Paipo Interviews

The Paipo Interviews

Table of Contents

Interviewees: || Devon Aguiar | Dick Ash | Rick Boufford | Skip Briggs | Russ Brown | Vinny Bryan | Justin Bullock | Jeff Callaghan | Kit Carson | Gary Crandall | Brett Curtis | John Galera | Chuck Gardner | Larry Goddard | Jim Growney | Paul Gross | Bryan Hayden | Wes Humpston | Dr. Barry Hutchins | Paul Lindbergh | Gilbert Lum | Jon Manss | Jack McCoy | John "Doc" Milliken | Robert Moynier | Nels Norene | Jim Pomeroy | Mark Richards (Val Surf) | Ron Romanosky | Sean Ross | Richard Safady | Bud Scelsa | Rainer Stegemann | Col Taylor | Leigh Tingle | Mike Shourds | Trevor Yamamoto |

Other Paipo Interviews In Various Stages of Completion:
Kit Carson, Val Ching. Several others are in various stages of formulation. Feel free to send suggestions for additions to: The Paipo Interviews.

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Devon Aguiar and Family Interview by Bob Green. e-Mail interview completed by Devon and his parents, based on questions by Bob Green. November 19, 2009 - Ewa Beach, Hawaii, USA. A family of paipo riders discuss how, when, where and why they ride the paipo and what types of paipos they ride, build and buy.

Dick Ash Interview by Bob Green. Questions and telephone interview by Bob Green. September 26, 2009. Byron Bay NSW, Australia. Bellyboarding builder and enthusiast, innovator and owner of Okanui surfwear, tells the story of when he started bellyboarding in the late 1950s, and then designed, produced and rode the waves on the Bellybogger.

Rick Boufford Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. June 22, 2010. Tustin, Orange County, Southern California. Rick is a restaurateur who makes and rides wooden boards. He describes his return to surfing after years out of the water and of sharing the stoke with family and friends.

Skip Briggs Interview by Rod Rodgers. Questions developed by Bob Green and telephone interview by Rod Rodgers. December 31, 2009. Costa Mesa, California. Skip was a Wedge pioneer. He started riding the waves in 1950, at 6 years old, bodysurfing and then mats, and started surfing Wedge in 1958. His first bellyboard was made of yucca, a wood kind of like balsa, but heavier. He was also an accomplished kneeboarder.

Vinny Bryan Interview by Bob Green. Questions and telephone interview by Bob Green. Interview organized by Mike "Wild Dog" Williams and photos courtesy of Peter Pope Kahapea. January 26, 2010. Kauai, Hawaii. The story of a paipo board returned to its builder and gifter, Vinny Bryan, after 45 years (as related by Peter Pope Kahapea). Vinny gave this paipo board to a young boy and recently the father of this boy (Justin Bullock, now a grown man) was told to return this paipo board back to Vinny here on Kaua`i.

Justin Bullock Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. January 13, 2010. Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia. This board was made for John Bullock, who suggested the idea to his son, Justin, of returning the board to Vinny. Justin traveled to Kauai to return the board and was later contacted in Australia about the board and its return to Vinny. Justin's side of the story follows. Justin shapes and rides his hand made paipo boards.

Russ "Captain Turbo" Brown Interview by Neal Miyake. April 13, 1998. Honolulu, Hawaii. In 1983, Russ Brown rocked the bodyboarding industry by providing a viable alternative to the colossal Morey Boogie empire--a stiff board that could be custom tailored to suit your riding preferences. Fast-forward to 1998. Though interest in the industry is higher than ever, bodyboarding is currently experiencing its worse sales slump in its history. This year, one of bodyboarding's most vocal proponents is calling it quits.

Jeff Callaghan Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. May 16, 2010. Brisbane, Australia. Surfer and meteorologist. Jeff tells his story of riding the waves in and around Winki in the mid-1960s and later, transitioning from being a bodysurfer to a bodysurfer with an aid (bellyboarder). Now in the mid-60s, Jeff still loves to grab his fins and go out for a surf.

Gary Crandall Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. November 22, 2009. Highland Village, Texas (USA). Bellyboarder and artist. "A bellyboard is down and dirty with the wave… inside the curl even on smaller waves. And the sense of speed is greater just inches from the water. Feeling the salt spray peppering your face is pure joy."

Brett Curtis Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. January 29, 2010, Manly NSW, Australia. Protypes and ideas. "Paipos are wonderful because you can dream up a shape, cut it out and be in the surf testing it 15 minutes later. They are as fast as anything else in the water and you’re not limited from adding to the design. I like the ability to add something and change it over and over again." Read more about Bretts thoughts and comments on several board design elements.

John Galera Interview by John Clark. Based on questions developed by Bob Green. September 22, 2009. Honolulu, Hawaii. Read all about John's board, the NoFin, and where he loves to surf in Hawaii. Includes a Honolulu Advertiser article featureing John and a short video interview.

