Introduce yourself
- rodndtube
- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:34 pm
- City: Arbutus Land
- State or Province: Maryland
- Country: USA
- Interests: Waveriding, travel and the Paipo Research Project
- Location: Maryland, USA & Where the Waves Are Breaking
- Contact:
Introduce yourself
Rod Rodgers aka "rodndtube," a paipo boarder from Arbutus, MD.
I started waveriding in Puerto Rico in the late-1960s. It was the natural thing to do since I lived on the Island for 9 years, 4th-12th grades. My current passion is combining travel and surf--Puerto Rico being my most frequent destination of choice, at least annually since the early-1990s. Costa Rica has developed into another popular destination (1988, 2003, 2005-2011). In addition to the Delaware/Maryland/Virginia (DelMarVa) coast, I have on several occasions ridden the waves of southern NJ, VaBeach, Cape Hatteras, Central Florida, San Diego, Orange and Ventura counties, N. Oregon, and Oahu's north, south and west shores. I've also had the pleasure to ride waves in deep Baja Mexico, and in SW France. 4 to 7 feet is probably my most comfortable range, especially if it is a nice reef or point break! I also ride smaller and larger.
Waveriding birthyear: 1967. I birthed on a Hobie 9'4" noserider, quickly migrated to an Australian-made 7'6" McTavish V-bottom; started paipo boarding at the same time for riding places like Gas Chambers in the pre-leash days. Had so much fun that the paipo became my wave riding tool of choice by the winter season of 1969-70 along Puerto Rico's west coast. I surf-birthed at Pine Grove (Isla Verde area of San Juan) and also suffered many a wipe out at La Pared, in Luquillo, during the early summer of 1967. Then my family moved to the SW of PR where Jobos and Maria's Beach became my "home breaks." That was the real golden age of surfing in PR. My first real wave where I broke out of gremmiehood was on Labor Day Weekend 1967, at Maria's Beach.
My main rides: custom made paipo boards by Austin Saunders, Virginia Beach (Orange Matter and Checkered RPM). Sometimes I ride the beautiful looking paipo fish made by John Mel, Freeline Design, Santa Cruz, CA. A Bonzer paipo is next on my list. You can see the quiver at: http://mypaipoboards.org/index.shtml#MY_PAIPO_BOARDS
I started hosting the MyPaipoBoards website in January 2000. I credit Neal "Sponge" Miyake for encouraging me to create the paipo pages. Neal, in addition to his full-time real life job, is a surfing author, creator, freelance photographer and writer, consummate contributor to the alt.surfing newsgroup, husband and father, and a stoked resident of Oahu,Hawaii. The paipo forums kicked off in January 2004. Wow... that was a long, long time ago!
About two and a half years ago my current labor of love kicked off -- the Paipo Research Project -- the result of a few innocent questions being asked on the paipo forums, e.g., "Where does the word paipo come from? It isn't found in any of the Hawaiian dictionaries." and "Who was the first person that combined fins and paipos?" And the Paper Trail series of intoxicating tidbits. Being relatively newly retired I had some time to tilt into the windmills and embarked on the search... and Bob Green joined in full force (despite still having a full-time, real job). Kim Green, Poobah and Nels are some of the other troublemakers in this research quest, but there are many, many more, and the contributions by everyone on the forums has been nothing short of a great experience. I must also thank John Clark for his contributions to the paipo interviews, in Hawaii, not to mention his wonderful contributions in documenting paipo history through the ages and also answering that one question that sparked this quest, "What is the origins of the term paipo?"
The above list of contributions and supporters is incomplete and imperfect. But riding our paipos on a good day is about as close to perfection that it ever can be!
I started waveriding in Puerto Rico in the late-1960s. It was the natural thing to do since I lived on the Island for 9 years, 4th-12th grades. My current passion is combining travel and surf--Puerto Rico being my most frequent destination of choice, at least annually since the early-1990s. Costa Rica has developed into another popular destination (1988, 2003, 2005-2011). In addition to the Delaware/Maryland/Virginia (DelMarVa) coast, I have on several occasions ridden the waves of southern NJ, VaBeach, Cape Hatteras, Central Florida, San Diego, Orange and Ventura counties, N. Oregon, and Oahu's north, south and west shores. I've also had the pleasure to ride waves in deep Baja Mexico, and in SW France. 4 to 7 feet is probably my most comfortable range, especially if it is a nice reef or point break! I also ride smaller and larger.
Waveriding birthyear: 1967. I birthed on a Hobie 9'4" noserider, quickly migrated to an Australian-made 7'6" McTavish V-bottom; started paipo boarding at the same time for riding places like Gas Chambers in the pre-leash days. Had so much fun that the paipo became my wave riding tool of choice by the winter season of 1969-70 along Puerto Rico's west coast. I surf-birthed at Pine Grove (Isla Verde area of San Juan) and also suffered many a wipe out at La Pared, in Luquillo, during the early summer of 1967. Then my family moved to the SW of PR where Jobos and Maria's Beach became my "home breaks." That was the real golden age of surfing in PR. My first real wave where I broke out of gremmiehood was on Labor Day Weekend 1967, at Maria's Beach.
My main rides: custom made paipo boards by Austin Saunders, Virginia Beach (Orange Matter and Checkered RPM). Sometimes I ride the beautiful looking paipo fish made by John Mel, Freeline Design, Santa Cruz, CA. A Bonzer paipo is next on my list. You can see the quiver at: http://mypaipoboards.org/index.shtml#MY_PAIPO_BOARDS
I started hosting the MyPaipoBoards website in January 2000. I credit Neal "Sponge" Miyake for encouraging me to create the paipo pages. Neal, in addition to his full-time real life job, is a surfing author, creator, freelance photographer and writer, consummate contributor to the alt.surfing newsgroup, husband and father, and a stoked resident of Oahu,Hawaii. The paipo forums kicked off in January 2004. Wow... that was a long, long time ago!
