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tumak · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 9:20 am Post subject: Spyder Wills

In my September 1969 issue of SURFER, there's a little article by Drew Kampion about Spyder Wills entitled, The Legend of Spyder Wills. Wills was described as one of the best paipo boarders in California during that era, as well as an early frisbee master and very enthusiastic bodysurfer. Anyway, in some other article I can't presently put my hands on (sorry!), Wills was quoted as saying that the difference between paipo boards and bellyboards is that a paipo has a flat bottom, while a bellyboard has a bellied bottom, hence, the name "bellyboard." So, though a paipo is also ridden prone, in Wills' opinion it's not technically a bellyboard. Likewise, a prone-ridden board with a bellied bottom can therefore not be considered a paipo.
What do you all think of this?
I have a feeling that in old Hawaii, no such distinction was made...that all pre-contact Hawaiian paipos had bellied bottoms. Should we, like Spyder Wills, make this distinction, or is such a distinction unneccesary?

Poobah · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 10:41 am Post subject: Spyder Wills

According to Surfresearch Australia the term Lamaroo has changed over time.

Lamaroo :
a solid timber board for prone surfing, the term appears to be particular to Victoria.
In use in some form from the earliest records of Australian surfing
Later a fibreglassed balsa wood bellyboard, commonly with two D fins, circa 1950’s.

I suppose it was probably applied to plywood craft as well. As for Spyder Wills....a Google search turned up this film he made. Is there paipo footage in it? Or is it mainly a Russell and Lopez show?
http://www.obsurfshop.com/Surfshop/Videos/sf611.html

Nels · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 11:55 am Post subject:

Deep in the twisted recesses of my skull the following notions grew:

"Paipo" is the Hawaiian term traditionally associated with the finless wooden classic designs like Hawaiian Paipo Designs now makes out of contempo materials and methods.

"Bellyboard" is what the...bellyboards made like conventional surfboards were called. Somewhere when the commercial end materialized in the mid-1960s the term paipo crossed genres.

Now people make wooden boards with fins, which would further confuse the situation should we let it. I've settled into the habit of identifying wood paipos and the original design parameters as "traditional paipo" and all else hard and prone as "paipo" or "bellyboard", because "paipo" is just such a cool term...

tumak · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 11:55 am Post subject:

Hey, Grand Poobah - I'd bet that that video is exclusively Lopez/Russell standup at Uluwatu...I'm sure it would still be really cool to watch...dang!...Lopez and Russell in their prime! But anyway, Spyder Wills probably just teamed up with Australian Greg Weaver (one of the guys who did Crystal Voyager) to shoot the footage. Wills probably did numerous projects like this...for example, I know he helped shoot the 1968 World Contest in Puerto Rico for ABC, and I think he also worked with MacGillivray-Freeman somewhere along the line.
By the way, my new solid balsa board, "The Mysterious Turtle," is all done, and I just took pictures this morning. It was a disposable Kodak from which I will get a disc...needless to say I'll email you pictures of "The Mysterious Turtle" ASAP!

So...what about the paipo/bellyboard distinction?

Solo · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 12:43 pm Post subject:

Downhill Motion

by Greg Weaver and Spyder Wills
Produced by Gene Walper, Jr
Running time: 45 minutes c.1998

http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/Valley/3125/Downhill_Motion.html

Perhaps someone could check the following for references to Spyder Wills:

"Surfing For Life": http://www.surfingforlife.com/

"The Encyclopedia Of Surfing": http://www.mattwarshaw.com/books/eos/

doc · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 2:50 pm Post subject:

Poobah · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 10:22 pm Post subject: Re: Spyder Wills

tumak · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 12:00 am Post subject:

Ha ha ha! Okay, I guess it's not important...

Poobah · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 1:04 am Post subject: Spyder

Oh, it's important...just not as important as you telling us about the Mysterious Turtle. And that should be a new topic.

Solo · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 11:32 pm Post subject: Spyder Wills update

Regarding the current whereabouts of Spyder Wills, this update from Swaylocks contributor, Herb Spitzer:

"............Spyder's around,

I see him shooting surf when the waves are up. He lives in Laguna.

........... Spyder and Greg will be at the opener of the Weaver/Wills movie,"Style Masters" Both will be there to do live commentary. It will be shown @ in Newport the 26th. of august. Greg was talking about a test screening,but that would be private,I'm sure (Being you Dale ,and me.........well???).This Film has been vaulted and has not be seen for over 20 years.............it will also be released on DVD in Dec.

.............Herb"

Solo · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 1:24 pm Post subject:

Hi tumak,

An update regarding Spyder Wills and Greg Weaver...

http://www.chasingthelotus.com/indexa.html

All the best,

Dale

tumak · Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:08 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Solo. That looks really cool.

By the way, a local friend, John Hughes, let me borrow one of his mats a few weeks ago. I was able to work it pretty quickly and was impressed... I managed to turn it and everything. The waves were pretty small, but it was a lot of fun. I was heading back out from a ride when a wave came through as I tried to hold onto the mat... OUCH! Totally wrecked my thumb somehow! I don't know if it's ever going to be normal again!

Mats are sweet.

rodndtube · Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 1:16 am Post subject:

The "formal" distinctions between finless paipos and fiberglass bellyboards is analogous to the old wooden surfboards and the "newer" fiberglass boards with one or more fins, epoxy construction, etc. Such would also be the case for kneeboards I suppose.

Looking forward to The Turtle pics.

P.S. Just back from Costa Rica after 8 days of fun... my buddy Brett (also on the Costa Rica trip) says he bumped into Tumak the other week. Aloha to all!
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