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I’ll bring it to the Halloween Party so everyone can give it a whirl.
That would be sweet! Thanks Lee…
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Looks like another Surfer's Journal featurette...
John, could you perhaps say a few words here about Roy Stewart’s contribution to the design of your tunnel fin Paipo and his experiments and developments of that kind of fin set up?
Now that would make an interesting Surfer’s Journal article!
Sure -
First, there isn’t going to be any Surfer’s Journal about my version of the design.
Second, Roy Stewart and I did have several private discussions via E-Mail about the hoop fin and I in no way meant to take credit for the hoop concept or discount his input. His responses to me were very helpful and supportive. I did mention Roy Stewart as providing inspiration on a different site but inadvertently failed to mention his input on this site. Here is my post from Rodndtube website dated 9/16/04…
View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message [/url]John Mellor
Joined: 18 Feb 2004
Posts:
Location: Los Osos, CA
Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 2:36 am Post subject: My first Paipo… 
After finding a broken Pearson longboard in a dumpster at Morro Strand State Beach, I stripped it, freehand (no template) shaped it, and let it sit around for about a year.
I was really intrigued with the hoop fins that Roy Stewart has been doing and saw some videos of various model toys that employ foiled hoops for aerodynamics. I sent Roy a crude drawing of a hoop fin idea I had and received positive feedback from him. Heck, if those kids can ride Boogies with NO fins, I can improvise and probably find something that works better.
I wrapped some glass and carbon fiber cloth around a 5 gallon resin pail, laminated a foam strip, foiled it and laminated some more carbon before glassing it on the board.
Of course, now that I’ve given Roy credit for the inspiration, I can only blame him if it doesn’t work!
“Reverb” on Swaylock’s was also in on helping me formulate ideas for my design 10 months ago although I didn’t mention him (but will here)…
"…hey John, this is the fin type that i told you in a past thread (10 months ago)… i call it “arc type” fin… "
As mentioned above, I gained some insight from watching online video clips of different types of aero toys including a glider plane model and a modern version of the old Wham-o Hoop.
I also refer to much older versions of the basic concept as seen on “Pods For Primates” Surfboard research site. Richard Deese (who designed my very first Morey Pope Surfboard - not a tunnel fin, but a “Richard Deese Original”) came up with his version of the “Tunnel Fin” circa 1964. Other manufacturers did versions as well. Here is a photo of fin and text from “Pods For Primates” site…
1964
Tunnel Fin
Originally by Richard Deese.
-Thanks to Paul D. Gross
Image - Hustler Fin
Laminated fibreglass
8 x 18 b @ 6 inches ??? (Approximation)
Ski & Dive (Surfboards) USA
Photograph : Don Balch
LONGBOARD Magazine
Vol 4 No 5. 1996
November/December
page 70
Over at Vagabondsurf.com, Nels introduced a guy, Mr Roger Wayland, who in my opinion, is doing some of the most far out, balls to the wall, down and dirty experimenting of anyone. He too has a version or two of hoop finned “hydro tubed” paipos. Here is a photo of one his extremely innovative designs…
Last but not least, I distinctly remember reading a fin article by Mike Doyle in the late 60’s/early 70’s(?) where he gradually extended the tips and curvature on some hooked twin fins and eventually ended up with “The Hoop” as he called it. I can still picture his rather wild eyed expression as he held his boards up for photos. “Far out isn’t it?” he asked.
As far as I know, those are all my references on the tunnel or hoop design. Also, as far as I know, my design is a somewhat original version of what is obviously an old concept. My version was completely fabricated by me using scrap materials I had laying around and the final design was basically a freehand attempt at what I saw in my mind’s eye. It is different in size, shape, foil, rake, outline and materials from Roy’s version of a plumbing pipe cut lengthwise.
Roy has apparently taken issue with my having stolen “his” idea and not giving him credit on Swaylock’s. He also has been sending vicious e-mails to me and to various individuals as well as posting on other sites that he has been ripped off. That was never my intention and I hope that this post not only gives credit where credit is due but also clears the air as far as Roy having been ripped off.
anothe reason to do that what others dont do…they see what they seek…if you are prospecting for injustice and plagerizm then by god there it is…poor master stewat desperately wants to be coppppied that at the least provocation the siren goes off? swell the stewart name will go down in history as the only inovater of non american resource to have ever been unjustly maligned by the notoriously ruthless swaylocks surfboard forum … The ensuing legal battle filed at the Hague will rival the Nuremberg trials and the group named as the Swaylocks 12 ,a rogues gallery non pariel like hi grade almonds {a south african nut hibrid in australia and stolen by a captain Mc Kay from New Zealand after being blown off course returning from a record china tea run) the trial ran for 18 years finally being settled for damages totaling 37 million dollars american which in 2022 was worth a 100 lb sack of Idaho potatos…with the power o picture posting insert a cartoon of the beagle boys gang of dduck comix fame… John I nominate yoou as ring leader on this campagin of blatent independant testing of design ideals beyond the norm Im going to the fabric store soon to get the mateerial to make my beagle boys mask …ambrose … waiting for assignment maybe copying a greg noll ?
