MyPaipoBoards Forums

I thought I'd share a little project I did this week. I've been wanting to try this for awhile — this is a cork, glass and bamboo paipo. 46.5" x 20" (17" in tail) x .625" thick.
I used a combination of 4oz weave and 10oz unidirectional glass and sandwich bagged it with bio epoxy. I probably didn't need all of the glass — the bamboo veneer is really strong on it's own. I could use this board as a kiteboard, it's that stiff and strong now.

If I had to do it over again (and I probably will do it over again) I'd swap out the bamboo hull for a .15" cork skin on the bottom, then I'd shape a .125" concave into that bottom skin.

What do you all think of the dimensions? Did I go too wide?

nice and no.

Really nice! Very clean construction approach. Regarding the width, what made you decide to go 20"?

I drew the outline in a CAD program first, just to play around with dimensions and shapes. I just liked the proportions of this shape, and it came out as 20" so I went with it.

not sure I follow. Why would 20" wide be considered too wide? i guess if youre surfing in the bellyboard championships in england. but compared to hawaiian style paipos its too skinny. it looks just fine to me, it looks really fun! though it might be too short . now i'll play mass media interviewer, "Dave, can you please talk more about why you might think this board is too wide?"

Is this a new BodyPro design?

No, not a Bodypo — I wanted to make a legit paipo using some of the construction techniques I use on the Bodypo. I took this board out last night, and man, whenever I get on a real paipo I'm reminded how much the Bodypo is not a paipo. This is a fun board, but I missed the response (and cork deck) of the Bodypo.

I finally saw (in person) a Wegener alaia the other day. I'm was surprised to see just how narrow those boards are. I've see his shaping videos for the alaia, and I know he recommends something like 16-18" width. And when I see photos of some tombstone paipos it seems like they follow that same narrow convention. So I don't know, I just didn't know how wide to make it, so I'm just asking you paipo pros. Sounds like I could have gone wider.

Ipersonally, I like 19-21" wide. Seems to be the wheelhouse for California waves. The board definitely looks cool both in construction and outline. Nice job.

davehahn wrote:I finally saw (in person) a Wegener alaia the other day. I'm was surprised to see just how narrow those boards are. I've see his shaping videos for the alaia, and I know he recommends something like 16-18" width. And when I see photos of some tombstone paipos it seems like they follow that same narrow convention.

I like the "eye feel" of yours. So far as I know, those narrow alaia are quite a bit longer?

Is all of the fiberglass internal? Just varnish on the outside?

Dave,

Your question is a little like asking how long should a car be.

20" is fine, Skiff rides way wider boards and the thin wooden alaia/surfies of Tom Wegener are narrower.

Comes down to what sort of ride do you want and the waves you want to surf. You can have fun on all of them and they all have limitations.

Bob

Yes, all fiberglass is internal with polyurethane on the outside. The sandwich is bamboo-glass-cork-glass-bamboo. Vacuum bagged over a mold to get the bend in the front.

Speaking of — what's everyone's thoughts on rocker for paipo? I know wood doesn't lend itself very well to rocker, but this kind of construction does. Any thoughts?

Ive never put rocker into my boards. I use 1/2" and actively bend it while surfing. i especially like that i can give it reverse rocker while trying to catch a wave. the flex in plywood feels "o soooooo good!"

How about vacuum bagged over the deck of an old windsurfer, or a segment of a windsurfer? That way you could get both nose kick and a concave bottom. Or drop rails when the wide point is in the middle.

Different horses for different courses.
Generally I like my longer alaia type wood boards to flex quite a bit, some other styles might need a little nose rocker.

Cork & fiberglass can flex, but not the way I made it here. It all depends on where and how much fiberglass you add, and how thick the cork is. This board was made to be very stiff.

Really like the looks of the board Dave. Hope you make some more looks like it would be a good board to travel with.

Dave,

A bit of nose lift doesn't hurt. They don't need much. Experience will soon tell.

Regarding length - I came across this - http://mypaipoboards.org/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=534

BoOb

davehahn wrote:No, not a Bodypo — I wanted to make a legit paipo using some of the construction techniques I use on the Bodypo. I took this board out last night, and man, whenever I get on a real paipo I'm reminded how much the Bodypo is not a paipo. This is a fun board, but I missed the response (and cork deck) of the Bodypo.

I finally saw (in person) a Wegener alaia the other day. I'm was surprised to see just how narrow those boards are. I've see his shaping videos for the alaia, and I know he recommends something like 16-18" width. And when I see photos of some tombstone paipos it seems like they follow that same narrow convention. So I don't know, I just didn't know how wide to make it, so I'm just asking you paipo pros. Sounds like I could have gone wider.

I got to test ride this board yesterday in clean, hollow, waist to head high surf and it's definitely a legit paipo. I was surprised how light and buoyant the board was. Much lighter than plywood, but a little heavier than a comparable paulownia wood board. However, I think the buoyancy was similar to paulownia. I could arm paddle it in smooth water. Still, you could duck dive it as easily as any other thin wood paipo. The big high tide was peaking early in the session, so the waves were starting slow, then speeding up and hollowing out on the inside sandbars. Dave on a Bodypo and me on the bamboo paipo picked off a set outside the pack and split the peak. I took the right, but didn't like the look down the line, so I faded back left. I could see the section in front of me getting ready to pitch and a longboarder dropping in behind Dave. I got way up on the nose and stretched out in traditional paipo style, inside arm forward and off the rail, and the board took off like a rocket. I blew past the longboarder, forcing him off, then tucked into the pocket and quickly caught up to Dave. The wave kept peeling, and we shared it all the way to the inside. The board worked really well in the barrel too. It was easy to pull in and hold the line while maintaining full speed. Also important for hard wood boards, it was easily controllable in closeout situations. At least for the conditions yesterday, the size of the board felt just right.

Overall, I think the board length is the right size for me (I'm 5' 10"). I suspect that for bigger waves, scaling the overall width up proportionally would help. That would probably make the board even faster in smaller waves, maybe at the expense of tube riding ability, and it would make the board easier to spin. I think folks who are into traditional wood paipos would really enjoy this bamboo board. I'm trying to convince Dave to add these to his line up.

Trevor,

Does this mean the bamboo board is way faster than the Bodypo, you're just a speedy guy or did the inside had a better launching pad?

Bob