Silly,
Thanks. Where did the inspiration for the design come from?
Bob
we found a dead stingray in pumicestone passage one day. used to paddle surfboards across to bribie. it was a stingray that made me want to do the deep double concave in the tail. i thought it would create more speed. put fins on so i could kneel and do carving turns as i didnt like the feel of spinning turns on morey boards. i could stand up surf it with moderate degree of success it was about 4 foot long i guess. ended up going back to standup as i started to ride this board standing up so my girlfriends sister tim hindley gave me a freeflight pintail single fin and went from there
Silly,
Thanks
Bob
Bob, there isn’t any paipo action going on in this area- very mainstream. There is knee boarders, from Neil Lukes influence. Generally I’m the only guy that’s surfing waves on something other than a standard surfboard / bodyboard. There used to be another bodysurfer but I haven’t seen him out for a few years! When I was a kid, I remember a lot more home made surf craft, and the old ply paipo (english style) was quite common the see in summer. I think Bodyboard prices changed the need to make your own.
Interestingly, my recent paipo / tray / handboard interest has been created by a shoulder injury that has made stand up surfing problematic, more so the flotation of surfboards/bodyboards causes a problem and the non-flotation- swim under the waves, flipper use, has become a better option. My mates note that in heavy beach breaks it takes me half the time to get out- via underwater- than anyone else. I have always used this when simply bodysurfing. That being said, I think you have to be prepared to work harder as a -low float / no float surfer.
Re: Paipo design. I think the paipo’s ability to do fast ‘highlines’ and sit in the pocket is one of the main attractions. The wide tail & straight rail /equal width boards allow the surfer to do this as a tapered in rail has you pointed more to the beach. The same thing the Alaia guys discovered, as well as longboard noseriders / parallel rails, etc. Given the boards short length and flex, it is easily manipulated, you don’t need to shape in much (or any) rail curve, for turning- like a surfboard. The first boards I made were surfboard inspired, and surfed Ok. Then I tried a tray and found that I could go faster and more parallel to the beach. I just need to make a larger board to trial these ideas more. However my tray experience helps me understand why those Hawiian Paipo have wide tails and straight rails. Also, If you look at a good bodysurfer you’ll see that they shape their bodies -curved away from the beach (parabolic curve - I think!) Opposite to the curve of a surfboard.
Tom.
BJ, the best youtube tray vid I’ve seen is ‘bodysurfing with trays’ by Dr Tray, and Nathan Oldfields - seaworthy - extra with ryan Heywood. This has a few good tray tubes. These vids highlight the tray better than the ‘fast and furious.’ Seaworhty also has CJ nelson getting a little tray tube in the intro montage. Of corse the ‘redwing’ bodysurfers / handboarders are freaks, and show that skill is the most important element! Tom
ps, sorry but I don’t know how to create the direct links!
I made this after seeing a tray-surf vid. I call it “The (guitar) Pick”. Its 2ft by 15inches with a deep double concave. Its very fast, but also highly manouverable! I can carve really deep cutbacks with it and not really lose much speed! SOOOOOO much fun!
[img_assist|nid=1048336|title=2ft "Pick" inspired by tray-surfers|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=480|height=640]
Tom,
Thanks for the info. Injury brings a few people to paipo, me included. In the paipo interviews I have been doing (posted on Rod Rogers site) I have been interested in the connection between body surfing and bellyboarding techniques.
The variety of paipo designs can be bewildering. Am working on one at present based on a template Larry Goddard sent me, though his boards are fibreglass and finned.
Surfed down your way a couple of times, but the lure of the surf coast and beyond usually draws me west if I make it to Vic.
regards
Bob
Hey Bj nice board! Once I’ve made my Paipo I’ll head over to your coast for a surf. I’ve also just realised that ‘speedneedle’ -Josh Dowling surfboards is an old mate of mine from art school, and he’s based on the west coast. So a few reasons to go west. 13th would be a good spot for a paipo session.
