Kenu Hawaii-custom bodyboard and bodyboards, tandem riding bodyboards, PWC surf rescue sleds- all made in Hawaii. Free Oahu surf map. Glider planes and song writing too!

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Custom Board Prices

$250- Most any length, width, tail shape, color, rail color,  vinyl top or foam top, and up to 2 1/2" thick and up to 48" length
includes a stiffening plate that makes your board stiffer and is a must with our superior water resistant beaded polypro cores- which is all we have! If you want cheap flexible polyethylene cores- you will have to go elsewhere.

Free channels if you want them- limited time offer 
( turn harder, more control, deeper carves on the wave)  

add $25
for 2 installed fin boxes
 ultimate hard turning, for a more in controllable board on larger waves-
custom fiberglass screw in 4" or 5" fins are available for about $35 each. Go to
accessories
for the fins, leashes, handles.

*thicker boards up to 4" thick and most any length (up to 48" length) and width cost $325 on up.

Shipping
See Pay + shipping policies for more info on your shipping-usually around $50 (USPS) for regular boards to continental USA and more for real big boards..

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Welcome to KenuHawaii.com- your headquarters for unique custom surf designs made in Hawaii- and now sold securely through Paypal. Call 808-234-8899 to order.

See some really old custom boards that would be good for design ideas here

What is this "carbon fiber look" vinyl Ken likes so much?
See it here.


Free PDF Surf
Map of Oahu

   PDF bodyboard
  order form

 
Kenu Custom Boards 
I'm 6'4" tall and weigh 223 lbs.  See Who is KenuHawaii?  I take a lot of pride in making quality boards that last for many years. I specialize in making unique vinyl top custom boards available nowhere else-usually for the bigger rider who wants something special that goes fast and will last!  Here's some of my latest creations. See custom prices on left side of this page.

Go to the accessories page to put these fins in your shopping cart.

NEW!  Big guy Ray Starbuck went all the way---. A custom retro hand painted stripe, handle, and leash. Board is 48" and has a tapered normal thinness nose and tail, but the center thickness is close to 3" thick for max paddling ability- he'll be able to catch tons of waves. And of course the wrap rail technology is used for long life and no rash on your arms from worn out rail foam. RAY--My daughter came home this weekend and we finally found some time to go surfing this morning. I love how the board performs. I got some of the longest, most controlled rides of my life this morning. The board is fast and floats me very well. I actually paddled out and caught TWO waves BEFORE getting my hair (what's left of it) completely wet. I was in full control and got out without getting pounded. I also didn't pearl dive; not once! Thanks again, man; this is one cool tool.


Ray's bottom has full race channels and believe it or not- 3 fin boxes that have been grinded to conform to the channel's curves-really trick.  He has 3 top quality Island Fin 5" blue fins that allow him to cover all the bases:
1. no fins- use channels only
2. One center fin only
3. twin fin set up
4. Tri fin set up for those special days.


Ken's Toy

NEW!  7-1-08

This is my new thick 5 foot long board I just made for myself to go surf Makapuu with. I standup, kneeboard and prone ride with it- all with no fins! Read all about it and see a bigger better picture of it here.
Girl Power

NEW!  Laurie is a big girl from the Big Island who is 5 feet tall. She wanted a 40 inch board that would float her good and make sure she caught waves instead of sinking. What to do?
I made the board thicker in the center section and in the tail area. The nose is standard thickness to be sure she can grip it and to make sure you can put the leash plug in it. Then I deeply scooped out the rear area so she will stay centered and won't roll off. Has
a nice soft top with the "carbon fiber" grippy but not rashy vinyl. Has the standard polypro core with super stiffening added, and  channels on the bottom. Super strong and built to last.



 NEW!  Here's a new 42" board that is available for immediate delivery. It has a yellow vinyl skin and a special splatter design I did that I call "Cherry Blossom."  Has regular foam rails and 2 channels.
 

Kenu 42" Cherry Blossom
$295 plus shipping and tax


Here's a 48" Diego red vinyl board I made for myself with plenty of Kenu logos, and two fin boxes!! It is in lightly used condition. SOLD to Dwight  Ken,
 I couldn't be more impressed with this board and your workmanship!
As soon as I can I'll give you a report after riding it! Now I need to find some fins for it!
Note: Dwight liked the board so much he made a super cool Kenu cartoon drawing for me-- click here to see it. Thanks Dwight!


Here's another 48" board I made for myself with plenty of Kenu logos, spliced foam rails, channels, and one fin box!! Awesome! I can catch anything with this board.

SOLD to Nicole
Dec.11-07-- Hello Ken, I received the bodyboard today. It is exactly as you represented it! Thank you so much! I will (weather permitting) get it in the water tomorrow. It is a beautiful graceful shape, and sure makes my old board look clunky by comparison!---Nicole


Here's a custom 42" board for Glenn in Chula Vista, He also went for 2 installed fin boxes and the two top quality Island Fin fiberglass fins.



Aloha Ken, The board you made for me rides really good. The difference in thichness and width makes it a lot more responsive than the original board. Will definitly spead the word. Good luck with KENU Bodyboards. Much mahalo    dino   
     


2007--Here's a nice 48" Kenu board made for Dino on Oahu.. It has the new black carbon fiber look vinyl which is grippy and cool looking. Remember that vinyl doesn't give you rash like other boards- but you can and should wax it in the areas where you need a better grip.
Note hand grooves-and you can barely see the top plastic stiffening plate under the vinyl and comfort pad. This board has a beautiful upward kick in the nose so there is less chance of pearl diving.The stiffening plate makes it super strong and the vinyl makes it super long lasting!! Vinyl is final.The bottom is a special plastic with something you won't see anywhere!!!!--- real fin boxes in the channels. How's that for craftsmanship. The boxes are hand tooled to get them to conform with the channel's contours. With a good set of fins about 4" to 6" long- this board won't spin out or lose it's edge or speed  on a big bomber wave- you can crank it and go!!!