Photo posted - master ambrose…
Next assignment - carve a “da Cat” model (unregistered copy) out of prison soap - ya losers.
It`s needless for Roy to argue about someone taking “his” hoop fin idea. As with so many other examples, the design of NATURE was already there first…
Phronima sedentaria: a common hyperiid amphipod.
The Phronima live and travel in a tube, devouring the internal soft body parts of its live prey.
They are small, translucent deep-sea creatures which resemble a shrimp with a head, eyes, jaws and clawed arms. Phronima are only seen in the wild at great depths, usually by submarine crews, and are usually only about an inch long. Phronima are carnivorus, they eat small plankton.
A little-known piece of movie trivia is that the Phronima was supposedly an early inspiration for the H.R. Giger design of the alien from the film Alien (as well as its sequels), which was originally intended to be translucent and have eyes (the former being eliminated due to technical difficulty, the latter to make the alien more intimidating).
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It`s needless for Roy to argue about someone taking "his" hoop fin idea. As with so many other examples, the design of NATURE was already there first...
To be fair to Roy, he isn’t claiming it is his idea. Here is what he wrote on the Surfer forum:
"The design is public property, and first appeared during the sixties, but I have been the one who revived the idea and worked on it without support or encouragement for a decade! "
It does seem proper to mention Roy’s work on the design, as John has now done above.
Roy is gone.
He’s yesterdays news.
I dont think he needs surrogates
to get his fair shake in for him.
We’ve all heard the one about the Japanese soldiers stationed on a remote Pacific island who continued to fight World War II through the 1960s. Nobody had told them the war was over.
Howzit E-Pacman, After WW 2 ended my dad was in a company that stayed in the Philippines and cleared those soldiers out of caves. Most of them refused to believe the war was over and fought to the death instead of surrendering. Aloha,Kokua
Kokua, My dad too! I’ll bet my last dollar they knew each other.What’s the chances of that?Smaller world,huh.Herb
Howzit Herb, Now that's a trip, wish my dad was still alive so I could ask him. They were know as either The cyclone brigade or Tornado brigade I think. My dad had an album full of pics from there but I think my brother throw it out. Your da may have also known a man named Juan Marciael from Hi. who became the chief of police on Maui later. Aloha,Kokua
i surfed 4 different boards at SA 2004. None of them were mine
after a couple of days of getting pounded in head hi beachbreak, i was beginning to tire and felt the need for something i could duckdive. This looked like it would do the job and also the most rideable to me of the available boards.
it was the afternoon with a blustery onshore at Sand Dollar. I was able to use a rip and sit about 3 quarters of the way out catching choppy shoulder ht waves and avoiding the more difficult looking outside sets.
a very pleasing experience. This board felt good straight away and I didn’t need to take lots of waves to dial it in. I really liked the way i could ride it with even foot pressure and get speed with much of the rocker length in the water. The bite of the fins felt just right while cutting back on the lumps of slop.
what I call a very good board.
the nice ride deserved some examination.
pencilled on the stringer was 6’ 2", 20 3/4" wide, 2 5/8" thick. Built by Herb Spitzer.
he tells me that written dimensions on his boards should be used as a guideline only! so correct me if its a bit different from that Herb.
but that seems about right. Thicker than many ppl would like, but although i’m a lightweight I find that sort of volume useful for paddling and provided the rails are right fine for surfing too.
a noticeable bend in the rocker right in front of the fins. Flattish tail stage, and flattish front stage. Flat across the hull - no v or concave. It worked very well for me.
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Howzit E-Pacman, After WW 2 ended my dad was in a company that stayed in the Philippines and cleared those soldiers out of caves. Most of them refused to believe the war was over and fought to the death instead of surrendering. Aloha,Kokua
Mr. Kokua / Mr. Herb (the actor / not actor. You’re the Man)
Another analogy morph 101 …