Thoughts about these used longboards?

[nooshie]

Hey guys,

I've been keeping an eye out for used longboards on Craigslist and came across these two:

First one: https://newyork.craigslist.org/que/spo/ ... 14731.html

I asked about the rocker, thickness, and width and he says it's about 22 3/4" wide and 3" thick. He describes it as more of a performance long board thank a nose rider. He says it's got a mid rocker that works well with the beach breaks in NY.

Second one: https://newyork.craigslist.org/que/spo/ ... 84504.html

Guy doesn't know the thickness or width but describes the nose as more pointed which concerns me considering my skill level but estimates it's about 90L. Says it's not super wide but pretty thick.

Thoughts? I'm a beginner looking for my first "real" longboard. Currently on a 9' foamie. Able to catch green waves, ride down the line, bottom turn but working on getting a better one, comfortable in surf up to about 3-4'. I'm not in a huge rush so willing to wait for the right used board and price.

Thank you!
nooshie

[BaNZ]

By no means am I an expert on surfboards. But I think the first board looks like trash.

If you're looking at boards at NYC, I'm assuming you're surfing the same Rockaway break as me. This place is terrible for longboards. When the swell starts coming next week, it will become a shoredump. The waves will jack up fast and steep then throw you onto the sandbank. Therefore you will want a solid beginner board like Torq or NSP where it can withstand the beating.

NSP + Torq is around $450-500 brand new. I would just get that if I were you. Some people have good experience and can find a bargain. When I bought my first board, I thought it was a bargain until it broke in half and I realized the board was repaired so it was an accident waiting to happen. The boards can be repaired so well these days that they look like no damage was done.

[nooshie]

Thanks, Banz! I was feeling pretty iffy about the first board. It's been sitting on CL for awhile so probably a reason for that. The second one seems not the best choice for me with the pointy nose.

I have ridden the Torq longboards a few times and like them! Do you know of any local shops that carry them?

I do surf at Rockaway (usually Beach 90). Yesterday was actually really fun on my 9' foamie. The waves were small and sort of not really breaking lol but everyone was able to cruise around on their longboards. We might move to California next year (fingers crossed) and I'm SO looking forward to finding more of a longboard break in the future and hopefully a custom board one day once the skills improve:) Probably will sell whatever board(s) I have here in NYC so for this next board purchase, I def don't want to go over $500ish if I get another board.

Speaking of epoxy boards, has anyone heard of Paragon? https://shop.paragonsurfboards.com/coll ... -noserider $460 for a new 9' board sounds almost too good to be true...

[tomthetreeman]

The first one *might* be fine for maybe $200 IF the seller cleans the wax off so you can see the deck. It’ll be harder to catch waves than with the foamie for sure, I like the thin rails in back.

The second one looks like a nice board, actually. At least the condition, anyway. The narrow nose is kind of intriguing with the thickness in the mid-rear and the amount of tail rocker. It could be weird or really good, it’s tough to tell lol. I’d chisel hard on either one if you decide to buy.

Having said all that, based on the info BaNZ provided with regard to the break, if you can get a new Torq for a good price, you might be better off.

Tom

[steveylang]

The first board looks fine to me at first glance, if it was cheaper. It's got old wax on it which looks ugly (and drives down the price) but the board underneath may very well be totally fine. Many used longboards look a lot worse!

The 2nd one may have a pointier nose but it's longer anyway. But it has a more fun board-ish shape overall, which seems unusual for a 9'+ board.

If it was say $200 I'd go take a closer look if they're not too far. But I'm not long in this game and not worried about board esthetics yet (until my surfing gets better...)

[waikikikichan]

The first board has side bites made by O'FISH'L. They are a lot harder to find than Futures or FCS. There is a notch on the back of the fin that clicks into a tab at the back of the box.

But I like the shape of the 1st one compared to the 2nd one.

Don't put too much thought into your "first" board. You are going to drop it, ding it, smash your knee in to the deck, break off a fin, blah blah.
Surfboards are just a tool, it doesn't need to be perfect, just enough to do the job.

[BaNZ]

Having said all that, based on the info BaNZ provided with regard to the break, if you can get a new Torq for a good price, you might be better off.

Go to Breakwater on 67th. They have a lot of Torq in store and much less than $500.

[nooshie]

Thank, guys! I’ll see if the guy with the first board will drop to $200 and of course remove that wax before giving him any cash! I’ll also go check out Breakwater and see what they have too!

[waikikikichan]

You best check to see the availability of O'FISHL brand side bites in your area if you want to run a 2+1 set up later on. But nothing wrong riding it "as-is" just with the single fin.

[RinkyDink]

The best way to play the Craigslist surfboard roulette wheel, in my opinion, is to already have a board you can surf regularly (cheap foamie or whatever). After you got something to ride that works for the short term, like 6 mos., you simply need to surf CL every day/week until some amazingly great and affordable board gets listed. You'll know it when you see it because you won't be able to stop yourself from peeking at the ad. That's when you strike and set up a time to check it out. In other words, the best way to shop on Craigslist is to have the time to be patient. Good luck.

