MyPaipoBoards Forums

Great find! You can "see" the longboard blank in the shape of both of these.

Where did you get your balsa? Anyone know of a good source for balsa lumber in the Ventura area?

Oops! Senior moment...correct url http://tp4surf.blogspot.com/2012/09/hobie-paipo.html

HobieCutDown09_small.JPG Last month (Aug, 2012) a guy brought this board into the shop. It's a Hobie "paipo" circa 1969. I was lucky enough to discuss this board with its shaper that very same day! For more pix and the full story go here: http://tp4surf.blogspot.com/2012/09/hobie-paipo.html

Very nice, UG. I've been wanting to do a balsa build, maybe even chamber it. Just haven't made the time, but your build has re-kindled the flame. How much does the board weigh?

...or simply going to a shorter length? The Acosta/Hoyte board is 50" with about a 4'-6" arching recess in the tail. I'm not sure how functional the "wings" are on the side, other than to increase the rail line which would only lengthen the turning radius. Why not just drop down ...

Only that he was a CI shaper for 15yr and is now building boards in the "Oxtura" area. He's on my short list of shaper's-I-want-a-board-from. There's an email on his blog site. -tp

Looks like Gus Acosta's "Wave Arrow" is now available on the West Coast: http://hoytedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/02/hoyte-custom-wave-arrow.html ...and here it is in full dress: http://hoytedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/hoyte-designs-builds-something.html More Wave Arrow http://www.wavearrow....

LOL...I've been using Aku for almost 7yr now and I'm still learning how to use it. It can be pretty over-whelming at first, especially with lack of documentation. But the more you use it the easier it gets. I did just the opposite of what you want to do. I noticed that the template of my T-Belly res...

Not really. You have to remove any slices that are 2'3" or less (half of the 4"6" you want to remove) from each end. Then, re-add tail and nose slices, shaping to your preference. If you want to maintain proportion of shape, rule of thumb is 1/8" of width for every 2" of len...

I'd be interested in kowing how a 1.5" thick, sandwich-construction board holds up, and what its flex characteristic are. Keep us informed....

I do use Aku but don't machine shape these boards (at least not yet). I use the Aku print-out as a blueprint while I'm shaping. Shaped blank is pretty close to Aku file but not exact, so volume probably varies a little from what's stated in Aku. Aku file volume on this board was 28L. By way of compa...

TP48inTBellyDeck7_sm.JPG Here’s the latest iteration of my T-Belly (more pix here http://tp4surf.blogspot.com/2012/03/t-belly-goes-european.html). Board is being shipped to Hamburg, Germany. While I reduced the volume of this board (both thickness and length) to better fit its intended rider (5-8, ...

Yes, but what is the distance from the tip of the tail to the trailing edge of the fin? Put another way, how far up do you set the fin? And, how far does the tip of the fin overhang the base of the fin?

jw - that confirms my experiece with twin fin set-ups on bellys. The Hobie Fish template is the de-facto standard for mod fish boards. Its a modified keel, with asymmetric foiling and a little rake. SoulSlider - How far up from the tail is the trailing edge of that 10"er? How much rake? Your Pu...

I appreciate your feedback JW, and I’m glad that you’re enjoying the board. But I don’t believe the location of the thickest part of the board is the culprit. It’s the length. The longer length of a belly board (compared to body board) moves the point of maximum trim forward, forcing the rider to mo...

Dims are listed in the pdf at the bottom of the page of the first entry of this thread. Template for shape was generated from the same Aku file that generated this specification sheet pdf. Actual finished and glassed shape may vary 1/16" +/- (not significant) at any dimension point. Width at wi...

The 3-D drawing is a little deceiving. If you look at the spec drawing, it shows a slice or cross-section of the shape taken from 12" down from the nose. Notice that there is a "tucked edge" that extends inward from the apex of the rail by 1/2". This tuck edge softens but doesn't...

Hey, guys...the name came from a friend of mine who grew tired of saying "Thomas-Patrick-Belly-Board" and just shortened it to "T-Belly" which stuck. I wish we were getting some HH swell down here. I'd settle for a 100ft ride -tp