About two and a half years ago my current labor of love kicked off -- the Paipo Research Project -- the result of a few innocent questions being asked on the paipo forums, e.g., "Where does the word paipo come from? It isn't found in any of the Hawaiian dictionaries." and "Who was the first person that combined fins and paipos?" And the Paper Trail series of intoxicating tidbits. Being relatively newly retired I had some time to tilt into the windmills and embarked on the search... and Bob Green joined in full force (despite still having a full-time, real job). Kim Green, Poobah and Nels are some of the other troublemakers in this research quest, but there are many, many more, and the contributions by everyone on the forums has been nothing short of a great experience. I must also thank John Clark for his contributions to the paipo interviews, in Hawaii, not to mention his wonderful contributions in documenting paipo history through the ages and also answering that one question that sparked this quest, "What is the origins of the term paipo?"
The above list of contributions and supporters is incomplete and imperfect. But riding our paipos on a good day is about as close to perfection that it ever can be!
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
- Asanagoo
- Tube master
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 12:50 pm
- City: Grand Rapids
- State or Province: MI
- Country: USA
- Location: 3rd Coast
My Surfography
I started writing this "surfography" (or "smurfography" since it refers to multiple disciplines?) the other day. It ended up a bit longer than I thought. It's really just a summary of a very long 'beginning' of the story, though really.
I'm Jarrid Brill. I was born in Kalamazoo, MI some time after Gibson guitars packed up and left town. I became a surefooted little swamp rat, learning to walk in and around the peaty wetlands and woods just beyond my backyard. Soon after that, riding boards of almost any kind became one of my primary agendas. It all started when I realized that snow sledding was much more exciting when standing up. Soon I found myself trekking off to nearby gravel pits and dropping in on 15 to 20 foot peaks of dirt and snow. This was the early 1980's mind you. Snurfers, snowboards, boogie boards etc may have been in existence but were beyond my knowledge at the time.
My first experience with waveriding is also one of the most vivid memories from my childhood. I don't think I even knew what was coming when I was floating on a raft in Lake Michigan and my dad turned me around and said "hang on, boy!" I cruised all the way in to the sand and was hooked for good. Again, decent equipment was elusive to me, but I knew that I needed something firmer than a raft to really catch waves with. My first boards were some pathetic little styrofoam non-directional pill shaped "surfboards" about 4 feet long with a three "hump" hull design that ran the full length. I seem to remember them working okay until they snapped. After that I hooked up with another styrofoam"belly board" this one had that nylon fabric coating making it a bit more sturdy. It's actually a decent shape with a flat bottom, slight rocker at the nose, somewhat down turned rails and is about 3.5 or 4 inches thick. It was pretty buoyant until it got water logged. I still have it and it's in fine shape though I don't really use it anymore.
Of course I took to sponge riding later, when they became more readily available in my area. Snowboarding kept my stoke level at 11 during those years, but the desire to ride waves upright was a constant. A trip to Florida when I was 15 affirmed that I was able. I recall some slightly older kids sitting around by the beach making some sarcastic comments about there not being any waves to surf on as I lugged my rented 8 foot foam top board out. I was easily able to get to my feet several times though on those ankle slappers without any lesson or anything.
I returned from that trip with a well worn used shortboard. To this day, I don't think I've ever stood up on it. It's a Free Flight, which I just recently looked up and discovered that it was shaped by Phil Myers in Ballina, Australia. I'm glad I still have it. It needs some patching, but I may still take it out in the not too distant future even though it's a tad small for me. I'll keep it around in case my daughter or nephews want to use it.
During college, I discovered the punk / rockabilly scene and beer. Lots of beer. I mostly abandoned my more healthy pastimes for a while and got out of shape. After graduating, I met my now ex wife / baby mama. She was enlisting in the Navy and we were both anxious to get out of town, so we said 'effit' and got married.
Thus I took off for Monterey, CA, where I little by little tried my hand at surfing. I soon became a stay at home dad, though so I didn't have much time or money for surfing. I more typically could be found playing disc golf while pushing a stroller.
But that's ok, because it turned out the next station was the motherfuckin EIGHT OH EIGHT! We moved to Schofield Barracks in the middle of Oahu, equidistant from Town and Country. I acquired my pop-out 9 foot log that is still my main board for upright surfing and started trying like hell to be able to paddle my ass into some waves. It seems that my marriage was unraveling during the almost 2 years in Wahiawa, but I managed to find enough peace of mind while driving my dusty Subaru island beater either up to Chuns or down to Publics. Damn I miss Hawaii!
That brings me up to about 3 years ago, when I moved back to Michigan and snagged my job as production help / delivery driver for a furniture / display company. I've been attacking the windswells on Lake Michigan ever since then on both my log, and on the paipos that I've been building. I'm still not that advanced, skill-wise but I feel like I've finally gotten into the trim of the learning curve.
A common theme throughout this story is the fact that commercially available boards and equipment are so damn expensive and a young man of limited means such as myself has never been able to keep up with the state-of the art. Instead I have always found myself daydreaming about my own designs, looking around at what materials are at my disposal and wondering what I could come up with. During my stint as an at-home dad, I finally started dabbling in woodworking and my skills have gradually progressed. I've done a few guitars, some furniture and wine racks / picture frames etc. Now most recently I've decided to take all the ideas I've had swirling in my head all these years about skate / surf / snow boards and start to apply them in what ever way I can. And I have dubbed this project Asanagoo Board Craft. I consider it a "project" for now, if it grows into a "business" that would be great, but stoke is both the resource AND the end result.
...and that is why I'm here to learn and share ideas for paipo and alaias.
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
I'm Jarrid Brill. I was born in Kalamazoo, MI some time after Gibson guitars packed up and left town. I became a surefooted little swamp rat, learning to walk in and around the peaty wetlands and woods just beyond my backyard. Soon after that, riding boards of almost any kind became one of my primary agendas. It all started when I realized that snow sledding was much more exciting when standing up. Soon I found myself trekking off to nearby gravel pits and dropping in on 15 to 20 foot peaks of dirt and snow. This was the early 1980's mind you. Snurfers, snowboards, boogie boards etc may have been in existence but were beyond my knowledge at the time.
