River Surfing Paipos & Bellyboards

[longboardkook]

Kicking off this topic re: river surfing paipos and bellyboards on standing waves in rivers and wave pools.

*CAUTION river surfing can be sketch or worse. Never river surf a wave unless it has been vetted as safe (some river waves may look surfable but are actually hydraulic drowning machines and things like leashes will kill you)

[longboardkook]

River surfing is becoming more and more popular especially with whitewater parks that have purposely built steep green-faced fast moving river waves. Gone are the days of sloppy kayak holes that mainly SUP surfers rode. Look up Eisbach, Boise, Bend, River Run Park (Denver, Colorado), Scout (Salida, Colorado), and many other river waves. Typically they are surfed with short ocean boards; however a few of us surfmat river waves.

One local in Denver has been hand shaping bellyboards out of flat plywood with slight nose rocker or even straight flat; and he a can rip river waves on his bellyboards. It is amazing to see it in person throwing buckets on a beautiful turn with spray. Check him out:

https://youtu.be/93x8QLRpaKU?si=8dbMP9uN9m-6WNHd

[longboardkook]

Longboardt Bill bellyboarding Metro Denver, ColoRADo…

[longboardkook]

Here is another video of Longboard Bill river surfing his handmade bellyboard on “Wave Sixx” at River Run Park minutes from Denver, Colorado in a cool town by the name of Sheridan that helped pay for this wave to be built along with its neighboring town of Englewood.

Note how after Bill skims onto the wave, his rail carving back and forth actually greens and stands up the waves to be surfed like an endless glassy wave.

https://youtu.be/YMgvOuiKX9I?si=nbPhOYoOl9u07-y8

[longboardkook]

Still on the hunt for vids or pics of anyone bellyboarding or surfing a paipo on a standing wave pool (aka rapid wave).

In the meantime, here is a pic I screened shot off of @barrel_pig Instagram that I hope @barrel_pig does not mind me posting up here of @barrel_pig gettin covered up on a bellyboard at what looks like a Wavegarden moving wave pool…. Check out the IG for @barrel_pig, so sick!!!.

[rodndtube]

They started paipo surfing a river to the north of you, in Montana. But nothing super serious like the folks in Colorado.

The article

SurfingMontana.pdf

(135.07 KiB) Downloaded 1739 times

[longboardkook]

That is rad 40 plus years ago!!... Credit is due even if it was just paddling surfboards. Actually there is a solid river surfing scene in Montana today on some good river waves in MT. Rad guy by the nick name of “KB” is one of the best river surfers in the US and lives/surfs in Missoula, MT.

Fun read of the Sports Illustrated magazine 1980 article about David Rivens. Here are some snippets:

THE MAN WHO BROUGHT SURFING TO MONTANA

PAIPO SURFING IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY SPORTING INTERESTS OF DAVID RIVENES OF LITTLE MILES CITY (Montana)…

Hence the first annual Montana paipo championship, a Hawaiian word which, Rivenes says, has to do with a freshwater sport in which the competitors paddle their surfboards in three positions —lying down, sitting and kneeling. Built for salt water, the boards imported for last summer's inaugural in Miles City were less buoyant than Rivenes; they submerged to three inches below the surface. But no matter, says Rivenes. "Everyone just had to paddle a lot harder. Our all-round champion was a beautiful 13-year-old Indian girl, Lisa Big Horn. It was wonderful."

[longboardkook]

Have been on the search for bellyboards to buy here in the US. No luck so going at it myself. Trying to copy the classic UK dimensions of 120cm tall x 30cm wide x 0.9cm thick (mine is 4’x12”x1/2” birch plywood)…. Here I am mid build…. Will post up more pics as the project continues

[longboardkook]

My surf buddy of almost 40 years went into hospice today from lung cancer. Me and my wife were lucky enough to have visited him last week in Charleston, SC. When I got the news this afternoon it was devastating, so I went to work more on my bellyboards as a way of dealing with my friends situation. The logos I have stenciled on the boards have a story in itself that one day I will explain…. Life is short and fragile, enjoy it and enjoy each other… Another coat of drying oil to waterproof my bellyboards and let em cure for a couple of weeks.

[rodndtube]

Nice job on them!

[longboardkook]

Nice job on them!

Thanks

[longboardkook]

Tested out one of my bellyboard builds even though it has not fully cured (tung oil takes 15-30 days to fully cure). Was in Folly Beach, SC for my surf buddy’s funeral and wanted to catch some waves in his honor.

My first time surfing a bellyboard and after a bit was getting down the line rides on knee high cleans surf. Neutral buoyancy of a bellyboard is a trip getting used to.

Pic of me with classic Colorado surf wax (Sex Wax for hockey sticks that is actually just cold water wax that we pick up at hockey rinks).

The board has developed a slight nose twist but it was worth it.

[bgreen]

Well made and cool looking boards. That bench is just what you need to make these boards. Whether in the surf or river, these boards need some push, because of their low volume. A simple piece of wood can be a lot of fun, though harder work if there is a current or a long paddle.

[longboardkook]

Well made and cool looking boards. That bench is just what you need to make these boards. Whether in the surf or river, these boards need some push, because of their low volume. A simple piece of wood can be a lot of fun, though harder work if there is a current or a long paddle.

Thanks. Seems to work better with my swim fins on. Can’t wait to get the bellyboard in bigger surf.

[longboardkook]

Spent 2 1/2 hours in very small clean surf in the ocean just having good old fun last Friday at the Washout (Folly Beach, SC). My wife filmed a few my early rides. Too bad she didn’t get my down the line ones. Oh well, you kind of get the de-evolution surf vibe I am after in the brief vid linked below with these UK sized/shaped bellyboards.

Plan to take what I learned about how my UK traditional sized bellyboard surfed last weekend in the ocean and bring that to Dave’s Wave river wave near Denver, CO when we get a sunny day hopefully before the end of the year….

Click on the link not the pic.

https://youtu.be/C5DOISkn7k4?si=8vz-aO3Drfz5BZy4

[longboardkook]

Promise to eventually get back to the topic of “River Surfing Paipos-n-Bellyboards as I am back in Denver, CO; though staying a bit ocean here.

I often quote Gerry Lopez book title, “Surf is where you find it” as a personal mantra I have unknowingly and knowingly followed all my life since I first stepped on a skateboard back in 1972 in Massachusetts (yes I am 60 years young and still skateboard). I might have not have fathomed it at the time, but those first rides on clay wheels (before urethane skateboard wheels were invented) would set in motion my never ending pursuit of a glide and turns that all harkens back to surfing.

I have often had the luck of living near or on the beach to surf waves almost at will when the swell would cooperate. At times I have been landlocked living far from any ocean as I do now. But I have always found the surf no matter being away from the ocean be it: on a skateboard making turns on the sidewalk, banks, and even vert; or on the snow on the earliest years of snowboarding w/out bindings, to snowboards with bindings and now back away from riding anything with bindings on snowskates and powsurfers; or river surfing.

The vid link below is of a UK bellyboarder by the name of Dot. The film has instantly become one of my favorite short movies. Dot probably never surfed exotics spots like Bali or typical Cali surf spots or fickle warm Florida surf. Doubt Dot ever ventured from her own break, but her legacy is 100% surfer!

Check out this vid (link below the pic)

https://youtu.be/lmSi5_tXe3w?si=3UCSs4I5LeNGZpBH