what is the thinnest plywood (non marine) you could use to make a paipo
1/4th inch. BUT, you will need to seal it well, or even glass it. Non-marine ply will NOT hold up well to water.
EDIT: Upon reflection, perhaps 3/8ths inch would be a better choice. Less chance of excessive flex allowing water to gain contact with the wood, due to micro cracks.
How thin you go will also depend on how hard you want to work getting out (especially if there are not clearly defined channels) and how much flex you like. Thin = lots of lex.
Bob
I made a 1/4" paipo out of recycled (from my kitchen) plywood from the 1940s
it is really flexy and padling it is pretty much just swimming.
I’ve only used it in a beach break, but i wan’t to try it in a pointbreak ?rincon?
If you can ride it in beachies, there is no reason you can’t ride it in point waves. Besides the usual problems of getting a wave and not getting dropped in on (which is probably a contradiction in terms at Rincon) the challenge is to get around sections that aren’t hollow. If your board is pretty short this may be difficult. Like stand up boards I found a longer board in which I can get in early was better for point waves, while a shorter board was great for hollow beach breaks. Then again, you may be able to kick into waves a lot better than me.
Bob
thanks
it doesn’t look like i will be riding it any time soon
i have finals in 2 weeks
but hopefully after that i will be able to use it at rincon or campus