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[ted]

I've had a hard time figuring out takeoffs in steep, pitchy waves on my HPD. If I takeoff under the hook (bodysurf style), I usually end up too low with too much speed to pull up into the tube; If I takeoff late and try a check turn halfway down, I usually eat it.

On my bodyboard I often takeoff under the hook with the board nearly perpendicular to the wave and then tuck under the curl. Has anyone tried this on a board with limited buoyancy like the HPD?

[bgreen]

Ted,

A while back I received some advice about riding HPD from Kage and Paipo Jim. If they don't object I'll post their emails.

Bob

[Poobah]

You "eat it" how? You get airborne? I'm not an expert on HPDs...I just think it might help to descrbe the problem a little more.

[ted]

Hmm. Let me count the ways.

First, trying to drop in from the top of the wave, then going over the falls or freefalling to pearl -- a well known mistake covered in Paul's instruction sheet.

Second, taking off under the hook, making a check turn high with little speed, then getting pitched with the lip.

Third, same as above, but surving lip without making section.

Fourth, taking off under the hook, making a check turn and slide slipping before getting smacked by the lip; this could work if I could reset the edge in time.

[kage]

Nothing gets the adrenaline going like a late drop.
From your description I think I am stretched out farther with my board, and my drop is somewhat angled toward the direction the wave is going. When I feel like I am going to go over the falls I stretch out farther ahead of the wave, somewhat counterintuitive, but it works for me. I have also found that I can muscle myself out of a pearling situation if it happens by just wrenching the nose back up out of the water. Not particularly elegant but there you go... I am not much of a bodysurfer either but I do take off from the top of the lip on the HPD. If your background is boogery you may try positioning farther back especially on takeoffs.

[bgreen]

Ted,

Here is some advice I received, probably sought after my first far from successful go outs. Like all surfcraft I think paipo have certain types of waves they go better in than some other types of waves.

Below are excerpts from e-,ails sent to me and I think some material from this site. The authors may recognise their words.

Bob

Due to its almost neutral buoyancy riding a finless paipo is a lot closer to bodysurfing than anything else. It really shines on waves with steep faces as this gives enough velocity so that you can bottom turn off the back corner skeg. Also a steep wave face lets you set the "skeg" when trimming down the line.

Like bodysurfing it really helps on takeoffs to be positioned right at the critical spot of the breaking peak. On a long period swell I often start swimming-kicking with the board held out in front of me really early to help get up speed to catch the wave. Even if you feel you have caught it it helps to give one more extra kick before pulling yourself up on the board as you transition into the drop.

I always grab the nose of the board with the hand that is on the side of the direction I want to go. Lay the forearm of that hand inside and along the rail and reach back with your outside hand and pull up on the outside rail. This will bury your inside "skeg" and you can feel yourself pivoting around about your hip bone that is near that skeg during a turn.

My experiments with finless design are in the direction of adding more snap to the unflexing of the board as it unloads when coming out of hard turns ala the HPD SR model.
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As I gain experience with them I find my radically adjusting my position on the board (forward and back)allows me to squeeze more out of waves that I used to get. Taking off I have one hand on the board way in front of me and lay on one side while kicking to be as streamlined as i can.

I don't know what tips I have, I'll tell you what my riding style is like though. I am sure you've found that the HPD is not built for paddling speed. That makes take off from the lip the easiest. Which of course puts you at the back of the line in a crowded line up. But oh well. For take offs I put one hand in the middle of the board and lay on my side, kicking as hard as i can, big kicks under water. I don't turn my head forward, but to the side making myself as streamlined as possible. . I am stronger with my left hand on the board so I take off that way for rights and lefts. I kick into the wave until I feel some push from the wave, just after the tipping point, As soon as I feel myself starting down the wave I slide the hand on the board over and put both hands on the rails about 1/4 (?) of the way down the board and pull myself up so that my crotch is just on the board and my elbows are on the board providing leverage. Then lean into the wave. The placement of your weight on the board is pretty much the whole thing. Somebody else said weight forward go faster, weight backward slow down. Too true. In a steep wave that wants to shoot you too far ahead where you'll get swamped, weight back a little and hang in the tube. For a slow wave that is petering out weight forward and turn back into the wave to milk it a little more and maybe wait for the reform. Also if you need weight way forward do a push up on the front so your weight is more on the board but doesn't push you down and pearl. In real steep drops where you think you're going over the falls - I stretch out full length, often saves me from serious thumpings. Turning problems usually come from people riding too far up, thinking the HPD will float them. But that's typically a bodyborder problem, and that not you so... Feet are your stabilizing device, like the tail on a kite. I often find myself lifting one of other foot out of the water to make trimming adjustments and sometimes for a burst of speed both feet come all the way out, but there's a loss of control that come with it.
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As to handling, there is a noticable difference when turning. I ride the thing with my "inside" hand on the nose and lift up wiith my other hand on the wide part of the board to initiate turns. It rides and planes like an XL but when turning it is a whole lot "snappier".

I think it really bends pretty far when you torque it into a turn and unloads a lot of energy when it snaps back. I could also see how it might break in half right down the middle in larger surf.

[ted]

We've had decent surf here the last two days so I've been able to try some of the suggested techniques.

On New Year's Eve, I rode my bodyboard in head-high conditions with a pitchy takeoff followed by a nice right wall. With the bodyboard, I took off late at the peak in free fall mode or next to the peak for an easy angled takeoff.

Today I rode the HPD in similar conditions. Kicking really hard and early probably helped more than any other intervention. With earlier planing, stalling and going over the falls just wasn't an issue. Taking off next to the peak and then stretching while angling set up the wall section nicely. I did have some problems with fore-aft trim which made the HPD buck like a bronco when I hit some chop.

All in all, it was a good day.

Thanks for your encouragement and advice.

[bgreen]

Ted,

Interesting to see how you go in Samoa this year - more photos? I wasn't sure if it was the chop, trimming or the combination that was the problem? Is fore-aft trim - moving back & forward?

I reckon, with the boards with little bouyancy, good leg conditioning makes all the difference. Kicking hard so you can get in early or with speed, fits the bill.


Bob