drowningbitbybit wrote:So it's a compromise and it'll suit the middle-ground nicely without being particularly great at either end..
This is the answer. There is no 'one board suits all conditions'; but mid length boards (7ft give or take) with a bit of volume are the boards that arguably do nothing exceptionally well but do most things pretty well, except at the top and bottom end (of waves and performance). They are the Camrys of the surfing world... (and I say that with love, being a mid length surfer myself).
Looking at tanker surfing on line, its looks to be an ideal longboard wave. They aren't very big or steep, nice fat crumbling waves. But something high volume (lets say 50L) would be reasonable as well.
The 7S series are good hybrid boards, other possible similar boards are a McCoy Nugget or a Firewire Addvance (<- this one in particular is often thought of as a fairly direct 7S 'competitor').
The other option is general 'funboards' or minimals (which probably suit fatter waves better) eg a Walden or something in the shape of a Miller Powerglide or Bear's Fat Arse Wombat <- these are Australian boards so you wont be able to get them in Texas, but look at the shape.
If (big 'if'!) you wanted my opinion based solely on watching youtube videos. ...something like a 7ft powerglide or wombat would be the ideal board for the tanker and normal waves; but they might be a tad slower than the 7S and wont turn as quickly because of the bigger nose. I know those are Australian boards but I am absolutely positive there will be similar boards made in the US (the Walden mini mega magic is pretty close). Wide nose (wider than the 7S), pulled in tail, thick and wide across the upper/middle.
If you want pure speed on not very powerful waves then you either have to go quite small and wide (groveller boards - requires a bit of skill and I'm not sure tanker waves would suit) or perhaps look at different fin set ups eg quads are usually regarded as the fastest set up.