Introducing Tomo SKX

Daniel 'Tomo' Thomson with the SKX © Steve Sherman.

"My philosophy with a lot of my designs is that at ground level, every board should work well in crappy conditions. The SKX also works well in the conditions I designed it for, which is more of an unruly ocean where a planning hull, a wide tail, might be too much lift and speed. With the SKX, the channel out the squash tail will give a little more control in those situations." – Daniel Thomson.

Many compare the SKX to the Sci-Fi, which is fair – they do share similar design elements. But they really are two separate boards for different wave conditions.

The Sci-Fi has a wider tail which makes it feel most exciting in flatter faced waves. The sort of waves that Daniel refers to as ‘low power situations‘. But the same tail width that helps in the Sci-Fi weak waves can possibly lead to a sort of ‘red lining’ in the steep waves. With the more pulled and narrow squash tail design of the SKX, it may feel tamer in the sort of barrels seen in the clip below.

In fact, the entire outline of the SKX is narrower than the Sci-Fi. The SKX also has more tail rocker as seen below.

Quad Inside Single Concave

The Quad Inside Single Concave (QISC) that has added so much to the Evo and Sci-Fi is also featured on the SKX. QISC was developed initially for Tomo’s Modern Planing Hull designs and introduced firstly on the EVO, before becoming one of the key performance elements of the Sci-Fi, and now the SKX. The QISC is not your normal channel bottom, as Daniel Explains:

“A regular channel might feel more trackey and drivey, whereas the QISC enhances speed and promotes detachment from the water until the board is on-rail. At that point, it really grips into the wave like a channel bottom. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Performance aside, the feeling that surfers of any skill level will notice most about this unique approach to channel design is the ‘get-up and go’ sensation it provides the moment you get to your feet.

Stuart Kennedy's Dimensions & Sizing Recommendation

Stu’s dimensions are the same as the stock 5’ 8" version: 5' 8" x 18 5/8" x 2 5/16" with 25.8 litres of volume.

Stu is 5’ 9" and weighs about 160 pounds (73 Kg), so if you’re a good surfer, you can plan on surfing the SKX at about your height or an inch shorter. But the relatively narrow outline of the SKX (without much width placed forward of the boards center-point) will let you get away with surfing it up to about 2 inches longer than your height if needed, to get the volume you want.

For perspective, Stu surfs his Sci-Fi at stock 5’ 7" dimensions, one inch shorter than his SKX.

Breaking Down The SKX