2005-Latest Kenu 4" thick
tandem riding board in action-
 big swell at "Walls" in Waikiki
Super huge 6' long x 4" thick
hand paint wrap rail
tandem riding board for James
2005-  51" Hawaiian flag standup and yellow round nose 2004-standup
 2005- More tandem riding boards with wrap rail Nice hand paint wave on
43" prone board
Brandon's 52" stand up
wrap rail board

Classy hand paint wrap
rail for Dan
1999-A foam top 42" bodyboard
with custom foil deck design
2005-A nice bat tail board

 
What is a wrap rail?
Instead of foam rails, I wrap the vinyl all the way around to the  plastic bottom and use a special technique to seal it.  There is less arm rash because vinyl is way smoother and less seams-less chance for water to get in.
No extra charge

What about a foam rail?
Foam is fine and is the industry standard.  Also provides a contrasting color to your deck.  We have yellow, red, and  blue rail foam.


What is a fin box?
There are several types on the market, but we like using this 6 3/4" type that is big enough so
it won't get loose in your board after a hard turn, and allows you to easily unscrew and try different fins-we recommend you use about 6" fins or less.

The fin boxes
actually strengthen the rear of your board too. They are held in the board by special hot glue and technique that creates a bumper around the box that isolates the box and fin to avoid damage if you were to hit a coral head or something-it won't tear the whole bottom of the board! Proven in 20 years of service.


Skegs on a bodyboard- Still available-

the boxes and the skegs add cost to the board, but are unbeatable if you want a board that will handle any hard turn.

The paragraphs below are dedicated to my favorite type of board- one that I have been making for 20 years and that still impresses me with it's strength and durability- the Kenu vinyl top board.

The Kenu vinyl board is different than boards you are used to. Most boards look the way they do because they are made of materials that are optimized for efficient heat lamination production. Most boards have surlyn bottoms, because it's easy to laminate. We all know what happens to a surlyn bottom board if you are a radical rider, or you are big- it creases!

The Kenu  bottom is made of special 1/16"  white plastic- what type of plastic and where do you get it?- I'm not going to say- I for one don't feel like giving away my secrets to competitors. This is a special material guys, and is my dream come true as a production manager and retail seller. Why?, because it 1. won't crack or crease. 2. Is nice and shiny 3. Doesn't yellow

Notice the top skin on most of these boards, it is not foam, it is marine vinyl. Unlike foam, vinyl is final- it doesn't wear out or absorb water like foam. You can also print or paint on it and it doesn't give you rash like foam. The problem is that these boards last for years, and if you buy one , that's the last we'll see of you for a looooong time. Can you say that about the boards you are buying now?

In the past 17 years I have built or helped built at least 20,000  boards, and the thousands I have built recently  are my favorites- because I make them all by myself.

1997--Here is my own board that I made for riding at Makapuu. I am 6'4'' 220 lbs, and I standup ride this board using no fins, with a leg leash.  I'm competing for waves with young local guys with fins. Makapuu rules are no surfboards allowed and that a bodyboard can't be more than 48" long.  This one is 52"(don't tell), so I cheat a little. It is almost 4" thick with features such as 1. deep channels 2. thumb grips 3. comfort chest pad 4. spoon nose bottom concave 5. my "wrap rail" technology 6. special plastic bottom 7. a thin plastic stiffening plate under the pad. 8. kick nose

 


Board Features

Measure your favorite boards dimensions and compare them to other boards you like. If you are not sure what to order or have questions, please- Email 

 Tails   Unless you have a specific tail design in mind, stick with the standard crescent tail design. The crescent tail acts like 2 pintails on either side of you and the crescent locks you in so you don't slip around. I can do any other type tail that you want, but from my experience the guys who try different tails usually want me to modify their boards back to the standard crescent tail. Wide tails for big heavy people, narrower tails for lighter people.
Length    If you are big, you need a longer board unless you are only surfing fast, short, shore breaks. The cool length I've noticed lately for most people is about 42". If you are smaller, the board should come up a little above your belly button. The first thing you should do is measure the length on your old board, and decide if it is too short or what.
  Rails   Stick with 60/40 rails unless you are surfing really big waves. If your rail is lower like 50/50 (diamond rails), your board might not be able to do smooth 360 turns because the rail will be catching.
Channels Small channels don't do much, but deeper channels do help you hold your turn on big waves- check out my personal board above. On smaller waves, deep channels may stop you from doing clean 360 spinners.
  Nose You don't ride the nose, but the standard rule of thumb is if you are prone riding-wide nose. If you are drop knee-narrow nose.

Bottom
material

  I like to use special plastic for everybody because it's really strong and fast.

Thickness

 If you are under 150 lbs. I'll make it thinner. If over 220 lbs. I'll make it thicker. Almost all custom boards come with a call to you by Ken to make sure the board you ordered is the one you need, and to clarify any questions or details.

All products proudly made in Hawaii by KenuHawaii LLC. All text and images copyrighted by Kenu 3/2/07.