Tomo MPH

Retropete

Phil Edwards status
Jan 20, 2006
5,962
4,401
113
Sunny Coast Qld Australia
Haha, perfect! I'm sure I remember ol' mate Tomo going on about all his boards were gonna be round or torpedo nose boards from now on because they were safer and the point served no purpose. I think it was in a podcast or something. No less than a year to 18 months ago...

Now it seems a lot of his most recent boards are just rehashes of past models (SF 2.0, El Tomo) or just sticking different tails on old MPHs (OB1, Cymatic). The only ones that have really been special over the last few years have been the Hydronaut and Hydroshort.
What's special about the hydronaut?
Don't mind the look of the board.
 

oeste858

Phil Edwards status
Sep 11, 2017
6,931
17,276
113
San Diego, CA
There's a manifesto on round noses from his custom site. I guess it gives us an idea how much more the pointy-nosed Tomos FW has sold than the blunt ones. But it sure seems like dumbing it down for the masses. FWIW, Cymatic was one of the funnest boards I've ridden. Sold mine because LFT. Still ride the XTR version SP2 a lot when the waves are fun.
Would love to try a Hydroshort in XTR, but too much overlap with my other boards to justify. I have a buddy (he rips) who just got a Hydronaut this winter and swears it's not just for barrels and turns like a Tomo.
 
Last edited:

ANIMA

Legend (inyourownmind)
Feb 11, 2020
353
363
63
Planet Earth
why? you already had this board when it was called Cymatic. You felt it was missing 3" of pointy nose? LOLView attachment 87377
The Sci-fi 2.0 is new -- so i want to give it a try and see if there are any new feelings there. haha. Thats pretty much what it boils down to. Plus, I remember 4/5 years ago when the promo video for the Scifi came out I was very disappointing when the final production model didnt have the same channels as the promo video described. At that time, I was told that it was only available as a custom through Firewire (and that was impossible unless you knew someone). I had some talks with Dan about it and he said that eventually that version "may" come out to market. Well.... its finally here so i sort of feel obligated to try it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: waxfoot

ANIMA

Legend (inyourownmind)
Feb 11, 2020
353
363
63
Planet Earth
Here's the video from 04/06/2016. Seems totally relevant for the new model. I presume he tuned the rocker a bit, maybe added some volume to the rails and viola -- Scifi 2.0.

 
  • Like
Reactions: waxfoot

waxfoot

Michael Peterson status
Apr 21, 2018
2,081
4,002
113
Thats it, the final product that came out looked nowhere near that ... quite possibly the reason I never ended up getting one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ANIMA

Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
2,045
1,863
113
What's special about the hydronaut?
Don't mind the look of the board.
The board is super solid in good surf, and works well in sucky little barrels too. Also, it feels loose enough to turn like a short board. I remember one late drop at a steep Sumatran left last summer when I felt sure I was going to nose dive, but when I got to the bottom, the nose just scooped and shot me along the wave. That's about one of the only times in my life when I could say I could really feel the exact implication of a surfboard design.

The only other time I've had that level of sensitivity to a design is when I surf my Burch asym and I can feel the butteriness in a turn using the tail, and then the pop and release I get after it. The Hydroshort is less refined than the Hydronaut, but works on a smaller scale and as a regular DD.
 

ANIMA

Legend (inyourownmind)
Feb 11, 2020
353
363
63
Planet Earth
I was very disappointed!

It ended up working out I guess... the board won awards for both SIMA and SBIA.

I listened to some podcasts and Dan said there was a lot of pressure for the launch of Slater Designs to release the Scifi and Omni and I dont think he was totally done testing the design, and ended up releasing the Scifi without the channels. IDK.. but i wanna give the 2.0 a go and see for myself.
 

oeste858

Phil Edwards status
Sep 11, 2017
6,931
17,276
113
San Diego, CA
yeah, I have Psyko which has a sleeker nose than SP2 and it looks sweet. Maybe that will be Sci-Fi 3.0- rushed to stores in time for next summer 2021! LOL
Agree with Goodfish that the nose just works. I get the impression a lot of the erBB's more traditionalists dismiss the blunt noses as a gimmick, but it is almost impossible to pearl the Omni/Psyko/SP2/Cymatic I've ridden over the years... even on late drops in hollow waves. I've been certain I was going down on steep drops and it just instantly shrugs it off and carries you on. Love the Omni in sand bottom barrels... Man, I need to dust it off and ride it again! I'd kill for a trip to Mex this Spring.
 
Last edited:

waxfoot

Michael Peterson status
Apr 21, 2018
2,081
4,002
113
Love the Omni in sand bottom barrels... Man, I need to dust it off and ride it again! I'd kill for a trip to Mex this Spring.
^^This.
The Omni doesn't seem all that popular, but it's by far my favourite of his designs. it worked in much smaller conditions that marketed as, all it needed was a bit of shape to be an incredible board. Kinda bummed I sold it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aruka and oeste858

daave

Gerry Lopez status
Dec 28, 2002
1,159
522
113
^^This.
The Omni doesn't seem all that popular, but it's by far my favourite of his designs. it worked in much smaller conditions that marketed as, all it needed was a bit of shape to be an incredible board. Kinda bummed I sold it.
Have seen some very good surfers surfing very well on them. They look much smoother/drivier than most tomos I see. Nose is a bit goofy looking but it does seem like a pretty functional board.
 

csarqui

Legend (inyourownmind)
Oct 11, 2009
356
51
28
Any El Tomo Fish ride reports out there? So curious to hear if it feels like a Vanguard/Vader or not.
 

ANIMA

Legend (inyourownmind)
Feb 11, 2020
353
363
63
Planet Earth
what's the difference between this and the old Nano?
Looks like its just the channels were added. The previous nano had a single concave running through the center of the board. This new one has the quad concaves inside the single that start at the middle of the board.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SharkBoy