The Tomo rip-off ride report

[pinhead]

I recently made myself a close approximation of a Tomo Vangard just to see what all the fuss was about. Initially I was going to do a Griffin modfish /Tomo hybrid, but after analysing the Vangaurd, I realised Tomo is going in a different direction to Griffin, so I tried to make the board as close as I could to an actual Tomo, based on pics and measurements supplied by owners in the US.

JD was kind enough to give me a big chunk of VH grade EPS and use of his factory, as long as I kept out of his way. The JD factory is an Aladdin’s cave of surfboard goodness and several gobsmacking boards were birthed during my time there.

I weigh 65 kgs and my "normal" shortboards are a HPS 5'11" x 18 1/2" x 2 1/4" quad or 5'7" x 19 1/4" x 2" Griffin 5 fin set up. The Tomoesque I made was 5’2” x 17 ½" x 2 3/8”s, EPS with carbon uni tape on the rails and glass+innegra lam. Weight is 2.3 kg with fins. Rails are tucked into a hard edge all the way up the rail in front of the fins (almost like a chine) and very sharp and square behind. Given the board is pretty narrow I made the rails fat with a flattish deck to hide as much volume I could get in there, because I couldn’t see myself having any trouble burying the rail. I didn’t bother with the nose channel but I did do a deep concave to channel in the tail. Fins are glass-ons fronts at 10 and rear at 3, fronts are toed almost straight with normal cant.

I’ve been out on the board a couple of times in marginal waves and one session in good surf but didn’t get many as it was pretty crowded. First off it paddles really well and is easy to duck dive. Taking off is easier than all my other boards and it handles late take offs really well. I thought it would be sketchy but it’s actually very stable in late take offs.

My first thoughts were - this thing has no speed off the bottom. But after a couple of waves I realised I’d been turning more off the fins on my Griff set up and the Tomoesque likes to turn off the rail more. In fact you don’t get the feeling of thrust and squirt you get when pumping a regular thruster – I’d put this down to the lack of toe in with the fins. This means the board trims more like a quad. To use a driving anology the Tomoesque is like rolling down a hill at 100 kms whereas a thruster is like driving along the flats at 100 kms – you’re going just as fast but you have to keep your foot on the gas to do it.

Turning off the top is really quick and controllable and you can throw it around very easily – this is good and bad – its possible to flap around a bit if you’re not committed to a certain line, however I’m itching to get out on some walling right handers and get creative with it.

I was pretty excited by Tomo's design because it takes a bunch of surfboard design variables and rearranges them into a unique package that surfs like a HPS. But this is my problem with it – If you’re already ripping on an HPS what’s the point? It has some advantages I guess, effortless trim speed and its nice and fast off the top. I suppose if you’re into airs it might make those easier. I think the Firewire demographic might have a bit of trouble with it. Most of the FW’s I see are more the Fishy/Hybrid shapes. Being wide and flat, these boards tend to surf flat using the outline to turn more than the rocker. The Tomoesque uses the concave and tail rocker to turn more on rail – so the transition from one to the other may perplex a few.

[alakaboo]

Thanks. I have zerp interest in riding one but good review.
Pics?

[Nick Carroll]

hey pinhead I think the thing is in the dimensions, the re-setting of them -- the re-working of volume -- lets you fit the board into the wave a bit differently and recover from airs etc really quick and easily.

Plus it's a step toward a truly reversible board.

Super modern.

[Cuttlefish]

Now that the Firewire Tomos are appearing in surfshops here have you had a chance take your board along and compare it to a Tomo side by side?
Saw one in my local surfshop yesterday.
Somewhat different to the 6'1" hpsb.

[pinhead]

H

actually a really good review....thanks for taking the time

i cant help but think the 4ws fin system i'm mucking with would be worth a try....allowing you play with toe in angles

would see some pics

and its a test to your sainty you managed spend time with j.d in the same building and not go completely insane

Tomo has done a bit more than just adjust the toe in. He's bought the fronts back so the cluster is shorter. This makes the turn arc smaller - compensating for the lack of toe. This is what is great about what Tomo has done, as NC says he's reconfigured the dimensions - gotten the same surface area into a smaller package, but he's also reconfigured the fin set up. The thruster cluster has tended to be a design constant that shapers havent messed with too much - quads not withstanding

Interesting working at the JD factory. Josh tends to belt out Nick Cave songs when he's working. He stuck his head In every now and then and advised on how I could remedy the various fcuk ups I made while shaping and glassing.

