MyPaipoBoards Forums

zensuni wrote:"it was like riding a longboard boogie board "
I like this comparison. The great feeling of trimming down the line, drawing a clean line, but prone. But yet,6', isn't it a bit too long ?

This is the one I'm on in the avatar. It's 5'5" X 15.5" and I am planning on building a 6 footer......
The length helps in several ways especially in the small stuff.


http://www.allcoast.com/photos/data/507 ... 79-med.jpg

Too bad I don't have access to pawlonia here in France (unless to order it from Spain). I do have access to poplar plywood however, which worked well in small waves for my current board (4 ft). They sell 5 ft sheets too, maybe I could try a 5 ft poplar plywood board. That would be a cheap prone longboard I guess it would help to gain speed in small waves, the downside would probably be that it might be hard to swim with such a long board, that barely floats. But in small surf it is not really a big problem.

Uncle Grumpy, that is the exact style of the board I ride. Looks like a sweet board. Nice workmanship.

Thanks.

That was the second one I made; it has deep concave down the length of the bottom. It still gets plenty of use, especially on the really small days.

Here's the most recent of the alaia style boards I've done.



I made the board after reading a quote from one of Herman Melville's books.

"For this sport, a surf-board is indispensable: some five feet in length; the width of a man’s body; convex on both sides; highly polished; and rounded at the ends. It is held in high estimation; invariably oiled after use; and hung up conspicuously in the dwelling of the owner."

It was the first one I've done that is convex on the bottom and of course it rides completely differently than the concave models.
I like it so much it's become my daily driver. I recently took it out of drydock after steaming out some dings and refinishing.
Displacement can be a good thing.



Very slight rocker



Super Fun

Uncle G how does the board go compared to the concave bottom.

Photos I took of boards at Bishop museum. Looked convex to me.

Uncle G how does the board go compared to the concave bottom.

Tough to describe.
Do you have any experience with displacement hull surfboards? Kind of like that, but finless.
It sticks to the wave, in a good way.

Hurricane Humberto sent us some fun surf this week. A cell phone shot my daughter took of me on a solo session today at the end of the swell.

I definitely missed those paipos at the Bishop museum the last time I was there, hopefully next time. What a cool place.

Nice line there, good you got some of Humberto. And, yes, Bishop Museum is a real Smithsonian of the region.

My thin, narrow 48" Xylem board also has a convex bottom (side to side). The convex element helps it turn fin-less. Put the convex side of a spoon next to water flowing from a faucet and you will feel it pull in. I enjoy the board much and it is the best of my quiver for duck diving due to its thin 1 1/4" solid wood thickness.

However, I must say I have gotten in some trouble in bigger / rougher / strong current conditions at Turtle Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. That thin (very little float) in combo with the convex 'suction" that is such a plus in other conditions tends to suck you into currents and take you places you do not want to go. It will always be a natural fin-less ride in the right conditions for me. I have had great rides at OH plus on it in Costa Rica but select something else that will not get sucked down in certain nasty conditions.