My first experience with waveriding is also one of the most vivid memories from my childhood. I don't think I even knew what was coming when I was floating on a raft in Lake Michigan and my dad turned me around and said "hang on, boy!" I cruised all the way in to the sand and was hooked for good. Again, decent equipment was elusive to me, but I knew that I needed something firmer than a raft to really catch waves with. My first boards were some pathetic little styrofoam non-directional pill shaped "surfboards" about 4 feet long with a three "hump" hull design that ran the full length. I seem to remember them working okay until they snapped. After that I hooked up with another styrofoam"belly board" this one had that nylon fabric coating making it a bit more sturdy. It's actually a decent shape with a flat bottom, slight rocker at the nose, somewhat down turned rails and is about 3.5 or 4 inches thick. It was pretty buoyant until it got water logged. I still have it and it's in fine shape though I don't really use it anymore.
Of course I took to sponge riding later, when they became more readily available in my area. Snowboarding kept my stoke level at 11 during those years, but the desire to ride waves upright was a constant. A trip to Florida when I was 15 affirmed that I was able. I recall some slightly older kids sitting around by the beach making some sarcastic comments about there not being any waves to surf on as I lugged my rented 8 foot foam top board out. I was easily able to get to my feet several times though on those ankle slappers without any lesson or anything.
I returned from that trip with a well worn used shortboard. To this day, I don't think I've ever stood up on it. It's a Free Flight, which I just recently looked up and discovered that it was shaped by Phil Myers in Ballina, Australia. I'm glad I still have it. It needs some patching, but I may still take it out in the not too distant future even though it's a tad small for me. I'll keep it around in case my daughter or nephews want to use it.
During college, I discovered the punk / rockabilly scene and beer. Lots of beer. I mostly abandoned my more healthy pastimes for a while and got out of shape. After graduating, I met my now ex wife / baby mama. She was enlisting in the Navy and we were both anxious to get out of town, so we said 'effit' and got married.
Thus I took off for Monterey, CA, where I little by little tried my hand at surfing. I soon became a stay at home dad, though so I didn't have much time or money for surfing. I more typically could be found playing disc golf while pushing a stroller.
But that's ok, because it turned out the next station was the motherfuckin EIGHT OH EIGHT! We moved to Schofield Barracks in the middle of Oahu, equidistant from Town and Country. I acquired my pop-out 9 foot log that is still my main board for upright surfing and started trying like hell to be able to paddle my ass into some waves. It seems that my marriage was unraveling during the almost 2 years in Wahiawa, but I managed to find enough peace of mind while driving my dusty Subaru island beater either up to Chuns or down to Publics. Damn I miss Hawaii!
That brings me up to about 3 years ago, when I moved back to Michigan and snagged my job as production help / delivery driver for a furniture / display company. I've been attacking the windswells on Lake Michigan ever since then on both my log, and on the paipos that I've been building. I'm still not that advanced, skill-wise but I feel like I've finally gotten into the trim of the learning curve.
A common theme throughout this story is the fact that commercially available boards and equipment are so damn expensive and a young man of limited means such as myself has never been able to keep up with the state-of the art. Instead I have always found myself daydreaming about my own designs, looking around at what materials are at my disposal and wondering what I could come up with. During my stint as an at-home dad, I finally started dabbling in woodworking and my skills have gradually progressed. I've done a few guitars, some furniture and wine racks / picture frames etc. Now most recently I've decided to take all the ideas I've had swirling in my head all these years about skate / surf / snow boards and start to apply them in what ever way I can. And I have dubbed this project Asanagoo Board Craft. I consider it a "project" for now, if it grows into a "business" that would be great, but stoke is both the resource AND the end result.
...and that is why I'm here to learn and share ideas for paipo and alaias.
- Cuttlefish
- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2011 2:11 am
- City: Sunshine coast
- State or Province: Qld
- Country: Australia
- Interests: Oceanic frolicking
- Location: Sunshine coast
Re: Introduce yourself
My name is Pete.
Started riding Crozier single fin slab kneeboards back in 1979.
Then it was onto his twin fins.
Rode stand up surfboards from 1981 to now.
Had a dabble back on a couple of kneeboards in the last 2 years.
I've wanted to try a bellyboard/paipo for a few years since reading about them on Swaylocks.
Got as far as contacting Austin about getting one but freight was prohibitive.
Didn't know of anyone making them here in Australia.
Had a few conversations with Bob Green and was waiting poised for the planets to align and everything to fall into place - or something - to get one made.
A local shaper (Mark Pridmore of More surfboards) has been experimenting with finless stand up surfboards for a few years now and so I figured he'd be keen to try his hand at making me one.
A recent thread on Swaylocks provided the final push/motivation to get one happening.
So I've now had a few surfs on a 4'2" X 22 1/2" X 3" board I dubbed the GST (here in Australia we have a general sales tax -GST) but the board has a green sea turtle shell as artwork on the deck (done in Posca pen by Mark's 12 yr old son, Cain) since it's so short and stubby.
I've ridden it a couple of times in tiny waves I wouldn't even bother trying to ride on a stand up surfboard and once in 3' waves a couple of days ago.
Everytime it had me cackling like a loon I had so much fun.
Especially satisfying was catching a very nice left hand 3' wave and scorching across it with Mark (the afore-mentioned shaper) and his son, Cain standing on the beach watching.
We were all stoked.
I'm hooked and so look forward to contributing and learning about the ins and outs of prone surf riding on the forum.
Started riding Crozier single fin slab kneeboards back in 1979.
Then it was onto his twin fins.
Rode stand up surfboards from 1981 to now.
Had a dabble back on a couple of kneeboards in the last 2 years.
I've wanted to try a bellyboard/paipo for a few years since reading about them on Swaylocks.
Got as far as contacting Austin about getting one but freight was prohibitive.
Didn't know of anyone making them here in Australia.
Had a few conversations with Bob Green and was waiting poised for the planets to align and everything to fall into place - or something - to get one made.
A local shaper (Mark Pridmore of More surfboards) has been experimenting with finless stand up surfboards for a few years now and so I figured he'd be keen to try his hand at making me one.
A recent thread on Swaylocks provided the final push/motivation to get one happening.
