Royal Hawaiian Pool Service Est. '88

wailin'

2012-01-31T13:11:00.000-08:00

haugo doing a crucial f-side christie from back in the day. did he make it ????

balls to the wall!
-rhps

jj guest deck

2012-01-21T13:08:00.001-08:00

have a few of these left from old stock for sale. collect 'em or grip & rip 'em. email if you are interested: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

-rhps

oz

2012-01-19T19:54:00.001-08:00

our friend luke in australia sent these rad pics of him shreddin' a jj neptune deck. looks like these pics are straight out of 1988.
photos by creeper.

-rhps

mr. pope

2012-01-13T20:12:00.001-08:00

b-side boneless at schmitt's compound on a rhps wataru deck. photo: c. hultz

chilli'n at the infamous buena vista pool

friend of the RHPS: the legendary skate artist Russ Pope rippin' it up on rhps gear. check the b-side boneless on the wataru smoking tiki deck - radical. for most skaters the name russ pope stands strong and long with his work with numerous skate brands. mr. pope started out in the industry as the TM for sma and soon after started creature at nhs. over the years his art has appeared on numerous decks and tees. recently russ has done cool sox designs for stance (marketing man - ryan kingman at stance is our brother) and now he heads up the marketing of vans men's apparel.

on the horizon - look for a very limited collaboration with russ and the rhps. trust us this one will be one of the best. available at a shop NOT near you - we will keep you posted.

long live the creative minds
-rhps

merry x-mas & happy new years!

2011-12-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

friends thanks for all of your support this year. keep on rippin' the pools and barkin' the coping loud. seasons grindings.

shakas!
-rhps

new york sightings

2011-12-17T17:00:00.001-08:00

d-box hit up - rhps
roslyn pool, new york - rhps east coast sightings
our team 100% pool skater tee, wear 'em OR use them to clean the pools.
pics submitted by: chris v.

-rhps

the general

2011-12-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

photo: bjorn

last week the general had a bad accident at the north shore banzai skate park. he was doing a backside roll in and spun out and cracked his head. he received a bad skull fracture - luckily he is doing better and out of his few day stay at the hospital. he says thanks for sending him positive vibes and well wishes.

on that note as we get radical on our decks the last thing we think about is an accident like gary's. so why not wear a helmet for protection? for decades we were too cool to wear helmets, avoided the park police when it was mandatory to wear helmets and thought we were in-destructable. until now, it's time to play it safer. we are not preaching - "to each his own" - but a topic to think about.

we already have enough brain damage so why get more - keep your dome safe.
-rhps

ps - anyone wanna sponsor us a few helmets? .............

grant's golden brand - new stuff

2011-12-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

our good friends over at grant's golden brand sent over some of the best pomade. this is their latest addition to their line: Medium Blend. check it out: quality hold, easy to style, washes out in the shower and the BEST part - check out the scent name"Royal Hawaiian." support this brand.

perfect for looking good on and off of your board.

thanks grant's.
-rhps

hawaii then & now

2011-12-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

scott foss "tube time" at mellows/haihaone valley

og z-boy wentzle rumel dirt spray at stoker hill. mix & match vans with original t&c tee

the new lahaina, maui park

grindline at work in west maui

old to the new in paradise.
-rhps

we still have wheels for sale

2011-11-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

we still have a limited supply of our new "Shaka Fahka" Wheels in stock for sale. available in sizes: 55, 58 and 60mm. they are 99a hardness - perfect for bowl riding with the right amount of grip. designed to last many many many sessions.

price per set is: $28.00 plus shipping (5.00 for us domestic orders).

email if you want to buy a set:
royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com
killer for holiday gifts for the ripper in your family.

-rhps

ps- ***shaka fahka t-shirts soon ....

r.i.p.

2011-11-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

after many good years of tsuyoshi's bowl - it has come to an end. in our books this was the best ramp, very fast and it felt like riding a roller coaster pool.
what's next ???? new sh*t of course !

-rhps

style points

2011-11-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

wanna look this good skating?
make sure to buy our gear!

just kidding here we have our handsome model the General at the banzai park sporting our latest goods: "Shaka Fahka" wheels and our "Vans collab shoe." he is also riding one of our 7ply masterpieces.

-rhps

introducing: shaka fahka wheels

2011-10-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

a project we have been wanting to do for a few years has arrived ..... so here is our take on how wheels should be. you want fast, long lasting, grippy, ATTITUDE wheels ... here they are: Shaka Fahka Wheels by RHPS!

We designed these wheels to work well in the pools, parks, ditches, masonite or just cruising the streets. 99a harness (not too soft not too hard) that retain their durometer with time. we were tired of riding wheels that wore out fast and sloppy in critical situations. we wanted a wheel that gripped during radical moves and slid when we wanted slash. the shape has a nice medium-wide riding surface and a classic tapered conical edge (good for coping contact).

available in: 55mm, 58mm, 60mm

price: only $28.00 us dollars.

