Old Concepts, New Designs with Tomo and Stu Kennedy
Stealing the prototype surfboard after the first session defies general testing procedures. But when Stu Kennedy decided he needed Daniel "Tomo" Thomson's new shape, he decided he'd rather just surf it. Earlier this year, beneath the cliffs of Lennox Head, Tomo's new design, the El Tomo Performance, struck three magic chords and produced the first hydrodynamic symphony of its kind.
Daniel personally tests his boards and puts them through a barrage of field tests before approving them for production. While conducting his standard research and development on the El Tomo Performance in the headland of Eastern AUS, he discovered it was atypical from most designs he sees; it worked seamlessly. He invited Stu Kennedy to a test session where the exchange took place. "He got on it and tore the bag out of everything," Daniel recalled.
"It was some of his best surfing in years. I got to try it on the first session but never got it back," -DT
Since then, Stu agreed to film some clips in exchange for the new blade; he's been riding it everywhere, shoulder high to double overhead. Such rapid success during the preliminary testing period can be attributed to 20 years of refinement while honing in prior models: the El Tomo Fish, the Sci-Fi, and the Vader V2.
These boards excelled in different specialized areas, each one unique. Serving as a favorite in day-to-day surf, the El Tomo Fish initally garnered interest by handling snaps and technical maneuvers in sub-par wave-slop, thanks to its responsive Jetfighter tail and bump-wing. The Sci-Fi has been widely accepted as an adaptable board great for throwing above-the-lip rotations thanks to its user friendly fish-esque outline. Referred to as one of the fastest surfboards on the market, the Vader V2 maintains unprecedented down-the-line speed with a unique concave hull extending between the fins.
Reflecting on highlights of these iterations, Daniel combined proven concepts: the Jetfighter tail, a double-vee concave hull, and a versatile outline into an all-encompassing hybridization that yields an unmatched surfing experience. "We've been riding it as a quad; that being said, I believe it would be unreal as a twinny or even a 2+1 set-up," Daniel recommended "I would advise against using a tri-fin set-up since you don't want a lot of fin sticking out; you really don't need it with the spine,"
Compared to a general shortboard, this model has a quicker rate of acceleration, increased response rail-to-rail, and more drive when pushing through turns due to the tail contours. This model is exclusively available in Dark Arts Carbon technology. "I've definitely thinned out the rail volume than any of my other designs," stated Daniel, accounting for the nuances of Carbon and Kevlar materials in surfboard performance; thinner rails accommodate the increased level of sensitivity and eases one's ability to sink the rail during tight maneuvers in the pocket.
Whether in San Diego or the Sunshine Coast, Dark Arts technology will soon find greater accessibility thanks to a new partnership forming between Lucid Glassing.
"Guys want them down here… so it'll be great to offer these in AUS to local customers,"-DT
Dark Arts is stoked for the big things coming up in the fall with new partners, new boards, and geographically wider availability. We can't wait to get some of these new El Tomo Performance models out in the water, and we hope you'll grab one for yourself to discover why Stu couldn't give it back.
