Watching John John Florence surf, you tend to think one of two things: ‘How does he do that?’ or ‘I want to surf like that.’ Well there’s now a new board under the Pyzel label that’s geared towards being a daily driver for less-than-perfect waves and might just be perfect addition to your quiver.
The Phantom Two is, as you may guess by the name, is a revamp of the original Phantom which was designed to be a daily driver similar to JJF’s signature Ghost model. Ever since his ascendance on tour with a Ghost under his feet, it became Pyzel’s best-seller. But, unless you live somewhere with very good waves and powerful surf, the Ghost isn’t likely to be your daily driver.
Just because the Phantom isn’t as refined as the Ghost, doesn’t mean it’s lacking in the slightest. Check the video of John below and you’ll see his surfing is still full throttle.
Pyzel explains, “This thing is a daily driver. It’s something that we started off with when I was kind of building the Ghost family. The Ghost was such a great board for better waves, a little bit bigger waves and more powerful waves. And people were loving it. But when it got a little bit weaker or slower or smaller, people were asking for something a little different, something that was a little more helpful.”
While the video above shows the board in action, the video below breaks down the changes made and how they apply to the water. It’s easy to get lost when shapers dive deep into bottom contours and other lingo that may not be in your vocabulary but Pyzel does a great job of breaking it down in a way that’s easy to understand.
Most importantly, is the ability to catch waves via more volume, flatter rocker, and minor changes to the outline. Pyzel says, “It has a pretty flat entry rocker that also is a very fast paddling rocker and lets you get into waves really easily.”
“Basically, I took a Ghost and kind of squished it down. So I kind of widened the nose, widened the outline, widened the tail and the outline, and then I turned it into a squash tail. I started with the same basic Ghost rocker and then also the outline, but with a wider nose.”
Due to the popularity of the OG Phantom, Pyzel said it felt right to make a few adjustments, “Over the years the Phantom has developed an almost cult-like following, so we decided it was time to make some updates that improve on the original design without taking away any of its best characteristics- easy speed, fast paddling, stability and maneuverability.”
Related: John John Florence Surfs One of the Most Remote Places on Earth (Video)