Hey goatman I'd love to hear you thoughts regarding the difference between the Evo and the Vanguard once you've had it under your feet for a few sessions.
I'm getting board envy all over the place at the moment
Check out the shots in this thread of a guy riding one at good size Cloudbreak...deffo a wave that you need a bit of paddle speed to handle
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Surfing/Shortboards/Mainland-Fiji-to-Cloudy-Boats/?SearchTerms=Vanguard
Yeah sic board, I've got a 5'8" 32L Vanguard as my 'step up'. Such a solid drivey board in some size.
Picked up a 5'5" Tomo Evo yesterday!
That looks terrible more like a double ender dildo ? Did he give McCoy much royalties ? On his outline?
Says the Satan's gondolier!
Haha actually have only be riding my shortboards for the last 8 months and just have a friendly stab at one of my best mates and his new stick you tosser
Would these things work in the waves around Margies? Say head and half to triple overhead if I got a 6'2" or 6'4"? I don't really surf much below four foot so it would need to handle a bit of size and grunt. The apparent wave catching ability sounds good. These days, with family and work, I only surf 1-3 times a week so I need all the help I can get.
I think ink the grey in the beard may be trying to tell me there other factors at work on my paddling too.
Yep they go amazing....demo one if your unsure...when it gets big its like riding snowboard at mach 10 on a never ending half pipe....up down and all around wherever your brain thinks the board goes
Demoing anything down here is pretty difficult. Not many shops and not much stock so I doubt I will be able to find one, but I will check the local stockist. Demoing it in Perth wouldn't really tell me much about how it goes in 4-6. The bigger ones might be good for me. Around my new volume, but shorter.
Thanks for the replies from everyone too.
Says the Satan's gondolier!
Haha actually have only be riding my shortboards for the last 8 months and just have a friendly stab at one of my best mates and his new stick you tosser
That's what those sticks are for....stabbing the waves....not your mates....
Uncle goatman gets a few too many good waves on his new stick so I gotta try and have a few stabs at him and his double ended dildo on here
Would these things work in the waves around Margies? Say head and half to triple overhead if I got a 6'2" or 6'4"? I don't really surf much below four foot so it would need to handle a bit of size and grunt. The apparent wave catching ability sounds good. These days, with family and work, I only surf 1-3 times a week so I need all the help I can get.
I think ink the grey in the beard may be trying to tell me there other factors at work on my paddling too.
Yep they go amazing....demo one if your unsure...when it gets big its like riding snowboard at mach 10 on a never ending half pipe....up down and all around wherever your brain thinks the board goes
Demoing anything down here is pretty difficult. Not many shops and not much stock so I doubt I will be able to find one, but I will check the local stockist. Demoing it in Perth wouldn't really tell me much about how it goes in 4-6. The bigger ones might be good for me. Around my new volume, but shorter.
Thanks for the replies from everyone too.
Get ready when you ask about these at a shop though, they'll try talk you out it Star surf would be a great place to start, maybe Mandurah might help.
Would these things work in the waves around Margies? Say head and half to triple overhead if I got a 6'2" or 6'4"? I don't really surf much below four foot so it would need to handle a bit of size and grunt. The apparent wave catching ability sounds good. These days, with family and work, I only surf 1-3 times a week so I need all the help I can get.
I think ink the grey in the beard may be trying to tell me there other factors at work on my paddling too.
Yep they go amazing....demo one if your unsure...when it gets big its like riding snowboard at mach 10 on a never ending half pipe....up down and all around wherever your brain thinks the board goes
Demoing anything down here is pretty difficult. Not many shops and not much stock so I doubt I will be able to find one, but I will check the local stockist. Demoing it in Perth wouldn't really tell me much about how it goes in 4-6. The bigger ones might be good for me. Around my new volume, but shorter.
Thanks for the replies from everyone too.
Get ready when you ask about these at a shop though, they'll try talk you out it Star surf would be a great place to start, maybe Mandurah might help.
I went to Dunhole yesterday and surprisingly they had two, but of course they were the smallest sizes. Man sized men never get catered for, nor do men with grey in their beard. Anyway, I didn't realise the bottom looked like that. It looks like it should hold a bit of size - more so than the Vanguards that were there - although the heavy single before the fancy bit in the tail does concern me. Single concaves are about the only bottom I have have never enjoyed. Doubles, vees, single into doubles with vee, reverse vee, single into vee with channels - tried them all and loved them for what they offer. Pure singles? Well I would rather rub my buttocks with drano. I just found them hard to get on rail and they turned weirdly. I am really heavy in the back foot and that's all I can put it down too. Anyway, the bottom shape on the tail looked like something I could work with. Now to contemplate laying down $950 sight unseen. Plus I also really prefer PU boards. Just old fashioned I guess. Anyone tried the big ones? I am thinking this years up north trip could be fun with one.