if ya want a pair, email us at: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

fahka fast wheels.
-rhps

help hackett

2011-10-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

our old friend dave hackett just battled cancer and won. we all know hack as the fearless slasher of the cope, he needs our help now. the after math has left him with a huge medical bill - 100k. if you have extra funds and the kindness to help out, please visit:
http://www.skullskates.com/skull-skates/help-hackett/

glad you are still with us dave, stay strong brother.
-rhps

alva for the genreal

2011-10-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

t.a. quoted from back in the day. who is insane ..... the one and only general. check this classic pic of gary - "micro micro" edger with scanner headphones and jimmy'z spandex!did he pull off the edger .... of course he did. fearless.
-rhps

friends

2011-10-17T20:18:00.001-07:00

we get by with a little help from our friends
-rhps

1987-89

2011-09-24T19:46:00.001-07:00

hosoi at the diamond head egg. gary front row seat - in your face. pic. matt charlot

fletch - surf skate relate. rolled with us numerous times. hated surfers but was one of the best of his era. an original

there is only one master. obey the mighty d.p. acid drop in the middle of palm springs. pic: jgb

an ode to the gravy days of the 80's.
-rhps

thank you

2011-09-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

to all of those people who helped out with our shoe project and to the customers who are purchasing the shoe - big thanks from your brothers at the RHPS.

cheers
rhps

details - waffle grip

2011-09-03T19:59:00.001-07:00

one last detail we forgot to add about our shoe is that we did an upgrade to the waffle sole. the original waffle sole is inverted, the usual Vans sole has the diamonds concave - look at the picture, the diamonds are convex. with this new upgrade you get a better grip on your board and the sole flexes easier. so overall - a better high quality performance shoe.

details details details.
-rhps

Announcing: RHPS ltd. VANS Sk8 Mids

2011-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Untitled from Scott Kinsey on Vimeo.

this week our friends at Vans are releasing our long anticipated: Royal Hawaiian Pool Svc. Sk8-Mids. we have been: consumers, fans & team riders for vans decades deep. the general gary was one of the first to wear vans in hawaii back in the 70's. during his first visit to hawaii, tony alva forced gary to buy a pair of vans authentics to skate in - up until then gary was still skating barefoot. mad dog told gary that everyone wears shoes to skate in - so you have to buy vans if you wanna be up to speed with the new sport. in the 80's gdog rode for the van doren rubber company for years thanks to everett & beattle rosecrans. prior to that he got shoes from vision (i know cheesy), he switched up fast to vans. through the 90's and 2000's we bought vans because they were the only choice for the RHPS. yup - we are loyal to our staples: vans and indy.

Last year todd stanley from vans hit us up to do a limited collaboration - we quickly replied - hell yes. so we designed this shoe around our: style, colors and attitude. the materials are tough pig suede lowers, cordura nylon uppers (the industrial material they make backpacks with), the new duracap technology and of course the legendary o.g. waffle sole. They are light, comfortable and built to last. The little details we added are: extra lacing eyelets on the top three holes - for quick lacing and easy shoe removal, our main logos inside & outside and a little "shaka" side label ~ this is our "tip of the hat" to hawaii. trust us we designed these to break in fast so you can lace 'em up and start rippin' !

So check this video by our friend scott. it showcases videos, photos and designs from our vaults. old old old footage and pics dating back 35 years plus. featuring the usual suspects. music by honolulu's original 80's punk band S.R.O. the song "hawaii" - come on ~ gary's brother is in the band and it rules. the video is for promo use only.

these shoes are available at select core skate shops from coast to coast including our home: hawaii. will post up the complete shop listing soon.

*this shoe is dedicated to the pool riders around the world.

the O.G. pool service and the O.G. waffle sole.
-rhps

artie's pool last stand

2011-09-02T10:51:00.001-07:00

one of the long standing permission pools of honolulu is on it's last stand - it may be gone by now. the pool was a quality roman ender from the early 60's. Skated on and off for the last 6 years. the general found the pool during one of his many searches. the best part of this story is that he went up to the front gate and straight up asked to ride the pool. with no hesitation, artie gladly said yes and invited him to a bbq poolside!?! yup that is how cool the scene is / was. we were always respectful and helped paint his pool a few times.

thanks artie for your hospitality all of these years.

skated & destroyed
-rhps

max 4Q decks for sale

2011-08-31T10:49:00.001-07:00

we just got in a very small stack of these very limited collectable decks for a very limited time. yup, it's the "guest deck" for our buddy max schaaf available hardly anywhere, so grab it now. max has skated for decades with power and style and his bike works are on the next level. here is our deck giving our "tip of the hat" to him.

we have a few left in 8.5" and our custom 9" standard pool shape. high quality 7 ply maple and quality HAND SCREEN PRINTED by chicken - no cheapy heat transfers. the price per deck is 58.00 plus shipping. we ship worldwide. email us if you want to purchase one at: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

big thanks to max for doing this board with us!

shaka 4Q fahka
-rhps

SNEAKer PEEK

2011-08-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

we've been waiting for over 2 decades for these. coming very soon.......

shaka fahka
-rhps

old sticker

2011-08-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

an oldy but goody from texas. empty pool sticker from the easy rollers.

-rhps

pcp

2011-08-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

way back in the day during the mid to late 70's in hawaii there was one pool in particular that was getting a lot of coverage in the o.g. skateboarder magazine, what pool you ask - the legendary pearl city pool. a kinked, steep and leaking right hand kidney was ripped by the brave. this was a permission pool, only thing you had to pay a fee to ride ......a few pocket shillings. here we have our old friend jasper warren blasting a classic front-side aerial. note his original vans eras and the norcon pads.

