Surfing Waves

I have the opportunity to buy this board (see link below) at a good price. Longboards are hideously expensive in Norway because of freight costs, so used boards are rare and expensive too. The in-store selection of new boards is limited. It's either this or a Walden model at an extra 300-400 USD. A used Walden Mega Magic costs the same or more as this one new. Supporting my local shaper is not an option as there is no local shaper

Does anyone know if this is a reasonably well made board? Yes I know it's a machine-milled blank and so on. (I don't care). But is there any good reason to expect this to be poorly made? Does GSI / Modern have a particularly poor record of producing longboards?

The specs seem to be exactly what I'm looking for. And it's a pretty thing, too.

http://www.surfindustries.com/shop/au/s ... longboard/

GSI is one of (or is the?) biggest board manufacturers in the world. They are pretty good quality, good quality control. Definitely toward the upper end of the mass market. I wouldn't worry about that side of things.

Monkey4450 wrote:Does anyone know if this is a reasonably well made board? Yes I know it's a machine-milled blank and so on. (I don't care). But is there any good reason to expect this to be poorly made? Does GSI / Modern have a particularly poor record of producing longboards?

"reasonable well made board ?" Open ended question. Maybe you should ask if it's a "well made board or not".

"Yes, I know it's ( GSI Modern ) a machine-milled blank". So you must also know the Walden also is.

Does GSI / Modern have a particularly poor record of producing longboards ? Hmm, Should ask them how their Waldens hold up, since they produce them too.

Question, do you want to ride more progressive or classic ? Progressive being more cutbacks, pumping tail riding. Or Classic riding from the nose and drop knee turns.

Size wise it's pretty good, not too thin for a beginner, lots of float. Press on the deck, if it dents in then it might have delamination and check for discolorations since that would indicate a repair and maybe you can ask to pay a little less. Seems like you've done your research, I say if you feel the positive vibe is there go for it

Thanks everyone.

Chan thanks for your comments. The wording is reasonable because I don't expect it to be top of the line necessarily since GSI is not a high-end manufacturer from what I can understand. Hence I'd rather ask potential customers about their experiences. Yes, I know the Waldens are also made this way. I don't think asking a manufacturer if they make other good boards is the smartest thing to do as they are oviously incentivized to say yes. I'd rather ask you

Doing some more (thogh certainly not extensive) research on GSI I found out they seem to use quality materials (hexcel fiberglass, Silmar resin, Bennett foam which was all of good quality from what I could understand - without being an expert on surfboard building of course). All in all I have no reason to believe this is a poorly made board, and I'm getting it.

Monkey4450 wrote:The wording is reasonable because I don't expect it to be top of the line necessarily since GSI is not a high-end manufacturer from what I can understand.Yes, I know the Waldens are also made this way.

GSI doesn't in itself makes board. The factory that produces the boards for them also makes parts for Ducati's and Ferrari's. They have ISO9002 certification un-like most local surfboard builders. The same factory that makes the Moderns ALSO makes the mass produced Waldens.

And I'll ask again, Question, do you want to ride more progressive or classic ? Progressive being more cutbacks, pumping tail riding. Or Classic riding from the nose and drop knee turns. Reason being is the Modern will be better for more Classic style, while the Waldens are more for Progressive riding.

During your limited research, have you found any manufacturer that has a poor record of producing longboards? Any surfboard brand that are known for poorly made boards ? I don't know of any.

Look chan: I'm just a guy who wants a decent board. I want to be able to learn on it. I want to be able to ride it at my crappy local break. I suppose I want a more classic board. You obviously know a lot about surfing and surfboards. I know I don't know a lot about surfing. I'm here to learn and get advice. That means I'll sometimes ask stupid questions or formulate questions that could have been articulated more precisely. While I appreciate the contents of your feedback, you come across as unnecessarily condescending sometimes.

I look at waikikichan like a martial arts sensei. He may be harsh but he just wants everyone to avoid making the same mistakes that others have in the past. His demeanor reminds me of some of how some of my friends parents would treat me as a kid ( I was a troublemaker). I guess as a surfing instructor he sees the same thing over and over again.

Look 4450, I on the other hand am just a guy that loves surfing and wants to share my passion. I want you to realize it's YOU that rides the board and not that board rides you at your local break. If you want a more Classic ride than it is good you chose the Modern over the Walden. I am here to give my opinions and advice on this forum to help you learn, and as it goes opinion sometimes differ. It is great to ask questions, that is how we learn, so don't feel any question is stupid. In that, I don't want to "tell you" or give you the "answer"( what board to get, what board is good/bad ). When students realize and figure it out for themselves, that's leads to better understanding. I am not the high school kid working part time in the shop that wants to sell you anything.... "Dude ! yo gotta get this 5'6" Quad Fish Fo' sure man". I sometimes answer a question with a question, which may seem condescending. Hopefully it leads to more clarification for both parties.

oldmansurfer wrote:I look at waikikichan like a martial arts sensei. He may be harsh... ...His demeanor reminds me of some of how some of my friends parents would treat me as a kid...

There's no need for this harsh tone on an internet forum where people u never met just come for info, not to be treated as a kid..

You know it's the internet so maybe there is no need to get upset over something someone says on the internet? I am sure he wants to help you. Is there a question about that? If you feel put down by him maybe it's because you have insecurities? It's just like my friends parents or my sensei in karate. I just take it all with a grain of salt. I am sure waikikichan knows a heck of a lot more about training newbie surfers than I do but he may seem a bit brusque, that may just be his method of training like my sensei or my friends parents. It's nothing to get upset about. Most of the people who post here have good intentions. I am sure in real life he would be a great person to know but over the ineternet all you see is his attempts to reach people with digital output. The interent removes facial expressions and tone of voice and emotions.....well somewhat anyway. I guess sometimes people have no clue at all what he is trying to do but he is trying to help them, there is no question about that in my mind.

oldmansurfer wrote:You know it's the internet so maybe there is no need to get upset... ...maybe it's because you have insecurities?...

I have some professional experience in the internet, but I admit being a passionate participant is something different. I see in ur postings u have some understanding of the human mind and its deeper motives, u should then understand how events that go unnoticed by one can trigger an other. Or is ur sole interest in other people's insecurities?
I agree that a lot of information is lost when communicating over the internet, but don't underestimate the subtle signals that survive the digital journey. If waikikichan really only want to help people a more neutral tone would help big time.

To cut to the chase The board your instinctively selected (post 1) I reckon is a good all round board for you as a learner.
BTW I met a viking sized guy from Norway (huge guy ) in Lombok handle classical longboards well in waves of size.
Follow your instinct and develop skills then look beyond after that.
I believe we are all passionate about surfing (I am) and we are all trying to get you into the best experiences as quickly as possible, with the least frustration.
Surf Tromso for me on the board you select!

Fair enough. I appreciate the input in any case. And I did get the board