So I've now had a few surfs on a 4'2" X 22 1/2" X 3" board I dubbed the GST (here in Australia we have a general sales tax -GST) but the board has a green sea turtle shell as artwork on the deck (done in Posca pen by Mark's 12 yr old son, Cain) since it's so short and stubby.
I've ridden it a couple of times in tiny waves I wouldn't even bother trying to ride on a stand up surfboard and once in 3' waves a couple of days ago.
Everytime it had me cackling like a loon I had so much fun.
Especially satisfying was catching a very nice left hand 3' wave and scorching across it with Mark (the afore-mentioned shaper) and his son, Cain standing on the beach watching.
We were all stoked.
I'm hooked and so look forward to contributing and learning about the ins and outs of prone surf riding on the forum.
Only a rat can win the rat race.
- Uncle Grumpy
- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 450
- Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:57 pm
- City: San Clemente
- State or Province: California
- Country: USA
- Interests: Surfing, Surfboards, Surf History, Fishing, Boats, Dogs, Books
- Contact:
Re: Introduce yourself
I've lived my entire life "West of the 5" in SoCal and have been surfing since the mid 60's.
Like many of my generation, a Hodgeman rental mat was my first surf toy.
As a young gremmie, trunks were the only surf item I could get my folks to spring for, so for several years I relied on borrowed boards, a shop class plywood paipo and bodysurfing.
When I was 13, my mom and I got into a beef about the clothes she was buying for me. She told me if I didn't like what she was buying; I should get myself a job and buy my own clothes. That was fine by me. Now I could get a proper surfboard and a wetsuit and instead of "Billy the Kid" loser-wear, I was surf stylin' in Levi's and Hang Ten's.
Around this time I'd become totally fascinated with George Greenough so the first board I bought was a bright orange quasi spoon kneeboard out of the used board rack that worked just okay in the South Bay beach break I could bike to. It wasn't long before I dumped that board for my first custom which was one of those groovy kneelo/standup combo boards from the era. I watched Jeff Widener shape it at the Jacobs shop in Hermosa.
Growing up, I'd always had a short bike ride to the beach and with the Greenough influence I gravitated to kneeboards for their small size and maneuverability. I ended up sticking with mostly riding kneelo the next 20 years or so.
50]
The short bike ride to the beach came to a halt when my dad moved us to Simi Valley during my senior year semester break. UGH! Instead of a twenty minute bike ride to the waves it was an hour by car. There was no way I was gonna hang with that too long, so thanks in large part to ads then running in Surfer Magazine, I joined the USN a few months after high school graduation in 1975.
Most of my enlistment was served aboard USS Tuscaloosa LST 1187, stationed in San Diego.
I was fortunate to have longtime friends and family in San Clemente and San Diego and I surfed SoCal and Baja quite a bit when the boat was stateside but they refused to let me take or keep a surfboard onboard ship so I stashed my boards at friends places and kept a pair of Churchill's in my shipboard locker.
Steve Lis fish was what I was riding when we were stateside.
During my hitch I made 2 WESTPAC's, crossing the Pacific twice aboard "Big T", visiting all the typical GI stops and several out of the way spots including Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Tinian and Saipan but sadly my surf life was limited to bodysurfing at most stops overseas. Never got any decent surfing in Hawaii even tho' I was there many times....
After my discharge in 1980 I worked as a rigger in the San Diego shipyard for several months. After getting laid off I moved and surfed around for a while, ending up in San Clemente for a couple years working in the Saddleback College Theater dept. which prepped me for a later move to LA where I spent several years building and working on movie and TV sets. During those years in my off time I surfed the entire Cali Coast and Baja. A surfpal I'd met in Hollywood had a small casita at Salsipuedes and we spent many hours there, surfing great waves with just a handful of friends.
I was riding Ron Romanowski boards during these years.
In spring 1987, myself and another longtime surf and workmate, driving my 2WD Toyota PU, made a surfing safari trip down the Baja Peninsula, ferried from Cabo to Puerto Vallarta and continued down the mainland coast almost to Acapulco. We surfed several spots most memorably Rio Nexpa and had an excellent time spending over a month surfing, fishing and exploring the mainland. That trip could fill a big book.
During the trip, I'd realized I was ready to get out of Hollywood and several months later when I met Sherry, my future wife, I had a reason to get out because soon after we met, she asked me if I'd like to come and work with her and I've been back in San Clemente ever since.
For many years we built high end leaded glass windows but we now concentrate on fused glass centric wall and table art.
During my service years, I suffered a neck injury by getting knocked off a high pier in Okinawa and landing on my neck. As time has progressed this and other injuries have come to plague me and over the past ten years I've had to quit riding kneelo due to bad knees AND standup because I simply can't paddle over arm anymore.
So here I am at 54, prone to the bone and still as stoked as I was at 15.
Just in the past couple years I have gotten into building boards and my homebuilt paulownia alaia is my current favorite.
Paipos, Alaias, Mats, Whatevah!
I surf as often as possible and am a regular volunteer at the Surfing Heritage Foundation.
Like many of my generation, a Hodgeman rental mat was my first surf toy.
As a young gremmie, trunks were the only surf item I could get my folks to spring for, so for several years I relied on borrowed boards, a shop class plywood paipo and bodysurfing.
When I was 13, my mom and I got into a beef about the clothes she was buying for me. She told me if I didn't like what she was buying; I should get myself a job and buy my own clothes. That was fine by me. Now I could get a proper surfboard and a wetsuit and instead of "Billy the Kid" loser-wear, I was surf stylin' in Levi's and Hang Ten's.
Around this time I'd become totally fascinated with George Greenough so the first board I bought was a bright orange quasi spoon kneeboard out of the used board rack that worked just okay in the South Bay beach break I could bike to. It wasn't long before I dumped that board for my first custom which was one of those groovy kneelo/standup combo boards from the era. I watched Jeff Widener shape it at the Jacobs shop in Hermosa.
Growing up, I'd always had a short bike ride to the beach and with the Greenough influence I gravitated to kneeboards for their small size and maneuverability. I ended up sticking with mostly riding kneelo the next 20 years or so.