"hawaii pool history 101"
-rhps.

lance

2011-08-23T16:40:00.001-07:00

lance boosting backside. pic:bk

old school f-side carve @ ridiculous. notice hand on rail placement: style master. fedora hat ala mad dog alva. pic: b. frick.

decades deep - only getting better like fine wine.
tip of the hat to mr. mountain.

-rhps

brothers from different mothers

2011-08-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

old old friends of the rhps ~ the one and only "back to back world champ" pony boy (eric d) and the "pirate at large" (jason j). two of the best from the 80's and still hanging in there today. a little heavier and grey hairs but they still hold weight. skate culture kings who have been the blueprint for generations.

eric - best salad grinds (his signature trick)
jj - best anything to fakie (methods & andrechts/inverts)

photo: vans.

never grow oldy
-rhps

the secret bowl of hawaii

2011-08-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

fun little slash bowl built for the kids and the BIG kids. located in the backyard of the place next to the other place near the big tree with mangos and coconut trees next to it. if you get lost turn left at the corner store and head south for 315 miles or just call them at ph#888-get-lost, ask for the "no joke moke."
see you there for the session.

-rhps

2011 "guest deck" - max !

2011-08-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

so here are the details from our previous post...

releasing in a few weeks we have a special guest deck for our buddy max schaaf. long time vertical ripper and era correct 2 wheel builder, he has gone the distance and back to prove his longevity in the game. we appreciate max's creative work and skate history - so here it is, the rhps/schaax custom designed guest model. we wanted to tie the art into one of tv shows that helped define hawaii in the 60's and 70's. the one and only o.g. steve mcgarrett returns on the well known 4q chopp ripping it up in the green room drawn by our friend jason t. in a style that fits: r. griffin inspired. these decks will release in a very limited small run. collect them or grip & rip them. offered in various sizes at a handful of select shops and direct from us.

"buk um max-o"
-rhps

neu wave

2011-08-13T10:52:00.001-07:00

"Kung-fu, I've almost made it respectable.
You see I can't always get through to you so I go for your sons.
Skateboards, that was one of my good ones.
What's a few broken bones when we all know it's good clean fun?"
-Joe Jackson 1979

-rhps

ninja man

2011-08-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

one of the notorious skate architectures of honolulu. the ninja man of the night makes his moves - bert slash barefoot.

"take nothing but pictures, leave noting but wheel-marks"
-rhps

"hollywood" back in the day

2011-08-07T13:30:00.000-07:00

bulky getting down in with a stylish tuck-knee wheeler. as salba has told us many times - steve olson was the first punk rock skater (slightly before DP and associates). olson planted the seed to what has become the look/lifestyle of mall rats for the last few decades. note: one of the earliest suicidal tendencies sticker on his deck.

circa early 80's / photo: glen e. friedman

respects to steve
-rhps

100% Pool Skater T-shirts

2011-08-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

we have a small stack of these limited 100% Pool Skater tees in stock. sizes medium and large available in black and navy. printed in metallic "silver flake" ink. $22.00 us dollars plus shipping. we ship worldwide. email if interested: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

stand proud in a crowd - let 'em know with pool pride (pool skater NOT street skater).
-rhps

killer deal on decks

2011-07-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

we have a small stack of these supreme decks at a good price. the new price is 45.00 plus shipping. we ship world wide. if you are interested in purchasing one give us an email: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

-rhps

new guest deck on the horizon

2011-07-27T12:11:00.001-07:00

you know the show

here is the deck

an homage deck currently in the works to be released next month. growing up in the islands there was only one tv show that featured the 50th state, that was hawaii 5-0. steve mcgarrett, danno, chin ho & crew fought the bad guys every week on the tube. a very special era for hawaii (1960's-70's). some of the old shows featured on location some of the pools we later rode including the infamous poi bowl which the general gary got the tws cover. so this cheesy hawaii police show has ties to the rhps in many ways. this deck has special meaning to us as you can tell.

the "guest" skater is an old friend, he is a seasoned vet pro sk8r'. you all know who he is, rips the bowls and rolls in his custom vintage vehicles. who is he you ask? not yet - to be announced soon............

***this one will be a collectors deck BUT not at a collectors price.

buk 'em braddah
-rhps

sept. 2011

2011-07-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

we grew up with thrasher since the first issue. in many ways living in the middle of the pacific it was our only connection to what was happening in skating. skateboarder, action now had folded and tws was yet to launch. we studied the pics to learn new moves, mail ordered our gear and made home made thrasher tees ( we couldn't afford them). as the 80's progressed we became friends with the staff and did features with kevin thatcher (the original editior) and mofo.

as the sport progressed and we were the old, we read the zine less. but our respect to high speed productions/thrasher remained loyal. "skate and destroy" is still our motto and we still always check the indy add first on the last page. cheers to decades of showing us how to skate and live the lifestyle. r.i.p. fausto.

*on that homage note, the new cover rips. front truck nose grind by dill - a trick we will never attempt but radical by all means.

