Length (cm) 246
Width (cm) 73
Vol (L) 135
Weight (Kg) 10.35
Fin Tiga Freerdie 42cm (Deep Tuttle)
Sail Range 6.0-8.5m
Price £769.00
LARGE FREERIDE BOARD TEST
The from Tiga was designed primarily to
‘put the fun back into boarding’ offering a range of
three boards, the 135 being the middle sibling. More
conventional than the Hyper-X designs, they are
larger volume wise, with more length and rocker
scoop, intended for improved ease and glide over the
water’s surface whilst making the ride exciting and
rewarding. The 135 has a very rounded plan shape,
its maximum width located around the board’s
midpoint before tapering smoothly down to the tail. It
is a very interesting design with a lot of detail on both
its hull and deck, whilst its profile is quite chunky
throughout, possessing a lot of rocker flat before
ending in sudden nose kick. The underside displays a
great deal of shape including pronounced double
concave along much of the board’s length, especially
in the shoulders, before finishing with well-defined vee
in the tail. Not to be outdone, the deck boasts a
concaved deck around the mast track to become flat
between the straps with pronounced dome on the
tail’s edges, and including a couple of scoops behind
the back straps. Constructed in carbon sandwich
technology, the Free-X is relatively heavy at 10.35kg
and comes supplied with a 42cm fin and very
adjustable yet firm straps.
Ride and Handling
Due to its weight, the Tiga’s progression onto the
plane is steady rather than spontaneous, ideally being
partnered with a powerful bottom-end oriented sail.
Once going it has a very easy smooth manner through
the water, picking up speed as it releases steadily.
Comfortable being sailed at half-speed, the tail retains
good contact with the water, making the board very
controllable and responsive to alterations in foot
pressure. As such the 135 is accommodating and
dependable for the intermediate, the training strap
positions ideal for a rider new to a planing
environment. Place the straps in their outboard
settings and the board has a new lease of life when
fully powered, the fin supplying extra lift to raise the
board further out of the water. In comfortably powered
conditions, the Tiga proved to have an excellent turn
of speed especially off the wind. The shoulders of the
board sit quite low to the water, whilst the nose kick at
the end makes the board seem to hunt around slightly,
giving it quite a lively, energetic nature. The deckpads
are firm underfoot as are the footstraps, giving the
board quite a direct and involving ride, which may well
unnerve the inexperienced, making it rather tiring to
sail. The more proficient sailor will relish this feedback
however, allowing them to lock out their stance and
drive the board off its fin, and explore its range. In
heavy chop, the 135 does require more concentration
to trim correctly, the shoulders catching and creating
quite a bit of spray if care is not taken.
Manoeuvres
It is in the gybe that the Free-X really shows its
worth, cutting a supremely smooth and confident
turn, whilst showing a great deal of versatility to the
carving angle it can adopt. With momentum behind
it, the weight of the 135 didn’t seem to affect it in the
slightest, holding its speed through the corner well,
its concave deck providing the stability upon exit.
Likewise in the tack, the Tiga carves up to the eye of
the wind easily and gives the rider plenty of time to
complete the manoeuvre.
For: Gybing versatility and performance with an
exciting nature.
Against: Not the earliest to plane, and sensitive to
trim in choppy conditions.
