rodndtube.com's (OLD) MyPaipoBoards Forums. Reading but no posting on the OLD forums.

[ted]

WNW swell holding today, had 2-4' Hawaiian with light offshore winds and no crowd. I rode the HPD by myself for about an hour and worked on tighter bottom turns and speed control. My bad (or good?) bodyboard habits surfaced as I started to tail ride the board and muscle the nose around. The extreme forward trim style has a nice soulful feel, but I'm having a hard time getting the edge set in critical situations.

After a bodysurfer showed up, I switched to the Austin in twin fin mode. The board is much more lively as a twin. The board never spun out, but I did get axed by the lip as my bottom turn was a little wide on one big drop.

[rodndtube]

[ted]

Austin set as twin for small conditions this am.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCq_PB7jjSg

[SJB]

You are having way too much fun Ted.

[ted]

Leslie and Drew, two former Big Island residents, shot some stills from the rocks on Friday (same day as video).


Note rock approaching fast at bottom of frame.

[SJB]

Ted.....

I bought the 4 piece for the Austin.

I am a bit lazy and a klutz.......and taking 3 of the pieces (uncut/unshaped) and laying them sideways end to end in the middle of the board leaves me with 9 inches uncovered at the top of the board and 9 inches uncovered at the bottom of the board...... works for me but here is the question.....

Any reason why I should not place them on the board in their rectangular uncut shape?  There is a small bit of wrap over the rail edge.....but I'm not seeing that as a problem as it does not cover the bottom of the board.

Do you see any practical application or aesthetic problem with this simple approach?

Thanks,

[ted]

I don't know about other paipo riders, but I prefer really good grip at the nose and tail of the board so my hands and hips don't slide around. I tend to ride the Austin with weight on my inside forearm and little of my upper body on the board, so I don't need much traction on the front of the board inside the rails. Wax can add grip wherever needed, so grip film placement is not crucial.

I cut the clear grip to match Austin's color blocking at the back and used the remnants to provide grip at the front. I would be reluctant to run grip film onto the rails.

[rodndtube]

I opt not have too much wax or grip near the rails. Certainly not when riding in warm water conditions as it rubs the inner thighs raw. My wax job is usually the entire surface of the board with a 1 to 2 inch margin from the top of the rails. Will try to take a pic of my well waxed board this afternoon and post it. The wax basically covers all of the checkered surface of the Austin RPM and slightly on the black/blue rail outline.

_________________
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i

[rodndtube]

Wax job primarily on the checkered portion of the board. My favorite wax these days is Sticky Bumps as it is nice and tacky.


H2O open fingers glove. Note the textured bottom surface which makes for a good grip - they get a little bit of wax on them and I have never had a problem gripping... unless it is wild and the leash comes into play.

_________________
rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i

[ted]

Went over the falls with/without the Austin this am. Board has major dings on the bottom from bouncing around inside on the rocks and will be drydocked for a bit. Surf was solid 3-4 foot Hawaiian (see the other videos on my site from 1-22-11).

http://www.youtube.com/user/PaipoTed#p/a/u/0/RbCEE13KYMI

[rodndtube]

[ted]

Leash and I got separated. I had a sense during the hold down that leash had let go since there was nothing pulling on my left elbow. My buddy on shore rescued my board promptly, but rocks had poked some holes in the bottom already.

On the plus side, I won't hesitate to lend the board to anybody now.

[ted]

I wouldn't pay me to fix anybody else's board. (I was supposed to be working on drywall, but ding repair seemed more important.)



Safety twin fin setup I'll be using for a while.

[ted]

Some helmet cam video of Austin paipo this am: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=146JoY_kkg8

[Nels]

Hoping you didn't use drywall mud to fix the dings...I made a little mistake along those lines when I was a kid and had a W.A.V.E. Hollow surfboard. What can I say? No credit cards, cell phones, or internet back then.