Kenuhawaii, Kenu Hawaii -custom Hawaii made bodyboard and bodyboards, tandem riding bodyboard and bodyboards, and surf water rescue PWC sleds,

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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Did you know?
Ken worked at Turbo Surf Hawaii from 1983 til 2006 as production manager.
If you have an old Turbo board---Ken probably made it.
Does anybody remember his brother- Russ "Captain Turbo" Brown?
Read the history here

Welcome to KenuHawaii.com- your headquarters for unique custom surf designs made in Hawaii- and now sold securely through Paypal. Call 808-429-2973 to order.

See some really, really old custom boards that would be good for design ideas here
See my new software invention-your design on my board !

Prices-
board 48" and under and 2 1/2" thick or less-$250
thicker than 2 1/2" and up to 2 3/4" thick-$275
Boards longer than 48" or thicker than 2 3/4"--call or email.
shipping, confirmation, and insurance for under 48" long--$65 to U.S.A.
2 swivel wrist leash-$22 2 swivel arm leash-$24 fin box-$12.50 each

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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.

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

Below are some of the boards I have made recently

Chris from France wanted a thin state of the art drop knee board	Joe wanted a cool copy of "Ken's Toy"	Grant went futuristic and designed a "stealth" board with an awesome fin.	Bobby wanted a board with 3 fin boxes and everything else!
12-2010 Jim wanted a 5 foot board that would be like his unusual surfboard.	Cameron Nice board done in record time!!! 48" x 2 3/4" thick	Big Mike is 6' 8" and 250 lbs--he really needs something special--with his Army company logo too!	Val is from the Big Island-he wanted a red carbon fiber vinyl 48" board with two boxes that would float him good.
Mr.X- 2--44" boards of different designs	Fred wanted the best Kenu board--he supplied the images for the logos, and Kenu did the rest--magic---who else does this?????????	Robert- interesting 51" variable stiffness foam top board	Shaun, he's my son. See his real cool Christmas present--a surfboard bodyboard.
Gino- Oahu, Hawaii 41 1/2" with 2 5/8" thickness	Aaron- 5' tall and 3 1/2" thick!!!	Frank- 48" with deep channels	Bob- Morro Bay 3 fins, big grooves, custom top design.
Hal Unusual narrow thin board-with wrap rail and round nose- 48" X 2 1/16" thick	Grant likes to surf the "Wall" and "Publics" and wanted a small board with one fin box in black carbon fiber vinyl.	12-2010 Jeff wanted a cool board for his son Basil--this board has all the bells and whistles!	12-2010 YP wanted a board similar to Shaun's board-but 2 1/8" thick and with 3 fin boxes.
Shayne wanted a long lasting board with no logos
Ken's Toy 7-1-08 --SOLD 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. News Flash- this board was sold to Wally who lives on the North Shore. He is going to get a lot of stares and questions when he shows up at the beach with this awesome one of a kind strong board!
Al 10/24/08 Al from the Big Island of Hawaii is a big guy who weighs 320 lbs. Even my standard 48" board looks small for him-he needed something special. This board is 48" long, has a 12 inch wide nose, 19 inch tail, is 24 inches wide and is 2 3/4" thick. Top is "white carbon fiber look" vinyl with red rails and red Kenu logo print. Built super strong with a slight kick in the nose. Note that he ordered the leash plug to be installed in the tail area where he will attach a short surfboard leash. Guaranteed to float him like a king!
Jeff 4/14/09 Here's a real cool scoop nose design for Jeff in Tacoma, Washington. About 20 years ago I made hundreds of these type boards with this type nose design. Jeff is a trend setter who knows what he wants. This board comes with 3 four inch custom fiberglass fins for the boxes. This board is 45" long and a little less than 2 1/2" thick. Of course it is very stiff too with just a slight amount of nose kick. Beautiful! Jeff Email: The "eagle" has landed and it is beyond my expectations. Hope to get it wet this weekend. Photos to follow.
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.
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. Than
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
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.

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!