Would these things work in the waves around Margies? Say head and half to triple overhead if I got a 6'2" or 6'4"? I don't really surf much below four foot so it would need to handle a bit of size and grunt. The apparent wave catching ability sounds good. These days, with family and work, I only surf 1-3 times a week so I need all the help I can get.
I think ink the grey in the beard may be trying to tell me there other factors at work on my paddling too.
Yep they go amazing....demo one if your unsure...when it gets big its like riding snowboard at mach 10 on a never ending half pipe....up down and all around wherever your brain thinks the board goes
Demoing anything down here is pretty difficult. Not many shops and not much stock so I doubt I will be able to find one, but I will check the local stockist. Demoing it in Perth wouldn't really tell me much about how it goes in 4-6. The bigger ones might be good for me. Around my new volume, but shorter.
Thanks for the replies from everyone too.
Get ready when you ask about these at a shop though, they'll try talk you out it Star surf would be a great place to start, maybe Mandurah might help.
I went to Dunhole yesterday and surprisingly they had two, but of course they were the smallest sizes. Man sized men never get catered for, nor do men with grey in their beard. Anyway, I didn't realise the bottom looked like that. It looks like it should hold a bit of size - more so than the Vanguards that were there - although the heavy single before the fancy bit in the tail does concern me. Single concaves are about the only bottom I have have never enjoyed. Doubles, vees, single into doubles with vee, reverse vee, single into vee with channels - tried them all and loved them for what they offer. Pure singles? Well I would rather rub my buttocks with drano. I just found them hard to get on rail and they turned weirdly. I am really heavy in the back foot and that's all I can put it down too. Anyway, the bottom shape on the tail looked like something I could work with. Now to contemplate laying down $950 sight unseen. Plus I also really prefer PU boards. Just old fashioned I guess. Anyone tried the big ones? I am thinking this years up north trip could be fun with one.
Mate, forget anything you have felt with other boards regarding outlines, concaves, tail shapes and so on, these are a completely different beast. I had a Nano for 6 months, have had a Vader for 7 and a Vanguard for a little over a year. The Vanguard is by far the best of the lot for bigger stuff. There are 2 sizes in each Volume, go for the bigger one but don't over volume them, they don't ride as well. The parallel rails make the rail line longer than boards 8" bigger, you put your weight forward a little to draw out turns, they farken crank off the bottom. They paddle insane (for their volume) my 5'8" paddles like a 6'6" and it goes great in up to 2 1/2 X OH, after that I struggle to paddle in on our reefs here in Sydney, but I am an old fart, although I surf a lot.
The surf shops around here would never talk a Tomo up as they have no clue cause they don't ride em.
I'm going up to the NW with my young bloke in late June and will take the VG and possibly the Evo. If it gets bigger than 6 foot I'll probably be looking for somewhere smaller for the young fella anyways.
Sounds like the Vanguard would be the go for me then. Thanks heaps for the advice. A few more questions.
1) are you saying the shape doesn't work in the bigger sizes? I am 6'2" and 90 kgs and my all rounders these days are 6'10" or 7', both coming in around 48l. As a result I really would think I would be looking at the 6' or 6'2".
2) which of the two production styles would you recommend and what are the differences anyway?
Cheers
Sounds like the Vanguard would be the go for me then. Thanks heaps for the advice. A few more questions.
1) are you saying the shape doesn't work in the bigger sizes? I am 6'2" and 90 kgs and my all rounders these days are 6'10" or 7', both coming in around 48l. As a result I really would think I would be looking at the 6' or 6'2".
2) which of the two production styles would you recommend and what are the differences anyway?
Cheers
Hey Drip, I'm def no expert. I first off had a 5'9" VG at 35.6 L which felt good but harder to sink the rail. I'm 82kg by the way. Anyways traded it and bought a 2nd hand 5'8" at 32 L which made a big difference and seems like a good volume for a mini step up, which is what I use it for. They paddle really well btw. Got the Vader (and now the Evo) for sub 6 foot (2 x OH).
