MyPaipoBoards Forums

It has been a great trip to Oahu and the Big Island. Tons of surf and little time to conduct paipo research. Have had the good fortune to meet 4 of our fellow riders: Larry Goddard in Waikiki; surfed and talked story with John Clark on the North Shore; Gus Acosta of Wave Arrow paipo boards - he provided a prototype loaner board to try out; and Ted Hon who has been a wonderful source of info and help, who we surfed with a couple of days ago.

Now that is just plain wrong Rod. You and Ted look way too warm. Spudnut and I were out over the week-end here in central CAL and even with a 4.3mm my teeth were chattering.

Hawaii is surprisingly cool compared to many other tropical destinations, e.g., Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. Not chilly, just pleasantly on the cooler side. What you couldn't see were the coatings of SPF45 on my face, ears and neck + those thin hair spots on the coconut. Ted wears a Gath helmet -- not a bad habit -- and a spring suit for added reef protection.

Hope you and Spudnut had a production surf session!

The smiles on both your faces tell the tale of how much fun you guys must have had.

= ENVY!

Doesn't Big Island have a bit colder water to because the steeper, volcanic mtns. run-off a lot more direct rain water? I was told that anyway.

Ok now, give it up! Let's hear an unbiased (HAH as if there were such a thing) report on the Wave Arrow...

I didn't really notice much of a difference in water temps between Oahu and the Big Island. Waters on the north shore and the north of the Big Island and Pinetrees (north of Kailua-Kona) were both very clear and clean testing. The waters here are simply cooler than PR and Costa Rica which really shocked me on my second trip to Oahu in early January after surfing in Puerto Rico just ten days earlier -- lower 70s compared to mid- to upper-70s.

My test ride on the Wave Arrow was inconclusive. Like swim fins, keyboards and other things in life, including paipos, preferences are very personal. Having said that my preference is clearly in the camp of foam/glass + skeg vs. wood and finless. The Wave Arrow meets both those criterion. Other criteria include length, width and thickness. For me the Wave Arrow length was doable but it was simply too wide and thick for me and what I have grown accustomed to riding over 40 years. The WA is 23 inches wide and I ride boards from 20 to 21 inches wide max -- trying to sit on the WA gave me a feeling that my hips would pop apart! Again, this is a matter of my habits and tendencies for riding, not a critique of the design and wave riding characteristics of the board. The WA features heavy use of hulls/concaves and those aspects appear very tantalizing. The board definitely was not a slug -- it could move fast in a straight line and it would have been great to try it out on a larger wave with a good wall -- those conditions were lacking during my test riding -- the outer hull + skeg certainly have the characteristics to track like a demon down the line. I would welcome an opportunity to try a Wave Arrow that is 21" wide and with less volume.

Austin has loaned me his hybrid alaia/paipo. I will give it some test rides somewhere down the road -- probably next spring or summer. I already know it is too long for me -- and Austin's dad, Troy, who rode this board quite a bit has already asked Austin for build a shorter version. That board I look forward to test riding as well. In the meantime, I plan to order another Checkered RPM as my current model will the relocated to Puerto Rico this winter for safe keeping for return trips. Baggage/board fees are just getting too expensive.

Mike Hague, who traveled with us to the Big Island for the wedding of one of our good friends, is a board shaper specializing in EPS/Epoxy. I asked him about building a paipo bisect that can be stowed in a "board stealth" luggage bag and he is going to work on the concept.

Thanks Rod! Yes, a resized WA could be great esp in some waves that really call for go go go

Rod,

Have i ever sent you photos of my bisect board? It has stood up well in double-overhead waves and some pretty choppy, heavy waves.

Bob

I think it was you that sent me some pics of a bisect paipo, Bob. Just in case it wasn't please post them up in the Design Section.

Bob,

Can you post some pics of your bisect board? I am curious to see it. Thanks.

Spudnut,


Send me a pm and I'll send some photos when I get home. The desig isn't mind so i'd rather not post too much detail publically.


Bob

Rod,

It was great surfing with you. You're lucky you got some surf early that week: surf here has been non-existent since then. Next time come two months later when chances for good surf are better.

Ted

Ted wrote:Rod,

It was great surfing with you. You're lucky you got some surf early that week: surf here has been non-existent since then. Next time come two months later when chances for good surf are better.

Ted

Ted and I both shared our Austin boards (both are RPM model type) with a wahine bodyboarder who was incredibly stoked with them. Another guy approached us out of the blue on the shore after our surf session inquiring about where to get one and more about paipo boarding. And a third person expressed interest. Austin may have received a big boost of interest on that magic day No doubt that Ted's stoke riding significantly contributed to the interest level.