Hello, i have a tomo evo too, it an helium tech 5'9 20'5 37'5l for 88kilos surfer. It a magic board maybe too magic, you dont have to pump or to pump a lot to generate speed and as you said it keep speed pretty well tru manoeuver. I used mb large as a quad which work flawlessly with this board. The helium tech give you a big avantage as it more sturdy than lft but even better since it light , it like having more volume ! One other weird thing i noticed , the board doesnt catch wind like other board. When i choosed the board i wanted a daily driver, but the evo is not that ! Exactly like you, the board not made to be surfed above overhead despsite the fantasy wave range in fw website, the issue is take off with the tail (slingshoot) and rail doesnt bite enough the wave which result in no hold. The outline make it more oriented toward groveller but if i remember on fw its not on groveller type, best wave range for my volume was from 1m to 1,50m. As you noticed the width of the board is really thin which make it manoeuvrable and truely not groveller width. The most important point is, everywhere you hear this board is made to be ridden short as possible, there is one true reason for that... The master shape was made on smaller dims i suspect something around 5'5 , watch what size daniel thompson riding and you will figure it out. The further you scale up and away from master shape the crappiest the board will become, starting with bigger rail, width preventing manoeuvrability and so on. That is why it's sometime important to find a brand that make master on big guy (thanks lost) making you riding what the shaper envisionned for his board.
Great review! I’m 6’3 220 pounds and live in San Diego with mostly small to medium sized surf. I think my EVO is similar size/volume and I ride it as a thruster with super loose Futures Craig Anderson pivot fins. In my experience, it’s actually been a good groveler here, very fast, fun & loose. I’ve even pulled a couple frontside 360’s on it. However, once the faces are 5 foot plus, I’ve had that snub nose catch on me a few times both frontside and backside. I call it “the cure for the common longboard!” A must have in any big guy’s quiver
I think you're right about the foot positioning having that effect in the small weak stuff. When I surf my 6 foot foamie I need to have rear foot way further forward if the waves don't have a lot of power, due to the amount of board upfront. I imagine that if you put yourself out forward a bit you'd be able to get quite a bit of speed.
Thanks getting in touch and sorry for the late response. I've just seen this and I'm not sure that i was getting notifications on comments. Yeah, I'm only surfing shorter boards for grovel conditions recently and try and keep all boards (relatively) short until waves get well overhead.
I am on my third evo. I'm 90kg. Started with a 6'0. Too thick. 5'11 way better but I felt I could go a fraction smaller. Now on a 5'10. Absolutely magic, and now goes fully vertical. For you I would suggest trying a 6'0, or if you can get away with it...5'11, which is still 40 litres. If you want higher performance, try a 6'0 cymatic.
Yeah, it definitely felt like I could come way down to at least 5'11. I guess that just shows, sometimes less volume can be good. Especially in a board that is designed to be ridden short
Would be interesting if you took a 5,11 out or maybe a 5,9 I’ve heard to get the these to fly like they do you need to go slightly lower volume than you normally would to get them to sit in the water and not push it along
Yeah it’s not a paddling machine like many say. I own an FW evo, FW greedy beaver, and a FW el fuego and the short board/hybrid looking el fuego outdoes them all in terms of early entry into the wave and an early pop up. And to me, early pop up is everything is tiny surf because you can dictate terms easier once your up and are less likely to have the pocket of the wave pass you by as you glide along hoping the GB or evo find that carry feeling that indicates your good to pop up. The difference is rocker. Side by side the el fuego is by far the flattest, but I’ve surfed it and it’s held in 4-6 foot surf - it’s the closest thing I’ve ever come to a one board quiver. Having said that I’m persisting with the GB and evo just to see where they shine/fit. But for me, the evo seems like it would suit fast waves with close out sections that other boards just wouldn’t make.
I dont know anything about this board but when you flip it upside down it looks, to my eye, to have a fair bit of rocker (especially for a board that is short in length) So its not going to be a good board in small flat waves and its not going to generate speed in those waves without rider input. Just my two uneducated cents.
Thanks getting in touch and sorry for the late response. I've just seen this and I'm not sure that i was getting notifications on comments. I would agree. I think that it has been designed as more of a daily driver for average conditions. I would have been interested in trying out a smaller one. I bet it would have gone loads better.
i do like evo a lot im 190cm 93kg a nd i surf 6ft evo but i m planning to sell it and get 5.11 or 5.10 , oversize evo doesnt unleash real potential of this board we should ride it at lowest end of our volume range , i might wait for REVO new more refine version of Evo , thiner and longer rails less thickness . evo doesnt like to be oversize , its not groveler board as Chumlee, Chumlee is fantastic small wave fun board. evo works best in clean condition as thruster for me . maybe review on chumlee ? i do like it more then Baked poatato or sweet potato , even if you oversize it it will performer very well because of the thinner rails and deep double concave and more rocker but it’s still able to catch anything more then longboard i have
I'm just seeing your comments. Sorry for the late response, I didn't get any notifications! Interesting that it catches anything as well as a longboard. Does it also maintain / generate speed well?