Didn't know the FW Tomos had arrived must check em out.

[steve shearer]

I've seen 'em.

By god they are ugly looking things.

[pinhead]

By god they are ugly looking things.

Were they as ugly as mine?

tomoesque.jpg (22.92 KiB) Viewed 8480 times

[swvic]

I've got one, just a bit before that nose. Tail, outline, bottom contours, fin cluster all looks the same. He was doing round noses and pointys on request. I bought a pointy nose version via RS from axolotl, who had Tomo make him one on his last trip to Aust. Axo saw it as too little foam for him and I jumped on it. Partly because it was way different and partly because it was (sort of loosely) how I remember a long-dead friend was making when we were teenagers. In truth, the only similarity is the outline and I might be remembering that very wrongly

Anyway, back to the Tomo. Feels not far removed from a normal shorty. Mine is 19" wide. PU. At first look, you'd think it less capable in the size it's still ok in. A better surfer than me could certainly push it's limit beyond mine. When the swell gets thick, I start to feel it sketchy beyond 4 ft. Maybe with the JD type build, it might float a little better and I could go narrower/thinner and thus, up that limit. As it is, a ton of fun though, but it does need some push to work. Wouldn't call it a groveler

Meantime, JD is making me one for beyond where the Tomo can take me. Another 1st for me

[Cuttlefish]

The Firewire vanguard Heath Joske was riding in the ASL test sure looked like it was capable of grovelling.

[Cpt.Caveman]

the big question for me now is?

will it out fad the mini simmons fad

I have a feeling it will fong, mainly because most mini-simmons surf very simiarly to a Lis Fish in terms of speed and flow, but the turn dyamics are a little different with the fins set so far back.

The whole reconfiguring of volume into a small and rectangular package which crosses over the arena of the HPS and some argue can outclass in many areas, thats something I reckon will have more novelty.

What 16yo wouldn't want to feel like a boss carrying a tiny wakeboard into the surf with all his mates saying "raaaaad"? Then again, lots of surfers are sheep too, so who knows.

[pinhead]

Ok had so more waves on the Tomoesque and I've decided it does have some advantages over a normal HPS. It's definitely easier to catch waves on - not that it paddles better but it starts planning earlier so you have a bit more time to get to your feet and its more stable - I would say it's halved my kook rate on take offs. The other advantage is you can do all sorts of turns in small waves and not pearl and if you do, the nose tends to pop up before you come a cropper. So my verdict is these things are an improvement for the average guy over your standard HPS. Also you can put them in the front seat of your car.

[pirate_agenda]

i've been riding my own tomo knock offs for around 9 months now, and gotta say they have replaced a regular shortboard for me in 2-5ft waves. They produce instant speed, the parallel line lets you draw out a very smooth long turn, whilst the shortness of the board means it fits anywhere, they are so easy to release off the top and good in the barrel.

not sure they will out fad the mini simmons - people need to realise they are a good wave design for decent surfers, not a small wave floatation devise.

[pirate_agenda]

here's one i finished this morning. 5'3 x 19 x 2 3/8 - eps core, vac bagged innegra, non woven nylon, nylon mesh, carbo s-cloth hybrid and s cloth. finish weight 2.27 kg. not completely happy with the finish on this one - but it was the first for me using these materials.

[pinhead]

I'm sure there's a trick for getting that unidirectional carbon straight. Where did you put the fins on that one?

[Cpt.Caveman]

So, considering the Tomo's have joined the FireWire pop-out world power, anyone getting one?

I believe the Vanguard, Pointed Nose V4 and Pointed Nose Nano will be in the FireWire range.

[Natho]

I'm calling it fad, just like some of that mini Simmons rubbish. The 'it's all about stoke and function' crowd will be onto this one now. Yawn

[pirate_agenda]

I'm calling it fad, just like some of that mini Simmons rubbish. The 'it's all about stoke and function' crowd will be onto this one now. Yawn

ride one first.

[swvic]

Second that. Feels pretty normal to me. Nothing else ever has