The board is the "Tomo" one in the line: the "Mob" (Moped in French).
Specs in www.gong-galaxy.com/magazine/pics/1-hour-4-boards/
Discussions about it (in French) is at: www.gongsup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=7607&sid=c5386edff908d46173a5d46cfb31f323
Compared to a "true" Tomo shape, the nose is a bit more pulled in (I love it, it paddles faster and does not feel cumbersome in tight turns like other square nose designs), and it is geared to mellow and imperfect waves, as it has a confortable main width. The original Tomo design by Dan Thomson is more geared for powerful waves.
Compared to my prototype in www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Gong-take-on-the-Tomo-concept/ the production is shorter, wider, and faster (less concave and rocker).
It is the longer version of the "One", which is geared for smaller waves, that you can see in:
That looks like a lot of fun. I would like to see him paddle out on that, or stand out the back - it looks so small!
It is surprisingly stable, at 30" 1/2 wide... plus the parallel rails help the paddling speed (less row).
In the first video, It was the first sessions of the guy (84kg, "speed85" on the Gong forum) after 8 months out of the water due to an injury...
interesting that he isn't paddling constantly to maintain speed on the wave like i see some of the local shorties do......but maybe a quite fast wave?
Nice music
Select to expand quoteGizzieNZ said..
interesting that he isn't paddling constantly to maintain speed on the wave like i see some of the local shorties do......but maybe a quite fast wave?
No, just that they both are good surfers, surfing also longboards (you can see a drop knee turn and some crosstepping in the first vid), so they prefer using the board than the paddle to gain speed: pumping turns, positioning close to the curl, going to the nose...
First vid is in the south of Brittany (Vendée), with slow waves due to a large continental shelf
Second is in Hossegor (Seignosse, actually), but on a day of small, short-period waves.
A lot of the "paddling constantly" SUPers do not read the wave and resort to paddle power rather than flowing (dancing?) with the wave... which is surfing is all about IMHO.
Plus, these boards are short, but they are nothing like the "world cup" shapes: they are wide and they have glide! (fast rocker). Small SUPs used in contest have no glide due to their narrowness and heavy rocker, and must be ridden in the most powerful parts of the wave, in a aggressive manner. When people buy small "pro" SUPs but do not have the technical level to surf them, they often resort to paddling on the wave... :-(
Nice video, really good surfing.... fun to watch!
I like the perspective of the mount, always good to see a different approach to the GoPro.
Really makes me wish I could get a hold of one in the US. Nobody is doing short sups for bigger guys quite like Gong is.
Select to expand quoteexiled said..
Really makes me wish I could get a hold of one in the US. Nobody is doing short sups for bigger guys quite like Gong is.
Actually, I think the Naish raptors are beginning to be somewhat close, and of course you have plenty of legendary custom shapers in the US.
Select to expand quotecolas said..exiled said..
Really makes me wish I could get a hold of one in the US. Nobody is doing short sups for bigger guys quite like Gong is.
Actually, I think the Naish raptors are beginning to be somewhat close, and of course you have plenty of legendary custom shapers in the US.
Also the Starboard Hyper Nut are pretty big volume boards.
Some of the new wave of tomo inspired designs are getting close. Its getting something like the 7'3x28 110L Fatal shaped that is hard. Making boards that are nearly 5 inches thick with working rails seems to be the challenge.
Select to expand quoteexiled said..
Some of the new wave of tomo inspired designs are getting close. Its getting something like the 7'3x28 110L Fatal shaped that is hard. Making boards that are nearly 5 inches thick with working rails seems to be the challenge.
Exactly.
Being able to "hide" the volume away from the rails, or even designing rails with volume that still work (provide as much hold and as little drag as possible) requires a lot of experience. And it also shows in the Tomo designs, if you want them to be fast & reactive despite the width.
I am glad Gong exists, otherwise at 100kg I would have been stuck with 9'+ boards for such a long time, glad to see other brands progressing. Diversity is vital for any ecosystem!
Yeah, its that skill with effectively building good rails on thick boards that a lot of shapers moving from surfboards to sups struggle with. Those with experience making sailboards do better, but even they start to balk at boards past 4 1/2 inches thick.
Gong has certainly been innovative for a while now. If the next generation of innovations they figure out includes international shipping I'm certainly interested. 
