Loco Unveils 2016 SUP Range
Loco Unveils 2016 SUP Range - As many of you might have already seen in some of the SUP magazines, R&D continues to be relentless at the Asylum so we’re very proud to unveil our latest creations for 2016 which are now available to pre-order for September/October delivery for individuals, shops, schools and hire centres. With enhanced courier services we can now delivery boards anywhere in the world relatively inexpensively.
That said, we’ll pass you over to boss man Joey T for the low down on what’s new for the coming season….
Loco Unveils 2016 SUP Range
Loco Unveils 2016 SUP Range - After almost four years of running with our our bright monochrome colours and our classic wood construction it was felt that the Loco aesthetic was in desperate need of an update. Having been the first brand to offer a full wood veneer look we’ve seen lots of other brands copy this finish over the last couple of years with varying degrees of success so we’ve completely refined our look at the same time as optimising constructions so that our boards are comparable in weights to the very best brands out there.
The Amigo Range
The Amigo line effectively replaces the old all-rounders. Loco Unveils 2016 SUP Range - Despite it’s competitive successes we’ve retired the 8’11” as most beginners want something 9’5”-11′ in length and reasonably wide for their first attempts and research suggests that intermediates are moving on to shorter and fatter or more surfboard inspired shapes as progression boards, which we’re well placed to offer in our other ranges.
The range has been given a new paint job with blue and green being the standard colour-way with the option to pre-order purple and green for anyone wanting something a little bit different. We like to think the purple will appeal more to ladies but initial interest would suggest the purple is just as popular with the guys too! The construction has been optimised using a lighter EPS core and a clever bamboo sandwich lay up which means the boards will be lightweight and durable. We’ve also decided to incorporate a mast track as standard so the Amigo can be used as a WindSUP as well as offering perfect all-round performance in paddle mode.
Sizes:
9’5” x 31” at 155L / 9’11” x 32” at 175L / 10’5” x 34” at 200L
El Toro Range
Our increasingly popular Short SUPs have been re-branded El Toro and given a design overhaul. Customer feedback suggested people really liked our carbon rail finish we we’ve carried this through all of our progression shapes this season. Once again the standard construction is lightweight EPS with bamboo sandwich for lightweight durability and for those weight obsessed customers we now have a premium carbon construction which typically delivers a board 1-2kg lighter than it is long!!
This is the third season for our short SUPs as they continue to make waves with progressive riders throughout Europe. Forget lifeless door shapes and rocker-less also rans these boards simply out-perform anything else on the market in small to medium sized waves. The dimensions and volumes have been carefully honed for European conditions making them easy to balance on while at the same time feel fast underfoot and make the most radical or turns in often far from ideal conditions. We’ve changed the hull dynamics slightly for 2016 offering a flatter section through the middle to make for easier entry and the lighter constructions certainly make for better response. Unlike many boards of this style the El Toro doesn’t top out in head high surf which means it’s a great travel SUP being compact and light. These boards double up perfectly as entry level SUPs for wives and children so there’s no better excuses to have a two board Loco quiver in 2016!
Sizes:
7’4” x 28” at 100L / 7’10” x 29” at 115L / 8’4” x 30.5” at 140L
Inca Range
After trialling a 10′ nose rider in 2015 we found that this shape proved popular with old school surfers coming across to SUP and also customers on the South Coast where waves were largely small or less powerful which necessitated a longer water line to scratch into said grovellers. For 2016 we’ve decided to change the tail shape to a diamond and add more of a spoon nose to the hull so those stylised hang 10 moments can be maxed out! Alongside the 10′ we’ve added a new 11′ to the range and plan to offer a 9′ for ladies once testing results are back in! The board has been given a fresh look with a beautiful printed cloth inlay on the hull to compliment it’s dark wood deck and funky new pad which echoes the tribal mask design we have featured in the cloth pattern. This board is certainly a show stopper and is attracting lots of international interest!
Sizes:
10′ x 29” at 145L / 11′ x 30” at 165L
El Diablo Range
The new El Diablo range replaces the old Comp Pro boards. For 2016 we’ve erred towards the popular carbon railed aesthetic from last season but added a skull graphic to make the design pop and replaced the 3/4 deck pad with a kick tail to save some weight. The boards are available in the bamboo/epoxy sandwich and our premium carbon construction and are now supplied with 5 fin boxes as standard. We’ve also spent time optimising fin configuration and now have our own high quality branded fins which can be used seamlessly in conjunction with K4 Fins or work great by themselves.
Similarly the El Diablo has had some subtle tweaks to the hull dynamics which offer improved glide. The 7’2”, 8’9” have been completely reworked and the new 9’2” will provide some options for the heavier shredder or intermediate set on having a performance driven shape that doesn’t throw them off soon at the onshore breeze picks up. These boards are a firm favourite with Loco’s team of riders for good reason.
Sizes:
7’2” x 26.5” at 82L / 7’9” x 27.25” at 94L / 8’2” x 28.5” at 111L / 8’9” x 30.25” at 124L / 9’2” x 31” at 137L
The Aztec Range
The Aztec has been a shape Joe has had in his mind for about 18 months taking inspiration largely from some parabolic railed boards coming out of Spain which went on to become Firewire’s new Cornice surfboard. The concept comes from other sliding sports such as snowboarding with the idea being that the concave rail actually optimises grip through the turns. Now fuse that with a short, stubby, relatively flat-rockered SUP with an MPH style hull channel and you have a radical compact SUP perfect for throwing around in small to medium sized surf.