Big Guy Boards Surfboard Review update , my first evo was 6.2 sold after 3 months then bought 6 and then i lost over 10kg and now i have 5.10 i can even go for smaller but... my experience with EVO is ... bigger you get it worst it’s preform it’s not easy to put on rail sometimes , smaller you get its this board become magic board , catch anything but doesn’t grovel that well like proper groveller board i fix this with nice foil quad fins for smaller days i’m using Shapers S6 medium/large fins and this board shine , EVO need bit of power from wave , not size but power , i surf it as quad in small portuguese 2-3 ft beach break and it’s was super fun then week after i surf punchy 4-6ft croyde pow tide and EVO turn in to the speed boat, way too fast i had to change fins to large truster because it’s was way too fast as quad . and board turn in to magic , the think with Tomos Quad in side Single concave is generating lift and hold that’s why oversize board and wrong fins doesn’t work that well , but when you nail size and right fins this board is fun :) i bought hydroshort ...that’s magic daily driver :) speed performance and super zippy feeling
@@ABean333 89kg +/- 2kg , people who claim this board need to be ridden in lowest volume range are right, because of the Helium tech and parallel outline and quad inside single concave this board paddle very well and feel like much bigger board , i can even ride it smaller ... up rights fins works better then rake fins in smaller waves ,
Matus Kicka Thank You! I weigh 95-96 kg and wear a 5/4 in the winter and 3/2 in the summer. I have a 6’0 on order, but considering changing to 5’11. That would drop 2.5 liters. You think I should drop to 5’11?
I'm really interested in that as a grovel board. It's definately on the list. What sort of wave range does it work in? What's the smallest waves that it will go in?
Hi Scott. First of all, love what you're doing. Keep it up. Second, i'm surfing a longboard. 9'2 23 3 2/3. Been thinking about switching to a shortboard and have my eyes on the Firewire Baked potato. Wanna know if thats a good board? i weight about 110 kg and is a okay surfer. Surf mostly on the weekends. Thanks
Thanks for the positive feedback. Yeah, baked potato would be a good transition from a long board. You will need a lot of volume due to your weight and the fact that you are transitioning from longboard. I'd rcommend the 6'3
Being that I'm 65 years old I don't like hearing about how many liters a board is. I want to know the width in the center of the board and the width 12 inches up from the tail and the width 12 inches down from the nose. Then I want to know how thick the board is. I don't think surfers asked Dick Brewer, Rusty, Al Merrick, etc... how many liters is this surfboard that you're hand shaping.
Thanks getting in touch and sorry for the late response. I've just seen this and I'm not sure that i was getting notifications on comments. I have given volume a lot of thought and experimentation. I generally use a volume calculator as a starting point, and then adjust according to several factors. I consider a lot of the points you make when selecting the size of a board. What are you looking for with board dims out of interest? How well it paddles / generates and maintains speed / overall performance?
If you are a back foot surfer and dont want to shuffle for speed you need to be looking at wide point back boards especially in weak waves. These can be a bit harder to paddle but better for speed generation if you are always on the tail pad. Old school designs like the lazer zap is an extreme but there are more modern versions of a similar idea out there. If you are 5'11 and back footed you shouldnt really be on anything over your height for average waves in length.
Thanks for the advice. Do you have experience shaping? Quite tricky to find anything around my height with volume I need. Generally end up with too much width and / or thickness. Been interested in the Firewire shapes with wide tail - chumlee / sweet potato. We have a big guy surfing forum on Facebook. 'big guy boards forum' a lot of people on there would value your input.
Hello, i have a tomo evo too, it an helium tech 5'9 20'5 37'5l for 88kilos surfer. It a magic board maybe too magic, you dont have to pump or to pump a lot to generate speed and as you said it keep speed pretty well tru manoeuver. I used mb large as a quad which work flawlessly with this board. The helium tech give you a big avantage as it more sturdy than lft but even better since it light , it like having more volume ! One other weird thing i noticed , the board doesnt catch wind like other board. When i choosed the board i wanted a daily driver, but the evo is not that ! Exactly like you, the board not made to be surfed above overhead despsite the fantasy wave range in fw website, the issue is take off with the tail (slingshoot) and rail doesnt bite enough the wave which result in no hold. The outline make it more oriented toward groveller but if i remember on fw its not on groveller type, best wave range for my volume was from 1m to 1,50m.
