Lost Big Rig Driver Review: Is a Bigger Performance Shortboard Actually Easier to Surf?

What Is the Big Rig Driver?

The Big Rig Driver takes Lost's Driver 3.0, the contest shortboard their own team rides every day, and rebuilds it so a regular surfer can actually ride it. Shaper Matt Biolos kept the rocker, the concaves, and the rail line that make the Driver 3.0 turn the way it does. What he changed is where the volume sits. Instead of spreading it evenly, he pushed more of it forward and under the chest, then rolled the deck and foiled the rails so none of that extra float is obvious to look at.

Pick one up and you can feel the volume before you can see it. That's on purpose. Biolos designed the shape around Cole Houshmand's own boards (Houshmand rides at 6'4", 220 lb), and calls the Big Rig Driver the first large-scale pro shortboard built this way since Lost's El Patron in 2018.

It comes in two constructions, PU and Lightspeed II, and two tail shapes, a round squash and a true round tail. Every size is a thruster. None of that changes the shape itself. The model is the model; the construction and tail are just how you want it built.

Who Is It For?

Any shortboard surfer who wants real performance without a standard contest shape punishing every takeoff. That covers a lot of ground: a guy in his 40s who's added a few pounds since his last shortboard, someone getting back into surfing after a break for kids or an injury, or a younger surfer who just wants an easier board to catch waves on. Biolos is direct that this isn't only a board for the biggest guys.

He's also been clear about who he built it for at the other end of the range. In his words, this is a board "for guys that don't wanna give up to Father Time." Those are riders who used to surf a real performance shortboard well, aren't willing to trade it in for something bulkier, and just need a version that doesn't fight them the way it used to.

Real riders back this up on both ends. Jesse rides it at 6'1", 210 lb, well above Lost's own stated 175-190 lb range, and still gets a proper high-performance shortboard out of it (more from him below). Daniel picked one up to help him get back into shortboards after time away. This is a board you can size into and stay on, not a stopgap before you eventually move to something bulkier.

What Sizes Does It Come In?

Lost builds the Big Rig Driver in 12 lengths, 5'10" to 7'0". The table below shows the real dimensions for every length. Volume varies slightly by construction and fin box at the same length, so we've shown that real range where it applies. Exactly which lengths we have on hand at any given moment changes with inventory, so check the shop page for what's currently available, or ask us about a custom order for any length we don't have on the floor.

What Size Should I Get?

We don't size a shortboard by weight alone. How you surf, where you surf, and how much paddle fitness you're carrying all matter more than a chart. What we can tell you is how this actually plays out for real riders.

Jesse rides a 6'3" at 6'1" and 210 lb, well above what the model line was originally built around, and says it "floats really well, paddles really well" without feeling bulky (more from him below). Daniel, at 6'1" and 180-185 lb, rides a 6'6" in both constructions and says the extra volume is exactly what gets him into waves easier. Tyler, a leaner 5'7", 180 lb weekend surfer, rides a 5'11" and says the added volume just makes catching waves less work without slowing him down. One customer, Jeff H, even ran a direct test: he compared his old custom 6'0" Driver 3.0 to a stock 6'0" Big Rig Driver at the same dimensions (more on that below).

The pattern: heavier and taller riders are sizing up toward 6'6" and beyond, leaner and more active surfers are comfortable sizing closer to what they'd normally ride on a standard shortboard, just with more forgiveness built in. Send us your height, weight, current board, and the waves you surf most, and we'll recommend a length and construction.

Which Construction Should You Get, PU or Lightspeed II?

Same shape either way. The construction is a separate choice about feel, weight, and how you repair it. Both are available across the size range, so this comes down to riding preference and maintenance, not performance.

If you're not sure which one fits how hard you are on a board or how often you ride, ask us and we'll walk you through it.

Why Does It Only Come as a Thruster?

Every Big Rig Driver is a three-fin, thruster-only setup, and that's a direct result of the tail shape. Running more fins, a quad or a five-fin setup, would need a wider tail to fit them. A wider tail is exactly what would cost this board the drive its narrow, rounded-squash tail is built to deliver. Keeping it a thruster is what lets the tail stay narrow and keep that drive through a turn.

Biolos designed the tail with a deep single-to-double concave and a bigger "sweet spot" under the back foot, so you don't have to stand right on the tail block to turn it.

Fin box is a thruster (tri-fin) setup on every size. Hawaiian South Shore stocks these across both major box styles, and which one is on a given board depends on what's in stock when you order. Ask us which box your board has before you buy fins.

What Waves Does It Handle Best?

Knee-high to well over your head, the same range a standard performance shortboard covers. That's not a reduced range for a "bigger" board. It's the same territory the Driver 3.0 covers, just easier to get into.

Daniel surfs his 6'6" at Turtle Bay and Diamond Head, and has lately been taking it to the North Shore in faces up to six to eight feet. Tyler took his 5'11" from two feet at Lighthouse up to eight-foot days at Off the Wall over a full winter. Jesse rides his around South Shore town from knee-high days up to solid four-foot swells and says the board handles both ends without feeling like it needs bigger surf to come alive.

Is This the Same as the Driver 3.0?

No. Same chassis, different tuning. The Big Rig Driver starts from the Driver 3.0's rocker, concaves, and rail design, then adds volume in a specific place (under the chest, not spread evenly) so a wider range of riders can get the same performance out of it. It isn't a "lesser" version of the Driver 3.0. It's the same DNA, built for how you actually surf right now.

Jeff H tested this directly. He rode a custom Driver 3.0 and a stock Big Rig Driver at identical dimensions and switched for good.

Want to compare the two model lines side by side? We've got a full breakdown here: The Lost Driver 2.0 and 3.0 — Same Same But Different.

How Do I Fix a Ding?

The repair depends entirely on which construction you own. The two are opposites, so check before you patch anything.

Not sure which one you own, or how deep the damage is? Bring it by 320 Ward Avenue or send us a photo and we'll point you to the right fix.

What Do Real Riders Say?

Verified Hawaiian South Shore customers across a real spread of builds and conditions, in their own words.

Frequently Asked Questions