"shaka and destroy"
-rhps

down under

2011-07-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

our friends in australia check in with their newly decorated rhps "stenciled" ramp. excellent work - note the side ramp "neptune" stencil. i dig the checkerboard mock tiles. supreme skills by dave!

splinters and sweepers
-rhps

homage

2011-07-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

an homage to our old friends sma. no biting here - just a simple design to honor our uncle skip. long live the sma crew. design by: k.j.

respect
-rhps

black john and crew

2011-07-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

our old pal john lucero - proprietor of black label and emergency rocking an og rhps cap and his crew member is wearing one of our classic original tiki tees which are being reprinted as we speak (first time in a decade). cheers to john and the label!
photo: mrz

-rhps

the old & the new

2011-07-06T10:20:00.001-07:00

our original tiki design from 1988. blast from the past

our new 2011 shaka power design.

releasing for sale very soon. 2 new tees for the summer. the old and the new - still current after all these years. sk8 core designs for the like minded.

support your loco pool skater
-rhps

80's day at the p-motel

2011-07-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

brandon p. frontside boneless one - on a skater gator deck.

old guy line up: mcgill, hosoi, lance and sal

lance frontside boost off the extension.

salbra slob air

c.h. - slash wayback layback.

recent session at the notorious pink motel in socal.
pics from skateboarder magazine.

don't get hipster.

2011-06-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

please obey the rules of the pool.
-rhps

New Decks For Sale

2011-06-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

we have two new decks: kenzi beer tiki and wataru smokin' tiki in stock for sale. available in our new "standard" 9" pool shape. the price for a deck: $54.00 plus shipping. we ship domestic and internationally. if you want one email us: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

thanks for your support
-rhps

surf - skt - slash

2011-06-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

the classic "hacky-wacky" by the one and only D.H.

b-side attack by oster. pic: block

hosoi doing his masonite slash.

i remember an old conversation with scotty oster back in 1989, we were discussing the anatomy of a "slash." it was hands down agreed upon that you had to be a surfer to understand the body language and emulation of riding a surfboard. the slash was to represent you hitting the lip of a wave - in doing so contorting your body and board in a high style fashion. back then this style was prominent with the heavy dt/hawaii surf/skt connection, dating back to larry bert & his gang. scotty said he always tried to copy the zipper head backside bert slash, and i said i tried to emulate the hackett frontside attack. these were the 2 finest examples of the srf skt slash. and if you did this move in a pool - you were the king. who had this style? - you know the players. surf the earth as we used to say......

-rhps

the standard

2011-06-04T17:53:00.000-07:00

we have been in the lab working on: new shapes, designs, art, accessories, etc.....
one thing that we have fine tuned for the summer is our new 9" pool shape. we finally have a perfect blend of specs to share with you: "The Standard" RHPS Pool Shape. it's a hybrid of our classic pool decks of the past with the input of the one and only "the general gary." if you liked his last shape this one is very similar with cleaner lines.

so here it is after months of r&d in the pools. the standard deck: 9"/33.25"/15.5" wb. available soon here online and in-stores.

ride the best - rhps "da good wood"

S.Alba "Q&A" with the RHPS

2011-05-26T12:26:00.001-07:00

thrasher cover at the notorious dolphin pool.

recent pic - backside slash over the d-box. photo: mrz

Today we are spotlighting our old bud S.Alba aka: Salba Saurus Rex, Screamin' Lord, and our personal Hawaiian knick name "SalBra" in a short "Q&A." His dedication to skating spans 35 years plus - how long have you been in the pools? In our books Steve is the #1 pool skater. Why you ask? - He has been doing it the longest and has never stopped searching and maintaining the backyards of the Badlands and beyond. It takes a lot more in our books to show up and rip a pool to be considered a pool skater. Cheers to Steve and his dedication to the pool lifestyle.

1. What makes a TRUE pool skater?

Somebody who dedicates his/her life to finding and riding backyarders!

2. What's your take on all of these new parks that are replications of backyard pools?

I do like some of them but it is really hard to replicate anything let alone a real backyard.

3. What is your all time favorite backyard pool and who are your all time favorite backyard pool skaters?

Fave pool would be Collossus.....Dolphin Pool......Orangewod was really good....the Driftwood trailer park in h.b where they built the new Hilton was super killer! Fave pool sk8ers would be John Swope, Farmboy, Adam 12, Lance Mountain...Adam Morgan and Screech.

4. Let us know what is going on today in the life of S.A. (pools, projects, family, etc).

Today was Rileys (youngest son) 14 b-day so I took him and his buddies all skating after school......then went for a quick surf while they rolled at hurley werehouse ...then took em to costa mesa park then bought him b-day dinner at In-n-Out burger!

5. Give us a memorable story from the "glory days" of the Santa Cruz team era.

D.P. and Olson were at Big-O when George Orton rode for S/C,we asked Georger why he was on S/C? And then we gave him sooooo much shit for not being punk enough we made him cry in frustration.

6. Words of advice for skaters of this era. Expand on how you were able to have a lifelong career and lifestyle of grinding.

Work out and keep yourself fit by running,jogging,surfing,riding a bike,yoga and stretching.......

7. Last question: what was your best line in a pool and why?

Every pool is different so that means lines are always different too! That is why you crave old pools from the past.....

Thanks Steve, keep rippin' & inspiring the pool skaters of the universe.
-rhps

the badlands BEST.

