There are not that many paipos/bellyboarders (or kneeboarders) for that matter, but they tend to become lumped in with bodyboarders (proneriders). Okay, we should include surf mats and maybe handboards, too. All of these folks are established minorities... and in some places are treated as such. Quite frankly, I don't encounter this "discrimination" in PR, CR and Hawaii. Not much in Northern Oregon nor in Central California. Along the Space Coast there just isn't much outside of SUPs, longboards and shortboards, but I have bumped into some paipo riders, including a hydrofoil paipo guy, over the years. I bumped into a paipo guy when I surfed one day in N. Oregon. So... what is all this rambling about here and this part of the thread? A shared experience riding prone and varying materials and design characteristics. I certainly welcome Nomas's design/shaping expertise--he is a student of the "conflict of design" and can speak intelligently about it as a shaper. But we are all learning all of the time and bring to our learning experience a set of our own biases and preferences based upon our own personal experiences and how we like to ride.rodndtube wrote: The US is very low on the bodyboarding spectrum--it has substantially diminished over the past decade or two. I would also say the mainland USA surfing community is very segregated and antagonistic towards each other. I notice this especially with USA foot surfers bringing their attitudes to overseas countries.
A lot of the bodyboarders in PR have stringers. My son couldn't really ride his US boogie board down there because it would turn into mush.
P.S. And, Nels, you better start a new thread on bodyboarding (boogie!) before I get into trouble!!!