Jon Pyzel Explains John John Florence’s Favorite Surfboards

Jon Pyzel has been building surfboards for John John Florence for 28 years. To maintain a commitment relationship spanning almost three decades is an exceedingly rare feat in professional surfing and production shaping. Sure, John John dabbled here and there, but he’s remained loyal to the Pyzel brand since he was 5 years old. It’s a testament to Jon’s craftsmanship (John John’s otherworldly talent) that they’ve elevated each other almost simultaneously. Hand in hand, if you will.

Over the past few years, the Santa Barbara-born, North Shore-based shaper has steadily pushed out four boards of varying attributes, but they all fall under the same “Tiger Family.” It’s similar to what Britt Merrick and the team at Channel Islands Surfboards have done with its “Happy Family,” a quiver of shortboards and stepups that cover a range of wave sizes yet share characteristics for familiarity. 

John John will forever be associated with the Ghost, the step-up that remains Pyzel’s best-selling model. But when he’s not cleaving massive walls or knifing into Backdoor, his day-to-day equipment is a different curation. 

The first of the pack was born about five years ago, Pyzel explains. Dubbed the White Tiger, it’s as grovely as grovelers get. It somehow makes small, unremarkable waves remarkably fun. John John himself proclaimed it as “pretty much as fun as a board gets. I’d ride it on tour if it didn’t look so small.” Watch him get on it and you’ll see why. The speed generation is the key: straight outline, wide nose and wider tail, plus Pyzel’s deft touch on the full rails and bottom contours. 

John John enjoyed the groveler so much he asked Pyzel to turn it into a high-performance shortboard for subpar surf. Easy peasy, right? “That was our challenge that spawned the Red Tiger,” Pyzel said. The shaper added more rocker in the nose and tail for maneuverability, but left some heft to cut through flat spots. This was the board that John John rode with a world title on the line at Lower Trestles in his last Championship Tour heat. It didn’t let him down versus Italo Ferreira. 

John being John, he wanted to dig into bigger, better waves. But the Red Tiger faltered, however, in solid surf. Think sets at Rocky Point or Sunset Beach. Enter: the Power Tiger, a suped-up version of its predecessor. You’ll recall John’s demolition of Punta Roca at the 2024 Surf City El Salvador Pro.

Jon applied something nuanced to this board’s rocker and contours. I’ll let him take it away. “The flatter rocker in the middle gives you more speed and drive,” he said. “But the outline curve with the vee through the tail is giving you this curve through the turns. When you want to lay the board on rail, it wants to go through turns really easily.”

If pinpoint thrusters aren't your thing, Jon points to the Tiger Twin. It’s the blend of an older twin model and the White Tiger. Essentially a performance twin fin, with a trailer option if you're into that. Based on the range of waves Pyzels raves about, this might just be a quiver killer.

With JJF bowing out from the 2026 Championship Tour season, I'd wager he'll pack all four of these boards (plus a Ghost or two) on his sailboat.