2011-05-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our brother Salbra on being awarded the prestigious:
TWS "Legend" Award: Steven Alba
50 years old and never slowing down.
- long live the screamin' lord steven

- rhps

the wizard of OZ

2011-05-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

here are some pics of our buddy luke from the land down under on one of our recent decks. he is a rippin' & clippin' pool skatin' barber ! we are proud to announce that luke and crew will be reppin' and sellin' the rhps in australia. right on mr. newman!

rhps - worldwide.
- shaka mate

new rhps goods on the way

2011-05-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

new stuff on the way: decks & tees.
deck shapes in assd sizes including our brand new 9" custom pool shape.
sorry for the lag, we are on "hawaiian time"
releasing june 2011

thanks for your patience & support
-rhps

the best

2011-05-03T17:10:00.001-07:00

kale sandridge hands down is the best pool skater to emerge from hawaii. he has been rolling with us since day one. he has the natural talent to climb the steepest pools, grind huge coping and bust huge airs on a dime. on top of that he is a master of seeking and finding the lines. decades of ruling the pool. throw him in the mix with today's young gun pool rippers he will hold his own. cheers to our brother kale.

check these pics by the captain: one of his trademark moves "backside smith stall" he would hang these for days.

-rhps

leon r.i.p. 7/14/64 - 4/15/11

2011-04-17T14:05:00.001-07:00

this past friday we lost one of our brothers of the board. leon was one of hawaii's first punk rock pool skaters. he never hesitated at a chance to roll with us, he was fearless - to say the least. we witnessed him wake from a nap on the deck of the wailua ramp, jump up in daze and proceed to acid drop right into the kinked and steep ramp. there are hundreds of memorable stories of our friend that will live on.
bless you brother, rest in peace.

-rhps

RHPS Origins

2011-04-14T12:35:00.001-07:00

on the roof - see the pink hotel

birds eye of pool (real pool is an egg)

20 story drop in

the real pool early in the a.m. hours

*the royal hawaiian pool service was named after an actual hotel/pool in waikiki beach, hawaii. back in 1987 we were fortunate to ride the supreme egg shaped pool for a few sessions 3 to be exact, each lasting only 15-20 minutes......why you ask so short - this pool is the pool for the legendary royal hawaiian hotel which is one the most fancy-shmancy hotels in hawaii. located on the high profile sandy beaches of waikiki, this hotel was the place were: hollywood movie stars, royalty, politicians and the legendary surfers of yesteryear (duke kahanamoku and his brothers, etc.) would hang on a daily basis.

these 3 three sessions occurred in the night hours and one at dawn. the pool was empty for cleaning and some new tiles (see empty pool pic). we found this pool out of pure chance and luck. we had to jump in and roll "commando style". the funny thing were the guests sitting on their balconies watching us ride and cheering - surreal. the best part was when the cheers got louder and we knew we were about to get booted the luau kicked in full blast next door. tiki drums and hawaiian singing blasted down the beach..... so we got in a few more runs each. we were laughing our asses off as the drums were ripping and so were the boys. who were the lucky few: captain, gibo, billy deans, moblow, mondo, a visiting salba and the rhps. a memorable night for the rhps history books and the spark to our company.

fast forward to the early 2000's ...... appearing on tony hawk's underground video there was honolulu as one of the cities to skate (digitally). i only got to see the game a few times - the game showed cartoon characters skating "off the walls", "wallos" and there it was the original royal hawaiian hotel pool! crazy but in the game you have to drain the pool and skate. see the pics of the skater looking at the pool on the roof and dropping in. you get to rip the pool and score points and run down waikiki beach when you get kicked out. not sure who put this in the game .... could be the 50-50 guys. whoever did this thanks - it rules.

the pool is still there to this day BUT it is crowded with floating & sunbathing tourists daily.

history came to life as game, thanks birdman

congratulations kenzi !

2011-04-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

best wishes k.k.!
-rhps

the IPS

2011-04-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

bert at del mar by jgb

wally today, the ips lives.

the rhps always dug the stylish and fluid skater - tom "wally" inouye. wally was a legendary pro skater from the san diego area in the late 70's. his approach to skating looked as though he was surfing & slicing a perfect wave. he created a faux pool cleaning co. called: inouye pool service(IPS), he would show up and say "pool guy" to gain access to backyards. so naturally when we started our deal in the 80's, we followed wally's lead, show up with a smile and pumps. our original name was "g&g" pool service which later evolved into the rhps.

today wally lives in the northwest with his family and runs a skate/snowboard camp AND still rips!

respects to wally and the IPS.

shaka fahka,
-rhps

the captain

2011-03-27T12:37:00.001-07:00

featured today is one of our original crew members - captain kirk.
the captan was in the trenches with us since day one. he was the first one in the pools cleaning them up and the last one to leave a session. kirk had the lines and stamina to master any pool. power grinds for days.

kirk also went on to be a strong force behind the designing and building of the DECENT skateparks of hawaii. he never settled for second best designs. like he says - "these parks are here for decades so the kids have places to ride, why build crap that no one wants to ride. we only have one shot, so lets make it right."

a lifer of the "rhps - buckets brigade"
keep grinding captain.

-rhps

arts

2011-03-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

our old friends jason and tsuyoshi are having their art show now. if you are in the area check it out. stay strong japan.

-rhps

hawaii skate structures

2011-03-16T11:34:00.001-07:00

here are a few concrete structures that make for good riding. not necessarily made for skating but they do the job when there are no pools.

1. rooftop abstract skate architecture, fun times trying to climb up. once you are up there it's on.

