Tabou 2011 - The final bliss
Traversa, Williams, Mussolini, Bordes, Scheffers, Dagan, Arrighetti, Nagoshi are all names that shake fear into their competitors.
Fabien Vollenweider does the same with his design work. His competition is every rider in the world. Any one that sets foot on a Tabou board can tell you that he is a winner, a champion at the top of his shaping game. Constantly on the edge, striving to outclass the competition Fabien is a real world competitor much like each and every one of our International Team Riders in search of a World Title. The ultimate proof lies in the satisfaction of knowing that every Team Rider uses Fabien’s original shapes that sits in every shop in the world that have the privilege to represent Tabou boards!
When you ride the boards, you will find that feeling of pride and perfection that goes deep down to the core of what Fabien stands for: Excellence, Commitment, Heart, Soul, Passion, Blood, Sweat and Happiness. Riding a Tabou board is no longer just an advantage; it is a Cultural Experience that puts you in a world of your own.
For 2011, we are proud to introduce our most technologically advanced range of boards ever. Each and every single model that is here for you has been tested time and time again, proven to be a winner in all arenas. The revolutionized graphics shine proud and represent the time, energy and love that have gone into this years Tabou boards.
interview with Tabou shaper
Fabien Vollenweider
Hello Fabien, you developed the Slot Box system and some of the 2011 boards will already be with this fin system.
What is the idea behind it?
It is a super light and functional finbox system allowing for slight adjustments and a huge weight savings over
conventional boxes. The new Slot Box uses two side screws to lock the fin in place. Once tightened, the fins
will not move. The screw heads are the same as your footstrap screws so no additional tools are required, you
can make easy adjustments and dial in the setting that works best for your conditions.
A normal box is in the 300 gram range while the new Slot Box comes in at less than 80 grams.
I gave the rights to any and all brands to use this system free of charge. I believe this is the best system to use
for multi fin boards- it is simple, light, strong and proven. If every brand has to come up with their own design,
everybody will suffer- fin manufacturers and mostly the consumer!
The Slot Box system allows for your old fins to fit right in. Take out the pin and trim down the base and you
can use your old trusty fins for years to come.
Da Curve Team, Pocket (side fins) and Twister will come with the Slot Box system for 2011.
There is more attention on the fins in the last
seasons, how about the Da Curve boards for 2011?
We have been working a lot with Thomas and
Alex on the Da Curve Team Twinzer (4 fins) set
up. We worked on the thickness, shape outline
and size fitting together and we have proven
the sizes with the other guys on the team
for different weights and board sizes. Cedric
Bordes is our head tester and he coordinates
all of this. I think we have the perfect fin size
for each board based on what different sized
people are going to be using.
The 4 fin set up gives more grip than the
Twin Fin going upwind but also a much more
carvy ability to the board in bottom turns and
especially the top turn. You can trim your board
a lot with the twinzer set up. The more the
front and back fins are apart the more they have a locked in carvy feeling. The more the front and back fins are
close together the looser it is and can turn like a Twin Fin board.
Personally at my home spot - side on shore - I sail them close together to be able to make those old style top
turns when I need to. You can also use the boards as Twin Fin - the back fins are about same position as a twin
fin board. Then you will get the loose feeling of the twin. But honestly when you have tried all the advantage
of the Da Curve Team in 4 fin set up you will not want to go back to Twin Fin.
The single fin Da Curve stay the same for 2010. They are a very easy and predictable board to ride so we have
kept them in the range for the rider that wants a board he will always be comfortable on! These boards get
planing fast, stay upwind and can carve perfect turns. They are a progressive “Classic” shape that work quite
well.
The 2011 Da Curve Team series has a very wide stance. What is the reason for this?
These boards are wider and shorter but keep the same size one foot off the tail to keep the rail-to-rail turns
fast. The rocker is also different and we added a mini flat at the tail for better water release. The bottom has
much more concave for better grip and speed in the curve of the wave. We also had to make the rail thicker to
balance the natural ability of the 4 fin set up to go on the rail in curve, this is to avoid to getting stuck in the
turn without speed.
