Sizes Available: 5’8″ x 17.5″ x 2″, 20.5L, 5’10” x 18.1″ x 2.1″, 23.5L
Sizes Tested: 5’8″ x 17.5″ x 2″, 20.5L
Slingshot Says:
Completely redesigned for 2020, the Tyrant is the hard-charging wave slayer in our lineup designed for riders who want a board they can charge down the line and lock into high-speed turns. A classic shortboard shape, slender outline and rounded squash tail give the Tyrant a sharp, snappy feel and the locked-in drive you want when committing to bigger, faster, more critical waves. For 2020, all Slingshot surfboards feature new construction that makes them significantly lighter and gives a more connected surfboard feel while maintaining the durability needed to stand up to the sport of kitesurfing.
Visit for more info: https://www.slingshotsports.com/2020-Tyrant
Tkb Says:
Slingshot added a new board size to the Tyrant surf model this year with a slightly smaller 5’8” option to the existing 6.0” along with groundbreaking new construction which significantly lowers the weight of this board and offers some pretty solid improvements to performance.
The Tyrant shape sports a long narrow template that has that classic surf feel with a squash tail. The deck comes with footstrap inserts, offering four forward/aft centered inserts for the front foot and four forward/aft options for the back footstrap that also allows two duct options for both stances. With not quite as much rocker as the other boards in the Slingshot lineup, the Tyrant has a noticeably grippier ride with super solid fin engagement that makes this surefooted gun confident at drawing larger lines in bigger surf. The Tyrant likes larger drawn out high speed turns and is built to excel in down the line perfect A-frame style waves where you need precision control and confidence for handling high speed and critical turns. After transitioning off of the Celero, we really noticed how the Tyrant’s narrow template feels a bit longer and you really need to put your weight farther back to initiate turns — it just doesn’t have that playful feel that excels in small crappy surf, rather, the Tyrant is a gun that wants to chase elephants.
We really liked the new Slingshot deck pad, especially on this board where it gives a ton of grip but keeps the weight down with a nice firm EVA that translates your foot’s input directly into the board with good feedback. A lot of kitesurfing boards plaster their deck with full EVA deck pads, but the Slingshot boards get an excellent amount of coverage, putting grip in all the right places while keeping the weight down. When it comes to strapless freestyle, we found that anything strapless beyond climbing giant walls of whitewater or launching over waves and chop on the way out was not really its cup of tea. The Tyrant is a tool for high performance surfing which means that its straighter rocker, narrower template and super grippy tail were not quite as adept for load, release and pop strapless airs. If technical strapless freestyle is a huge part of your game, then we’d say there are other boards in the Slingshot lineup you should consider. Since the template on the Celero is a bit more narrow, you need to have confident footwork on jibes, such that a beginner might find this performance stick a bit wobbly through foot transitions. When compared to the Celero, it was clear that the Tyrant was not quite as user-friendly in small surf where small rail to rail turns in trash waves is king. The Tyrant wants to commit to a full turn with incredible grip and a tremendous amount of control that gives you the confidence to know that if you point it somewhere . . . it’s going there. We really enjoyed our time on the Tyrant with the smaller 5’8” size being an excellent addition to the quiver. With its fast feel and new lighter weight construction, the Tyrant is a handy tool for charging bigger waves with confidence and aggression.