2. miniature golf course bowl. one of a half dozen bowls structures on the abandoned premises. in order to ride them, the astro-turf was peeled away by locals. the irony - we rode this same course back in 1994 when it was being constructed.

3. the general hitting vert @ the mini mt. baldy (6 feet tall). in the mountains of w........

directions to these spots ...... sorry top secret.

-rhps

Stand Strong Japan

2011-03-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

to our brothers in japan, please stand strong.
we are praying for you.

from your brothers of the board,
-rhps

new stuff for sale soon

2011-03-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

thanks for being patient-we are on hawaiian time.
new royal hawaiian goods available soon:
2 new decks and tees.

trust us you will dig the new designs.

decks available in: 8", 8.25", 8.5" and our new custom 9" pool shape aka "The Standard. "
tees available in the usual size range.

stay tuned, we will post up when they are for sale.

-rhps

corner pocket

2011-03-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

9 ball in the corner pocket.
connecting the lines at the p-bowl the one and only general.
if you love backyard pools like us, one of the key features we look for are tight corners and pockets. fast carves while barkin' your trucks on the cope. veteran pool shredders know how to keep momentum through a run. no one hit face-wall runs for the RHPS.

keep it flowing.
-rhps

owens clan

2011-03-03T11:18:00.001-08:00

on the topic of the owens family. we have featured chris owens in the past (brother of gary, legendary hawaii pool pioneer, north shore charger), here is one the best pics to resurface from the vaults: chris at the ORIGINAL DOGBOWL in west l.a. 1977. he was visiting the dt crew that summer and was lucky enough to skate one of the most famous backyard pools in the history books. all those sessions at the pearl city pool, wallows and sunset beach paid off when he got to roll with the dogs that classic summer. stylish backside grinder by one of hawaii's legends.

the family genes live on with chris' son CJ here carving the stairs at the banzai rock skatepark. cj is a good kid with tons of talent in the water and on his 7 ply plank. keep an eye on him to be the next ripper in the line up.

long live the owens clan.

-rhps

hang five

2011-03-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

7 ply heroes.
2 guys who changed the game of skate.
the gonz & jj

"hang - 5"

-rhps

owens brothers

2011-02-27T18:41:00.001-08:00

from the vaults of hawaii pools of yesteryear: the infamous lewers st. pool in waikiki 1977. this unique square pool with one wall that connected to a vert wall, so how high you could get was a staple. the second pic shows the wall of endless vert. ridden by the pool rats of the era including the owens brothers. check the backside attack unleashed. perfect style captured on a kodak pocket instamatic.

* the top pic is the general gary in his youth and the bottom picture is chris owens - gary's older brother.

RHPS: "Roots & Culture"

one of the best pics of 2010

2011-02-21T17:12:00.000-08:00

one of the best pics from 2010. period.
at first glance it looks like a clean b-side air, look closer he is not only blasting from one wall to another - he has to rotate 90 degrees and suck it up for a new transition. i guarantee the park builders never anticipated this radical line. and that is why there is only one TNT.

-rhps
the future looks bright.

one eyed

2011-02-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

the one and only anthony alva
aka: mad dog, fritz coy, tony blue tile, t.a., 1977 world champ, skoundrelz band mate, o.g. dagger, etc.

the one eyed pool pirate bandit rippin' the lip.

S. Owens

2011-02-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

the next generation of the owens clan lives on. here is steven owens nephew of rhps general gary. steven has got the "spiderman wall climbing" tactics like the general. board rippin' genes flow in the family: uncle gary, uncle chris and steven's father - bobby (legendary pro surfer).

rhps
the next generation

JFA LIVE in Concert

2011-02-09T12:01:00.001-08:00

our pal brian brannon singer of JFA. back side crack

JFA's finest mr.carter with a nice carve grind.

our buddies JFA checked in wit these radical shots of them live on stage (san clemente pool). the rain hit the plaster and boys rolled on.....

blatant localism, coke & snickers = JFA. "one the original skate rock bands!!!!!"

-rhps

dt's finest.

2011-02-07T17:18:00.001-08:00

fingers murray aka air dog

kelly jackson aka raskell

scotty oster aka poppy

we've brought up dt and the venice scene a lot in the past. our roots are directly entangled. come on, who else represented the surf skate style more than the cats of the town of dogs and the locals of the hawaiian isles. in our books you gotta have style. power, speed and style.

here are a few of our friends from the venice area who repped the DT colors to the fullest. they slashed and ground the coping harder than most. on the verge of pool warfare.

all pics: charles b. katz

the king of OTWs

2011-02-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

skateboarding mid 80's in hawaii: pre free skateparks, pre mainstream acceptance, pre moke (big dumb locals) harassment, pre free gear (hand me downs), pre constraints. bottom line: we skated for ourselves - carefree.

in 1983, i had the opportunity to skate for the first time with stacey gibo aka "the bear." the general had encountered him soon before. gibo had the reputation as being one tough guy. he never took shit from anyone (big samoans included), he dressed punk rock: trench coat & smeared eyeshadow (social d's mommy's little monster was big at the time) and he skated fearless with pure F.U. abandonment. Stacey was our duane peters, he was punk rock to the core and was in his own right a master of disaster. he rode a splintered dp red&black stripe deck with indy's (no other trucks allowed) and beat chuck taylors. my buddies scott and mark oblow took me to "off the walls" ditch in hawaii kai to skate with gibo. watching him rip that day was amazing and scary, tricks with power and slams paid in blood. his first words to me were "good deck ya got" - luckily i was riding a dp deck w/indy's too. he spoke few words and did all the talking with his skate. over the next few years we got hang and skate a lot together, his memories live on with a lot of hawaii's o.g. skaters. best of times.

