| The
pine board (which I lovingly called 'Ol Piney) was one of the first
boards I built after discovering paipos a few years back. The design is
simplicity itself—two one-inch pine boards glued together and roughly
shaped via a sanding pad attached to a hand drill. A few coats of Spar
Urethane and she was ready to get salted. The plywood board is even more primitive! I cut it out, hit it with the hand sander, and put on the urethane (no shaping). But, like 'Ol Piney she had the go even if she didn't have the show. The shape, which is pretty big at six feet long and over eighteen inches wide, was originally an experiment to create a paipo that could finesse the one- to two-foot East Coast summer slop usually encountered in these parts. This beast slayed the slop and worked in chest- to head-high conditions too! Sadly, these boards did not do as well in Costa Rica. They were too long for a wave with more juice (maybe too wide as well?). But these primitive boards still have a starring role in my quiver. It is too sweet to pilot something you made in the garage—sort of like having a hot rod that only costs twelve dollars. |
 Atlanta Surfer with his short alaia-style paipo. Photo by the NYC Girls. |