The boards are made for those who want to have an aggressive carving style. With the new shapes and the 4
fin set up, you get an amazingly fast turning board. That’s also why our team asked to get a wider stance - to
be more stable and be able to balance more weight from front to back. This is helping them in all the new
maneuvers like Taka, 360 ….
We also have the 35° front fit option for the footstraps. This helps you to have the feet more in the center of
the board and gives you more power in the bottom turn in side shore condition.7
What about the 2011 Pockets?
We have tested the Pocket with Thrusters (3 fins) and find out the board is much more loose and didn’t loose
anything on planing. It was almost same speed even. That gave the board the range they were missing in
sideshore conditions. They are still onshore kings, but now have a better range in sideshore because of the
loose feeling added by the Thruster.
We didn’t move the back fin position so those who want to sail them in single can use the same fin as we were
providing in 2010. We still have them in our T-Lab line.
If you compare the 3 fins of the 2011 Pocket with the single fin of the last years Pocket it has way less area. How is it
possible that the board works so good with so different fin setups?
Last year on the Pocket 75 we had a 23 cm fin with an area 220 cm2
This year on the Pocket 75 has one 16cm .
fin that is 130cm2
plus two 10cm fin’s that are 60cm2
each, so 120cm2
for both. Total area of the 3 fin’s is
250cm2. So we have more area this year in fact but with different distribution. The area is less deep this give a
bit less lift to the board so a bit less top end speed. The total area is bigger so about same to get planing.
The area is less so it is easier to put the board on its rail and move rail to rail, less resistance of torque from
the fins.
When you are on the rail you get more grip because of the side fins so close to the rail. When you want to
make the board slide off the top it’s also easier to get the fin out of water by pulling your weight forward off
the board because they are shorter. The tuning of distance between front and back fins is like on the Twinzer.
Closer together feels looser, more far apart means you get more speed and better carvs without sliding out the
fins.
The Slalom riders still have the choice between the Manta and the Manta FR in 2011. What are the differences?
In 2011 some of the Manta & Manta FR are not the same shape’s.
The two new shapes ( Manta 69 & 79) that we bring to the Manta range will not be in the Manta FR- they will
keep the old shape that was more forgiving than the new shapes we developed for our pro race team.
For those who race they should use only the Manta’s with no question and only recreational slalomer’s or
people stepping up from freeride to slalom should use Manta FR.
The Manta FR are more comfortable with their big pads and more easy shapes in some sizes. And the Manta FR
boards have the inside strap positions for those stepping in to slalom from freeride.
SUP is getting more and more famous all over the world. what is the difference between the 3 sizes in the Tabou SUP
range?
On all our boards we did take special care to have a very easy gliding rocker and shape as we think that this
is very important, a bit like planing on a windsurf board!. This makes the board easy and entertaining. You will
not have any satisfaction if you feel that you are towing an anchor when you paddle.
11’2 » is for fitness, cruising and big guy’s surfing ( long board style)
10’2 » is a allrounder you can do some fitness/ cruising and you can also surf with it
9’2 » is a real surf machine.
There are two different constructions of each size. Which version do you recommend to the average rider?
SUP is wide open for everything right now. The different construction is more about how much performance
you want.
The TEC versions are perfect for schools and people who just want to enjoy the sport and don’t care about
weight too much. They are more durable too.
Somebody who is really into the sport and wants the best tool possible will go for the TWC version...
The weight and stiffness make a big performance difference.
We will see what comes next in this “young” sport; workout, race, wave, windsurfing... who knows. Our boards
are prepared for all of this...
So it´s actually possible to windsurf with the Tabou SUP´s?
Sure! All our boards have 2 inserts, so you can plug your mast in and go!
But let’s be honest they will not work to teach your girlfriend or kid’s to windsurf as good as a windsurfboard.
Without a dagger board they will always go more down wind., but for sure this is a fun alternative!