the highlight of the day was his notorious "bomb drop" from the fence top, i had heard about this crazy move for months. he swayed at the top wavering from the wind, once he caught his balance he put his front foot on and jumped - upon contact he pulled a wilson and slammed his back and head. he got up shook it off and climbed back up and proceeded to pull off the trick of all tricks at "off the walls." stacey was hands down the best at OTWs, jonee kopp came close but stacey was the king. stacey's pool ripping is another legendary post in itself.

gibo lived in hawaii til 1990 and moved to s.f. to work at d.t.s and later thrasher mag for years. his reputation lives on in the city today as a "tough as nails" hard core skater.

keep rippin' stacey from your brothers.

photo: john silberstein

-rhps
"back in the day"

salbaland

2011-01-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

the general - backside attack in the land of salbasaurus-rex.

#1

2011-01-27T11:38:00.000-08:00

from the vaults the very first pool that we collaborated on "servicing" back in 1988. mission accomplished in the early hours on ulili st. on the south side of oahu. many many pools followed - work in progress. the rest is history ......

back in the day with rhps.

Rollin' in Munich

2011-01-25T12:14:00.000-08:00

our buddies chris and crew sent these killer pics of them at their skatepark in munich, germany. pool coping, tiles and capsule full pipe.

cheers,
rhps

get down - down under

2011-01-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

our buddy luke in australia sends us this pic of him committed to a frontside handplant. note his tuck knee - style points.

cheers,
-rhps

Neptune Decks - a handful left for sale

2011-01-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

we have a few of these neptune "new pool shape" decks for sale, the price now is $55.00 plus shipping. we ship worldwide. email us if you are interested and we will get back to you with shipping prices. contact our sales department at: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com
thanks for your support.
-rhps

ps - new products coming soon.

Grant's - Damn good Stuff!

2011-01-15T13:59:00.001-08:00

Our good friends over at Grant's Golden Brand Pomade make some of the BEST water-based pomade - ever. They are a small independent brand that focuses only on putting quality and style first. We have watched their brand grow this past year and they have done a supreme job at attracting the right consumer. From the suit and tie Wall Street/clean cut gentleman, slicked back vintage car & chopper guy AND to the skateboarder who knows how to roll with style Grant's has got you covered. These gents & grinders featured in the pics SUPPORT Grant's Golden Brand, you should TOO (if you have hair). Our friends Cabbie to J.Jessee use the pomade so, stop on by their web and buy a tin or two. We use the pomade daily.

Shaka with Style
-RHPS

support stance support

2011-01-07T16:11:00.000-08:00

our old old friend ryan kingman from the south side of oahu, hi. sent over a "box of sox" from his new brand: STANCE. most of you know ryan from his decade plus involvement with element, the rhps' history with kingman harkens back to: animal chin wallows missions, grommet grinds, canfor masonite mania, palolo ramp rippin', moke awareness and pre-adolescent beer sneaks. he was there for some of our first pool missions - we go back.

ryan is now heading up the marketing force for stance along with a great crew of visionaries. along for the ride is our old friends j. jessee & duane peters endorsing the brand. from the basic to the avant garde - stance fits nice and ranks high on the comfy meter. plus they dry pools - key feature for us.

all the best to r.k. and his new ventures. no go buy some stance socks bra!

aLoHa,
royal hawaiian pool svc.
est. 1988

ride the best

2011-01-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

limited indy poster.

jeff grosso new add, one of the best adds in a long time. beware of the "mothra"

169mm & vans mid cut - no sox.

the RHPS rides the best - "INDY PRIDE"

the General - 2003

2011-01-06T15:46:00.001-08:00

s-lap over in the gummy bowl

the one and only "G-Aerial"
klammath falls, OR. 2003
rhps-

RHPS Motel

2011-01-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

new business ventures for 2011?comes complete with empty pool on the beach ........ just kiddin'

west side respect

2011-01-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

history.
hawaii sent the ground swell of style and raw energy to spark the dogtown movement in the mid 70's. you know the story: larry bert revert, dane, louis, buttons, etc. not only did they break down doors like rabbit bartholomew, they created an underground uprise. following their lead the cats of dogtown chopped their planks and attacked the water and concrete with their custom weapons.

the hawaii / d.t. connection runs generations deep. there was and still is a mutual respect for one another. two communities who shared the same radical lifestyle. in both communities if you didn't have a proper intro, you sat on the sidelines and watched. the venice homies had our red carpet and vice versa. we were invited to ride with them in the best pools of west los, paddle out at the breakwater and they were given the same love. locals respecting locals, like i said - a generations deep connection.

in the mid 80's, another chapter of the venice / d.t. brotherhood arose: the infamous MSA - "Mexican Surf & Skate Association." the roster included a "who's who" of the local venice o.g. rippers and upcoming talent. ALL members were proud mexican american rippers. headed by our old & dear friends: Block (skate president) and Juandie (surf president). the boys ruled the lineup at the breakwater and held court at the notorious vsa ramp and of course the legendary shredding at the venice pavilion & boardwalk. the MSA movement lives on today at the new venice skatepark and in the lineup at the breakwater. the next generation is on the uprise. srf-skt relate.

respects to the MSA, our brothers of the board.
-RHPS

one of the best

2011-01-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

vans gave me this sticker years back, one the best ever! now they need to make a "don't get hipster" sticker. cheers to the o.g. waffle sole shoe co.

ps - happy new beers.

new old tiles

2010-12-30T15:00:00.001-08:00

the general checks in with the new old tile pool. location: nope
cheers - rhps

brothers

2010-12-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

3 of our brothers out east. kenzi - the boss of osaka, tsuyoshi - boss of japan and wataru - boss of tokyo. you wanna skate good stuff in japan - roll with the best. cheers.

