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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.

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

Personal taste dictates--

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GzoZWy2WtuU/V ... 1600/2.jpg

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.

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. 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!

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

Bob

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.

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

Paul

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

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.

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.

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

Although ay 5.10 with a 44" paipo I'm still one of the shorter board riders

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

Just think how much better you will feel on a 48" board