50]
The short bike ride to the beach came to a halt when my dad moved us to Simi Valley during my senior year semester break. UGH! Instead of a twenty minute bike ride to the waves it was an hour by car. There was no way I was gonna hang with that too long, so thanks in large part to ads then running in Surfer Magazine, I joined the USN a few months after high school graduation in 1975.
Most of my enlistment was served aboard USS Tuscaloosa LST 1187, stationed in San Diego.
I was fortunate to have longtime friends and family in San Clemente and San Diego and I surfed SoCal and Baja quite a bit when the boat was stateside but they refused to let me take or keep a surfboard onboard ship so I stashed my boards at friends places and kept a pair of Churchill's in my shipboard locker.
Steve Lis fish was what I was riding when we were stateside.
During my hitch I made 2 WESTPAC's, crossing the Pacific twice aboard "Big T", visiting all the typical GI stops and several out of the way spots including Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Tinian and Saipan but sadly my surf life was limited to bodysurfing at most stops overseas. Never got any decent surfing in Hawaii even tho' I was there many times....
After my discharge in 1980 I worked as a rigger in the San Diego shipyard for several months. After getting laid off I moved and surfed around for a while, ending up in San Clemente for a couple years working in the Saddleback College Theater dept. which prepped me for a later move to LA where I spent several years building and working on movie and TV sets. During those years in my off time I surfed the entire Cali Coast and Baja. A surfpal I'd met in Hollywood had a small casita at Salsipuedes and we spent many hours there, surfing great waves with just a handful of friends.
I was riding Ron Romanowski boards during these years.
In spring 1987, myself and another longtime surf and workmate, driving my 2WD Toyota PU, made a surfing safari trip down the Baja Peninsula, ferried from Cabo to Puerto Vallarta and continued down the mainland coast almost to Acapulco. We surfed several spots most memorably Rio Nexpa and had an excellent time spending over a month surfing, fishing and exploring the mainland. That trip could fill a big book.
During the trip, I'd realized I was ready to get out of Hollywood and several months later when I met Sherry, my future wife, I had a reason to get out because soon after we met, she asked me if I'd like to come and work with her and I've been back in San Clemente ever since.
For many years we built high end leaded glass windows but we now concentrate on fused glass centric wall and table art.
During my service years, I suffered a neck injury by getting knocked off a high pier in Okinawa and landing on my neck. As time has progressed this and other injuries have come to plague me and over the past ten years I've had to quit riding kneelo due to bad knees AND standup because I simply can't paddle over arm anymore.
So here I am at 54, prone to the bone and still as stoked as I was at 15.
Just in the past couple years I have gotten into building boards and my homebuilt paulownia alaia is my current favorite.
Paipos, Alaias, Mats, Whatevah!
I surf as often as possible and am a regular volunteer at the Surfing Heritage Foundation.
Last edited by Uncle Grumpy on Sun Nov 18, 2012 11:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Paipo surfer in repose,
Nose on the nose,
No grunting he-man pose.
See how fast he goes!
What is it he knows?
Nose on the nose,
No grunting he-man pose.
See how fast he goes!
What is it he knows?
- PaipoRick
- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:29 pm
- City: City
- State or Province: Your state or province
- Country: Your country
- Location: Asheville, NC
Re: Introduce yourself
Paipo Rick. Rick is the first name, the last name begins with M.
After moving from the wilds of N. Providence, RI to the metropolis of Chesapeake, VA at age 10 I discovered that beaches could have something besides rocky bottoms. Dad, who traveled a lot for work, was out in Cali ~77 or so and brought us back some bodyboards. Foam with a fiberglass type of cloth over them. Took them to the beach and had fun. No one in the area had these, which was cool. Spent a lot of time at the home break of Little Island Park (VB, VA). Later we started going to Hatteras.
In HS I bought a real bodyboard, a Morey. Got into it heavily and once I got my DL I was at Little Island several times/wk. Started competing in bodyboard contests when I was in HS, then into college. Won a few events, won even more swag. Decided the contest scene wasn't fun so I stopped going and just did my own thing. After I left ODU I took a job at a company where my immediate supervisor surfed. He invited me along, eventually giving me a board, an old brownded out craft that had a patch over the label. It was ok, not great. One day at Croatan I caught my first wave into the beach. Dozens I remember, it was about 2', slow, and this board just ate it up. Paddle, stand up and cruise. I later moved to a 7'2" WRV swallowtail, then a 6'4" WRV quad. Then a 9'2" WRV log, a 7'6" funboard (that I miss dearly) and a '67 Weber Performer.
Life then took a sh*t so I moved inland. Gave everything up until 99 I think when I decided I needed a vacation. Ordered another Morey then hit the road. Me, the morey and a 10' In The Eye spent a few weeks on Ocracoke, baking in the sun. Drinking and smoking with a caravan of german teachers on holiday. I hit the water to escape the heat and discovered bodyboarding again. Still, I lived inland. [kids: don't move inland]
I had read alt.surfing off and on using various names. I saw a post about a trip to Hatteras so I emailed Rod and asked if I could go. That trip was odd, I knew no one at all. I met up with an enticing diva named "Gin and Tonic" (thanks Rod & Foon). Rod's crafts...paypo? paypi? Whatever...they were so different. I continued going to GP until I asked Rod if I could ride one. I did and boom, hooked. Like crack that sample hit me hard. I later bought that board, red. In 2011 I bought Azul, an austin paipo that is so sweet.
now the board stable is my Morey mach 7 (that my daughter uses), red paipo, azul paipo, a 6'10" thruster and a 9'8" Weber. Azul and Weber share my affections, this year at GP I didn't show Weber too much love.
After moving from the wilds of N. Providence, RI to the metropolis of Chesapeake, VA at age 10 I discovered that beaches could have something besides rocky bottoms. Dad, who traveled a lot for work, was out in Cali ~77 or so and brought us back some bodyboards. Foam with a fiberglass type of cloth over them. Took them to the beach and had fun. No one in the area had these, which was cool. Spent a lot of time at the home break of Little Island Park (VB, VA). Later we started going to Hatteras.