[saltydog]

The best way to play the Craigslist surfboard roulette wheel, in my opinion, is to already have a board you can surf regularly (cheap foamie or whatever). After you got something to ride that works for the short term, like 6 mos., you simply need to surf CL every day/week until some amazingly great and affordable board gets listed. You'll know it when you see it because you won't be able to stop yourself from peeking at the ad. That's when you strike and set up a time to check it out. In other words, the best way to shop on Craigslist is to have the time to be patient. Good luck.

That's exactly what I do! I have a craigslist surfboard page open on my phone's web browser all the time and check the listings a few times a day. Good thing we are not in the same area, or we'd be fighting over a used surfboard

[RinkyDink]

The best way to play the Craigslist surfboard roulette wheel, in my opinion, is to already have a board you can surf regularly (cheap foamie or whatever). After you got something to ride that works for the short term, like 6 mos., you simply need to surf CL every day/week until some amazingly great and affordable board gets listed. You'll know it when you see it because you won't be able to stop yourself from peeking at the ad. That's when you strike and set up a time to check it out. In other words, the best way to shop on Craigslist is to have the time to be patient. Good luck.

That's exactly what I do! I have a craigslist surfboard page open on my phone's web browser all the time and check the listings a few times a day. Good thing we are not in the same area, or we'd be fighting over a used surfboard

Well, these days the chances are you might be seeing one of my boards listed. I gotta sell a few boards so I can start buying them again Anyway, I should qualify my post and say that it helps to live in a place with a lot of surfboard inventory. If you live in Omaha, then it's probably best to save up and buy something from an online retailer.

[Namu]

I have a Paragon Retro Noserider and I love it. I live in California so I was able to get one from a local dealer and didn’t have to pay shipping. It will cost you $130 just to ship it to the east coast, so not really cheap in comparison to getting a New Torq or NSP for around $500-$600. Another option is to look for used boards in shops that people have traded in or selling on consignment, $400-$500 gets you a pretty decent used board that should look almost new.

[steveylang]

Since I'm in LA I browse Craigslist for fun too, a lot of boards go up for sale here. Sometimes you get a non-surfer who just wants to get something out of their garage and will sell a perfectly good board for almost nothing.

Another CL tip is to sort by newest listed, as well as filtering by your price range, location, etc. Then when you bookmark the post and return to it later, you don't have to wade through old listings you've already seen.

[nooshie]

Thanks for all the Craigslist tips I have a search saved on my toolbar now!

I also have a 9 foot foamie right now so I’m not in a huge rush to find the right deal! I was very happy to be on the foam board today because the crowd was unreal. A beginner on a super pointy short board dropped in on me and the board shot out from under her like a rocket and I had to jump over it! It’s nice to be on the foamie in those situations. When I tried to explain etiquette to her (wave was breaking left and I was already up and on it) she said that she only wanted to go straight and I should go elsewhere if I want to surf left! they really need to hand out etiquette rules when they rent boards around here...

Anyhow...

To torture myself I looked at used boards on Craigslist in the Southern California area and nearly cried at all the options available lol. There aren’t very many options on the NYC Craigslist and the prices are usually ridiculous!

The guy with the cheap board with the grimy wax just had a baby so that one’s on hold at the moment. Still looking for something good to pop up!

And thanks for the advice about the Paragon board. I was wondering about those but yeah probably makes sense to get a Torq instead of paying for the shipping!

[nooshie]

Hey guys, found another board! This one is 9 foot. The guy says he doesn't know anything about the nose and rocker other than that the nose is round. I'm gonna try to go look at it tonight. I think it might be one of these boards? http://www.daniels-longboards.com/liens/liens/. It looks like it could be CLOCLO. What do you guys think?

Here's the link: https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/spo/ ... 36838.html

[BaNZ]

I don't know the real dimension of that board but the photo looks to be very narrow so you might have difficulty as a beginner.

[nooshie]

The seller says it's "2 feet wide." I'm gonna go check it out today. I'll bring a tape measure lol. I definitely don't want anything too narrow although I am on the smaller side--5'2.5, 130 lbs.

[tomthetreeman]

That looks like a nice shape, sort of a copy of a Bing pintail if I’m not mistaken. Looks like a fun longboard shape.

Tom

[waikikikichan]

What do I think ?
#1 I think you should stay away from Pin / Rounded Pin tails and pure single fins for now. Can’t see the bottom, but hopefully it’s a 2+1 set up and not just single. Aren’t there any Torqs or NSPs for sale used ?

#2 “A” board is better than “No” board. Price seems good ( does it come with the board case ? ). If you persevere to ride a pin tail single fin longboard, you will be rewarded with some good technique when later you move down to a funboard / mini-mal with 3 fins.