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Chris and Jan Harazda
Indian Harbour Beach, FL
As hardcore riders of big 10'+ boards, we're part of the Officers' Club surfing community down here in Brevard County, Florida, a group of die-hard classic longboarders. I started surfing at age 11 in 1966, and though I never owned one in the old days, always liked "bellyboards," and what also became known as "paipos."  I asked a local shaper, George Robinson, if he could shape two paipos, one for me and one for my wife.  He'd made some paipos years earlier and knew how to do it right. We finally got 'em... both 4'6", wide swallow tails, twin fins.  I love my little paipo.  I surf with my buddies on conventional classic heavy Tyler and Anderson longboards, but sometimes I like to slink away to other beaches and ride paipo, either alone, or with my wife.  It's a really nice alternative to mainstream riding.

My 5' balsa Greenough-inspired paipo (the "Hurricane Fighter Plane") can function as a kneeboard, but, holy smoke!, what a great paipo it is!

Now what the world needs is a really good paipo film on DVD... one that goes to the heart of the art... Polynesian roots, total history, paipo riding today... everything.  Is something like this in the works?

Read Chris's excellent article at WeAreH2O on his paipo experience.

 Chris with his Hurricane Fighter Plane.
Chris is also known as Tumak on the Paipo Forums and Logjammer on the 2nd Light Forums.
The Hurricane Fighter Plane
Pics by Eric Carson.
It's a pretty cool little board! 
60" x 17.625" x 21" x 18"
1 x 6 oz. bottom 3 x  6 oz. deck

The "Hurricane Fighter" is a Greenough style Ecuadorian balsa board shaped by George Robinson, Mar Bravo Surfboards, a local board maker who's been making boards for 33 years. I think he knows how to make a really good paipo.
Other Paipos
"The Blue Fish Paipo "
Chris Also Rode the Log (aka Logjammer)




But his new love was the paipo:
Chris (aka Tumak, Logjammer, Hang Zero) Harazda
December 16, 2007
RIP
Chris Harazda (aka Tumak) is well known and loved in this forum, so I wanted to share this news with his friends on here. Please keep his wife Janet in your thoughts and prayers, as Chris passed away this morning on the beach in Jupiter, FL.

The day started out on a positive note. Janet, Chris, and I were enjoying a paipo & bodyboard session in beautiful glassy waves. After an hour and a half in the water, Chris paddled in. Apparently, he had been having some shortness of breath and chest pains. Janet and I soon followed. When we got the beach, we found him lying on the sand motionless, without a pulse. The lifeguards rushed over to begin CPR and use of the AED. They, along with the paramedics, did all they could in an attempt to revive him, but it was too late.

I didn't know Chris very well, but he seemed to be a person who loved life and walked to the beat of his own drum. He had a real passion for paipo boarding, as we all know. Chris died right after doing something he loved - riding his Mysterious Turtle in the Florida waves he loved so much. Please send your positive and healing energy to Janet, to help her in the grieving process.

~Allison
Posted to the Paipo Forums: Sun., Dec 16, 2007 06:51 pm
One of Tumak's posts before he passed away struck a chord with me, "I surfed with Jorge Machuca one day at First Peak Sebastian... '70, '71... somewhere in there. Man, was he hot. What I remember most were his cutbacks. Several years later Buttons was famous for that same signature radical cutback out along South Shore Oahu. I think one might trace it historically back to Billy Hamilton's fabulous cutbacks. However, I'm sure there are many unsung cutback heroes.

-Zero

ps: Jesus wasn't present that day at the Inlet, but I seem to recall that the Himalayan Yogis were all in attendance."

While living in Puerto Rico during the late 60s it was my good fortune to have surfed with Machuca on many occassions. What a talented, stoke-filled guy! Little did I know that Chris and I had this connection. And yes, Machuca had one hell of a cutback.




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Last updated on: 10/30/09