNOLOGY
With Hydroflex Supercharger Technology, the flex of the board can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of compressed air within the surfboard. The board comes complete with an adapter and pump that connect to a valve on the board. By connecting the adaptor and pump to the valve, you can pump compressed air into, thus stiffening, the board… giving it less flex. To allow the board to have more flex, you simply press down on the needle in the valve with your finger to release air out. This allows the surfer to find their own optimal level of flex for the conditions, as opposed to boards that do not feature adjustable flex. A fringe benefit is that the outward pressure expels any water that might otherwise be absorbed if the board is dinged or cracked in the water. The boards are made from stringer-less EPS blanks and epoxy resin, but with a patented 3 dimensional glassing. The glassing anchors the fiberglass and epoxy resin laminate into the foam core, creating a root like structure, which greatly increases bonding strength and prevents delaminating. Advantages include…. Optimal flexibility and acceleration, high strength to weight ratio, no delams, and fewer breaks and buckles, completely customizable shapes and glassing, easy to repair and recyclable.

*The original Hydroflex pump is equipped with a custom pressure gauge and is included with the board for no extra charge.