60s Bon Aire Bodyboard / Skim Board

What works and what doesn't. Share design ideas, references and contacts for paipo board builders.
PhillyViking
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60s Bon Aire Bodyboard / Skim Board

#1

Unread post by PhillyViking »

I happened across a a body board / skim board sale for a model my brother and I rode in the mid sixties. The board measures 20 1/8 x 31 5/8. The board had removable skegs. see http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Surf-Bo ... 1258870922.

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We rode it at Assateague, OBX, Florida and Indian River Inlet DE. We used swim fins and attached the skegs for body boarding. The board was particularly well suited to body boarding the south side of the inlet that could break like the E-coast version of the wedge when the conditions lit up. Hang on and go. We trashed the skegs driving into sand and glassed on replacements. I mostly rode long boards at the time and only barely recall this (even after prompting) .. this was my brothers main ride. He was amused when I told him a couple years ago I had discovered this paipo thing and he should check it out. One more of those back to the future moments. I had a lot of fun walking down memory lane when I asked him if this was the board he had.
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rodndtube
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Re: 60s Bon Aire Bodyboard / Skim Board

#2

Unread post by rodndtube »

That board started out as a Buy Me Now at $299.99 about 10 months ago. Still waiting for the price to drop a little more.

Poobah... do you have one for sale?
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PhillyViking
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Re: 60s Bon Aire Bodyboard / Skim Board

#3

Unread post by PhillyViking »

I do not have one for sale .. my brother is looking to see if his original one might be somewhere down there in the caverns. If he still has it we expect that it will have some real interesting skegs glassed on.
Poobah
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Re: 60s Bon Aire Bodyboard / Skim Board

#4

Unread post by Poobah »

Somewhere in storage I've got a Bon-Aire and it's Eighties incarnation...a Sandpiper. At least I'm told the Sandpiper is a reissue. The Sandpipers supposedly even had team riders. No fin slots on the Sandpiper. My Bon-Aire has the slots, but no fin. I do have the cardboard box for the Bon-Aire...with the how-to drawings.

These were copied in plywood at many Jr. High and High School woodshop classes in San Diego in the mid to late sixties. So the template dominated plywood bellyboard design for a while. Too bad we didn't have a more creative woodshop teacher. How about you Mr. Mike? Did Coronado allow design deviation on bellyboards?

This thread about the August 1964 Peterson's Yearbook has an early ad for the Bon-Aire:

http://rodndtube.com/paipo/forum/viewto ... highlight=
mrmike
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Re: 60s Bon Aire Bodyboard / Skim Board

#5

Unread post by mrmike »

you had to follow the template if you wanted a good points, but the fins were up to you. we made " T " fins thaught it would lift you out of the water (fat chance at that ever happing)
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