Daniel “Tomo” Thomson: The Future of Surfboard Design
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In this episode of the Basis Surf Podcast, we have one of the most forward-thinking board designers in surfing, Daniel Thomson (@tomo_surfboards). We talk about how his planing hull designs are flipping traditional surfboard logic on its head, the evolution of boards like the Vader, Cymatic, and brand-new Neutrino, why most surfers are riding boards that are holding them back. This episode is packed with tips for surfers who want to ride faster, paddle stronger, and rethink their equipment from the foam up.
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Chapters
02:45 Design Influences for Tomo Surfboards
05:54 Revolutionize Surfboard Design for Everybody
08:19 Advantages of Planing Hulls Over Pointy-Nose Thrusters
13:31 Planing Huls: Hold/Grip Factor Relies More on the Total Length of Your Edge
14:42 Kelly Slater Surfing Hale'iwa on 5’3” Cymatic
18:09 Sci-Fi Shape Blends Planing Hulls with Pointy Nose
20:44 New Board Design with Kelly Slater
25:41 What It’s Like Working with Kelly Slater
28:55 Goals with the Revo Max
31:22 Mini-midlengths
36:32 First Twin Fin Setup
37:35 New Upcoming Shape: The Neutrino
41:08 How To Size Boards
42:37 The Underarm Test for Rails
44:07 Too Attached to How Boards Look Than How They Feel
46:09 Tips for Surfing His Shapes
47:58 Intention When Surfing
48:53 What Board to Bring If You Were Stranded on an Island
49:11 Vader V2 vs His Other Shapes
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