From my experience and from reading all the forum chatter, the Tomos seem to work better if slightly under volumed, so would probably go the 6'0".
Regarding the construction, def go the FST (timber rails) for bigger stuff as it is heaps stronger and these shapes lend themselves to snapping, apparently. The Vaders and Evos only come in LFT, which makes sense for smaller stuff.
Hey Bolgo, funny I hadn't even noticed the Firewire logo as the Vader doesn't have one. Def a stock board straight from the firewire factory, my understanding was the new Tomo models no longer had the FW branding, but that must have changed for the Evo.
Well im thinking of shaping an evo or vader style board this weekend maybe going for 5'6x19.5x2.75.
I've got a nice 6'0 burford blank that will do the trick.
ive got enough 5'9"s now. (1x my shape, 2x tomos)
hmm decisions???
Pair of Twins. Slightly differant. one is an inch narrower in the tail and just a single to double concave on the bottom. the other has single channel in the nose to quad channels through the tail. Cant wait to get them in the water!!!
How about some full dimensions (including ofo nose and tail and nose and tail block widths.) and some bottom pics Dr F???? i
Hey Bertie, I'll have to get some more shots tonight but this is the bottom of the yellow one when I was working on the channels. It's 5'5" X 18.5 X 2.5. Nose and tail are 12" wide.
Cheers Tux, happy with how they came out. thanks for the fin placement info.
Bertie the dimensions are;
The purple one -
5'5 X 18.5 X 2.5. Tail width 11" (at the end of the rail line) Nose width 12" (end of the rail line) Single concave into double through the fins. 5 fin set up so it can be run as a quad or a thruster.
The yellow one -
5'4" X 18.5 X 2.5. Tail and nose are 12". Single concave into double under the front foot into quad channels through the tail. set as a quad.
The wide point is slightly forward of centre. the rocker is pretty flat and it matches with the wide point so there should be a pretty big sweet spot. I'll take a couple more shots once I finish the fins.
Cheers Tux, happy with how they came out. thanks for the fin placement info.
Bertie the dimensions are;
The purple one -
5'5 X 18.5 X 2.5. Tail width 11" (at the end of the rail line) Nose width 12" (end of the rail line) Single concave into double through the fins. 5 fin set up so it can be run as a quad or a thruster.
The yellow one -
5'4" X 18.5 X 2.5. Tail and nose are 12". Single concave into double under the front foot into quad channels through the tail. set as a quad.
The wide point is slightly forward of centre. the rocker is pretty flat and it matches with the wide point so there should be a pretty big sweet spot. I'll take a couple more shots once I finish the fins.
Thats pretty small bro...what are you weighing in at?
I'm thinking of doing a 6'2 by 19 version for a bit more paddle power when it gets juicy
Haha, could be a bit small but I had a couple of blanks that arrived with the noses snapped (got replacements sent out but they didnt want the snapped ones back). I'm about 85kgs but I usually ride 5'8's and 5'10's so it should be cool. I left a little extra foam in them too. If they dont float me I'll use them as kite boards!
Haha, could be a bit small but I had a couple of blanks that arrived with the noses snapped (got replacements sent out but they didnt want the snapped ones back). I'm about 85kgs but I usually ride 5'8's and 5'10's so it should be cool. I left a little extra foam in them too. If they dont float me I'll use them as kite boards!
Nah I reckon you'll be Ok...mines a 5'10 x 19...in a normal shortie I'm usually on a 6'2 -6'6 and I'm 100kgs give or take
A few quick questions. how does the vadar, vanguard and Evo ride in comparison to say your typical shortie? I.e, are they faster down the line, more or less drivey, and how do they paddle?
A few quick questions. how does the vadar, vanguard and Evo ride in comparison to say your typical shortie? I.e, are they faster down the line, more or less drivey, and how do they paddle?
are they faster down the line - Yes they are much faster due to the parrallel rails and fins that have virtually zero toe in....I have literally gone past people riding mine
more or less drivey - Similar to your normal shortie, a lot depends on the fins. They love a big hack or bottom turn
how do they paddle - Sized correctly they paddle awesome, even though your probably riding something that feels rediculously short
A few quick questions. how does the vadar, vanguard and Evo ride in comparison to say your typical shortie? I.e, are they faster down the line, more or less drivey, and how do they paddle?
are they faster down the line - Yes they are much faster due to the parrallel rails and fins that have virtually zero toe in....I have literally gone past people riding mine
more or less drivey - Similar to your normal shortie, a lot depends on the fins. They love a big hack or bottom turn
how do they paddle - Sized correctly they paddle awesome, even though your probably riding something that feels rediculously short
That's exactly what I wanted to hear. what did you make of the bottom contours and rocker in the case of manoeuvrability? I.e was it skatey, super twitchy? And did you size it to your higher or lower volume range?
