I was just reading an article on Wavescape about the world championships of kneeboarding , I did not know there was such an event , the last time I saw a kneeboarder was 25 years ago on Tavarua , looking at the pics the boards seem to be about 5.9 - 6.0 , bigger than I thought they would be , does anyone on Sways kneeboard , make your own boards , care to share some ideas , info . looks like fun to an old guy with a bad hip n shoulders .
To get you started here’s the websites of a couple of ex World Champ Kneeboarders who still shape them.
https://neillukekneeboards.com/category/board-shapes/
If you ever get on instagram there’s a lot of kneeboarders to follow. I lucked into a 70s Pavel fish that was rumored to be a kneeboard. At 5’4" it’s a good size for me to either kneeboard and/or ride standup. I’ve tried it both ways but found I couldn’t kneeboard it as well as I wanted to. Irregardless, it was still fun.
I have a 5’10” by 22” wide keel fin Fish I use as a knee board when my back won’t allow me to pop up on my Surfboard.
Getting tubed in 2 to 3 foot waves is fun.
Haven’t paid attention to kneelos much for eons but when I was riding them, most of the U.S. based boards were shortish, fins back, fish based with 2 or 4 fins. Aussie boards were longer, more rockered, fins forward, 3 and 4 fins. Also, probably mostly due to board size, US riders pretty much all wore flippers while most of the Aussies went barefoot and used arm paddling exclusively. Some amazing, high performance riding on both sides of the equation.
As I get older I think that kneeboarding is a possible alternative to the delema of the ill fated slow pop-up. Years ago when researching kneeboard building I came across a site that went through the process of building a Velo. I can’t find the site last time I looked. Does anyone have any idea what that site was?
http://flexspoon.com/ But looks like all the content has been removed and it’s now just a place holder
Use the Wayback machine.
There’s content there if you go back to 2012.
That’s it Flex spoon. As I recall a blank was shaped with the bottom rocker, the bottom was then glassed, then the deck was ground off leaving foam in the nose and rails. The remaining foam was then glassed. I believe that they didn’t paddle very well due to a lack of substantial floatation.
If you have bad hips, it might be hard. I used to ride kneeboards when I was young, but now it hurts my right knee when I’m in that position. Knee paddling, or kneeling is a problem for me. I have a bad lumbar disc, so sometimes after kicking around on a mat or belly board my lower back hurts. Same thing whe I have a bad wipeout, carry heavy things, or bend over wrong. I have a cataract in my left eye that is starting to be an issue.
Aging is pain.
I made one when that site was functional. Mine was “copy” of later vintage GG, edge/chine bottom. Same build format though. Yeah, they paddle like a similar sized plywood paipo would, though you can tune that a fair bit by how much foam you leave in or take out of the deck. Require a solid wave with some push to work; a real pain in the behind in beachbreak windswell. Also, need to take of late and in the pocket so crowds are death. GG used to go to what he called “grade B” spots to avoid them and then moved to AUS in part due to the hordes clogging his local. If you want to ride a kneeboard, go all foam. If you want similar ride but functional in wide range of conditions, go w/ foam “hull” like a mini-Liddle. Must say though, I saw Greenough riding Velo at 3-4X OH Rincon w/ cross offshore winds and he looked like he’d been shot out of a cannon he would come out of turns so fast. I just sat on the beach in the drizzle and watched with my mouth hanging open.
Thanks for the input guys , it looks like Barry Snyder is the only Sways member that has any history of making kneeboards , I was looking at his website and I like what I saw so I think will go down the same path and make a 6ft foam board , the velo is a bit too specialized and not user friendly .
gbzausa, you mentioned you had a bad hip - are you sure it’s up to riding a kneeboard?
Riding a kneelo puts more strain on your knees , hips and back than riding on your feet does - to make an analogy, your legs are your “suspension system” while riding on your feet, and riding on your knees effectively cuts your “suspension system” in half. Way less travel available, and therefore a lot more stress required to produce or absorb a similar force in turning/absorbing bumps in what’s left of the “suspension system”.
Might be an idea to try riding your current surfboard on your knees for a few waves before launching into it? -> lets you get into the same position and get the feeling of the movements a little if you decide to try a few turns; see if the body can handle the stresses and strains.
Cheers.
I’m with L.I.T.
I had a few friends who kneeboarded when we were young and it took a much greater toll on their bodies over the years than those of us who were stand ups.
If you don’t mind longboards then something you’re able to knee paddle might be better for your hips and shoulders.
Here in Hawaii, the stand up paddle board was started because Pops Ah Choy had problems getting from prone to standing because he had bad knees. By standing from the start, he didn’t have to worry about that. Having the paddle and a bigger more stable board also helped. Otherwise the surfski, or surfing kayak could be used.