Aloha Tribe,
I surf a lot of Alaia and Paipo shaped by Jon Wegener and they are truly awesome boards. I'm not sure how many of his boards I have, but it's probably about 6 or more Alaia and 6 or more Paipo, each one slightly different offering greatly different rides. I also have one of Jon's brother's Tom's Alaia from when Tom was first shaping them.
On my quest to learn to paddle both my Alaia and Paipo faster, I was led to getting a Vasa Swim Trainer. If you are an Alaia or Paipo lover like I am, the Vasa Swim Trainer is a great way to work on your paddling stroke when you're not in the water. The machine lets you focus on technique, speed, endurance, and power, as well as flexibility. Technique, by the way, according to Sheila Taormina's (Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer) books accounts for about 80% of swimming speed, thus, it seems logical that such focus on technique could dramatically increase surfboard paddling speed also.
If you want some new fun, get an Alaia or a Paipo and have a blast with them. And then, if you really want to learn to paddle fast on any board you have, be it Alaia, Paipo, short board, long board, or anything else, buy a Vasa Swim Trainer.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
I surf a lot of Alaia and Paipo shaped by Jon Wegener and they are truly awesome boards. I'm not sure how many of his boards I have, but it's probably about 6 or more Alaia and 6 or more Paipo, each one slightly different offering greatly different rides. I also have one of Jon's brother's Tom's Alaia from when Tom was first shaping them.
On my quest to learn to paddle both my Alaia and Paipo faster, I was led to getting a Vasa Swim Trainer. If you are an Alaia or Paipo lover like I am, the Vasa Swim Trainer is a great way to work on your paddling stroke when you're not in the water. The machine lets you focus on technique, speed, endurance, and power, as well as flexibility. Technique, by the way, according to Sheila Taormina's (Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer) books accounts for about 80% of swimming speed, thus, it seems logical that such focus on technique could dramatically increase surfboard paddling speed also.
If you want some new fun, get an Alaia or a Paipo and have a blast with them. And then, if you really want to learn to paddle fast on any board you have, be it Alaia, Paipo, short board, long board, or anything else, buy a Vasa Swim Trainer.
Bodaciously Stoked,
Lily of the Valley