A few quick questions. how does the vadar, vanguard and Evo ride in comparison to say your typical shortie? I.e, are they faster down the line, more or less drivey, and how do they paddle?
are they faster down the line - Yes they are much faster due to the parrallel rails and fins that have virtually zero toe in....I have literally gone past people riding mine
more or less drivey - Similar to your normal shortie, a lot depends on the fins. They love a big hack or bottom turn
how do they paddle - Sized correctly they paddle awesome, even though your probably riding something that feels rediculously short
That's exactly what I wanted to hear. what did you make of the bottom contours and rocker in the case of manoeuvrability? I.e was it skatey, super twitchy? And did you size it to your higher or lower volume range?
I made my own as I didn't like the bottom contours on the Tomo we get alot of bumps on the face and that can cause channels to loose grip IMO....mine has a single concave running from nose to tail and a similar find cluster to the orignal vader...the fin cluster is a tighter than a normal shorty.. the best way to describe it is that surfing on own feels like snowboarding you have instant directional control without ever feeling like your out of control and the only way the board wil slide is if you over power it...rocker is very very flat on mine...I'm riding a 5'10 x 19 x 2 3/4 and normally my short board is a 6'2 x 21 x 3 biscuit
Finished off the fin plugs and got this in the water for a few surfs over the last couple of days!! I love it. Speed to burn and it loves a good snap and hack!! Got some nice barrels on it out at a local reef and it handled the late drops really well too. Paddles like a much longer board which was nice. Sanding the fins on the other one this week ready for the weekend.
A few quick questions. how does the vadar, vanguard and Evo ride in comparison to say your typical shortie? I.e, are they faster down the line, more or less drivey, and how do they paddle?
are they faster down the line - Yes they are much faster due to the parrallel rails and fins that have virtually zero toe in....I have literally gone past people riding mine
more or less drivey - Similar to your normal shortie, a lot depends on the fins. They love a big hack or bottom turn
how do they paddle - Sized correctly they paddle awesome, even though your probably riding something that feels rediculously short
That's exactly what I wanted to hear. what did you make of the bottom contours and rocker in the case of manoeuvrability? I.e was it skatey, super twitchy? And did you size it to your higher or lower volume range?
I made my own as I didn't like the bottom contours on the Tomo we get alot of bumps on the face and that can cause channels to loose grip IMO....mine has a single concave running from nose to tail and a similar find cluster to the orignal vader...the fin cluster is a tighter than a normal shorty.. the best way to describe it is that surfing on own feels like snowboarding you have instant directional control without ever feeling like your out of control and the only way the board wil slide is if you over power it...rocker is very very flat on mine...I'm riding a 5'10 x 19 x 2 3/4 and normally my short board is a 6'2 x 21 x 3 biscuit
Thanks. I'm thinking of making one, and I'm trying to make it as fast as possible but going shorter than my normal shortie Which is 6'10 because let's not lie..... I'm 96kg, 6'2 and the gym isnt exactly synonymous with paddle endurance . That's good to know. The single concave is what I was thinking of doing is it a deep single? What sort of rails have you got on it? I was thinking 6'1 or 6'2 x 19 and 2 3/4.
Mitch, go look at the FireWire website. They have dimensions there for the vanguard and other Tomo boards.
thanks thedrip, I'm more looking at if I can have less volume due to the shape making paddling easier and what the bottom contours do to the ride.
Yep deep single from front to back
Hard rail to the 20 inch mark from the rear - no tuck
Boxy rails with a tucked under edge but I don't roll the tuck off as far as some so they still have a hard edge where the tuck meets the bottom if that makes sense
Fins are 3 inchs for the centre from the tail and 10 inches from the tail for the side's on a thruster
The orange one is my 5'10 x 19 and I am anywhere from 92 - 100 kgs and 5'10 paddle pretty sweet and goes OK up to about 6 foot....after that I probably need something with a bit more paddle power.
the white one is 6 x 20 x 3 and made for a guy whos probably 6'4 x 100kgs he's ridden it up to 8 feet in indo said it paddles like a 6'10
Let me know if you need anything else!!