Surfing Waves

Hey guys, I've been using my friends' softboard for a while and i think its time for my own board, i was thinking about all the factors.
First, i won't be surfing too often, mostly weekends for the next six months. Second, I wouldn't want to break my piggy bank, i understand it can get pricey but still I'd want to save as much as possible.
So my dilemma is whether to get a firsthand /secondhand soft or a secondhand longboard/funboard. Would a hardboard be harder to maintain and fix? Also i find that their prices can be really high even for a secondhand which also i fear to buy on my own and don't want to trust any boardshop guy.

What do you think?

After riding a 6'11" fish in my college days, I took up surfing again at age 65. For the last year I've been riding once or twice a month on a 9'2" Greco foamie which I picked up on Amazon for $225. Rinky Dink, another regular on this site, has experience with Wavestorm boards and can tell you more.

The Greco helped me get back into the sport because..
* its flotation helped me catch waves
* the rocker kept me from pearling as often
* its width and foil made a stable deck for popping up.
* the thruster fins made for smooth turns that helped me avoid wipeouts.

That said, the most important feature of the foamie was that it allowed me to have success and FUN while I was getting into shape. The stoke from a few good rides can inspire you to do lots of crazy stuff like swimming 5 miles/week in a pool, practicing popups while your wife/girl friend rolls her eyes, practicing on a skateboard and going right back out after a bad day!

Greco Info: http://www.grecosurfboards.com/product/the-eden/
Wavestorm Info: http://wavestormboards.com/product/90-classic-longboard/

I surfed on a Wavestorm for a long time and probably will surf on it again. At $99 what do you have to lose surfing one for three to six months? They''re actually fairly decent boards. Matt Zilinskas, the Canadian designer of the Wavestorm, a former Wham-O executive/hockey player, says, "We know how to put a sandwich of foam together with different layers and substrates . . . so it has adequate flexibility for different functions.'” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... e-industry

Matzliah wrote: don't want to trust any boardshop guy.

Wow, that hurts. Not all guys that work in a surfshop are "bad" and just there to take your money. Find the older ones that actually surf and not the highschool kids that work there part time. Funny things is you can talk to them face to face. Some of them might have even seen you out in the surf. They probably know you better then we here on the forum do.

BoMan wrote:After riding a 6'11" fish in my college days, I took up surfing again at age 65. For the last year I've been riding once or twice a month on a 9'2" Greco foamie which I picked up on Amazon for $225. Rinky Dink, another regular on this site, has experience with Wavestorm boards and can tell you more.

The Greco helped me get back into the sport because..
* its flotation helped me catch waves
* the rocker kept me from pearling as often
* its width and foil made a stable deck for popping up.
* the thruster fins made for smooth turns that helped me avoid wipeouts.

That said, the most important feature of the foamie was that it allowed me to have success and FUN while I was getting into shape. The stoke from a few good rides can inspire you to do lots of crazy stuff like swimming 5 miles/week in a pool, practicing popups while your wife/girl friend rolls her eyes, practicing on a skateboard and going right back out after a bad day!

Greco Info: http://www.grecosurfboards.com/product/the-eden/
Wavestorm Info: http://wavestormboards.com/product/90-classic-longboard/

Thanks for your advice BoMan!

RinkyDink wrote:I surfed on a Wavestorm for a long time and probably will surf on it again. At $99 what do you have to lose surfing one for three to six months? They''re actually fairly decent boards. Matt Zilinskas, the Canadian designer of the Wavestorm, a former Wham-O executive/hockey player, says, "We know how to put a sandwich of foam together with different layers and substrates . . . so it has adequate flexibility for different functions.'” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... e-industry

Thanks Rinky Dink, I'm glad to get your point on this.

waikikikichan wrote:

Matzliah wrote: don't want to trust any boardshop guy.

Wow, that hurts. Not all guys that work in a surfshop are "bad" and just there to take your money. Find the older ones that actually surf and not the highschool kids that work there part time. Funny things is you can talk to them face to face. Some of them might have even seen you out in the surf. They probably know you better then we here on the forum do.

Sorry it sounded harsh, surfing is a sports I know almost nothing about and I'm anxious about being ripped off, coming to a shop of an anything I have experience in, I wouldn't give in so easily. so I rather trust my friends.


I now understand I might have forgot to mention a big factor here in Israel, the prices for boards here are insane! I just found a brand new 8" wavestorm, at their online shop the 2016 anniversary model sells for 150$ (translating into roughly 570 Israeli Shekel), on an israeli site, I do not know what model is shown yet it has the same attributes and costs not less than 1450 Shekels (around 370$). Just felt need to point it out.

Yes, surfboards are expensive, but think about what it costs a shaper to simply produce a surfboard. There's a foam blank, fiberglass, resin, paint, labor, etc . . . I put a board on consignment and the shop owner told me that just the materials in the board I'm selling probably cost the shaper $300+.. It ain't cheap and the profit margins are awful for no-name surfboard shapers.

Let's give a true cost estimate of surfing!

Surfboard anywhere from $300 up.... Live in a distant surf destination ++++ $ petrochemical device = one surfboard....... Cost to planet!
Board shorts, fashion icon or back door cheapie, wetsuit, rash best, speedos , at what cost do you get these , .
Fuel to get to surf destination , local,or air flight. wax ,.
Cost repairing relationships that don't understand why you surf, maybe multiple relationships. Fin costs .
Loss of work time due to good surf! . Skin cancer and medical costs to repair your damaged body .
Counselling to ease your newly found addiction.
And you find a Costco wave storm expensive

I've had a experience that blends what RinkyDink and Waikikikichan said. When I started out I went to my local surf shop (that caters mostly to locals) to ask what kind of board I should buy as my first. The owner told me to go get one of wavestorm foamies (instead of pushing a sale of his board) and stay w/ it for at least a few months. I'm one of the regulars there now and I see him in the local line up occasionally so he knows my ability. I value his input whenever I make a purchase.

Pretty sure an imported wavestorm at $370 is cheaper than a decent set of golf clubs. (and the additional paraphernalia, and the green fees, and the gas to drive there, etc.) I used to get a sticker shock when I first found out the cost of various surfing gear. Now I've learn to budget better to accommodate the purchase of all the "necessities"!

If you can get over the mental block against surf shops, they might carry used epoxy boards like NSP for about $300, or whatever a typical used board costs in your area.

RinkyDink wrote:Yes, surfboards are expensive, but think about what it costs a shaper to simply produce a surfboard. There's a foam blank, fiberglass, resin, paint, labor, etc . . . I put a board on consignment and the shop owner told me that just the materials in the board I'm selling probably cost the shaper $300+.. It ain't cheap and the profit margins are awful for no-name surfboard shapers.

For a brief moment I've contemplated about shaping my own boards to save costs. I quickly found out that by the time I add up the cost of everything plus the tools, the saving would be rather small. Factoring the time I'd spend driving to the supplier, shaping, and glassing, it wasn't worth it. And it'll be unlikely that the board would ride well. I may as well work a little few more hours and leave the board shaping to the masters.

I've also read that surfboards have a rather small profit margin to a surf shop. That's why a lot of shops are more of a lifestyle stores full of brand name clothing which has a whole lot hight profit margin.