...or not?
There seems to be a few players/brands about to offer us all some options with the new shape. Maybe it's goodbye egg-shape surf sup (the regular shape) perhaps?
What do you reckon?
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....
It certainly makes for a good thread that's for sure. Best thing is its development, the Minion style boards certainly seem to rip in small to med waves and further design may reap benefits to us all.
That at development in a new sport where we all want shorter snappier boards but our 85 kg torso,s limit our ability to stand on the bloody things. Hats off to the designers for pushing the design envelope.
Phil
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'm a shortboard surfer at the moment and only paddle SUP for fitness, surf fitness ironically.
My center of gravity and balance seem to be waning too a wee bit coming up to the big 4-0 next year. Bugger....what to do?....
P.S. Brenno, can you elaborate more about the quality call?
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.
Select to expand quotehilly said...TalkToMe said...
What do you reckon?
FAD
Definite fad. Good job on the marketing hype though, bet they are selling heaps.
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.
Select to expand quoteTalkToMe said..
I'm a shortboard surfer at the moment and only paddle SUP for fitness, surf fitness ironically.
My center of gravity and balance seem to be waning too a wee bit coming up to the big 4-0 next year. Bugger....what to do?....
P.S. Brenno, can you elaborate more about the quality call?
Having a bad run with the pop outs mate. Had another one die on me just this morning. Was having a fun little sesh too. Love what I do, but (not going to smash any brands today) spending a lot of time and money on great performing but crap quality gear. That's what's so good about forums like this, and other people's opinions and experiences.
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.
They are definitely a thing. Haven't you seen all the minion t-shirts in the shops!!
Select to expand quotesupthecreek 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.
Select to expand quotePiros said...
One really interesting fact none of the top team riders are competing on them that has to say something.
Says a lot. Kelly went real short for a while and won nothing.
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
Naaaa....FAD if you ask me. Nothing really new in these designs just tweaks to designs that have been done for a number of years. You always get a buzz when something "new" gets mass produced And the JP PR machine is doing a good job. In a couple of years we will have something "new" again. Nothing wrong though in improving what has been done before....if it is improving A tested design.
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
Select to expand quoteRossall 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
Starboard making a vanguard design?
Select to expand quoteMickMc said..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
Starboard making a vanguard design?
Surprised Starboard have not been at the forefront of this concept. Instead they came up with the Nut thing. I also see Fanatic are prototyping this 'Vanguard' shape as windsurfing wave boards and also it has appeared in kiting as well so the concept is gaining traction.
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.
The more I ride them, the more I like them. These boards carve like a dream as you can engage more rail as a function of the outline. It's great to have all this variety in surf SUPs finally. Gone are the days of the generic cookie cutter shapes everywhere you look. More arrows in the quiver I say!
Calling this one SIMSUP[X] 7'6 x 29.5 x 4.375 x 118L
Kirk
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?
Select to expand quoteL41surf said..
The more I ride them, the more I like them. These boards carve like a dream as you can engage more rail as a function of the outline. It's great to have all this variety in surf SUPs finally. Gone are the days of the generic cookie cutter shapes everywhere you look. More arrows in the quiver I say!
Calling this one SIMSUP[X] 7'6 x 29.5 x 4.375 x 118L
Kirk
because those vanguard shape doesn't need so much flotation for a "normal" joe. So 80kg joe would need a 95 liters to be confortable even in chops and get optimum performance while surfing it.
At least this SIMSUP shape need 2 or 3 sizes under this one shown up here like has been done with JP slate. Does these sizes exist
Select to expand quotesupthecreek 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
Select to expand quoteL41surf said..
The more I ride them, the more I like them. These boards carve like a dream as you can engage more rail as a function of the outline. It's great to have all this variety in surf SUPs finally. Gone are the days of the generic cookie cutter shapes everywhere you look. More arrows in the quiver I say!
Calling this one SIMSUP[X] 7'6 x 29.5 x 4.375 x 118L
Kirk
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?
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?
This thing look awesome. That apart from the fact that from a technical aspect the "planning hull" theory makes a lot of sense to me. What you do see often is that the new designs have something that works. Then is gets copied and is taken to the extreme so it doesn't work anymore. Next fase is that these small things get integrated into the more classic designs to get the best of both worlds. I think is IS evolution and a design in it's own right that will exists together with the classics. SUP surfing is a young sport so it will see heaps of development in a relative short time.
Someone mentioned the astetics, imho it looks awesome! Maybe all this thing need is a black paint and a bat sign..... LOL
The more I read the more I want to buy one.!!
Merry X-mas everyone!
Select to expand quoteRossall 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?
They were quite tight lipped about it too be honest but apparently there will be about 4 sizes but don't hold your breath for a launch date, its going to be a early 2016 release and limited sizes, probably the one i saw will be out in 4 months ish !!!! Oh it also had a slight nut rail shape as well !!!!
Phil
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