MyPaipoBoards Forums

Here is my latest find (which I mentioned in a previous post) She's 5'4'' by 22'' by 2.5".

I was inspired by the Mega-Platter and by Doctor Robert's big bonzer. Has anyone else had luck using a standup board like this as a paipo? Its really a craft for very small days. Not very nimble, but doesn't get too bogged down--hence the name.

I have struggled to turn anthing that long, but what ever works for you is good!

I've tried two semi-recent boards as paipos...a 5'6" Doyle soft board and an older Mark Leon kneeboard.

Cons: Thick buggers made duck diving hard to impossible. Kicking out with fins was awkward and unpleasant. The length was too small to make arm paddling very pleasant either, especially at the beach breaks I have available to me (seldom any real channels). The Doyle probably has a ton of design turn offs anyway - that was a cheap lark. I suspect with the kneeboard that performance suffered with somebody laying on it rather than kneeling...someone with more kneeriding experience than me could probably elaborate on that more coherently.

I spent years finless paipo-ing a 54" soft kneeboard with bodyboard type rails and thickness, so I know that it can be done, but neither of these other boards held a candle to that one (Rob DiStephano, where are you?). I've wondered about doing exactly what Atlantasurfer is trying but my recent experiences have kept me from pulling the trigger. I'm interested in how the board goes for you over time.

Nels

I have been fascinated by longer boards. I am getting ready to build a 54 inch board. We'll see how that goes.

My Galera NoFins were 57" and the Goddard style boards were 53-54". No trouble turning, finless they draw longer lines. The shorter boards, seem suited to more in the pocket surfing. My next board is 48-50" so I'll see how that goes.

I could arm paddle the thicker Goddard style board I had, the thinner board was more difficult due to the S tail and far less foam in the front area.

One consideration is the length probably affects kicking ability, if you want your hips right on the tail.

Bob

Do y'all arm paddle your craft? I recently worked on my freestyle swimming to pass the Red Cross lifeguarding class, and I started loving arm paddling, even for my 50" foam and fiberglass paipo. I use it for everything but actually catching waves. Nice to give my poor old knees a rest. This board arm paddles and duck dives easily, However, the weak spot is turning.

Rod has a term, "statue surfer," which I don't think is a compliment, for longboarders and others who just go straight down the line. When I do ride powerful waves, it almost seems like a different sport. I've been surfing on and off since I was a teenager, but I've only been SURFING about two years.

I alternate between arm paddling and kicking. Often I find that arm paddling when first goiong through foam, when paddling back out after a ride. Also I will arm paddle and kick when first catching a wave and then switch to just kicking when finally getting into a wave on ,my 51 inch board.

I used to think arm paddling and kicking had to be more effective than just kicking. How could two appendages working possibly be equivalent to four appendages scratching for the horizon. After a bit of experimentation I came to the conclusion I was wrong. I find that if I keep my arms and hands on the board.....I keep the nose down....as well as concentrate more energy into the kick. I am just as fast kick only....if not faster....and maintain more control over the board. I find this to be true on both my 43" TBG2 as well as 50" Austin.

54" is a comfortable prone length for me and I'm 5'8" tall. Swim fins are no problem - just slide back a bit. I boardsurfed for decades though so I personally find this way to small for comfortable and efficient arm paddling. On the 54" board I would kick and paddle while going through the whitewater/surf zone or if something sneaky was headed my way, but I'm pretty sure just kicking with decent fins did as much with less effort.

During the North American autumn months in 2014 I started playing with one of those (roughly) 20" bodyboard-style kickboards that are popping up, mine from 662 Bodyboards (the ones from Empire look to be the same boards). $20 for something to ride in steep shorepound. The idea is to get you in the wave with just about enough time to get to the bottom. On a tiny board like that it was like hydro-assisted bodysurfing, it really was noticeable in getting outside and then into waves. In the end it didn't seem like much of a waveriding device though. Geoffrey will be playing with the idea soon so we'll get some other observtions.

Nels

I arm paddle my board to move around out back or to paddle back p a point break, but fin kick to get out back when duck diving or to catch waves


I find arm paddling on my 44" board or my bodyboards as small as 41", to be efficient to arm paddle, i will be way further forward to where i would be to kick, almost have my knee caps on the tail on the board.

With the UDTs I use gives me enough to get out but I sometime do paddle with 1arm mainly my right.
Taking off on a wave I just kick again the UDTs give heaps of thrust.

I've found that arm paddling my TBG3 45" is faster than kick-paddling. I can hold my own during impromptu paddling contests with shortboarders, whereas I get left in the dust when kick-paddling. I believe that this is mainly due to the superior planing angle of the board when arm-paddling. I position myself with the nose even with my forehead. About 80% of the board is under water, yet I can feel the extra glide. I usually alternate between the two methods, and sometimes do a right-left arm paddle, with a scissor kick on the left-arm stroke. That's what I do when I want to cover a long distance in a hurry. In the standard kick-paddling position, with elbows and forearms on the deck, and hands grasping the nose, paddling speed drops off. But this (back) position is better for duck-diving and dropping into waves. If I was in the far forward position when dropping in, I'd end up finding Nemo.

Interesting Nomas....my experience on my 43inch TBG2 is contrary to your description. Our positions on the board sound similar....but when I arm paddle alone it is more of a wallow than a plane and way slower than when I just kick. Better work on my arm strength.

Like so many other things in our paipo riding world our success using different tools will no doubt vary due to do many different variables. It might be the wave type and wave period. Maybe where we position ourselves to catch waves. Board characteristics. Our body characteristics (long arms, long legs, strong knees, frog feet...).

My lower body strength has always been greater than my upper body strength... favoring swim fins over arms & hands. However, my surfing origins were in the world of foot surfing, so I have always felt comfortable with a certain amount of arm paddling on my paipo boards. Most of my arm paddling is in response to being inside when a ghost set appears on the horizon (reef/point breaks) or paddling through the constant churn of shorter period (<12 sec) waves at sandbar breaks (notoriously awful in 6 ft. surf on the East Coast). I use a mix of arm strokes and fin kicking for catching waves but usually try to position myself to minimize a whole lot of either or for last second positioning for catching a wave. I also use webbed paddling gloves which work great for burst paddling (but not recommended for predominantly arm paddlers as it can tweak you joints and tendons doing too much too fast).

Some semi-scientific experiments by the late Terry Hendricks demonstrated the paddling thrust from webbed paddling gloves especially when combined with swim fins. Nonetheless, on many occasions I'd like to have some water-jet propulsors.

One think i have changed over the years is my fin kick style, i used to and notice a lot of bodyboarders thrash and break he surface with there fins and use mainly a below the knee kick,i now barely break the surface with my fin, use my thigh more and use a more towards diver slow strong paddle, I leave friend thrashing and whitewatering the surface with there find way behind on a paddle out.

Same Krusher. I try to concentrate on kick initiating in the hips. I have actually timed it in a swimming pool and determined it generates more speed with fewer strokes than knee initiated kicks.

There may be a thread somewhere on fin technique (I vaguely recall reading one). I'll try to find it or start one (unless someone else does) - it's a worthy topic. A quick trawl of the net suggests all sorts of kick variations.

Bob

A good thread for discussing swim fins & techniques would be the "Swim Fins, Skegs & Other Paipo Gear" forum.