Just bought a beater. FIN HELP!

[surf patrol]

Ok, so I just picked up 3 heavily used boards all diff sizes $33 a piece. One has been heavily spray painted on the bottom of the board, not sure how it will affect the ride...(thats the smallest of the three 5'7") also the fins have been glued down with the repair fiberglass

the next board the middle size 6'4" is in OK condition plenty of bare foam patches which are easy enough to fix... the nose needs repairing not that hard but my main concern about the board is the fact that they basically glued the fins to the board with the repair fiberglass... two of them seem to be sturdy but the third isn't very stable and can be wiggled... but not to the point of falling out just not as stable. Will this affect the ride at all??? The fins are not removable A.T.M.
not sure what to do.

The third board the largest of the three at 6' 8" is in great condition for a 1999' board. the only prob is besides the fact that there are no fins is that the fin slot w/e you call is somehow smashed in or sunken in to the board if I were to put a fin into it the fin would be crooked. I'm in no way capable of repairing this type of damage but how much would a fix like this cost me... ball park est.

Thanks for looking at my situation!
I added a zip file of the pics sorry they arent in order but the ones with the strips is the 5'7" the one with the decal is the 6'4" and the black one with the trac pad is the 6'8"

[jaffa1949]

Done, and please post pictures and answers will come

[surf patrol]

Here are the pics.

[Jimi]

hmmm. looks like a bit of work in all the boards. To answer your questions:
spray painted boards can be ok, but it depends on how bumpy the surface is. if it's rough, sand it smooth.

Fins that are glassed on are fine, but if it wiggles much, it will need the damaged fibreglass fixed, and probably some filler as well. You can probably use it as is, but beware you could just be making it worse and/or letting water into your board.

Not sure what a repair will cost. I guess it depends on where you are.

[gatorbait231]

Ok, thanks Jimi, yeah I made a fool out of myself at the surfshop when I took in the board and called the last owner an idiot for "gluing the fins down" only to be told that they are glassed in.

Hey Jimi have you heard of OfishL fins boxes... apparently they are no longer made. So one of the boards needs to be completely redone fin box wise...

Also I was wondering how one can tell the difference between epoxy and fiberglass boards.
I know that the 6'8" and 6'4" boards are epoxy b/c they are very light and one says its an epoxy but the other board the 5'7" (spraypainted) board doesnt say what it is and seems to be heavier, so that might mean that its a F glass or it could just mean its waterlogged.

How can I tell the difference?
Thanks!

[gatorbait231]

I'm asking the difference because I need to do some repairs and I know that if I take the board for a fiberglass and use the ding kit and it turns out to be epoxy it will melt the epoxy resin...

[NikoSocal]

Where did you find boards that cheap?

[Jimi]

So regarding the type of resin a board is made from, there's a discussion here:
https://surfing-waves.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=20161

I've never heard of those fin boxes before, but it may be possible to get fins if you chat to a local shaper. If nothing else, you can find out the cost for a professional removal and replacement of the boxes with something current.