How Long is Too Long?

What works and what doesn't. Share design ideas, references and contacts for paipo board builders.
Pes78
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 276
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 1:39 am
City: San Diego
State or Province: CALIFORNIA
Country: United States

How Long is Too Long?

#1

Unread post by Pes78 »

Posting this question to see if anyone has feed back on going longer in their paipos/bellyboards. I generally surf in crowded beach breaks in San Diego.
User avatar
bgreen
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 1232
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:17 pm
City: Brisbane
State or Province: Qld
Country: Oz
Contact:

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#2

Unread post by bgreen »

Pes,

I have been discussing this topic with friends for a while and the general recommendation is 2/3 to 3/4 your height. My boards to date have largely been 3/4 my height, but am considering a shorter board. For why, see the thread - Technique question -hips and tails

Bob
GeoffreyLevens
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 384
Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:58 am
City: Paonia
State or Province: Colorado
Country: USA
Location: Paonia, Colorado
Contact:

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#3

Unread post by GeoffreyLevens »

soulglider
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 267
Joined: Sat Dec 17, 2011 10:32 am
City: sd
State or Province: ca
Country: usa

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#4

Unread post by soulglider »

i'm 6'5 250 and surf s.d. county. i've tried up to 7' alaia style. it was fun, just a down the line fun though. i've settled on boards between 4'-5' foam/glass or plywood. pes78. you are welcome to try any of my boards i got about 20 left.
deathbedpaipo.blogspot.com
User avatar
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: How Long is Too Long?

#5

Unread post by rodndtube »

Geoffrey is spot on in his assessment... personal taste and style. Maybe even where you surf, the kind of wave break and whether or not you are adding 20 lbs. of wetsuit are factors. I am 5'10" and my weight has ranged from 190 to 220 lbs over the past two decades. My weight has been less a factor in my riding enjoyment than the floatability of the board. I have no idea why. Generally speaking, I want a board that can work in 4-8 ft. surf -- I won't design and buy a board to work in 3' and under and all of my boards have worked fine in up to 12 ft. waves (not to include Pipeline, Chopes, Shipstern type waves!).

I can only speak for my preferences. The table below shows a range of those preferences using a stoplight color key.
RatioBdLength2MyHeight.jpg
RatioBdLength2MyHeight.jpg (44.59 KiB) Viewed 3389 times
For decades now a 50" board has been my standard. My boards are foam/fiberglass (with the exception of a 48" Xylem Malama Kai). The 50" length approaches my maximum length for several reasons. First and foremost, 50" in the max length I can comfortably and effectively arm and kick paddle on the board, both out to the line-up and for catching waves. Longer than 50" causes my kick stroke to be impeded by the tail of the board (that is why the board length transitions from green to red so rapidly). I have ridden shorter boards, down to 46" but my overall enjoyment zone rapidly diminishes under 48" for reasons that probably have to do with planning and could possibly be mitigated by additional width.

Minor, but significant parameters in my board dimensions is the practical width, length and thickness for airline travel, both for fitting into board bags and avoiding the dreaded "surfboard" airline baggage fees. And, quite frankly, it is easier to carry around a smaller board! And the smaller boards fit more readily into automobile trunks (boots). Those are reasons I tend to stay away from 22" and wider boards, not to mention carrying around a 20" wide board is SO much easier for me!
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i

"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
User avatar
bgreen
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 1232
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:17 pm
City: Brisbane
State or Province: Qld
Country: Oz
Contact:

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#6

Unread post by bgreen »

The Hawaii Paipo design basic model at 40" would extend the top of Rod's diagram to .57

Bob
Atlantasurfer
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 97
Joined: Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:30 pm
City: Atlanta
State or Province: GA
Country: U.S.
Interests: books, beer, and breaking waves
Location: Georgia hills

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#7

Unread post by Atlantasurfer »

For me it depends on the wave. I'm 5'11'', and my weight fluctuates from 225 to 240 depending on the time of the year (exercise and relaxation in the summer, stress and gaining in the fall). For waves with juice, a 50" foam and fiberglass is the ticket. Mine is a cousin of the standard sized Austin.

But, My nearest break is a 5 hour drive, and I end up there when I have time off--surf quality be damned. So on small/weak days I end up in lineups with only loggers, no short boards at all. Finding a paipo that goes well in a one foot wave has been a challenge. I love my 6' plywood stick, but my latest sweet thing is a five foot mini-simmons I picked up in August. Although the guy I bought it from insisted it was a "tombstone" shape. Is there a difference?

I"ll put some pics up this weekend.
Pes78
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 276
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 1:39 am
City: San Diego
State or Province: CALIFORNIA
Country: United States

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#8

Unread post by Pes78 »

Thanks for the insights guys. Soulglider thanks for the offer will send you a pm soon.

Paul
User avatar
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: How Long is Too Long?

#9

Unread post by Uncle Grumpy »

My favorite small wave board is 5'5" X 15.5"

Image

Image
Paipo surfer in repose,
Nose on the nose,
No grunting he-man pose.
See how fast he goes!
What is it he knows?
User avatar
nomastomas
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 597
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:30 am
City: Ojai
State or Province: CA
Country: USA
Interests: Surfing, cycling and fishing
Location: Ojai, CA
Contact:

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#10

Unread post by nomastomas »

My short response is “I agree with much of what Rod has stated.” But, board length also depends on the board’s shape. Width, thickness, outline are all important variables, that need to be altered along with length to insure an integrated design.
"This is a paipo site...isn't it?"
www.tp4surf.com
User avatar
krusher74
Big Wave Charger
Posts: 842
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:53 pm
City: easkey
State or Province: co sligo
Country: Ireland
Interests: Surfing, vintage cars and motorbikes
Location: Easky, Co sligo , ireland
Contact:

Re: How Long is Too Long?

#11

Unread post by krusher74 »

With my paipo being out for ding repair I have been back on my bodyboards.

One thing I noticed with my paipos having a full nose and not blunted off like a boogie board is that I hold further forward with my leading hand, this position does not exist on a boogie board as the nose is cut off.

Therefore when on the boogie you have to hold the nose corner, going back to my boogies while paipos are being dig repaired has made me realize that that short reach position scrunches up the muscles in my inner shoulder and gives me cramp. :cry:

So long story short to short caused me upper back pain, :o

Although ay 5.10 with a 44" paipo I'm still one of the shorter board riders
Last edited by krusher74 on Sat Jan 24, 2015 2:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
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: How Long is Too Long?

#12

Unread post by rodndtube »

The moral of the story: paipos reduce cramps and back pain!

Just think how much better you will feel on a 48" board :)
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i

"The sea doth wash away all human ills."
-- Euripides.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 33 guests