The 13 footer Hawaii Challenge board

Howzit all. Yes this is about that infamous Roy “TomBloke” Stewart wooden board that was sent to Hawaii. Here are my comments on riding the thing, as I posted on the Surfermag.com message board:

Kia ora! I was tired of all the trashtalking on the Surfermag.com message board. Just wanted to give the board a test drive and judge for myself. I have no hang-ups with my “fair at best” surfing skills and limited shaping knowledge, so I don’t care about any castigation. So here are my experiences and opinions on the infamous 13 footer Hawaii Challenge Board.

To recap: New Zealand renegade shaper Roy Stewart has boasted that his “Future Primitive 13” longboard design (http://www.olosurfer.com/Power-Quiver-Future-Primitive.html) would do exceptionally well at Pipeline.” Lots of animated discussion was thrown out first on the Swaylocks.com (surfboard design) message board, spilling over into the Surfermag.com (general surf babble) message board. Stewart did not endear himself with the online community (or for some of the offline community for that matter). However, he created a board he calls Olo Hikoi that is truly unique if nothing else. It has been making rounds throughout New Zealand, and now has been shipped to Hawaii to be surfed, possibly at the Pipeline. Where it will go after this is anybody’s guess.

Early on, I dismissed the board as hype. Stewart had disparaging remarks in many of his responses on the various message boards (he even called me a booger–the nerve!). Yeah, I took it a little personal, but the reality is I took the whole thing way too seriously (after all, it’s only the Internet for goodness sake). So I decided to just fuck it and see for myself.

The first order of the day was to locate the darned board. I flew back from San Diego on a Friday night and decided to just do something already and ride it the very next day (11/22/08). I knew “Hawaiian” (David Kalama) had it, so I had to go to the Haleiwa contest (Rip Curl Pro) to find him. Incessant rain, side-onshores, and overcast skies didn’t make it the prettiest of days, but at least there was a little bit of chaotic size in the water. Waves were overhead.

Hootski (aka Scott “Hooter” Hartvigson) told me that Hawaiian usually hangs around by the blue tent. I was like, “What blue tent?” Of course when I got there, there was a tent that was emblazoned in large letters “BLUE TENT CREW.” Lol! Hawaiian was actually working security at the contest at the time, and when I found him he didn’t have the board. But he generously let me go to his place to borrow it.

When I first saw the board bag, I had to chuckle to myself. Not so much the size of the bag that had to accommodate the 13 feet of wood, but the color was a blood red, just like some pictures of shaper Stewart’s wetsuit.

The bag had all kinds of messages scrawled over it, with board riders providing their experiences with the board. Truly, this board had some history. Also included were “Helpful Hints” for riding the board, even identifying the infamous sweet spot location.

I “borrowed” a leash from one of Hawaiian’s other boards, then somehow shoved the board in my little mini-SUV, with a third of the board sticking out the back. Headed off through the rain to Laniakea, hopefully for a bit of fun.

Pulling the board out of the bag was pretty exciting. It was so fricken long; it just kept coming and coming out. When the entire board was revealed, I gasped openly. The wood craftsmanship was amazing, with diagonal strips of wood making up the deck and bottom and incredible detail on the rails. Roy said he spent around 200 hours to create the board, using approximately 400 pieces of bandsawn wood.

As for the shape, well here are my honest opinions. The wide point seemed to be far back on the board, which I found surprising. The board tapered into a sharp tail that looked like it could skewer an unfortunate rider. The fin was like a full boat rudder, and the rocker was extreme to say the least. The rails were rounded all the way around the board–no down turned rails near the tail. Looked like turning the board was going to be a bitch.

Waxing the board was an endeavor in itself. I like lots of wax on my board, but 13 feet is “choke” surface area to cover. Left the last two feet unwaxed–figured I wouldn’t be doing any noseriding on it (Stewart said it wasn’t designed for noseriding).

As I was prepping to jump in, the board definitely drew some attention even in the sparsely populated parking lot and beach. One guy asked if it was a paddleboard. Others marveled at the wood detail. I just wanted to get it in the water and ride it.

