MyPaipoBoards Forums

A technique question.

Regardless of whether I ride a board with a handle, hold the nose or a rail, now and then there is a wave I feel the need to grab and lift the rail - usually this is on a steep take-off or a tube-section.

Anyone else do this? The effect is to put a lot more rail into the wave face (than simply putting more weight on the inside rail)though I'd be interested in other thoughts on this technique.


Bob

Yeah, even with fins, I find that engaging the rail in this manner can mean the difference between making a section or a steep drop, or not making it. On a prone-board in these situations its hard to weigh the rail enough without engaging the wave-face with the body and increasing drag. I think boards with a wide-point back outline are a little more effective on steeper waves. They seem to allow more rail-to-wave-face contact while minimizing body drag.

Even mat riders grab the rail opposite the wave face.

Nomas,

Not only with fins, but with twice the number of fins I use.

Rod,

I'm not sure how this would work on a low inflation mat. I'll have to ask around.

Bob

bgreen wrote: Rod,

I'm not sure how this would work on a low inflation mat. I'll have to ask around.

Bob

It is a standard mat technique. Grabbing the side opposite the wave creates a pressure build-up on the wave face's side to create an edge and hold the wall. Guess you might also say that most mat riders use mats at "low inflation" as they seldom fully inflate their mats. The mats are as floppy as the original Morey Boogie Boards... if you can easily bend over a mat end-on-end it is over-inflated!

With hard boards seems more about leverage power, being applied to the inside rail. Don't know how to describe it with a mat as my experience has been it's more like "wrapping" it, pulling the outside edge up; not sure if it was a help or hindrance, but then I also don't have to requisite 30 years on one yet to articulate the experience.

rodndtube wrote:It is a standard mat technique. Grabbing the side opposite the wave creates a pressure build-up on the wave face's side to create an edge and hold the wall. Guess you might also say that most mat riders use mats at "low inflation" as they seldom fully inflate their mats. The mats are as floppy as the original Morey Boogie Boards... if you can easily bend over a mat end-on-end it is over-inflated!

I have ridden mats a lot more than paipo and by habit always have a hand at least resting on outside rail. Mat inflation varies depending on conditions and what you want to do. More air=stiffer mat=much more rail bite and control and corresponding loss in speed while less air=soft to floppy= much less hold/more drift but MUCH more speed. You can to a great extent have best of both by inflating pretty soft and as mentioned, squeezing air from outside rail into wave side rail i.e. "building a rail" when you want to carve a turn or hold an edge and then release that and mat will release out of the turn etc and fly down the line. Too soft in more powerful waves and you will have difficulties. After awhile of matting it becomes pretty intuitive and automatic. I learned a lot about shapes and how they work just by playing with this in the water

As soon as I am off and riding my hand is on the outside rail.

I also equate this to calling myself goofy as being right handed with my right hand on the rail I am a much better barrel rider.

In my limited mat experience I found hand on the rail not to work, (tried and failed) found hands both on the nose to work better, squeezing the outer nose on bottom turns.

krusher74 wrote:In my limited mat experience I found hand on the rail not to work, (tried and failed) found hands both on the nose to work better, squeezing the outer nose on bottom turns.

Different body mechanics but same same. If you find you can drive on a rail, hold an edge in hollows, it is working. End result (fun, thrills) is key

Oh and I tend to do this when far back under the lip, or so I have been told. Guy in the water told me that going by I was all eyes and teeth. HAH!

I, too, grab that outside rail. Mechanics vary according to the wave and the vehicle.

On the Malama Kai going right, I use a handgun style takeoff and slither forward to get the right hand on the nose and the left on the rail. On the Malama Kai going left (for example in Costa Rica), I start with the left hand on the nose and just pitch forward with a quick kick and set the right hand on the rail, perhaps because my left arm never wants to paddle.

On the HPD, handgun takeoff is mandatory and all manner of mishap can occur due to poor planning, bad execution or poor timing - it is possible to ride on inside elbow with outside hand on rail, but one arm superman with outside hand laid way back on rail seems to provide appropriate leverage.

The Austin really likes the inside hand on the nose and the outside hand on the rail, though it is indifferent to the takeoff style.

Ted

Grabbing the outside rail and lifting it, that's what I do on a body board, especially when I feel like I need to bite the face a little bit more. On my plywood paipo, I tend to keep my both hands grabbing the rounded nose. Maybe because I take smaller waves, maybe because the board is less large than a body board also maybe because I really like to use the stiff flat planning surface the paipo provides to get more speed and get the hell out of the wave as fast as possible. It will probably evolve with experience. On my surf mat, I don't touch the rails, I keep my hands on the mat's corners. I probably grab the outside corner a little to build the inside rail when it is needed, I'm not sure. Honestly, I feel like all I have to do with the mat is slight turns, the mat handles the rest of the process by itself.