As you noticed the width of the board is really thin which make it manoeuvrable and truely not groveller width.
The most important point is, everywhere you hear this board is made to be ridden short as possible, there is one true reason for that... The master shape was made on smaller dims i suspect something around 5'5 , watch what size daniel thompson riding and you will figure it out. The further you scale up and away from master shape the crappiest the board will become, starting with bigger rail, width preventing manoeuvrability and so on. That is why it's sometime important to find a brand that make master on big guy (thanks lost) making you riding what the shaper envisionned for his board.
Yeah, couldn't agree more about getting boards specifically designed to be high volume.
Great review! I’m 6’3 220 pounds and live in San Diego with mostly small to medium sized surf. I think my EVO is similar size/volume and I ride it as a thruster with super loose Futures Craig Anderson pivot fins. In my experience, it’s actually been a good groveler here, very fast, fun & loose. I’ve even pulled a couple frontside 360’s on it. However, once the faces are 5 foot plus, I’ve had that snub nose catch on me a few times both frontside and backside. I call it “the cure for the common longboard!” A must have in any big guy’s quiver
Thanks. Sounds like your having a blast on your Evo. Glad its working for you.
I think you're right about the foot positioning having that effect in the small weak stuff. When I surf my 6 foot foamie I need to have rear foot way further forward if the waves don't have a lot of power, due to the amount of board upfront. I imagine that if you put yourself out forward a bit you'd be able to get quite a bit of speed.
Thanks getting in touch and sorry for the late response. I've just seen this and I'm not sure that i was getting notifications on comments.
Yeah, I'm only surfing shorter boards for grovel conditions recently and try and keep all boards (relatively) short until waves get well overhead.
I am on my third evo. I'm 90kg. Started with a 6'0. Too thick. 5'11 way better but I felt I could go a fraction smaller. Now on a 5'10. Absolutely magic, and now goes fully vertical. For you I would suggest trying a 6'0, or if you can get away with it...5'11, which is still 40 litres. If you want higher performance, try a 6'0 cymatic.
Yeah, it definitely felt like I could come way down to at least 5'11.
I guess that just shows, sometimes less volume can be good. Especially in a board that is designed to be ridden short
@@BigGuyBoardsSurfshop Yep Dan Tomo said ride the evo as short as you can go and still have it float you.
@@JBOsurf I'll see if I can get my hands on a smaller one. I could definately feel potential on the one I was on
Would be interesting if you took a 5,11 out or maybe a 5,9 I’ve heard to get the these to fly like they do you need to go slightly lower volume than you normally would to get them to sit in the water and not push it along
Yes, It did feel as though I could drop a few litres.
Yeah it’s not a paddling machine like many say. I own an FW evo, FW greedy beaver, and a FW el fuego and the short board/hybrid looking el fuego outdoes them all in terms of early entry into the wave and an early pop up. And to me, early pop up is everything is tiny surf because you can dictate terms easier once your up and are less likely to have the pocket of the wave pass you by as you glide along hoping the GB or evo find that carry feeling that indicates your good to pop up. The difference is rocker. Side by side the el fuego is by far the flattest, but I’ve surfed it and it’s held in 4-6 foot surf - it’s the closest thing I’ve ever come to a one board quiver. Having said that I’m persisting with the GB and evo just to see where they shine/fit. But for me, the evo seems like it would suit fast waves with close out sections that other boards just wouldn’t make.
El Fuego was the best board I should never have sold! What was I thinking??? Glad you’re enjoying yours.
Thanks!
I dont know anything about this board but when you flip it upside down it looks, to my eye, to have a fair bit of rocker (especially for a board that is short in length) So its not going to be a good board in small flat waves and its not going to generate speed in those waves without rider input. Just my two uneducated cents.
Thanks getting in touch and sorry for the late response. I've just seen this and I'm not sure that i was getting notifications on comments.