But even walking it to the water took quite a physical effort. Think the board weighs around 40 pounds. I’m used to my light fish and bodyboard. Felt pretty wide too (maybe 24 inches?), so hefting it under one arm was difficult.

The board paddled surprisingly well. You could really feel the board flex as it negotiated the choppy conditions. Because of the extreme rocker, I think it paddled better sitting further back of center, letting that rocker bounce through the waves.

Finding that sweet spot to paddle was difficult. I’m just used to visualizing a certain amount of board real estate in front of me, and riding a board that was so extremely long took time to get used to.

Admittedly, I was very tentative in taking off on the board. The waves were sort of chaotic, so it was difficult lining up the waves. I didn’t want to get caught inside with so much wood, so I sat further out than I normally would, hoping to catch some peaks that swung wide.

One huge challenge for me was simply turning around to paddle for a wave. We do this without thinking even with a standard longboard. But with this behemoth, it took a lot of effort and technique. The wave period was relatively short at around 11 seconds, and I found that once going over one wave in the set, I didn’t have enough time to 180 the board towards shore and start paddling. By then the next wave was right under me.

Disappointingly, I only caught a handful of waves. Most were lucked into after missing one wave and having my board already in position. As for the rides, well, the board design style hearkens back to boards of the past. And to me, the board rode like a board from the 60’s. The really neat thing was that the momentum that the board built up could really be used advantageously. And once you set a line, the board truly flies; maybe not 37.5 mph, but fast nonetheless.

Agree with Roy’s suggested sweet spot for riding the board. It seemed to work better while standing towards the back of the board. I tried running to the nose once, and it felt like the board bogged down, possibly due to the extreme rocker (Stewart stated that the board wasn’t meant for noseriding).

The board actually turned better than I expected. It won’t turn on a dime like some of my old Aipa longboards, but I didn’t expect it to. I really didn’t put it through its paces when it comes to extreme bottom turns and carves. Someone with better surfing prowess can better check this out.

I had one “wipeout” that was pretty amusing. Took off on a jack-up that stood up on me (must’ve been a combo swell peak). I planted my feet pretty well on the deck, angling down the wave face. But as I headed down, I felt a little off kilter–must’ve hit some chop or something. I bailed earlier than I should have, then took the tumble. I totally relaxed, knowing that the leashed board would soon be pulling. Sure enough, I got dragged many yards underwater as the wave took the board towards shore. Lucky thing I didn’t break Hawaiian’s leash!

The current was pretty strong, so I found myself paddling back in and towards Kahuku all the time. There was one other guy riding at the main peak, while I sat at the second peak. A few others came and left, but for the most part it was a nice, lonely session. In the end, I caught way fewer waves than I wanted to, but still had fun. I admit that this was a novelty session.

Coming out of the water, someone actually honed in on me, driving straight at me in the parking lot, asking about the board and stating that he read the Surfermag BB. I later surmised he probably read Bud808’s post a couple hours prior (I told Buddy my intentions just before jumping in) and the guy may have stopped by Lani’s to observe the impending “train wreck.” Even Hootski stopped by (unbeknownst to me at the time) to watch a few of my rides. Ah, the power of the Coconut Wireless.

I have talked to a couple of others who have ridden the board, and suffice to say they had their own opinions on the board.

Would I ride it at Pipeline? Well, although I haven’t surfed the place too much, I’ve bodyboarded and taken water photography out there for many years. I know Pipeline very well. The board could probably manage out there, but I don’t think it would perform there in waves of consequence. I definitely wouldn’t do it at size. Just saying.

Does the board have any special mana (power)? Internet babble and personality clashes aside, the passing around of this surfboard is pretty cool. It would be very interesting to chronicle the board’s continued journey. I’ve laid down my little chapter here, and also left my own message on the board bag. Ride it and read it for yourself.

Aloha Roy for your generosity. In the same breath, chill out and let your work speak for itself. Thanks also to Hawaiian for your generosity in being the unintended caretaker of the board. Looking forward to hearing about more exploits of the Olo Hikoi from others.

Aloha!