Chuck Gardner Interview by Rod Rodgers. Questions developed by Bob Green and telephone interview by Rod Rodgers. December 23, 2009. Costa Mesa, California. One of the Wedge pioneers, Chuck is remembered in the Greg MacGillivray's narrative in the surf movie, Cool Wave of Color, “there is Chuck Gardner, ‘King of the Wedge,’ getting tubed." Primarily a stand-up surfer, Chuck Gardner loved nothing better than riding Wedge on his bellyboard.

Larry Goddard Interview by John Clark based on questions from Bob Green. Appendix based on e-mails with Bob Green between Sept. 2009 - Nov. 2009. September 22, 2009. Honolulu, Hawaii. Larry's paipo boarding evolution began with the borrowing of a skim board and taking it out into the surf. He was stoked. Next up was a Val Valentine-made Paipo Nui’s, designed by Waidelich, that he bought at the Greg Noll surf shop. Next up were a series of fiberglass/foam boards with a skeg (fin). Then he started designing and building his own boards.

Jim Growney Interview by John Clark with photos by Bud Scelsa, based on questions developed by Bob Green. August 10, 2009. Honolulu, Hawaii. Development of a board... where they surfed, how they surfed, how the board was made and in the beginnings. Historic documentation for the word, paipo.

Paul Gross Interview by Jamie McClellan. E-mail interview based on questions by Bob Green & Jamie McClellan. December 20, 2009. Central California, CA (USA). Surf craft innovator & builder of the Fourth Gear Flyer surf mat. Paul's first response in the interview begins, "The strengths of prone ridden surf crafts are legend. They are simpler and more direct to ride. The learning curve is lightening quick. There is no heroic standing or “ego-based style" to either blur the wave riding experience -- or displace it completely." Pauls goes on to cover his experience and involvement in the surf mat and paipo boarding world, including the Roger Kelly and the "El Paipo Grande."

Bryan Hayden Interview by by Bob Green. e-Mail and phone interviews based on questions by Bob Green. January 13, 2010. Torquay, Victoria, Australia. Surf Coast bellyboarder before the crowds and legropes. Bryan talks about the growth and revolution of waveriding in Austarila during the 1950s, including bellyboards. It all started with the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club; surfing at Bell's Beach and Winkipoop; the pinnacle of bellyboards at breaks before leg ropes; and "it's all about speed."

Wes "Bulldog" Humpston Intervie w by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. October 31, 2009. Oceanside, California, USA. Skater, surfer and creative artist. Wes discusses the boards he and his buddies designed, painted and rode; the transition from fiberglass/foam to wood and back again; the distinctive wooden handles on the boards that he and his Dogtown friends rode; and the continuing evolution of belly/paipo boards.

Dr. Barry Hutchins Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. November 30, 2009. Perth, Western Australia. Bellyboarder and scientist. Over the years Barry has ridden his paipos on Australia's eastern, southern and western coasts. Growing up he started surfing the rubber surfoplanes during regular visits to Cronulla Beach with his family. He made his first bellyboard in 1963, after seeing surfers riding them at Cronulla, a crude plywood board with no fins, before building over 40 redwood and balsa paipos.

Paul Lindbergh Interview by Bob Green. Phone interview and questions by Bob Green. February 25, 2010. Big Island, Hawaii. Keeping the lineage going. Paul discusses the evolution of the HPD, from the original ply paipos built in high school shop class, the evolution to John Waidelich's delta shape design, including Val Valentine and Jim Growney and the "paipo nui," to the moden HPD that is made of fiberglass and foam, using a semi-vacuum bag process. And much more!

Gilbert Lum Interview by Neal Miyake. July 18, 1998. Honolulu, Hawaii. Gilbert Lum, innovator. Gilbert is a Honolulu-area paipo boarder that has been experimenting with an attached hydrofoil for many years.

Jon Manss Interview by Kim Green. Interviewing by Kim Green based on questions by Bob Green. December 5, 2009 - Santa Cruz, California (USA). Kneeboard pioneer and paipo rider. Jon talks about the early days of kneeboarding and paipo boarding in the Santa Cruz area. Check out the excellent video of rare 1960s footage.

Jack McCoy Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. June 1, 2010. Avalon Beach NSW, Sydney Australia. Film maker and surfer. Jack tells the story of how he first started riding paipo in the Oahu shorebreak surf before becoming a stand-up surfer, his career in making surf films, and how he is back riding paipos after Tom Wegener gave him a 7' 2" alai’a that he rode prone, and then a 4'2" Paulownia paipo that he simply LOVES. Interview is forthcoming.

John "Doc" Milliken Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. December 5, 2009. Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. Kneeboarder, paipo rider and knowledgeable guy talks about his 40 years in the water, design concepts, dabbling in a little physics, and having fun in the surf.

