Currently 16, and have been riding paipos for one and a half years.

A Hawaii Paipo Designs SR flex model made out of foam and fiberglass, and a resined, wooden, bullet shaped paipo ("The Bullet”) with a red and grey stripe on the bottom.

A friend, who got into paipo boarding through me. He used to bodyboard until I let him try my paipo one day. He now uses a board my father and I made for his birthday.

Like all kids here in Hawaii that came after the Boogie Board era, I would play by the shore, catching the soup by pushing off the bottom when the wave came with a bodyboard (like British Bellyboarding at White Plains Beach). After growing up to the age of about 11, and getting tired of occasionally getting drilled into the sand face first (the result of not bottom turning), I moved on, going out to the line-up with my Morey Bodyboard from Costco, and my old pair of blue and black Duckfeet that I used for snorkeling. It was out in the line-up, in slightly more serious waves, where I learned the concept of bottom turning... the hard way.

I could never dive the bodyboard really well, and one day at White Plains stands out: I had just caught a wave and was headed back out to the line-up (because there are no channels at White Plains to go back out through, you must dive under every wave on the way back out) and a seemingly endless set came in, I kept diving and kicking forward, only to get pushed back. The set finally ended, and I eventually got back to the lineup, exhausted.

About a year and a half ago I saw my mom and dad's old guitar pick style paipos when my dad and I were cleaning out the garage. I asked about it, and he told me it was an old skool bodyboard. I handled it, noticing how heavy and thin it was. I was skeptical, and thought it would never work. Curiosity got the better of me, and I brought my mother's paipo with us one day we went to the beach.

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Mum's Old Paipo

Paddling out felt odd, and everyone looked at the board trying to figure out what it was. I tried for a couple of waves, and missed them, but I didn't give up, and finally caught one. I was amazed by the speed once I got on the wave, and when my ride finally ended, I noticed how easy it was to dive under waves. I was hooked. My dad and I made a wood board for me a couple of months later (my "bullet" board).

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The "Bullet" Board

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I usually ride at White Plains, Big Rights, Cunhas, and The Wall (Walls).

I’ve read that John Galera used to paipo at White Plains, but I’m the only paipo boarder that I have seen there. The same goes for Big Rights, but I think it’s mostly because Big Rights is more of a surfing spot. The Wall usually has a handfull of paipo riders when a fair sized south swell comes in. Cunhas only had one person (besides my friend and me) on a paipo the day I went out. The only consistent paipo riders on Oahu I know of are John Galera, Bud Scelsa, Larry Goddard, and a guy named Harry, who uses a big orange paipo. I have seen him at Makapu’u and Cunhas.

Through trial and error pretty much. Sometimes I try to infuse bodyboarding and surfing maneuvers, because paipo boarding to me is sort of like bodyboarding (riding prone, fins on your feet), and sort of like surfing (fast speed, hard board). But for me, it’s mostly thinking of trying something new and crazy when I’m in the line-up waiting for waves, and then trying it when the waves come. I have also started to knee on my Hawaii Paipo Designs board, with mixed success.

They seem to like it; I haven’t gotten any negative feelings from anyone. I’ve had many older people tell me about how they used to make paipos in wood shop class, and do all sorts of tricks, like 360’s. I suppose they like that someone is carrying on paipo boarding.

Not really, I guess they think I’ve got it down.

The duck diving ability. Like I said earlier, I could never dive a bodyboard. When I eventually tried the paipo, I loved how easily you could dive under waves. I think this has actually saved my butt a couple of times when I thought I could handle the wave size.

I wanted a slightly wide tail, because I had heard that it holds the board into the wave very well, but I didn't want a board that was too wide, that I couldn't carry under my arm. I also wanted a streamlined nose that would slice through the water.

My husband made me a paipo board, so I could go out with him.

Early 80’s.

The Wall (Waikiki) and Makapu`u.

For about 10 yrs – until we moved further away from our fav surf sites.

Very few.

Fast; easy to transport and go under waves. Also prevented the younger kids on boogie boards from cutting you off!

On occasion when I see my son out in the surf.

I’m glad he’s out in the water and not a couch potato.  He knows, school work first before we can hit the beach.

I grew up in the 60’s before boogie boards were invented, so we used to make our own boards, paipo boards, to ride the waves. Other kids showed me how to make and use paipo boards.

About 1963, when I was 10 years old.

I didn’t travel for surf much. I grew up in a little town called Hauula, and because of my age at the time, I used to go to Kahana Bay, and in 1967, we moved to Hawaii Kai, and I surfed at China Walls, Seconds, Turtles, Makapu`u, and The Wall in Waikiki.

I don’t know of any hot paipo riders, but when I started, it was my friends and I.

The boards were wooden and resin coated, in a guitar pick style.

The style was prone and a good ride was a long ride.

The board was made in wood shop class. The shape was based on what I saw everyone else ride. It was made out of plywood, and was resined, with a single plywood skeg. The board was a half inch thick, and about 40 inches long, and 30 inches at the widest point.

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Dad's Old Board

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No, all of my boards were homemade.

I rode a paipo from 1963 to 1980. I stopped because I did not have time.

It felt good.

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Dad's New Board

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The speed.

I’m happy he has taken up paipo boarding, and together we have made paipo boards.