Neal “sponge/neosponge/neo” Miyake

Randy Rarick requested that I post his comments on the board. He took it out yesterday (11/25/08). Video footage of his exploits to follow:

I had a chance to take the board out to Sunset today. It was about 3-4’ Sunset Point, really clean and a couple 5-6’ sets came thru. I got about a half a dozen waves and made every one. Betty Depolito shot video and I haven’t seen it, but she will pass it on to me later. Here is my report:

"We called off the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing and the Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach, due to inconsistent, small surf. With a big swell predicted for end of the week we figured, we’d wait for bigger surf to get the contests rolling. I figured this would be a great day to try the 13 footer Hawaii Challenge Board. The conditions were ideal, with light easterly offshore winds and fun 3-4’ surf, with the occasional 5-6’ set. After shooting a couple set shots at the contest site, I loaded up the board and was getting ready to go home and get ready to head on out to Sunset Point to try the board. Betty Depolito of “Wahine Blue” TV show, saw me with the board and asked if she could shoot it in action. I said, by all means and she tagged along as I headed back to my house to get the board ready for a test spin. We did a little preliminary intro shots and then down to the beach to wax up and head on out.

I was pleasantly surprised on how well the board paddled and while it wasn’t over buoyant, it carried my weight well. I weigh in at around 210 lbs. (95 Kg) and am 6 '1", so it was an easy paddler, although the extra nose rocker did push a bit of water. When you hit an on coming wave, it tended to bounce and buckle a bit, but nothing too extreme. Upon reaching the line-up, I got stares and the usual “What is That!?” comments from everyone and luckily I knew most of the crew out there and the rest of the crowd were surfers practicing for the comp, so being the Triple Crown Director, they weren’t going to give me any grief! First thing I noticed, is that you had to time yourself to swing the board around and begin paddling. It took me a couple waves and missed take-offs, to realize you have to plan your swing and go a bit earlier than normal to get it going. Once you started to paddle for a wave, the inertia of the wood construction would kick in and after a few initial attempts to get up to speed, once you were going you were fine.

My first wave was a small one to just feel it out and I got a nice drop and moved forward and the whole thing bogged down and almost came to a standstill. I realized right off the bat, you had to stay aft of center and try keep the rocker up. There is a planning spot about a third up from the tail that you had to stay in, because as mentioned if you moved forward it bogged and if you move aft on the tail, it would stall out. The extreme rocker felt just that, way extreme. I then proceeded to get a few mid-size set waves and found if you dropped in there was no way to get any projection out of the turns. You had to angle in and just pull the angle tighter, as there was no way to actually “turn” the board. The fin seemed to act more as a “rudder” than a projection tool and it seemed for how pulled the tail was, it would seem a high aspect ratio fin would of been a better choice than the one with so much area.

Once I got the feel of the board and the limitations of the turning potential, I concentrated on getting a couple set waves where I would set my line, try to stall into the sections and let the wave push me out. Few stuck behind the section attempts and then I finally got it. Made a couple fun ones including one with a bit of a tubular section to it and I’m sure the still shots were prettier than the video!

After about half an hour I felt I had it as wired as I was going to get on my first session and contentedly paddled over to Val’s Reef and got a left all the way to the beach. All in all it was a fun session.

My impressions: Gorgeous board and awesome construction technique. Everyone who saw the board loved it. As for the shape, as a shaper myself, I think Roy did a great job, although I personally would of changed some aspects of the design. For Hawaii, you don’t need that much rocker. Maybe some nose lift to keep from pearling, but the extreme rocker didn’t fit in the curve of the wave and just seemed to slow it down. While the soft rails in the nose are very forgiving, to extend it all the way to the tail makes if feel like an old '60’s tanker. I would add some rovings and build up an edge in the tail so that you get some release off the tail. As of now, with the soft rolled rail in the tail, the water wraps over the rail and that combined with the extreme tail lift, just makes it slow down. There is simply no release in the tail. The fin as mentioned above is more area than necessary for the tail width and just tends to create additional drag. Template wise, I would of moved the wide point forward to allow more tail rail, which would of improved the “run” aspect of the board, as now with the curve in the back, it just cuts down what “turning” radius there is. The rocker is way too extreme and you could cut off two feet of nose and it would not hamper the performance of the board in any way.