Yep, Bob the paipo variety is amazing. I guess this reflects that what a prone surfer wants from their board is simpler than a stand up (people would argue that point but…) ie: make drop, slot into pits, fang through fast sections, and that can be achieved from a wide range of means. Paipo turning is less important, it’s simply what you do to set up the fun bit, Stand up was a different value system in regard to turns, etc. But when the waves are good every surfing form regards tube riding the ultimate. In the end off the day, all you need to do to get the most out of surfing is to make the take off, ride fast across the wave / tube, and some kind of cut-back to stay in the wave, and set up tubes, etc.
Tom
Hi all, I just read here http://legendarysurfers.com/blog/2010/01/nc-bodyboarding-1907.html in the paragraph directly under the pic that "paipo" is an incorrect term and it should be called a KIOE.
Anyone know about this ?? Confirm / deny ??
Hey Tom MW...
You have an interesting range of wave-riding Ve-hickleys...
I've sent you an email...good to catch up.
Josh
Brett,
We’ve discussed the origins of the word paipo pretty thoroughly on Rod’s site. My understanding is that kioe does refer to a short board like a paipo. However, a word akin to paipo was in use prior to the 1960s according to research by John Clark. He has a book coming out on Hawaiian surifng traditions which I believe details all this. Wally Froiseth also had a pae po decal much earlier than the 60s.
regards
Bob
I am still searching out citations for kioe. It appears in Finney’s writings who culled it from Mary Pukui’s work,Pukui has mentioned that some terms for a surfboard may simply be regionalized versions of olo and alaia. As noted on the MyPaipoBoards website, paipo is the contemporary Hawaiian term used for a bodyboard even though it is not officially a word of record in any of the Hawaiian dictionaries. Nonetheless, kioe seems to be fair term for a small alaia (paipo/bodyboard) but may not be accurate until we learn more.
P.S. I like speed and tubes, but turning is also very important to my paipo riding. I really enjoy carving faces, sideslipping and such.
Yep, I didn’t word that great, of course turnings important (and really fun), but I guess I was just trying to make a distinction between the turning of a paipo rider as opposed to the variety of turns of a pro shortboarder. I hope that makes sense.
Viccos,
Hopefully in a couple of weeks I will have finished typing the interview and Rod can post it up, with a Winki/Bells bellyboarder from the 60s-70s.
A real interesting story,
Bob
Speaking of Viccos....
Someone ( ebay name of jaap_hoekstra ) in Grovedale, Victoria is selling a 2nd hand 3'8" wooden paipo on ebay.com.au for $1000.
Looks like an HPD copy. It says "Paipo by FARFON...Portsea" Item number 380196513515
[img_assist|nid=1048398|title=paipo ebay|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=0]
Its a bargain I reckon, where would you find people who know how to make paipos ??
Brett,
From the history I have been working on:
“After a 1964 trip to Hawaii, Jamie Farfor from Portsea built a mould to produce a ply paipo based on the Paipo Nui boards (commercially sold by Val Valentine though based on a design by John Waidelich and Jim Growney). Farfor estimated he sold about a 100 such boards that had slightly less lift than the original Valentine design. Resin over ply, there was an ‘economy’ model and a fabric covered model. The fabric made for a stiffer board (Farfor 2009).”
The Torgquay surfing museum has an example of a cloth covered one, which I have a photo of.
Hope you are feeling a bit better.
regards
Bob
The one on ebay has cloth on the bottom and twin fins. So its worth $1000? Or is that just fishing ?
Brett,
They have become collector’s items. However, they were finless, so the twin fin may well not be original. I have emailed Jamie so may hear something back.
Fishing - guess we can see what the bids are. Is there a URL link to the bidding you could send - I have no idea about e-bay.
Bob
Bob, Im crap with links but I did list the Item number (above) that might make it easier to track down.
Brett,
AT least to me, the fins look like a later addition.
Bob