Robert Moynier Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. July 5, 2010. Cambria, California, USA. "From Curl Curl to Cambria." From growing up riding the shorebreak at Curl Curl Robert has returned to riding prone boards, but with a few twists. He has spent his surfing life looking for the connections between the paipo/kneeboarding experience and high performance stand up surfboards.

Nels Norene by Bob Green. Questions and e-Mail interview by Bob Green. March 16, 2010, updated June 8, 2010. Ventura County, California, USA. Publisher and editor of vagabond surf amongst other things. Nels tells us, "What influences my choice of method [of surfing] on any given day: surf x crowd x transportation vehicle x weather x what else needs to be accomplished that day. I am subject to a myriad of influences, practically everything except cell phones and peer pressure." Nels's waveriding modes include bodysurfing, using a handgun, mini-paipo, paipos of different styles and shapes and kneeboards, and... well, you guessed it. Read the interview and learn more!

Jim Pomeroy Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. December 23, 2009 - MinersvilIe, Utah. Jeffrey Dale Surfboards: Surfing for Fun. Jeffrey Dale Surfboards were made by Jeffrey Wilson and Dale Schulnaur. They also made boards for Val Surf and Jack's Surfboards. Jim Pomeroy managed the Jeffrey Dale store in Anaheim, California, and also worked at Jack's Surf Shop as a ding fixer.

Mark Richards Interview by Rod Rodgers. Questions by Bob Green and e-mail interview by Rod Rodgers. December 12, 2009. North Hollywood, California (USA). Mark Richards, son of the founder, answers a few quetions about the bellyboards sold by Val Surf in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Ron Romanosky Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. October 8, 2009. Newport, CA, USA. Bellyboarding at Wedge in the 1960s, the ‘El Paipo’ and the Transition to Kneeboards. A Leading Kneeboarder’s Perspective.

Sean Ross Interview by John Clark, based on questions developed by Bob Green. November 9, 2009. Honolulu, Hawaii. Paipo Boarding at Waikiki, Pipeline, and elsewhere and how he started riding the Paipo Nui shape.

Richard Safady Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. March 4, 2010. Torrance, California. "Stand-up, to kneeling to prone." Richard describes his devolution to prone riding: "Knees - because I was not a good upright rider. Losing the board often. Refused to wear a cord. Prone - close to the curl. View, great! My hand is on the rail for stability. Higher percentage of waves makeable proneing, at a southern Baja low tide location." Learn more in the full interview about Richard and his 9 foot prone board.

Bud Scelsa Interview by Bob Green and John Clark. e-Mail interview based on questions by Bob Green and interview organized by John Clark. April 9, 2010. Honolulu, Hawai`i. "Paipo knee-rider." Bud Scelsa grew up in Newport Beach, California, where he did some stand-up board surfing, became a body surfing regular at the Wedge, as well as trying to build “belly boards.” The first time he rode a paipo was about 1966, at Makapu`u and Sandy Beach, borrowing boards from some of the locals. In 1968, he ended up in Hawaii with the Coast Guard. He started riding paipo boards "knee-down" style in 1968-9, and has built over 30 beautiful wood boards.

Mike "MrMike" Shourds Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green and from postings on the MyPaipoBoards Forums. October 26, 2009. San Diego, CA, USA. Mr. Mike discusses designing, building and riding wood paipos. Tons of tips in this interview by an expert craftsman.

Rainer Stegemann Interview by Bob Green. Questions and e-mail interview by Bob Green. July 10, 2010. Santa Cruz, California. "Past and present paipo recollections." Rainer began riding paipo in Hawaii in the 1960s, with John Waidelich and Paul Lindbergh, before getting hooked on a 10'6" Greg Noll gun. In addition to classic photos, Rainer talks about some of the technique used to surf paipo above and below the water.

Col Taylor Interview by Bob Green. Phone interview and questions by Bob Green. June 5, 2010. Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. Prawn trawlerman and surfer. A long-time stand-up surfer, Col discusses the links between bodysurfing and bellyboard technique. For Col, riding ply was bodysurfing "assisted by wood." He also mentions the need for fins on the board to stay in the wave.

Leigh Tingle Interview by Bob Green (accomponied by Leigh's Story of His Trip to Hawaii in 1964). Based on questions developed by Bob Green. September 14, 2009. Australia. Development of a paipo board based upon the viewing of a 1957 surf film. Leigh has ridden the same board since 1958. Leigh briefly made Barracuda Bellyboards. Includes pictures and board specifications.

Trevor Yamamoto Interview by Bob Green and Kim Green. Questions and e-Mail Interview by Bob Green and Kim Green. December 4, 2009. San Francisco, California, USA. Surfer of many craft rediscovering paipo. Trevor discusses riding the paipo as a youth in Hawai`i and later as an adult in the San Francisco Bay area.

Also see my Bibliography for Paipo Research and
General Acknowledgments, Sources, Places, Citations, Contributors...

Feel free to send me suggestions for additions to: The Paipo Interviews.

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Last updated on: 07/22/10