Second broken board... me or the board?

[BatRunt]

Hi,

very new to surfing, wife bought me a cortez 8' board for my 40th. first time out on it, the left fin FCS plugs pulled out, without me grounding it or anything. Surfshop said £50 to repair, but then he called Alder and they said replace it.

Took out new board yesterday, caught 2 waves, got tumbled by a 3" wave in waist deep water, same thing again.

called the surf shop, he called Alder and they said if its a board fault then all 3 should be the same. Guy in the shop tried one of the other fins and the fin broke before any sign of weakness on the plug.

am sitting waiting to see what Alder say but....

if they offer me a new one, i don't want it, i won't trust it.
Guy in shop says he'd get them to send a new one from a new batch, but still not keen.
Guy in shop said he doesn't want me to have a Bic or NSP as they not as good
possibility of a Hawaiian soul or mundaka but they more fragile?

any advice? i have really babied this board and am gutted that its broken. really taking the shine off my new interest.

could it be anything i am doing?

[surfordie77]

yep they're rubbish. same thing happened my wife's. the deck is caving in unbelievably too

[BatRunt]

Just heard that i am getting a replacement board, that is arriving by container on monday. apparently its the same shape, but different construction, stronger, harder and more expensive than the one i had, so whether its just the 2011 version....?

not much choice but to give it a go.

as long as it survives long enough for me to learn how to pop up and stay up, and learn to turn, i can always upgrade in a few years.... assuming wife lets me!!

or should i stamp my feet and go for a different construction/manufacturer completely?

[drowningbitbybit]

Where are you?
In the UK, and most places, you'd be well covered by consumer law to demand your money back, no matter what the seller says. But it does sound like he's doing his best, so maybe dont get too stroppy. Alder, too, have been quick to replace the boards.

But this is the critical sentence...

apparently its the same shape, but different construction

...what does that mean?

Same thing, but different batch?
Same thing, but whatever the problem was identified?
Completely different construction? eg Fibreglass Vs epoxy?

I realise you're probably too newbie to know the difference for the last one, but if you could get the details that would make your choice clearer.

[BatRunt]

am based on south coast of UK. will update my profile.

as far as I can find out its still epoxy but stronger construction. as its first batch into the UK, the guy in the shop isn't too sure, but apparently its £100 more than I originally spent.

like you say, the shop is being brilliant & alder seem to be doing lots too.

hopefully they have changed the design enough to get rid of the problems.

[BatRunt]

Have decided that i didn't want to chance another board of the same construction. spoke to a different shop who also had the new 2011 higher price cortez boards in and they said its just new colours, no change to the construction.

the guy in the shop was honest and said that the two boards i had were from a dodgy batch and it had been confirmed by Alder and he was just waiting for the new batch stock to come in.

thought that i wouldn't feel comfortable on another board the same and i'd always be worried it would happen again, so got a refund

have been out today and bought a Circle One Southern Swell 8' minimal instead. got a good discount on it. feels much more solidly built than the cortez, and it seems to have a more pronounced shape to the outline and on the rails. flattening out towards the back quarter. felt and looked better than the nsp surf series and bics.

proof in the pud i guess when i get out on it.

any thoughts or comments on my choice?