Merry XMas !

2010-12-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

have a good one this year with you and yours.
don't forget to grind.

100% POOL SKATER RHPS

more n.y. pics of the general

2010-12-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

frontside pocket grinder.

rollin' central park.

p.m. revisited

2010-12-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

original animal chin searcher - lance mountain. perfect frontside grind on the hip at the infamous pink motel. lance gets better with time.
photo: mrz

far East Coast SUPPORT

2010-12-18T13:42:00.001-08:00

our friends matz and yoshi check in with some winter/indoor pics. riding some of our latest decks. rhps support

New Decks for $ale

2010-12-09T16:29:00.001-08:00

just arrived the new & improved gdog/neptune decks for sale. a tribute to our old friend j.jessee - based on his o.g. deck art w/a hawaiian twist. printed in metallic gold and gloss black and yes it is screen printed the traditional way. specs are 8.8" wide, 32.8" long, 15.3" wheelbase. it rides real nice with a perfect concave - not too radical. a perfect width (for those who like to ride 8.5" - 9" decks)for the bowl riders, a "punk point" style nose and money bumps for grabbing the rail. a very limited run, the price is: 60.00 us dollars plus 15.00 us domestic shipping or 35.00 international shipping (all shipping usps priority mail). SHIPPING WORLD WIDE to: europe, japan the rest of asia, south america, australia, etc....
email us if you want one at: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

respects to j.j., jim p. and the red dot for your inspiration!

aLoHa,
-rhps

the general checks in

2010-12-09T15:12:00.001-08:00

the general frontside at arties. one of the best roman end pools, 5 years up and running. photo:peter

backside wheeler in the shallow corner pocket. the general visited NYC for his b-day. pool courtesy of t.farmer and pic courtesy: t.n.

yup there are pools in nyc!

grip it art

2010-12-09T15:10:00.001-08:00

our friend ryan did this gonz grip art. looks great - back to the future.

In4mation Limited Tee

2010-10-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

our good friends In4mation in Honolulu, just released these limited collaboration with the RHPS. available in white or black, and yup that is a pocket tee! head on into their 3 shops to buy one or buy one online from them.

shakas to In4.

Venice Park 1 year Anniverasry

2010-10-01T16:24:00.001-07:00

pics coming soon...........

Alva for Owens

2010-09-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

skateboarder magazine feb.1977 issue. featuring the highly anticipated first interview with tony alva. 1977: punk rock & pool ripping

page 40 in alva's interview. check the highlighted section, below is the close up.

alva called it, the general himself - gary owens impressed mad dog! click on the image for a close up image. you want roots, our roots run deep in skate history. over 30 years in the trenches of core hawaii skating.

RHPS
history lesson.

r.i.p. - field of dreams pool

2010-09-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

after 6 years the pool got buried. get the shovels ready. the story is not over .............

part 2

2010-09-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

f-side grind from the same session from the one and only el zipper.

diamond head, hawaii

2010-09-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

back in 1988, we were blessed with maria's pool. this pool sat on a multi-million dollar lot at the foot of diamond head. we found the pool filled with debris and some water, the troops were called in to clean it and remove the huge coping. those enlisted for duty were: gibo, the general gary, gdog, moblow, soblow, mike koch, a visiting dave hackett & jonny ray and more in tow. a decent egg pool in one of the most coveted neighborhoods in hawaii.
pictured above is a lean-mean skating machine named jesse martinez who was visiting with zipper from venice beach. known for his pioneering street moves he took to the pool like the rest - raw. check the pic closer - slob grab frontside grind stylish, riding on his brand new debut model from sma/world industries, soon after to be called world industries, bla bla bla and rest is history as they say.

RHPS
history lesson.
photo:a.ross

Cab for Grant's

2010-09-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

legendary vert shredder stevie cab for:
Grant's Golden Brand Pomade
support the like minded.

Genreral Gary's Tour

2010-08-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hawaii skate tour coming soon. I will see you there to skate, bring your families. Special art presentation by me - Gary O.
Free event to all!

NOS JJ decks for sale

2010-08-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

just dug out a pile of these limited jj "guest decks." highly collectable and one very cool deck. need to sell them to pay bills.

shipping worldwide! US Postal "priority mail": $15 for domestic US shipping and $35 for international shipping.brand new in the original shrink wrap.
if you want one email: royalhawaiianpoolservice@gmail.com

the new in hawaii - top secret

2010-08-02T17:11:00.001-07:00

the coronel and crew are at it again. secret spot, don't ask where it is. don't know. build your skate spot. lets hope this one lasts !
g-side rules.