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KenuHawaii
Tandem
Riding Boards
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Go ahead
and read about the following older board, but this silver
board has been stripped, reshaped, and remade into the most
advanced tandem bodyboard on the market today---see
it
here |
Kenu tandem riding boards are unique. The key difference is that mine
are made narrow in the front so the passenger can paddle and add to the
thrust that will be needed in certain situations. No one else uses a
vinyl top either. Why vinyl? I have made vinyl top bodyboards for over 20 years and one thing is for certain- vinyl is
final!! I have seen many of my earlier boards(20 years old!!)- the vinyl still
looks nice and the polyethylene rail foam has started to turn to dust! That's
why I came up with the vinyl wrap rail- I wanted a board that would
last super long and not have to replace the rails when it turns rough
and starts to eat up your arm.
My special plastic bottom is unique too and super strong. This added with
the other plastic plate that is hidden under the soft deck pad which is
under the vinyl- creates a sandwich construction that is super strong
and also allows me to forever lock in curves and upward kicks in the
nose- something you won't see in other bodyboards because they are
made by laminating with heat.
Also note that I can handpaint or screenprint most any special
design you want on the board. This is done using my special
techniques and knowledge of paints and ink types to make a
design that will last as long as the board. There is of course
an extra cost to this depending on what you want and how complex it
is.
The Kenu tandem riding boardis unique and works great, floats great,
goes fast and is a blast! Price $495 on up plus shipping
Email
Ken
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Shown with my son Shaun Brown is
the latest Kenu tandem riding board designed specifically for he and I to
ride. It also was made thick enough in case my wife wanted to catch
some waves with me.
It had to be narrow in the nose so he could help paddle and wide
enough in the tail for stability and speed. Note full length thumb
grips and 3 point insert handle and pull strap. Shaun holds onto the 2
handles and helps paddle when he can. Just before a wave hits us, he
ducks his head down and holds on tight so we knife through the
oncoming wave- I of course have on my best pair of strong swim fins
and grip the rails tightly to control the board.
This board is 4" thick and 5'6" long- and I am 6' 4" 215 lbs. The
bottom is our special thicker Kenu plastic that makes it super
strong. The evening before I let a local guy take his kid out at this
same exact spot and he rode 2 waves in right up onto the beach. The
second wave he rode right over a big white coral rock in the sand and
you could hear it scrape.
I don't think he knew what he did and I did not point it out to him,
but when I looked under the board a little later, there were 2 long
scratches, but they did not penetrate the plastic and even I was
impressed by the strength!
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NEW!
Rescue/ tandem Bodyboard
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This board has channels on the bottom, a thick kicked up nose
for no pearl diving, and of course my exclusive wrap rail
vinyl
design found on no other board available. Also note concave in
the rear area of the deck. Because the board is so thick, this
helps me lower my legs in the water for maximum thrust and keeps
my body located in the center for stability and keeps me from
slipping off the board. Remember, this board has to be
absolutely safe so nothing happens to Shaun
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Shaun demonstrates the handle setup. Note thickness of
board and the nose, and the way the nose is kicked up.
You can lay on the back and
control the board while your kids stand up and
try to surf. This is of course after everybody becomes accustomed to the
board and feels safe doing it.
The board is so stable that while I paddle out, Shaun can stand up and check
out to sea for sets
coming in. He also likes to
kick me off the board and
float along standing up trying to
balance without falling off. |
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The board is real easy to catch waves because of the
thickness. Here we are catching an inside wave at "Walls" in Waikiki.
Note the placement of my hands also on the handles.
The tourists are standing on the big wall and get a kick out of watching the bodyboarders glide by and the big waves this day. We were the only ones out
on a 2 person board and were definitely a novelty. I did not take Shaun out
much further than about 100 feet past the Wall. He wanted to catch the
bigger waves (4-6 ft) breaking outside but he is not ready for it.
This board has a special long leg leash and a plug with a
stainless steel bolt and fender washer on the right rear of the
board for safety and bigger waves. There will be no bigger
waves though until he learns to not rely on that life vest! |
Shaun's smiling face says it all.
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Here's a shot of the "Wall" on
a medium
size set that day.
Sometimes much bigger waves would break way outside of these
breaking waves- you have to play it safe when you have your young kids with
you. |
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1993-More tandem
riding boards
with wrap rail |
1994-
Super huge 6' long x 4"
thick
hand paint wrap rail tandem
riding board for James
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See some big pics of the
Waikiki Wal |
What is a wrap rail?
Instead of foam rails, I wrap the vinyl all the way around to the
special
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 dark blue
rail foam. Any Kenu body board or tandem board can be ordered with
foam rails at no extra cost.
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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 1/16"
special white plastic. This is car bumper material guys, and is really good
stuff. Why?, because it 1.
won't crack or crease. 2. Super strong 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.
Our usual price for
practically any type/shape board that you want starts at $250 / (standard
board thickness) Have Questions?
Email
Ken |
All products proudly made in Hawaii by KenuHawaii LLC. All text and
images copyrighted by Kenu 3/2/07.
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