A few photos of my Minion in action at the latest SPSC comp:







All photos courtesy of http://www.jeremycorne.com

And there's a wave in this vid (1:30):

Awesome Casso. .nice video

Minion wins

This question is directed to anyone with experience with these boards (or anyone who's interested really)

Do you think this shape is limited in the size and power that it can comfortably handle?

Do you think it could be adapted to be something specific for big powerful waves, Minion Gun?

- On the weight: I dont feel the weight is so important on these short lengths, as the swing weight is so reduced anyways. Of course, if you are into airs and ollies and such, the lighter the better. I mean, 1kg more on a 7' is a bit noticeable in the water, but much less than 1kg more on a 8'6".

- On handling power: I think the limits are mostly in our mind. This morning I went to an outer reef 1 mile away with my 6'10" Simmons with some head-high faces in the sets, and I was definitevely a bit scared by the speed coming into the bottom, so I made "old lady" bottoms at first trying to nurse them. But once I got confidence and committed to turns, things went smooth as silk.
Also, I have the feeling that reducing the max width will help a lot, more than on traditional shapes for control in the power. So the issue will be to find how much you can reduce the width to get advantage of the added stability provided by the shape.

For a pure gun for really big waves, maybe chop could be a problem; I picture the big nose pushed upwards violently by a chop and then catching air, but it is totally out of my domain of experience...

Chilebear: thanks! I guess by collecting some dimensuins given on this forum + some pics & outlines by boardbumps & kami, you have a good base to bring to a local shaper...

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JacobMatan said..
This question is directed to anyone with experience with these boards (or anyone who's interested really)

Do you think this shape is limited in the size and power that it can comfortably handle?

Do you think it could be adapted to be something specific for big powerful waves, Minion Gun?

should be an easy adaption; a couple of tweaks with the outline (Nose & Tail width etc- ) and modification of rocker & fin placement - should work fine.
bottom contours should handle 8Ft +.

stretch has been doing guns with parallel rails for a while now!!

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lookielookie said..

JacobMatan said..
This question is directed to anyone with experience with these boards (or anyone who's interested really)

Do you think this shape is limited in the size and power that it can comfortably handle?

Do you think it could be adapted to be something specific for big powerful waves, Minion Gun?

should be an easy adaption; a couple of tweaks with the outline (Nose & Tail width etc- ) and modification of rocker & fin placement - should work fine.
bottom contours should handle 8Ft +.
stretch has been doing guns with parallel rails for a while now!!

Every single board has some element of parallel lines to it. Geometrically that is just a given. However boards will differ in how much is parallel and how much it is not. If you look at the Minion shape and compare it to the above photo then it becomes clear which shape retains more of this element. This is why I remain quite cautious as to what can be achieved by shapes which move away from the innate features that the parallel design holds. If you want to go shorter AND take the point out of both ends then the only way to really make this work is from what I can see where you have to a pronounced parallel shape continued from the tail to the nose. With that in mind, when I look at the photo of the Stretch board I see a shape which is getting away from those elements. I am not saying that it does not work, however, my observation just in shape alone remains.

Cheers Ozzie

Hi gentlemen, just wake up here and have a tea drawing to you something can hold more power than the hotdogging board Minion and less than the STRECH project that Lookielookie shows up here . I call this project Gunned Minion 8".Note an S rail to sharpened the round pintail and a large concave under to positive the Minion type nose to do early takeoff and a lot of rocker to avoid steep bottom curl
Can be done in a swallow version for more parallel rail

Before watching what i draw , i reply to Jacob this: The limit of the board is the one you give yourself to it, so push your own limit before thinking you need a n other board to push limits

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JacobMatan said..
This question is directed to anyone with experience with these boards (or anyone who's interested really)

Do you think this shape is limited in the size and power that it can comfortably handle?

Do you think it could be adapted to be something specific for big powerful waves, Minion Gun?

It's all in your mind to a degree, but the way the board handles is going to be limited by physics, pure and simple. But who could forget Cheyne and Waimea on his McCoy 5'8" in '81!? That would put a 7'4" minion out into about 25ft by comparison........maybe 30ft.

Or was it '83?

Was in 83, can be later on too... about physics Tang should write about physical means because i would like to have the power thighs of skateboarder champ of Cheyne H when he surf McCoy boards or ones those of Tom C surfing his Byrne boards with flat rocker wide tail . Need same physical strengths to deal with extra width of SUP board tails.
IMO, despite the help of paddle physical strength might be the prime parameter to settle down.

A fun little session yesterday:

Smashing it Casso..looks fun

Thanks for the great replys. I was really imagining the advantages of this shape in big down the line waves, faster paddling, more stability more down the line speed, thinner out line to handle more power.

Really the main reason I was asking the question was because I knew it would help push this thread to 500 posts

500!!!!!
Oh my god
I think many here would agree this is now the greatest sup review thread of all time.

