tomo next gen rip off - review

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pirate_agenda
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tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by pirate_agenda » Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:04 pm

So it's been finished for a month now and I have ridden it in everything from shin high slop to overhead barrels. here's a bit of a run down of how it's going for me:

Board: 5'2 x 19 x 2 5/16
Me: 5'9 1/2, 90 kgs (200 lbs)
Fins: thruster

I made this board for a bit of fun after watching curren rip on his and I had a spare second blank floating around. I wasn't exactly sure where in the quiver this board would fit.

First couple of surfs were pretty small waves with shapers KS 5s (KS2.1). first impression was that the board was going to be too small for me, when I sit on the board the water is up to my arm pits. However, although the board doesn't float me very well, it catches waves surprisingly easy. It took a few waves and bogged turns to get my feet in the right position. Once I had that sorted the board felt skatey, but never like it was going to slide out. It takes a bit of work to get it going in tiny waves, like a HPSB, but once the waves are waist high or have a bit of push it lights up and planes really well.

My third surf was in about head high sucky waves. the board felt way too loose and uncontrollable and I slide out on a few frontside bottom turns. so I took the board back into the bay, and took a little bit of the hard edge off the rail from about 1/3 forward. At this time I also swapped the fins to shapers Mojo, which is a larger, more raked and drivey setup than the KS 2.1s.

Since this tweak I have been loving the board. The slipperiness in bottom turns is now gone, and the board feels like it has quite a bit of drive for a tiny board. When doing cutbacks, it draws a very smooth line, and will release the tail if you want it to, otherwise it holds in very well and really drives through the turn. The best part about the board is the projection you get off bottom turns when going to hit the lip, it has a definate squirt off the bottom, and every time I hit the lip it feels like it wants to release the fins. Because of the shortness of the board, once the fins are free it feels much easier to control than a short board. I am finding myself whipping much tighter turns in the pocket than I normally would, but the board feels equally at home drawings a long line out on the shoulder.

On the backhand it really whips around when you turn off the top, and releases nicely before dropping back in and engaging the fins.

Have surfed it out at a reef/sucky point break at a bit overhead and it felt nice once on the wave, but on sucky take offs sometimes feel like a bit more board would be nice to help you into the wave a little earlier. That said the board handles late drops pretty well, and you just need to paddle a bit harder to get into some waves. In the barrel it just feels like it isn't there, like there is no board to get hit by the shockwave. I came out of one shoulder high one today that I thought I was way too deep, but the board just found another gear and got through the section

The Verdict:
I am having a very fun time surfing this thing, and it feels like I am surfing better on it. Since having it, I have only surfed my 5'3 x 21 x 2 3/4 groveller once in knee high waves, and haven't touched my HPSB equivalent. I'm thinking that next time I travel, I'll just take this and my 6'2 step up. There is the tiniest of gaps between the high end of this board and the low end of my stepup, but I haven't needed to fill it in the past month.

alakaboo
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by alakaboo » Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:31 pm

You can shape your own boards, know which fins you need, and post a board review that is coherent and vaguely useful to others.
You have no place here.


Pics?

pirate_agenda
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by pirate_agenda » Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:00 pm

lets not go overboard here, I can knock out something that resembles a board, colour it in and have a guess at some fins ;)

sorry totally forgot the pics ...
IMG_0222 small.jpg
when she was fresh
IMG_0231 small.jpg
one month on

alakaboo
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by alakaboo » Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:14 pm

ah, so it's a wakeboard.

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Cpt.Caveman
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by Cpt.Caveman » Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:50 pm

How much rocker did you put in the thing?

How about the rails, how foiled are they?

Looks like fun to me!
Davros wrote:Ego saved - surfing experience rubbish.

pirate_agenda
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by pirate_agenda » Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:16 pm

Cpt.Caveman wrote:How much rocker did you put in the thing?

How about the rails, how foiled are they?

Looks like fun to me!
rocker is 2 7/8 in the nose, 1 7/8 in the tail through the middle (has a decent single concave into single channel), rail rocker would be closer to 3 1/8, 2 i'd say.

the deck is pretty flat, so the rails are pretty full for the board's thickness. the nose and tail aren't foiled too much either. the tail holds about 3/4" thickness and the nose a little less. I guess similar to the thickness of a 6'2 x 18 1/2 x 2 3/8 shorty if you lopped 6 inches off the front and back.

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tiger
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by tiger » Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:29 pm

Nice one Poirate, it's a pretty wacky board.