In HS I bought a real bodyboard, a Morey. Got into it heavily and once I got my DL I was at Little Island several times/wk. Started competing in bodyboard contests when I was in HS, then into college. Won a few events, won even more swag. Decided the contest scene wasn't fun so I stopped going and just did my own thing. After I left ODU I took a job at a company where my immediate supervisor surfed. He invited me along, eventually giving me a board, an old brownded out craft that had a patch over the label. It was ok, not great. One day at Croatan I caught my first wave into the beach. Dozens I remember, it was about 2', slow, and this board just ate it up. Paddle, stand up and cruise. I later moved to a 7'2" WRV swallowtail, then a 6'4" WRV quad. Then a 9'2" WRV log, a 7'6" funboard (that I miss dearly) and a '67 Weber Performer.
Life then took a sh*t so I moved inland. Gave everything up until 99 I think when I decided I needed a vacation. Ordered another Morey then hit the road. Me, the morey and a 10' In The Eye spent a few weeks on Ocracoke, baking in the sun. Drinking and smoking with a caravan of german teachers on holiday. I hit the water to escape the heat and discovered bodyboarding again. Still, I lived inland. [kids: don't move inland]
I had read alt.surfing off and on using various names. I saw a post about a trip to Hatteras so I emailed Rod and asked if I could go. That trip was odd, I knew no one at all. I met up with an enticing diva named "Gin and Tonic" (thanks Rod & Foon). Rod's crafts...paypo? paypi? Whatever...they were so different. I continued going to GP until I asked Rod if I could ride one. I did and boom, hooked. Like crack that sample hit me hard. I later bought that board, red. In 2011 I bought Azul, an austin paipo that is so sweet.
now the board stable is my Morey mach 7 (that my daughter uses), red paipo, azul paipo, a 6'10" thruster and a 9'8" Weber. Azul and Weber share my affections, this year at GP I didn't show Weber too much love.
- cornish-paipoman
- Wave slider
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 4:24 pm
- City: Porthtowan
- State or Province: Cornwall
- Country: United Kingdom
Re: Introduce yourself
Hiya Folks,
My name is Matt and I live just between Chapel Porth and St Agnes in Cornwall, UK. I'm 35, self-employed and try to surf everyday I can. Although I compete every year at the Bellyboard championships on an old ply bellyboard I really don't like the old ply boards so it kinda stays in the back of my van.
I ride Paipos and Kneeboards mostly (I'm known locally as the paipo-guy) but have been know once or twice to dig out my old McCoy longboard. Both my paipos are foam/glass based. The old red board is very well used and has a re-shaped tail and many, many repairs! It was purchased for 10 dollars from a yard sale on a trip to California about 5yrs ago, it appears in every respect to be an old Greg Noll. It rides like a rocket-ship and has earned the name 'red arrow'.
The other board is a mini simmons type and is only a few months old. It has a mild 'step deck' and a 'v' bottom graduating to flat near the fins. Very little rocker and a sweet ride in anything up to 6ft. Both boards are a little over 4ft long and 19-20" wide.
I'm currently working on a new bio-foam paipo/kneeboard with a flex-tail and hope to have some progress pics for you soon
Glad to get on here and look forward to chatting with you all!
Matt
My name is Matt and I live just between Chapel Porth and St Agnes in Cornwall, UK. I'm 35, self-employed and try to surf everyday I can. Although I compete every year at the Bellyboard championships on an old ply bellyboard I really don't like the old ply boards so it kinda stays in the back of my van.
I ride Paipos and Kneeboards mostly (I'm known locally as the paipo-guy) but have been know once or twice to dig out my old McCoy longboard. Both my paipos are foam/glass based. The old red board is very well used and has a re-shaped tail and many, many repairs! It was purchased for 10 dollars from a yard sale on a trip to California about 5yrs ago, it appears in every respect to be an old Greg Noll. It rides like a rocket-ship and has earned the name 'red arrow'.
The other board is a mini simmons type and is only a few months old. It has a mild 'step deck' and a 'v' bottom graduating to flat near the fins. Very little rocker and a sweet ride in anything up to 6ft. Both boards are a little over 4ft long and 19-20" wide.
I'm currently working on a new bio-foam paipo/kneeboard with a flex-tail and hope to have some progress pics for you soon
![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
Glad to get on here and look forward to chatting with you all!
Matt
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- Wave slider
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2012 1:50 pm
- City: Wilmington
- State or Province: NC
- Country: USA
Re: Introduce yourself
Hey I'm Josh from Wrightsville Beach, NC. I started riding paipos a few years ago out on the Big Island, Hawaii. I was hooked on the first wave. I also ride alaias. I actually sold off all my fiberglass boards and bought some paulownia lumber to replace them. I only ride wooden boards now and I love it. I also shape paipos and alaias for other smart people whenever someone orders one. I like to think I've helped many people find paipos and alaias. I stick to replicating the ancient boards rather than some space-age design. Good to meet you all.
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- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 86
- Joined: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:38 am
Re: Introduce yourself
Hello, I am from Philadelphia .. I began riding long boards in 1965 mostly at the Inlet Delaware but spent lots of time on Assategue, OBX and Florida. More recently I rode boogie boards and then in the last few years transitioned to an Austin Paipo and 4GF Surf mats. While very different, I enjoy both. I now make annual trips to Buxton NC and Assateague and am beginning to work in trips to Puerto Rico and Central America. I take day trips to OC NJ when the forecast and web cams are promising. I am planning on trying out some wood paipos. I love the water and seek those transcendental moments that are provided when we are in the right place in every way.
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- Forum Grommet
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2012 3:41 am
- City: Lihue
- State or Province: Hi
- Country: United States
Re: Introduce yourself
Howzit Everybody, My name is Alika. I'm originally from Kaneohe Oahu but now live in Hanam'ulu Kauai. I was born in '71 so tecnically I'm from the "boogie board" era. That's exactly what I started out on around 1978 and continued to ride until the mid 90's. I started at Sherwood forest, Kalamas and Waikiki wall. Later as my friends and I improved and became mobile, we started checking out different places island wide. Throughout highschool, Sandy beach became my favorite spot and I learned volumes about waveriding and a whole lot of other things there. I started stand up surfing around that time too and used to Longboard Canoes alot. I moved to Kauai in 1993 and started slowly standup surfing more and more. This continued until 3months ago when I hurt my lower back. For somtime I had already been looking into Alaias and paipos and always remember seeing paipos here and there on Oahu. My injury was really what made me go looking to buy a paipo and I soon ordered an HPD. Now 3 months or so later I ride mostly paipos and have made 3 and working on a 4th! Needless to say the love affair has begun! There is no one that I know of that Paipos here and I would love to try and help change that. Aloha
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- Wave slider
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:44 am
- City: Clinton
- State or Province: South Carolina
- Country: USA
Re: Introduce yourself
Greetings.