Over all summation: What a fun board! I love trying new stuff and my hat is off to Roy Stewart for making such a unique and interesting board. I have a number of wood boards and the feel of inertia and the glide of wood is so much nicer than foam. If you look at other guys playing with wood, such as Tom Wegener and his alaia’s, Rastovich and his varied quiver, and a number of others experimenting with organic and wood construction,it is so cool that guys are willing to spend the time to come up with various craft. This particular board, as mentioned was fun to ride. The only problem is that I had to make it work. It didn’t make it easy for me. I doubt I would want to take it out in anything much hollower than what I had it in, since as I mentioned above, there was no way I could get any drive off the bottom. On a big facy wave it would be fun, but the idea of taking this out to Pipeline would be a scary thought in my opinion. But, I’m a Sunset rider and not a Pipe guy, so we’ll see if we can find someone who is game to give it a go. Maybe someone like Garrett McNamara would be a willing subject?

To sum it up, I will pass this on to others to experience another aspect of riding unique equipment and while they may not like it, or may not think it is the ultimate ride, if they at least have fun giving it a go like I did, then Roy Stewart has accomplished his mission.

Aloha from the North Shore

Randy Rarick

Executive Director of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, surfer, shaper, traveler, producer of the Hawaiian Islands Vintage Surf Auction and all around surfing entrepreneur

Video courtesy Betty Depolito:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbk80SvYtGY

Mahalo to everyone involved in this,

nice to see a traditional looking woody in the limelight, even if it isn’t so traditional on the inside.

Is that a group hug I’m feeling or is just another close out.

Thanks again

Really nice to review it all here, great video of randy too.

Fun to read!!

Cant wait for this story to unfold…

I’ve been interested in this story for awhile. You guys did a great job testing and evaluating Roy’s board. I think we’ve all been waiting for some honest un-bias opinions about the design and performance. The video footage pretty much tells the story as well. Thanks to all involved.

Randy da man!! Neat footage!! more more more!!

The name is

“The Future Primitive Pipeline Challenge longboard”

There seems to have been some “mission creep” and “nomenclature creep.” YouTube video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdq-4j8EKQ

confirms that there has been some significant–ah–shrinkage on the verbiage.

So…according to Randy Rarick, who is a shaper, other than the rocker, the length, the template, the rails, and the fin - it was a good design?

Quote:

So…according to Randy Rarick, who is a shaper, other than the rocker, the length, the template, the rails, and the fin - it was a good design?

Sounds good to me…Bring on 6-8 ft Pipe!

At least he says he was riding it in the sweet spot–other than that and the fact that it’s made of wood, it seems he got it all wrong! What a kook!

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Sarcasm ends.

I think you refer to the ‘‘Art of Lowered Expectations.’’ However, Mission Creep works just as well! I’m on record as stating that ‘‘almost anything will work.’’ This is certainly proof of that axiom. I don’t think the comparison to a '60’s log, is fair to the log. I do agree with the comments relating to the appearance, and workmanship, of the board. And I agree that the construction method is ‘‘unique.’’ For comparison, look at my avatar photo. That is a 1968, 34 pound,

10’ 3’', pintail gun, at Sunset on a 10 foot wave. Heavy '60’s boards were/are capable of some ‘‘decent’’ performance. Credit must be given to Roy. He did step up, and deliver the board. (with some help) But the board got there. And now, the waves are there as well. Put the two together, and stir well.

Well so to review, if you havent yet, watch the video of Randy Rarick riding the board at small Sunset.

Now here’s Bonga Perkins on a performance longboard at Pipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_S-4P-YGlk

It’s one of the Taiwan pop-outs made by the company he’s sponsored by–I suppose you could say it works. He’s not getting pitted or anything, but for the purposes of comparing what Roy’s board should be able to do better than, based on his claims, there ya go.

Here is a thruster ridden at Pipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KpI5VXuDUk

Which works WELL, it would seem.

Now these are phrases and terms asserted by Roy:

“thruster-buster”…thrusters are “slowboards”…Roy’s boards have section-beating speed…"this board will ride any wave in the world at any size…37.5 mph…better than any performance longboard at Pipe…huff puff blow blow at Bill Barnfield alleging libel and threatening lawsuits when the abilities of Roy’s boards are fairly questioned…

and thus we have the

“Pipeline Challenge Board.”