Whats the build details? RE foam/glass/resin.
Image

pirate_agenda
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by pirate_agenda » Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:45 pm

tiger wrote:Nice one Poirate, it's a pretty wacky board.

Whats the build details? RE foam/glass/resin.
stringerless PU foam, CET epoxy resin, top 4oz + 4oz patch + unicarbon strip, bottom 1 x 4oz. needless to say, it doesn't weigh much.

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Cpt.Caveman
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by Cpt.Caveman » Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:12 pm

Love the look of it, I'm a big fan on the unconventional shortboard that offers something different and eye opening - but... I have to say, with the decals its.....inconspicuous... :D
Davros wrote:Ego saved - surfing experience rubbish.

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swvic
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by swvic » Fri Jun 29, 2012 11:28 am

Short vid of Daniel Thomson talking and surfing these boards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB9SgPy9 ... ontext-cha

I've just got myself a Tomo V4. 5'9" X 19 1/4 x 2 1/4 pu. I weigh about 75 kgs + the wet rubber I need here in winter. Floats me quite well for it's size. Sitting on it, water comes half way between my belly button and solar plexus

Different to Pirate's, but still most unconventional. Had 1st surf on it yesterday. Couldn't figure much as it was small and gutless, but I have enough of a feel to be amping to get it into some better waves. Mine is the pointy nose version with thruster/quad fin options

Image

Image

Dan riding a V4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmV3AV8fyNE
marcus wrote:and that vicco dude, whatsisname?

pirate_agenda
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by pirate_agenda » Fri Jun 29, 2012 12:54 pm

nice. pointy nose in around the same size as yours but a tad thicker is next on my hit list.

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swvic
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by swvic » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:21 pm

pirate_agenda wrote:nice. pointy nose in around the same size as yours but a tad thicker is next on my hit list.
Couldn't pass it up. Scored it from axolotl reflux via RS. Too much of a bargain and it sort of takes me back to what a mate used to shape way back in the late 70s when we were teenagers. Similar(ish) outlines and volumes, but the bottom contours, fin configurations and tail shape are so different
marcus wrote:and that vicco dude, whatsisname?

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swvic
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Re: tomo next gen rip off - review

Post by swvic » Mon Jul 23, 2012 1:42 pm

Ok, I've had it for a few weeks now, so here's an attempt at a meaningful review

Me: 5'9" 75 kgs 49 yo surfing since I was 12. Reasonably competent but can kook it anytime, anywhere and in any type of surf

I've always enjoyed my surfing, but this has really got me amped to get in the water. I've surfed it up to 5 foot (iggy scale) forehand and 4 foot backhand. Only fin option so far is FCS 5s as a thruster. Forehand it has almost as much hold as my standard 6' 2" roundtail although that might be tested as the 6'2" is pretty solid in 6 foot waves. Initially, there was some paddle shock due to a fair bit less foam than what I'd become accustomed, but I've overcome that pretty quickly

Have only surfed it backhand once in solid (ish) waves and it felt a bit squirrely. Have been on it forehand quite a bit since though so I reckon it would now feel a lot surer. As a grom most of my boards were around this length. Since going longer, I sometimes get my back foot too far forward. On this thing, I've been hitting it spot on almost every wave. Despite its out there appearance, it feels pretty normal. Goes anywhere a short board goes and does not feel fishy at all. Like pirate says about his, it's like the front and back have been chopped off a standard and the tail shape / bottom contours tweaked for grip by getting the water away quickly. What you then have is a light and lively little surprise package that has blown me away. So far I've had no issues with it and it's drive and speed is amazing. Sure that's due to the straightness of the rail line. The shortness of the rail line has also meant less catching in smaller waves. Had a beach break grovel in cross shore 1-3 ft yesterday arvo and the channel bottom was not noticeably affected by chop. There was the odd good wave coming through. Felt like I was getting more vertical at the lip backhand and the rotation was quicker. Mate I was with commented so must have been looking a bit sharper as well as feeling it. Conventional fish type boards have never felt like this to me, especially backhand

I'll put a little caveat on the above statement about no issues. A couple of times I've pulled back from a late takeoff when I normally would've gone. Rather than the capacity of the board to handle it,I think it might be due to where my head's at with such a short length of foam under me. We'll see. I'm off to the Maldives in a few weeks and it's coming with me. I had planned to take 2 boards, but it will be 3. I'll find out a fair bit more then

If you know someone who has one of these weird little things, I recommend you hassle the shit out of them for a loan
marcus wrote:and that vicco dude, whatsisname?

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