Worlds shortest kneeboard?

[kage]

I just shaped my first kneeboard from a broken Hobie longboard (a freebie). A totally enjoyable experience. However it's only 5'0". I am 5'6" 165lbs. I usually ride a paipo that's only inches bigger than a body board. So I thought to myself "five feet! that's huge".
Was this a major mistake? the shape is similar to a Blast pintail (sort of). About 23.5" at the widest point. What will be the bad thing? Any good things? I'm not picky about waves, I'll go out anytime, big, small, junky, wahtever.
It was economics that made me want to shape my own board. But I have to say it was a really enjoyable experience and I learned so much about board shape. Hopefully glassing will be as enoyable. Hehehe

[Beeline2.0]

..

[doc]

I just shaped my first kneeboard from a broken Hobie longboard (a freebie). A totally enjoyable experience. However it's only 5'0". I am 5'6" 165lbs. I usually ride a paipo that's only inches bigger than a body board. So I thought to myself "five feet! that's huge".
Was this a major mistake? the shape is similar to a Blast pintail (sort of). About 23.5" at the widest point. What will be the bad thing? Any good things? I'm not picky about waves, I'll go out anytime, big, small, junky, wahtever.
It was economics that made me want to shape my own board. But I have to say it was a really enjoyable experience and I learned so much about board shape. Hopefully glassing will be as enoyable. Hehehe

Okay, we all did something like this, back in the day. Sometimes it worked. But.......

The outline shape- well, that's part of it, though the rocker, rails and fins make a lot of difference. 5' isn't too short, my first board, when I weighed about what you do now, was 5' long and 19" wide and it worked like a bandit.

Glassing.....is not gonna be fun.

doc

[tumak]

We're about to shape my new little stick - my "Balsa Spoonfish" - it's going to be 5'1", and a single-fin (a 10" True Ames Velzy High-Performance). I believe it's going to be awesome...I'm almost 6'2" and normally weigh in around 175. I have a 4'6" twin-fin paipo I've been kneeboarding lately with no problem. Kowabunga.

[kage]

!! !!
What a really nice thing to offer! I would totallly like to take you up on that. I have finished sanding and shaping my board and plan on glassing it this Sunday. I don't want to bail on the project after putting as much time in as I have. Plus like I said before I have really learned a lot from the experience and want to see what the glassing will be like.
Nonetheless that is a mighty offer. I would like to try your board, maybe as a borrowing thing, maybe I could pass it on and convert a standup or bb'er.
I will email you directly with my phone etc.
Kim
THANKS!!

[tumak]

Well?...How did your board turn out, kage? What was it like on the borrowed Freeline? How do the two boards compare? Just wonderin'.

[Ler]

I have a 48" (two foot long) Knee Machine, made by El Paipo. Looks more like a skimboard than kneeboard. If anybody knows more about El Paipo's
please let me know some history about my Knee Machine. Theres no fin anymore, but there once was a box for a single fin. Its been glassed over.

[Don]

Ler,

Check out RodndTube on this site... he rides an EP and is heading to the Hatteras gathering...

[doc]

Ler,

Check out RodndTube on this site... he rides an EP and is heading to the Hatteras gathering...

Rod and I go back a ways, and if I may offer a slight correction - he rides a paipo board rather than an El Paipo brand board -

http://www.rodndtube.com/paipo/MyPaipoBoards.html

I used an El Paipo for a while, back in the day. Ler, and if you can show us a pic or two I can perhaps tell you a little something about 'em.

doc.......

[Ler]

I will post photos tomorrow. Its a need little board.

[surfhorn]

I have an old Newport El Paipo in my collection plus I have some of their print advertisments. I'll see if I can post them on the site so you can read them. Classic 60's psychodelic artwork.

[kage]

Whoa! I didn't notice this thread was still active. Thanks for asking Tupak, it came out pretty funky but surprisingly rideable. My laps are pretty bad, but I kept on going because I wanted to complete the galssing. I used the FCS system fir the fins. It has very flat side to side rocker and pretty sharp rails -- it seems to work well in really small waves. It rides a lot like a paipo, which is what I rode all the time until I started kneeboarding, I guess I put that in the design without intending to. I alternate riding it with the Freeline board John S. laid on me. I think my next attempt will be a fish.

[surfhorn]

Glad the glass job came out alright. The first KB I glassed back in 1969 came out looking like a bloody sardine.

The US Championships in Santa Cruz Nov 7 & 8 is also a great opportunity to try out some other KB's. We'll have a few Surf Tech epoxy fish for demo at Freeline Surf Shop. Plus there will be Freeline quads available......and a thruster if we can talk John into it!

[tumak]

Hey surfhorn, ...just wanted you to be aware that Newport Paipo was a different company than El Paipo. There were many paipos being made back in the day, but I think these two companies were at the forefront, even though many regular surfboard comapanies also offered paipo/kneeboards on the side. I hope to find examples of these boards for sale sometime, somewhere...I think they'd be cool artifacts to own.