Congratulations Casso
I think an acceptance speach is now in order

Gosh, gee, wow, this is so unexpected. I can't quite believe I'm up here, I don't have anything prepared. I'd just like to thank my beautiful wife for letting me get this board in the first place, even though I didn't really need another board. And a huge thank you to Simon and crew at DEEP Oceanboards, who, without them, none of this would have been possible. Cheers.

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Casso said..
Gosh, gee, wow, this is so unexpected. I can't quite believe I'm up here, I don't have anything prepared. I'd just like to thank my beautiful wife for letting me get this board in the first place, even though I didn't really need another board. And a huge thank you to Simon and crew at DEEP Oceanboards, who, without them, none of this would have been possible. Cheers.

Casso & The Minions takes out the Seabreeze SUP Award for best forum thread, longest forum thread and most boards sold through a forum thread!

Notwithstanding what has happened during this entire thread it has to be said that the Minion has led the way I feel in breaking new territory with a board shape which has been bought to the masses and been show to deliver in spades. It wasnt that long ago where the only time boards this small and with this type of shape was being discussed by Colas and it really felt out of reach for most. I can see these TOMO/VANGUARD/MINION type boards really changing the playing field and it wont be long where the majority of riders will be on boards sub 8 foot. A bit of a revolution really.

Cheers Ozzie

Yeah - exactly. When I started to SUP surf I never thought that riding a 7'4 x 27.75" would be possible unless you are a spindly 19 year old sponsored rider. This time last year I was amazed at my progress to get on a 8'5 @109L. I read this entire thread about three times and the more I thought about the Minion shape the more it made sense. I come from a wavesaiing background and over the years have seen windsurfing wave boards get shorter and wider and looser. I find it ironic that the windsurfing brands that are the biggest SUP brands (Starboard, Fanatic, Naish) are coming out with surfboard inspired shapes but some of the more inspired surfboard/SUP designers are coming out with planing hull shapes that you would expect the windsurf brands would come out with - particularly Starboard. I saw that photo of a JP prototype Minion shape so it might just be a matter of time before this style of board hits the mainstream?

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ghost4man said..
I can see these TOMO/VANGUARD/MINION type boards really changing the playing field and it wont be long where the majority of riders will be on boards sub 8 foot. A bit of a revolution really.

Yes, I would nuance by saying that I believe it will end like with prone surfboards: some riders will really find in love with the short lengths, others will still prefer the long (8+) ones, after some time trying the smaller ones. Among the Gong riders we see quite a lot of people going back to 8+ boards for personal tastes. And others like me being addicted to short and fat :-)

Stev0, I think many innovative Surf/SUP shapers have actually a wide experience in various crafts (kneeboards, windsurf, kite, wake, skim, canoe, ...). The Gong shaper has a big surf/longboard/wind/kite experience for instance... But my guess is that "necessity is the mother of innovation", as we say in French. shapers and riders in the land of good waves lose their drive to innovate :-)

I have had the pleasure of meeting Simon and purchasing a new DEEP 8-6 JC addition board and the amount of Minions being shaped in his factory is WOW gobsmacking?
Had to wait a while to get my board due to the number of orders in front. Majority Minions !!

Congrats to DEEP for a quality locally grown product

I can categorically state that I have no affiliation to Simon or the Minion brand or with any company forward that matter so my personal narrative is not influenced by bias but I have to send a big kudos to Simon and company. For too long we have been subject to the big players in the market which has resulted in many a fan paying an arm and a leg some to see on of the smaller guys making inroads as well as changing the playing field is a positive sign. Let's keep supporting these guys who are there to offer that personalised experience which you just don't get firm the standard templates offered be the big boys. At the end of the day these boards have sold themselves.
I bet Colas right now you are saying "I told you so guys". And you would be right to feel smug.

I bet we will see seabreezers doing same trick on a minion soon :

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Kami said..
I bet we will see seabreezers doing same trick on a minion soon :

Another new minion for South Australia. Must be 10 or 12 down here now. Board goes great thanks to Simon and Mag's

Both tails look nice, i would prefer the fish version Casso what about it

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ghost4man said..
I can categorically state that I have no affiliation to Simon or the Minion brand or with any company forward that matter so my personal narrative is not influenced by bias but I have to send a big kudos to Simon and company. For too long we have been subject to the big players in the market which has resulted in many a fan paying an arm and a leg some to see on of the smaller guys making inroads as well as changing the playing field is a positive sign. Let's keep supporting these guys who are there to offer that personalised experience which you just don't get firm the standard templates offered be the big boys. At the end of the day these boards have sold themselves.
I bet Colas right now you are saying "I told you so guys". And you would be right to feel smug.

Ozzie, I enjoy your narrative, but I want it to switch to one about YOURS soon!

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Repco said..

Kami said..
I bet we will see seabreezers doing same trick on a minion soon :

Another new minion for South Australia. Must be 10 or 12 down here now. Board goes great thanks to Simon and Mag's

Hey repo, nice lookin board, how much foam is in it please?

102 litres