Tom Carroll/Blaine Chambers range of boards?

Have had the 9.0 loose leaf in two sessions , small 2 foot clean waves and 4 foot with little chop.
wow so so fast, turns so easy, really easy to catch waves with the concave in the nose.
when the conditions got a bit bumpy stability was a fair bit harder, but by no means impossible.
glides on to the waves with ease, lay the rail on edge no worries at all, just flies down the line.
hopefully get a few more waves to relly get the hang of this amazing board.

Have any of the people demo'ing the new TC boards ever ridden a Naish Mana? and are able to make a comparison? I have had the Mana out for a demo and so far I don't rate it as much as I thought I would. So if any are able to make that comparison I would appreciate it. No one down here on the GC has any TC demo's available yet.

TC 9'6 demo report. Design and construction is top quality. It's fast. But it is too bloody heavy! When you pick it up you feel the weight. When you ride it you feel the weight. I like to throw a board around on wave regardless of its length but this was a real chore on the TC. I was really excited to try out TC,s new board as he was the reason I started SUPing when I saw him out on one about 6 years ago. But I was really disappointed with this board. I jumped on my old Laird 10'6 straight after and it felt lighter and more responsive. The next day I took out my old Lopez 8'11 and it totally blows the TC out of the water. Sorry Tom I had my $2100 ready to drop on a new board but it won't be on a TC until the weight comes down.

It's my review take it or leave it. I love riding apples and oranges in fact my quiver is a fruit salad all different shapes and sizes. They all have their plus and minus. However this review is the TC 9'6 and its big minus is its weight. I will bet you Tom,s board that he rides is not as heavy as what is being put in the shops.

how heavy is too heavy ? just checked the weights compared to the DC NSP boards ,the TC boards come in 4 - 700 grams heavier .

eg TC 8 ft - 7.9 kg / DC 8 2 -7.5 kg . TC 8 8 - 9.1 kg /DC 8 6 -8.7 kg , TC 9 ft -9.8 kg / DC 8 11 - 9.14 kg .

different boards for different people but I find the DC 8 11 easily light enough to throw around , and I still enjoy my old PSH 9 1 which is heavy ( not sure how heavy ) .

does 700 grams make that big a difference to the performance of a board ?

IMHO, I find they always gain a kilo more or so after they have come in from the water. Grip always absorbs water to some degree, take the grip off and Im sure you would lose some board weight. Might kill ya feet, but "demz da breakz"

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Opinionator said..
TC 9'6 demo report. Design and construction is top quality. It's fast. But it is too bloody heavy! When you pick it up you feel the weight. When you ride it you feel the weight. I like to throw a board around on wave regardless of its length but this was a real chore on the TC. I was really excited to try out TC,s new board as he was the reason I started SUPing when I saw him out on one about 6 years ago. But I was really disappointed with this board. I jumped on my old Laird 10'6 straight after and it felt lighter and more responsive. The next day I took out my old Lopez 8'11 and it totally blows the TC out of the water. Sorry Tom I had my $2100 ready to drop on a new board but it won't be on a TC until the weight comes down.

I have to agree with Opinionator great looking board & Iwas almost ready to part with the hard earned until I picked the board up , for a 9'6" performance board IMO it is just too heavy, too much swing weight. I did take it for a spin in some crappy waves , pretty choppy & onshore, paddling out was OK but standing around out the back was pretty hard work but after a couple of half decent waves you can tell that this board wants to get up & go but for me the weight factor is a killer. I weigh 90kg & have been surfing for over 40 years ,SUP surfing for the past 6 years and although I am not a slash & burn type surfer it is nice to have a board that you can throw around a bit if you you get the urge that 's probably why all my other boards are carbon - for me lighter is better

That carbon looks so nice , great to see larger boards getting so progressive

I agree with each others about board's weight
Yours feelings can be influenced by the kind of mellow small waves you like to ride with this TC board on your favorite spot even if you choose off this board from your quiver to surf that day

The weights mentioned above seem okay to me actually.....wouldn't put me off.

