rodndtube.com's (OLD) MyPaipoBoards Forums. Reading but no posting on the OLD forums.

[paiposurfer]

Well, everyone else get's their day out there in terms of contests. I thought of a benefit contest , no Prize Money, and couple it with over 45 years old stand up surfers in the line up with the piapo surfers. contest spectators would be asked only to make a donation to some worthy cause to be determined by locals. I think it would be kind of cool. a super casual bbq type experience, families and friends at ehukai, one day, not too big. I don't live on the island anymore, I'm in a small fishing village in southern japan these days. some surprisingly heavy and good waves, alas some heavy and not good tragedies as well. No one has seen a hard piapo here before and are intrigued by my MTD design boards. Once I got out in the surf over 3 foot here and started barreling along, zipping up and down the face, etc, people got excited. Just a thought, mahalo. ( I registered on this site over a year ago but never posted ) np

[kage]

I don't know about the islands but if you announced an over 45 standup contest here (santa cruz) that includes just about everyone in the water. Push it up to over 75 if you want a more reasonable number. On the other hand why not just paipos?
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No! it's not a f@cking boogie board.

[bgreen]

Paiposurfer,

What's a MTD design board? Also, do you know much about who was making the paipo boards in Newport in the late 60s to early 70s?

Bob

[paiposurfer]

bob, MTD is Mike Tuten design from sugar mill on north shore of oahu. I just begged him to make my boards for me, he normally is a shaper of very high end custom surfboards, including balsa and hardwood collector type boards. I doubt he will make any other piapo boards. Mine are not traditional wood board but are foam and glass. regarding foam and glass boards of the sixties and into the seventies, the main product was Newport Paipo, which I believe was connected to the old Con surfboard company, at least it was only Con shops that I knew of who sold them on any regular basis. Also for knee boards, it was at first El Paipo spoon (also at con), otherwise a lot of custom boards. I rode an El Paipo spoon which was an excellent board until I was about 15 years old and had a custom 5' board made to go faster and make wall waves better. Before I rode knee boards, it was Newport Paipo stub vector and we made our own boards. My brother made his own board we called the potato chip and one of my MTD boards is based on it. We also used plywood boards and warped them to create a little bit of a rocker in them. Wood paipos were sold at the Bay street surf shop(jeff ho) at santa monica beach as well, but we always made our own out of 1/2" marine grade plywood, varnished, with a handle (uneccesary really and might break your fingers). The wood boards we made were pear shaped like Paul Lindberg's glass paipos. I had one of Paul's boards, which was really good, but it was difficult for me to turn the way I wanted to . Still, when Paul said it was the fastest thing on a wave I think he might be right, I had a couple rides at ehukai on it where I have never gone faster I think. I wish I knew where Paul got the comfy black sponge foam that protects your ribs and makes waxing unnecessary. I think every slick paipo should have that stuff glued to the top in the proper manner, it is sooo comfortable and grippy!

There was not too many knee boards 5' at the time I had mine made in 1970. Ron Romanowski and George Greenough were my main inspirations back then for knee riding. that board is still around somewhere on the west side of oahu. It is tremendously fast, single fin. there is a truly expert knee rider on the north shore who surfs laniakea frequently and his board is 5'3", which is as long as you can go with those things if you still want to kick with fins. some guys have knee boards 6' long and don't really use their fins at all.

The boogie board or body board was invented to beat the black ball at SoCAl beaches , where after 10AM, surfing was supposed to stop for swimmers in pre leash, big board days. That is it's real origin and that is exactly how it was advertised back then. It was a soft toy to begin with (not like the good ones now), but still the flexibility and all that made it a gas in big close out beach break, etc. Then MIke Stewart showed everyone what was possible with it. I remember the first time I saw Mr. Stewart on TV riding big pipe and it seemed impossible what he was doing. You'd break your ribs on a paipo trying that. Still, I like finned boards that track and slice the water and can make long sections, currently I am riding my 46 inch board. You have to watch out for ball smash with board over 44", but the one I am riding now is just so fast and carves up and down the face effortlessly. 46" evens out choppy face better, but I must admit that a flexible body board kicks ass in lumpy surf that is still good shape. I ride body boards too and have some good ones from Mike Brown(oahu) and one I got my wife that is all folded now, but I really like it in gnarly shorebreak with good shape, etc. Paipos tend to fly a bit on lumpy faces . If you are going to have a finned foam and glass piapo made, be sure that the fin boxes or glassed in fins are parallel to the center line, no toe in thruster arrangement! Also fins must be symmetrically foiled, otherwise you get drag and cavitation in the tail. a very small venturi channel down the center (almost imperceptible) works well for me, as per MTD advice. But I like the more rad concept of tri hull shapes that are being made on the big island, I think they might even out lumpy faces in addition to giving some great speed on a solid wave. Riding these things is not easy, you have to have strong ribs, wear leg leash . Have fun out there.

[bgreen]

Thanks. If you get a chance why not post up some photos of your board on the new paipo forum when Rod has it operational.

Thanks for Newport info. There were at least 5-6 paipo manufacturers from Newport. Who owned and shaped these boards is a bit of a mystery. I suspect there were a few ghost shapers and companies that cashed in on the 'paipo' name.

Speaking of Santa Monica have you seen the interview with Wes Humpton - http://mypaipoboards.org/interviews/WesHumpston/Wes_Humpston_2009-1031.shtml

I think there is a real art to riding Paul's board and you need a certain type of wave.

Bob