I am John "Tartan Jack" Wages. I live in South Carolina, unfortunately 3 hours inland from the coast . . .
I learned to body surf at White Sands/Disappearing Sand in Kona, Hawaii years ago. I would do it whenever I was at the beach back on the East Coast and the waves were big enough to carry me. As my kids got big enough, I tried to teach them, but got increasing frustrated at crappy, choppy surf making it hard. So, I "broke down" and bought a "boogie board" at a cheapy-beach-crap shop (not knowing much about them). It helped, but wasn't satisfying, So, I did a bit of research and got an actually decent one, then a few more (enough for me and my 2 oldest kids to all use them w/o "fighting" for the decent one.
Ayways, I read more and more on surfing and met a number of people who rekindled my interest in surfing, esp. the body surfing I really enjoyed. Being a lover of history, I naturally gravitated to "old school" Hawaiian board-> namely paipo and alaia designs. After looking at this forum and many of YOUR sites over the last few years, I decided "I could do this" and am starting to make my own boards. I am working on several styles in parallel, which I will take down to Charleston, SC (Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palm, and Folly Beach) and see how each works and which I like best to develop further.
Believe it or not, one important "spark" of my re-interest relates to my vehicle, an 09 Scion xB. A number of fellow owners I know through xB/Scion forums surf and love their surf wagons as ideal vehicles. I listen to them and miss what I did years ago . . .
Also, my neighbor is an "old-school" longboard surfer from the pre-Gidgit days, being one of the original surfers in South Carolina.
Anyways, I am starting with 6 or 7 "test boards" in either poplar or pine, 4 at 4' and 2 or 3 at 6' Most are 11 1/4" (using hardware store 12"x!" planks as blanks). I am looking for 16" wide wood blanks and plan to try some plywood ones too.
I've read this forum for several years, so I decided I should actually join and participate . . . so here I am.
I am John "Tartan Jack" Wages. I live in South Carolina, unfortunately 3 hours inland from the coast . . .
I learned to body surf at White Sands/Disappearing Sand in Kona, Hawaii years ago. I would do it whenever I was at the beach back on the East Coast and the waves were big enough to carry me. As my kids got big enough, I tried to teach them, but got increasing frustrated at crappy, choppy surf making it hard. So, I "broke down" and bought a "boogie board" at a cheapy-beach-crap shop (not knowing much about them). It helped, but wasn't satisfying, So, I did a bit of research and got an actually decent one, then a few more (enough for me and my 2 oldest kids to all use them w/o "fighting" for the decent one.
Ayways, I read more and more on surfing and met a number of people who rekindled my interest in surfing, esp. the body surfing I really enjoyed. Being a lover of history, I naturally gravitated to "old school" Hawaiian board-> namely paipo and alaia designs. After looking at this forum and many of YOUR sites over the last few years, I decided "I could do this" and am starting to make my own boards. I am working on several styles in parallel, which I will take down to Charleston, SC (Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palm, and Folly Beach) and see how each works and which I like best to develop further.
Believe it or not, one important "spark" of my re-interest relates to my vehicle, an 09 Scion xB. A number of fellow owners I know through xB/Scion forums surf and love their surf wagons as ideal vehicles. I listen to them and miss what I did years ago . . .
Also, my neighbor is an "old-school" longboard surfer from the pre-Gidgit days, being one of the original surfers in South Carolina.
Anyways, I am starting with 6 or 7 "test boards" in either poplar or pine, 4 at 4' and 2 or 3 at 6' Most are 11 1/4" (using hardware store 12"x!" planks as blanks). I am looking for 16" wide wood blanks and plan to try some plywood ones too.
I've read this forum for several years, so I decided I should actually join and participate . . . so here I am.
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- Wave slider
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:56 pm
- City: Grover Beach
- State or Province: ca
- Country: USA
Re: Introduce yourself
Hola All,
I'm Eric, born and raised in Encinitas but have recently relocated to the central coast (Pismo area). I have been riding waves one way or another my whole life - but have only recently rediscovered the joys of riding prone - a couple years ago I was at the beach with my kids and the waves were pretty small (maybe 2 ft) and all I had was a short board with me but the kids were having a blast on bodyboards in the shore break so I grabbed one and joined them and it brought back that amazing stoke of yesteryear and I was grinning like an idiot- and since then I am pretty much of the "if it slides it rides" philosophy and ride anything from handplanes to paipos to mats to whatever. Planning on making a couple of my own paipos and handplanes (and from what I've read on this forum there is an abundance of resource and information here- not to mention a great group of people). If you find yourself in the central coast area hit me up.
Mahalo!
I'm Eric, born and raised in Encinitas but have recently relocated to the central coast (Pismo area). I have been riding waves one way or another my whole life - but have only recently rediscovered the joys of riding prone - a couple years ago I was at the beach with my kids and the waves were pretty small (maybe 2 ft) and all I had was a short board with me but the kids were having a blast on bodyboards in the shore break so I grabbed one and joined them and it brought back that amazing stoke of yesteryear and I was grinning like an idiot- and since then I am pretty much of the "if it slides it rides" philosophy and ride anything from handplanes to paipos to mats to whatever. Planning on making a couple of my own paipos and handplanes (and from what I've read on this forum there is an abundance of resource and information here- not to mention a great group of people). If you find yourself in the central coast area hit me up.
Mahalo!