These boards are set to delight progressive riders all over the world with their show stopper aesthetic taking its influences from the statues on Easter Island. As with all our progression boards the Aztec comes with 5 fin boxes as standard and is available in bamboo/epoxy with carbon rails or our featherweight carbon construction for the aficionados. Riders will be surprised just how small they can go with these boards! The wide tails mean that the Aztec’s defy what was thought possible. Say goodbye to the roof rack these game changers will fit in a small hatchback and will have you grinning ear to ear from your very first session!
Sizes:
7’1” x 26.5” at 100L / 7’7” x 28.5” at 125L / 8’1” x 30.5” at 135L
The Motion Race Board Range
The Motion range builds on last year’s Pro Race shape which performed exceptionally well as an all-round racer but feedback did suggest it seemed to have a little bit too much rocker for racing on flat water (where most of the UK races takes place). Consequently we’ve kept the good elements such as the piercing bulbous nose, quick release tail shape and matt paint but have spent time refining the rocker-line to make sure the 2016 versions are just as competitive on flat water as they are in BOP style racing environments.
As you can see from the designs we’ve moved away from the brushed carbon look as feedback suggested they looked a bit scruffy and with every other brand flocking to brushed carbon we decided to rework the whole dynamic. The Motion name, as in Locomoti0n, draws on Joe’s North East heritage with Stephenson’s Rocket being the first ever train service from Stockton to Darlington! Less sold on the locomotive look from back then we decided to take inspiration from the Japanese bullet trains which is particularly noticeable on the rails of the board and looks amazing careering through the water at speed!
A real win from last season was the weight of the Pro Race boards coming in at around 9kgs in 12”6” and 9.5kgs in 14′ in the carbon constructions. We’ll be using this construction again this year but will also be testing a new construction that boasts somewhere in the 6-7kg range for 12’6”!! Those less bothered about ultimate speed or race results can access the shape in slightly detuned (wider) versions finished in beautiful dark wood with gold rails for that premium finish. We’re also proud to announce that we’re the first brand to bring to market a kids production race board in 10’6” x 24” which will offer junior racers a performance-driven alternative to iSUPs and will be much more weight relevant than simply borrowing Dad’s old board. These boards are already attracting a lot of interest in Europe and are only available on pre-order so make sure you get yours in earlier!
Loco Paddles
Having been one of the first UK brands to offer our own branded paddles the last couple of seasons has seen quite a following. We’ve seen a lot of large retailers packaging up $20 specials as FREE paddles to hit a price point but this isn’t what Loco is about. Our adjustable half carbon Amigo paddles weigh in at under 600g which is lighter than most of the budget full carbon paddles you get on eBay.
Our performance Pro carbon paddles have been simplified for 2016. We’ve decided to lose the beaver tail carbon wave and err towards the lighter and more durable QB-style, adopting a standard blade shape but offering it in a range of sizes for different size riders. The paddles weigh in at less than 500g making them an affordable alternative to many of the premium brands available with quality being compromised.
Loco Fins
After running with ‘factory fins’ for the last few seasons we’ve always offering K4 Fins as affordable performance upgrades with our boards. That said, customer feedback suggested that most people wanted a decent set of fins providing as standard so we’ve listened and are now proud to unveil our range of fins for the forthcoming season. At the price point end we have a fibreglass honeycomb fin and at the premium end we now have a fibreglass /carbon mix set of fins to reduce weight and increase performance. We’ve also designed some beautiful wood veneer inay fins for our Inca and Motion ranges to complement their wooden decks.
We think everyone will agree the new designs and improved constructions certainly cement Loco as a premium player in the SUP market and there is no better time to pre-order your new Loco. More over end consumers can enjoy 10% saving on bamboo/epoxy constructions and 15% on premium carbon by getting in their orders now!
Better still you’ll be one of the first people to have a 2016 Loco and they will land just in time for the best of our European swell.
UK Retailers & SUP Schools
We’ve seen more and more interest from retailers this season so we’re now looking to work with a small number of retailers in specific SUP hot spots. Having seen shops fighting it out with price cuts and bundling sub standard accessories to tempt customers to ‘buy it now’ we’d ask retailers the question ‘How many Starboards etc do you actually sell at full margin?’ We want to protect your margins and simply won’t supply shops who slash prices just to bag a sale. We’re looking for motivated SUP shops, schools and hire centres to get in touch to discuss what they can bring to the party. We ask for a minimum of a 3 x demo board commitment to open a trade account and in return we’ll offer them a one off improved margin so that they won’t lose any money when they come to selling the boards on next year.
International Distributors & Large Foreign Hire Centres
The word is definitely out that Loco is the brand to watch for all things Loco Unveils 2016 SUP Range, Surf and Kite with an unrivalled number of foreign enquiries coming in over the last few months. With trusted production and some excellent margins there is no better time to think about distributing Loco in your country or stocking your water sports holiday business with a range of Loco Unveils 2016 SUP Range.
Stay tuned for our surfboard and kite ranges that will be unveiled in the next couple of days…
For more information about pre-orders, retail and school partnerships or foreign distribution please contact Joe directly on +44 191 4206921 / +44 7779 127230 / info@loco-sup.com
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