I like how you said options. Don't think we'll ever see the demise of the traditional shape, not in this generation anyway. How great are the advances though? Spoilt for choice in this sport and in this country. Buyer beware when it comes to quality though,.......

For me, it will depend on if the boards can handle solid turns.
I am flat on the SIM type SUPs because the wide tail seems to make them more pivot and slide. I felt like I was surfing a sheet of plywood.

My hope for the Tomo, is that the overall drop in width and split tail on some, narrower on others, will allow these boards to carve as well as pivot.

So far, the limited videos, hint that some of these boards carve very solid turns

I would love less width overall, but I am held back by aging cat balance gone bad.... on sub 9' boards, I am stuck at 31"....these octagons may be an answer, for me at least

I'd also like to see less points to impale me... round those edges a bit please....

Tis a fad I reckon......same when everyone wanted Mini Simmons surfboards. That is not to say the boards aren't great to surf if you have the skills....I just think certain shapes come into fashion to keep the market going. All goes full circle.

I reckon its all horses for courses. different shapes allow you to draw different lines an a wave and mix up your surfing. I don't judge all surfing by the potential to surf like kelly. Hipsters on logs, sups able to utilise the leverage for a paddle, short boarders doing pocket snaps, it's all good surfing If it's done well, and if the person doing it didn't burn someone to get the wave they're doing it on.

i lament the state of style see days more than anything. Or the relative lack of it. These days you're more likely to see everyone trying to surf like a pro (tell me the top short boarders don't all surf pretty much the same?) rather than having a crack at their own way of surfing. heaven help us if we ever get out of a constant state of evolution, otherwise the system will mature and it'll all be the same and as boring as hell.

I'm also in the FAD camp....I have watched someone who I know is a great sup surfer go from being confident, graceful with a heap of ability for aggressive turns and full speed down the line surfing...buy a slate and become jerky, stalling, slow and amateurish in the lineup. Now he spends time trying to convince everyone how great and progressive the slate is....aarr nope! To me they just look like a quickly thought up idea to add to a range of boards on offer. All imo off course.

Nice call Hilly but I don't call it a Fad yet still room for improvements. I think you'll see the noses round up more and the tails square off like the Thomo design. These boards have their days where they just rip but in some fatter sloppy conditions they do struggle. If you can afford more than one board it's a must in your quiver but if you are a one board Supper this isn't your board.

We now have 4 major brands put out production models: Sunova 1st , then Gulliver , JP and even Naish. Sunova designs are pretty radical , JP & Gulliver is more the proven design so far and Naish have gone super short and fat. Deep has lead the way with customs and by far sold the most plus we have a bunch of other custom shapers and home made jobs. Everyone has their own theories on how to blow up this original Vanguard shortboard shape.

Personally I love it always keen on new stuff. One really interesting fact none of the top team riders are competing on them that has to say something.

supthecreek said..
I am flat on the SIM type SUPs because the wide tail seems to make them more pivot and slide. I felt like I was surfing a sheet of plywood.

I guess the big mistake i trying to put quads on these designs, as this put the fins too forwards, and thus the boards turn too early: as soon as you bank it, it turns, and thus turns flat as the board didn't have time to get on the rail. These wide tails need some time to sink the rail properly.

This is what I experienced with my mini-simmons when I tried it as a quad. Awful. I now use only a twin C-Drive set 2" from the tail, and I can gouge deep satisfying carves.

Also, I would advise against fancy tail designs. You want the foot on the leash plug, swallow tails prevent you from getting your rear foot in the sweet spot.

What do i ever like in surfing and therefore SUPsurfing is to attempt something else what i 'm use to do, so il like to match my surfing and age with new concept shown by people like for more recent ones and in a very shortcut of history :
Simon anderson shows how 3fins is working, Laird make us remenber we can do it better with a paddle and Daniel Thomson's shape throws new perpective of surfing using the front part of a surfboard as you usually simply do on the rear part.
IMO: All of these concepts are function over fashion. No FAD just an evolution

All delelopment good or bad is a step forward and its only through this development shapes and designs improve. BTW saw the Starboard 7'2" x 28 the other day in Perth, interesting take on the Vanguard design

phil

MickMc said..

Starboard making a vanguard design?

?

as a kiter (and SUSer), i've tried many surfboards and so far my favorite is the Vanguard. I normally use something like a 5'7" standard surfboard to a 6' kite-specific surfboard, but when i got on a 5'2" Vanguard, it was fast, turned on a dime, and supported my size/weight easily. I think the aesthetics of the board have some crying foul, but I don't care about that. I'd use a garbage can top if it surfed well. My Simmons-shaped SUP boards can slide when turning, but it's all a matter of foot placement. If I'm riding it correctly, it can snap a turn. If this is a fad to some, so be it. I just enjoy the options and hope we start seeing more of these Tomo-inspired SUPs here in the states.

Kirk... how does does the "X" relate to the S5? The S5 has always seemed to fit my eye, is this a morph of the S5?

supthecreek said...
Kirk... how does does the "X" relate to the S5? The S5 has always seemed to fit my eye, is this a morph of the S5?

Xtra large at a guess

Rossall said..
All delelopment good or bad is a step forward and its only through this development shapes and designs improve. BTW saw the Starboard 7'2" x 28 the other day in Perth, interesting take on the Vanguard design

phil

Hey Phil do you know if that is now a production board and are there different sizes?

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