Why no one on the WSL rides planing hull Tomo style board in comps. Do they just give your average surfer a bit of an edge? few crew say their the best thing since the thruster but they aren't dominating the market like they should in that case? Is it the fear of change? The price tag maybe?

I reckon Kelly pretty much answers your question here

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BennyB12 said..
Why no one on the WSL rides planing hull Tomo style board in comps. Do they just give your average surfer a bit of an edge? few crew say their the best thing since the thruster but they aren't dominating the market like they should in that case? Is it the fear of change? The price tag maybe?

Like the man said most of the guys on tour aren't into the design aspect as much and will pretty much ride what they are given by the shapers...TBH the boards are different to ride and they look wierd compared to a normal shorty....if its your livleyhood on the line you probably just stick with what you know rather than trying to learn a new skill set....I reckon these boards are just starting to scratch the surface of whats possible in surfboard design and as you said its the first major step forward we have seen sinces the thruster.

Gotta remember that Simon was the only guy riding thrusters at the start and for the next two or so years on tour guys still rode twinnies/singles and ****....once you see Slats tear the bag out of it on one at a place like JBay or Cloudbreak people will really start to take notice

Probably more about the sponsorship deals.
The days of riders making their own boards are pretty kuch long gone (a la. Simon Anderson, Wayne Lynch, Mark Richards, etc)

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au_rick said..
Probably more about the sponsorship deals.
The days of riders making their own boards are pretty kuch long gone (a la. Simon Anderson, Wayne Lynch, Mark Richards, etc)

This is 100% true

Dont think tomo would have the corporate $$ behind him to be able to justify sponsoring one of the top guys.
Maybe if Kelly buys in more that might change however.
Kelly always seams to be the guy leading the design, and the only guy with the guts/ability to try different equipment during CT events.

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thomas11 said..

au_rick said..
Probably more about the sponsorship deals.
The days of riders making their own boards are pretty kuch long gone (a la. Simon Anderson, Wayne Lynch, Mark Richards, etc)

This is 100% true

Dont think tomo would have the corporate $$ behind him to be able to justify sponsoring one of the top guys.
Maybe if Kelly buys in more that might change however.
Kelly always seams to be the guy leading the design, and the only guy with the guts/ability to try different equipment during CT events.

Yeah i agree about sponsorship. A small side story but i was talking to a guy at one of WA's largest surf stores on Sat and i asked him why so many pro's are wearing Hurley wet suits, are they any good? He reminded me that they are owned by Nike and have more sponsorship money than anyone else and thats the only reason

I have a Vanguard and I'm not a special surfer, actually i feel funny on it as i tend to have people look at me more when riding it, but I've got to say its so much fun. It is quick, easy to paddle, its just a good allrounder. Im still yet to surf it in any waves of size, but can't wait. For me i feel its a bit of an allrounder and that was what i wanted.

I think it would be very interesting to see a video, or heat of two very good surfers one on a standard shape and one on a Thomo surfing the same waves. DO you think the lines drawn and manoeuvres would be that different

A question for the good surfers who ride them, do you think there is much difference in your performance on a wave, or is it more what enjoyment of riding it, IE how it feels

Here you go bjshack:



I think it's a trend that will fade like most others do. Not helped by Tomo's apparent quirks. And I would also echo thedrip's concerns the other day.

tomos board are sick. i hadnt landed an air since i was a grom ( long time ago 10 odd years) i can now release fins at will .....
at 100kg and riding a 510, 6 foot board its given me a lot back i thought was behind me, its for sure stoked the grommet flame and to be honest got me in the water more. living in perth it means a lot
If its solid waves they still suprisingly hold their own and to be honest even if they arent perfect shapes they are well defined responsive and definatly bring the stoke.
as others said people viewed simon anderson as a fruitnut, i dont believe that fundamental design has leapt ahead that far in years and years till these boards.

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Legion said..
Here you go bjshack:



I think it's a trend that will fade like most others do. Not helped by Tomo's apparent quirks. And I would also echo thedrip's concerns the other day.

Thanks.
Um thats interesting to watch. I would say Dane had the edge, but you'd expect that for those two wouldn't you
Dane had some bigger hacks and seemed to carry more power, but i thought both boards seemed to flow similar..

I guess for me when i wanted one first time, i was talked out of it, but everyone who was against them, had never ridden one.
Now Im yet to find someone who has ridden one, who doesn't like/love it so i guess people need to give one a try..

I am a pretty awful surfer but since I bought a 6'0 vanguard my surfing came on heaps - more waves and longer rides once up thanks to sheer speed and ability to move around the face with more confidence

If it's a fad I'm ok with that - everyone else carry on with the skinny sticks. Don't knock it until you have tried it and yes there is an adjustment period re timing and pop up - for me it was about 2 hours to dial in

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Razzonater said..
tomos board are sick. i hadnt landed an air since i was a grom ( long time ago 10 odd years) i can now release fins at will .....
at 100kg and riding a 510, 6 foot board its given me a lot back i thought was behind me, its for sure stoked the grommet flame and to be honest got me in the water more. living in perth it means a lot
If its solid waves they still suprisingly hold their own and to be honest even if they arent perfect shapes they are well defined responsive and definatly bring the stoke.
as others said people viewed simon anderson as a fruitnut, i dont believe that fundamental design has leapt ahead that far in years and years till these boards.

Same same bro....mine has definatly helped me regain something in my surfing that I thought I'd lost...I've ridden my 5'10 in waves triple over head and if anything it seems to go better the bigger it gets...

bjshack, from memory TC won that heat.

Same for me, had a break off SBs for nearly 5 years, used to surf at State level for my age group, so not a complete kook.

Got on the Tomos last year and have gradually reduced volume/length, now on a 5'6" x 18 5/8" Vader (I'm 82kg). The thing with these designs is the instant speed and ease of turning even at high speeds - no loss of control. The extra speed is not like that of a 'fish' type design with that skatey feel to it, but one of drive and acceleration through turns. It's farken insane and gives you that bit of extra time when setting up turns, good roundhouse cutties are easy on these things.

I would normally be on something nearly 20" wide, the narrower design is good for tube riding and sucky waves as well. It's also why they handle a bit of size. I've got a 5'8" Vanguard as a step up also.

Def not a fad, but the weird look of them will put most people off which means they'll probably never be super mainstream. I reckon Tomo will gradually fade out the cut off nose, as is evident in his upcoming Evo model, to cater more for the masses.

Hey, anything that gets you off those aircraft carriers has got to be good.

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Legion said..
Hey, anything that gets you off those aircraft carriers has got to be good.

Ha ha, true that. Also my 14yo nagging me helps.

sold
i'm going to give one a crack for surfing

marty from Delta Designs just made me a sweet vanguard 5 4 for kiting