Dummies

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Opinionator said..
Keep your bagging of people's opinions to yourself "mate" what's with the "shovel comment??
Your comprehension is poor. My review on the board does not bag TC,s design nor does it make a comparison to an 8'0 or an 8'6. I am a paying customer and I am entitled to an opinion if TC or any other surf legend want me to pay over $2k for a board it needs to tick all my boxes.
So once more for the dummy's. In my opinion the weight of the 9'6 was a factor to me and therefore my purchase decision on this particular board.
I look forward to a demo of TC,s shorter boards with a bit less weight.

Just out of interest......why do you want to move on from your 8 11 if you like it so much? Fancy a change? I only ask as it is so difficult to find a board that is bang on and this one seems to work well for you.

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Opinionator said..
Keep your bagging of people's opinions to yourself "mate" what's with the "shovel comment??
Your comprehension is poor. My review on the board does not bag TC,s design nor does it make a comparison to an 8'0 or an 8'6. I am a paying customer and I am entitled to an opinion if TC or any other surf legend want me to pay over $2k for a board it needs to tick all my boxes.
So once more for the dummy's. In my opinion the weight of the 9'6 was a factor to me and therefore my purchase decision on this particular board.
I look forward to a demo of TC,s shorter boards with a bit less weight.

Yep.. at 2k you got every right O.
I got nothing much to say about TCs boards... from what I can see, they are not exactly grabbing my attention much as far as a future purchase. I would love to have a demo of a few for sure, but until then... Im not particularly motivated either way. HOWEVER, I do seem to think that many are gravitating towards them because of the TC name. The skeptic in me says that he is jumping on the SUP band wagon, like anyone else with his credentials would. But to me, it would not matter if it was Tom Carrol or Johnny Gerhkin's name on the board - really not a good way of making a purchase decision. But unless you got money to burn - then we are all entitled to be as picky and critical as we want when critiquing a new board or range of boards. After all, even if you only buy one new board a year..... the process of choosing through forums and reading reviews, demos and talking to industry reps - is often a satisfying experience - especially when you get that new board out there on a supreme day... and you just cannot stop grinning. Part of that satisfaction comes from the time and discernment you applied to selecting that board, and the journey towards that purchase. So.. in the end... we got our own opinions on specs and credentials of boards. Listening with due consideration will benefit you greatly, but aggressive retort and bull-headed argument will not.

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thomasvictorcarroll
<div data-reactid=".f.0.1.0.1.0.0.1.0.0.0.0.1.2:0">4 days ago

A simple effortless glide is what I look for, with a nose entry designed to respond positively under foot and a fraction extra weight than ultra ultra light (against the grain in SUP market demands)...we can wander the deck with relative ease and maintain momentum | Tom Carroll Paddle Surf 10'4" 144L@gsi_surf @fcs_surf @quiksilver @blanechambershelp keep me above water ?? thank you!!


The above is how TC describes his boards on his Instagram feed.

I think that little extra weight does not stop you from doing anything on the wave plus it can also add to glide BUT it does have a shop appeal thing like graphics and gloss finish , if it looks good and feels good when you pick it up it's good. The original PSH's were never light and no one complained it's just there are some ultra lights out there now and now we think all Sups need to be light to work. Maybe on the really small boards but boards 9-0 and over it's not an issue.

The new Imagine Sups aren't super light either and when I asked Dave Kalama are you going to do a carbon version to make them lighter he said " Why the weights fine" The new TC's aren't poo shooters they are meant to be surfed on the rail , get these boards to rail and they will excel and weight has nothing to do with that. It's still a personal preference always try before you buy but don't hop in the water thinking to yourself it's heavy it won't work. As AA said above these boards have been on the chopping block for a few years alot has gone into them.TC worked with Blane Chambers (PSH) on the original Hull Rippers , so don't think for second he has just jumped on the band wagon.

Personally I really like the change in board designs now from a few manufacturers getting back to more traditional but progressive designs and not sub 8ft boards.