So there is the wave in the videos above. And those are the claims and terms, as set forth by Roy Stewart his self. An epic swell is arriving any day now…

Quote:

The name is

“The Future Primitive Pipeline Challenge longboard”

There seems to have been some “mission creep” and “nomenclature creep.”

You guys all got “ants in your pants” as they say.

something like that takes planning and well you know what they say about “hawaiian time”

I would say things seem to progressing along faily well

a possible hint of things to come can be found in these two quotes:

from “Hootski” after talking to Rarick:

Quote:

Dude, it’s Randy Rarick, he sanded that chip with the calluses on his bare hands.

Then he surfed Sunset Point, scoring a bunch of fun waves, including one tube ride.

His report to me included the fact he asked Mark Healey to ride it at Pipe. “Only over 10 feet, when I can get in early and build up a head of steam”, was the madman’s reply.

The 13 footer may ride Waimea Saturday. I’m not naming names yet, but you would not believe me anyhow, so we will just wait and see.

Hawaiian time is slow, but when it happens, it REALLY happens. Let’s make some history, shall we?

Their expecting a 20’ swell this weekend and next week big enough to consider holding the “Eddie” so we’ll see. Unfortunately what “name” rider(and photo whore) would give up the opportunity to ride their regular boards when a big swell hits for a potential spread or cover shot…would you?

secondly this is what Randy said in his quote:

Quote:

But, I’m a Sunset rider and not a Pipe guy, so we’ll see if we can find someone who is game to give it a go. Maybe someone like Garrett McNamara would be a willing subject?

I know Garrett already made an inquiry to the host of “Olo Hikoi” cause she PM’d me asking me for the board for him.

so we’ll see

I’m willing to bet it’ll happen before the end of the season

but it’s only going to happen when someone feels good about doing it

everyone here knows the dangers they’ll face they’re not stupid

and of course it’ll happen on “hawaiian time”

with sponge being possibly like 155-165lbs and Randy being 210lbs I would say so far so good

based on what OTAY and CMP said about paddling it out at 200lbs and 220lbs I’m surprised Randy had as much success as he did although it looks like he was dropping in on a allot folks but that’s his spot… surprised Griff wasn’t out…

maybe Keli’i Mamala(Garrett’s Alaska Glacier tow-in partner) might be a perfect test rider since he won Tom Stone’s finless olo surf contest on the northshore last year.

Quote:

Aloha Roy for your generosity. In the same breath, chill out and let your work speak for itself. Thanks also to Hawaiian for your generosity in being the unintended caretaker of the board. Looking forward to hearing about more exploits of the Olo Hikoi from others.

Aloha!

Neal “sponge/neosponge/neo” Miyake

Definite group hug. Mahalo for putting us in the loop!

Randy’s aloha is a wonderful element to the drama and saga during the flat spell. I guess there aren’t many surprises, including the fact that RR gets to walk outside his house to surf 4’ SS point after his morning coffee.

Thanks Neal!

aloha ~

…hhmm, happens that the design of the board is clearly not intended for that condition (fat, small waves)

like he say in the video talking a bout the rocker

so, I hope some big rider take that board to a toob (Pipeline, Rockpiles, Haleiwa, etc) and also to hollow with a large wall, like Laniakea

I’m not impatient. My posts just pointed back at what the original words and terms were. I don’t care when, just care how.

If Pipe isn’t at least overhead and the rider is not getting barrelled before speeding ahead of sections at will --leaving aside the whole turning thing–Roy’s claims are for shit. With due respect, Oneula–your aloha and that of the more bemused Hawaiians notwithstanding.

you think Roys would get pissed if we covered the deck with some brightly pink and yellow colored longboard deck pads so we’d know where the “sweet spot” is so we can launch some airs? ;-}

no need wayc choke wax den’

get recessn ova hea u no…

b fun 2 chayc sum begina suppa down from behind like a bullet goin 37.5mph in buff’s tiki stance or 1 alan wrench…

haubush style

tri-leesun n lurn fram unc-B

http://www.hawaiianskies.net/Pages/Buffalo.html

JANKLOW what are you on ?? i want some

LOL!