- rodndtube
- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:34 pm
- City: Arbutus Land
- State or Province: Maryland
- Country: USA
- Interests: Waveriding, travel and the Paipo Research Project
- Location: Maryland, USA & Where the Waves Are Breaking
- Contact:
Re: Introduce yourself
I understand there is a bit of paipo boarding around the Pismo Pier influenced by some of the foam/glass boards a local shaper was making. Also some of the regulars on the forums that ride north of you.
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
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- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2011 12:39 am
- City: Santa Barbara
- State or Province: CAL
- Country: USA
- Location: Santa Barbara
Re: Introduce yourself
Hey Eric.....if you find yourself on a road trip back to Encinitas stop by. Here in Santa Barbara/Ventura we are sure to get some waves again.....eventually. ![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
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- Wave slider
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:56 pm
- City: Grover Beach
- State or Province: ca
- Country: USA
Re: Introduce yourself
Yeah, I have seen a few around - fairly new to the area but there appears to be a couple guys around. Appearantly, a local shaper Pat Flecky (whom I'm sad to report passed away a couple years ago) was making paipo boards of the foam/glass variety.rodndtube wrote:I understand there is a bit of paipo boarding around the Pismo Pier influenced by some of the foam/glass boards a local shaper was making. Also some of the regulars on the forums that ride north of you.
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- Wave slider
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:56 pm
- City: Grover Beach
- State or Province: ca
- Country: USA
Re: Introduce yourself
Thanks, will do. Actually just went down this last weekend to hit up the "Fun in the Sun Expression Sessions" at Beacons, which was a blast - Wegener, Whomp, Brown Fish and others all brought a bunch of paipo, handplanes, alai, surf mats, etc - still wearing the stoke.SJB wrote:Hey Eric.....if you find yourself on a road trip back to Encinitas stop by. Here in Santa Barbara/Ventura we are sure to get some waves again.....eventually.
- rodndtube
- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:34 pm
- City: Arbutus Land
- State or Province: Maryland
- Country: USA
- Interests: Waveriding, travel and the Paipo Research Project
- Location: Maryland, USA & Where the Waves Are Breaking
- Contact:
Re: Introduce yourself
Brink down in Southern Calif. makes some fiberglass/foam and more up your way is Malcom Campbell (paipo bonzers). Lots of other glass/foam shapers as well but those two are probably the most involved on the SoCal/CentCal coast.
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
-
- Forum Grommet
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:41 pm
- City: Chesapeak
- State or Province: Virginia
- Country: USA
Re: Introduce yourself
Hello to all, Jimmy here - stole my screen name from Bruce Springsteen's "Lost in the Flood"
I started surfing in 1977 in Florida on single fins, transitioning to twin fins and eventually thrusters/longboards and others for the next 30 some years.
I always remembered when I was learning seeing older dudes on kneeboards just killing it when it was good, they always intrigued me. In 2007 I talked to Bruce Hart @ Flashpoint and got a kneeboard and started riding that too- very cool, the sense of speed is enhanced being closer to the water. I actually found some good info about swim fins from some of the guys on this forum. Picked up a couple 4G surfmats and have tried riding those, I figured I would try a paipo, so I will probably ask some questions.
I surf the OBX and take a trip or 2 a year to Central America
Jimithesaint
I started surfing in 1977 in Florida on single fins, transitioning to twin fins and eventually thrusters/longboards and others for the next 30 some years.
I always remembered when I was learning seeing older dudes on kneeboards just killing it when it was good, they always intrigued me. In 2007 I talked to Bruce Hart @ Flashpoint and got a kneeboard and started riding that too- very cool, the sense of speed is enhanced being closer to the water. I actually found some good info about swim fins from some of the guys on this forum. Picked up a couple 4G surfmats and have tried riding those, I figured I would try a paipo, so I will probably ask some questions.
I surf the OBX and take a trip or 2 a year to Central America
Jimithesaint
- rodndtube
- Big Wave Charger
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:34 pm
- City: Arbutus Land
- State or Province: Maryland
- Country: USA
- Interests: Waveriding, travel and the Paipo Research Project
- Location: Maryland, USA & Where the Waves Are Breaking
- Contact:
Re: Introduce yourself
You might run into a Tidewater area guy who frequents the Outer Banks -- probably does most of his surfriding in Waves -- he has an Austin paipo and probably a couple of other boards as I recall. I usually make it down to Hatteras once or twice a year... hopefully for a few days in August, but will miss out on my usual week in early September. I've also been known to trip down to Central America once or twice a year ![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i
"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
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- Forum Grommet
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 2:14 pm
- City: houston
- State or Province: texas
- Country: usa
Re: Introduce yourself
Hi, just recently got interested in paipo. Started stand up surfing in '76 then in my 20s took 25 yrs off, been back at it past few yrs ,, but thought paipo might be a great way to get more fun out of our Texas gulf coast waves. It bad way more often than good. mostly local wind swells , and occasional hurricane or TD in that season.
Ive been lurking a few days and already have learned.
thanks
Steve
Ive been lurking a few days and already have learned.
thanks
Steve
- patrickSAWBOARDS
- Wave slider
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Tue Jun 17, 2014 5:16 am
- City: Narberth
- State or Province: Pembrokeshire
- Country: United Kingdom
- Location: Pembrokeshire, West Wales
- Contact:
Re: Introduce yourself
Hi Paipo riders,
my name is Patrick Boothman I live in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, UK. I am a newcomer to paipos and have only been riding them for the last three or four years. The last 18months had been exclusively paipo ridden. I used to surf traditional PU boards but after shaping a paulownia alaia discovered a whole new world of fun. I have shaped several paulownia paipo and make "art pieces" that I do not ever expect to see the water. My current predicament is trying to source paulownia in the UK. I am a self employed artists/shaper at http://www.sawboards.co.uk.
my name is Patrick Boothman I live in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, UK. I am a newcomer to paipos and have only been riding them for the last three or four years. The last 18months had been exclusively paipo ridden. I used to surf traditional PU boards but after shaping a paulownia alaia discovered a whole new world of fun. I have shaped several paulownia paipo and make "art pieces" that I do not ever expect to see the water. My current predicament is trying to source paulownia in the UK. I am a self employed artists/shaper at http://www.sawboards.co.uk.
http://www.sawboards.co.uk
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