I would agree. I think that it has been designed as more of a daily driver for average conditions. I would have been interested in trying out a smaller one. I bet it would have gone loads better.
i do like evo a lot im 190cm 93kg a nd i surf 6ft evo but i m planning to sell it and get 5.11 or 5.10 , oversize evo doesnt unleash real potential of this board we should ride it at lowest end of our volume range , i might wait for REVO new more refine version of Evo , thiner and longer rails less thickness . evo doesnt like to be oversize , its not groveler board as Chumlee, Chumlee is fantastic small wave fun board. evo works best in clean condition as thruster for me . maybe review on chumlee ? i do like it more then Baked poatato or sweet potato , even if you oversize it it will performer very well because of the thinner rails and deep double concave and more rocker but it’s still able to catch anything more then longboard i have
I'm just seeing your comments. Sorry for the late response, I didn't get any notifications!
Interesting that it catches anything as well as a longboard. Does it also maintain / generate speed well?
Big Guy Boards Surfboard Review update , my first evo was 6.2 sold after 3 months then bought 6 and then i lost over 10kg and now i have 5.10 i can even go for smaller but... my experience with EVO is ... bigger you get it worst it’s preform it’s not easy to put on rail sometimes , smaller you get its this board become magic board , catch anything but doesn’t grovel that well like proper groveller board i fix this with nice foil quad fins for smaller days i’m using Shapers S6 medium/large fins and this board shine , EVO need bit of power from wave , not size but power , i surf it as quad in small portuguese 2-3 ft beach break and it’s was super fun then week after i surf punchy 4-6ft croyde pow tide and EVO turn in to the speed boat, way too fast i had to change fins to large truster because it’s was way too fast as quad . and board turn in to magic , the think with Tomos Quad in side Single concave is generating lift and hold that’s why oversize board and wrong fins doesn’t work that well , but when you nail size and right fins this board is fun :) i bought hydroshort ...that’s magic daily driver :) speed performance and super zippy feeling
Matus Kicka how much do you weigh now that you are going down to 5’10?
@@ABean333 89kg +/- 2kg , people who claim this board need to be ridden in lowest volume range are right, because of the Helium tech and parallel outline and quad inside single concave this board paddle very well and feel like much bigger board , i can even ride it smaller ... up rights fins works better then rake fins in smaller waves ,
Matus Kicka Thank You! I weigh 95-96 kg and wear a 5/4 in the winter and 3/2 in the summer. I have a 6’0 on order, but considering changing to 5’11. That would drop 2.5 liters. You think I should drop to 5’11?
Can you review a FireWire baked potato? I have one, it’s 5”11 and 47l your opinion would be interesting!
I'm really interested in that as a grovel board. It's definately on the list. What sort of wave range does it work in? What's the smallest waves that it will go in?
Big Guy Boards Surfboard Review I’ve used it in 2ft up to 6ft. Super fun board! Really fast
Hi Scott. First of all, love what you're doing. Keep it up. Second, i'm surfing a longboard. 9'2 23 3 2/3. Been thinking about switching to a shortboard and have my eyes on the Firewire Baked potato. Wanna know if thats a good board? i weight about 110 kg and is a okay surfer. Surf mostly on the weekends. Thanks
Thanks for the positive feedback. Yeah, baked potato would be a good transition from a long board. You will need a lot of volume due to your weight and the fact that you are transitioning from longboard. I'd rcommend the 6'3
Being that I'm 65 years old I don't like hearing about how many liters a board is. I want to know the width in the center of the board and the width 12 inches up from the tail and the width 12 inches down from the nose. Then I want to know how thick the board is. I don't think surfers asked Dick Brewer, Rusty, Al Merrick, etc... how many liters is this surfboard that you're hand shaping.
Thanks getting in touch and sorry for the late response. I've just seen this and I'm not sure that i was getting notifications on comments.
I have given volume a lot of thought and experimentation. I generally use a volume calculator as a starting point, and then adjust according to several factors. I consider a lot of the points you make when selecting the size of a board. What are you looking for with board dims out of interest? How well it paddles / generates and maintains speed / overall performance?
I agree.
If you are a back foot surfer and dont want to shuffle for speed you need to be looking at wide point back boards especially in weak waves. These can be a bit harder to paddle but better for speed generation if you are always on the tail pad. Old school designs like the lazer zap is an extreme but there are more modern versions of a similar idea out there. If you are 5'11 and back footed you shouldnt really be on anything over your height for average waves in length.
Thanks for the advice. Do you have experience shaping?
Quite tricky to find anything around my height with volume I need. Generally end up with too much width and / or thickness. Been interested in the Firewire shapes with wide tail - chumlee / sweet potato.
We have a big guy surfing forum on Facebook. 'big guy boards forum' a lot of people on there would value your input.
@@BigGuyBoardsSurfshop dominator 2 is the board.
Thruster set up in the small stuff mate goes heaps better
OK. Thanks for the advice. It's amazing what difference fin set up makes sometimes