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

Subscribe for more interviews with pro surfers, coaches, shapers, and everyday surfers like Tom Carroll, Zeke Lau, Victor Bernardo, Matt Parker of Album Surf, Matt Meola, Ryan Lovelace, Eric Arakawa, Noel Salas of Surf n Show, Parker Coffin, Dane Gudauskas, Kassia Meador, Clayton of Ombe Surf, Dylan Lightfoot, Derek Dunfee, Magnum Martinez, and more!

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