I have a lull between projects this week so I’ve been board shopping. It’s a lot of work.
I’ve visited five surf shops and a few dozen web sites comparing boards.
In addition to the three I was considering in this post, I’ve added two more models I’m considering plus I’m trying to decide between epoxy and fiberglass.
As far as the models:
Tony over at Cowell’s Surf Shop recommended an epoxy Santa Cruz Squashtail longboard shaped by Doug Haut. She gets bonus points for agreeing that flowery pink surfboards = yuck. She said if she were shooting for a first board, she’d pick this. Supposedly it’s fun, durable, and decent for the beach break I surf. $600.
Jeff at Arrow was willing to bet I’d be happier with the Arrow Formula 1 (teardrop) than with any other board out there. He said this board would be flexible enough for me to ride in a variety of conditions and it’s thinner around the rails which would be better for someone my weight. I could use this board for learning turns or for learning to noseride. $720 for fiberglass, $840 for tuflite.
One of the guys over at NorCal (who graciously spent about 2 hours pulling boards and talking with me) also recommended this board in the tuflite. I think it runs about $900 there. He pulled a few other boards more in the $700 range for me, but I can’t remember their names now. I looked at a LOT of boards that day. He was mixed on the Magic model. He and I are the same height and weight and he said he felt like it was a tougher board for a lighter, taller person and preferred the Arrow.
Here’s the write up on the Arrow from surftech: 9’0″ FORMULA 1 PEARSON ARROW – The Formula One model has it all. Great maneuverability, noseriding and wave entry. It’s for the surfer that wants to do everything on a wave.
The write up on Arrow’s site: This board is one of our most popular longboards. It is a great all around surfboard. A perfect compromise between a noserider and a performance board. A slight concave helps trim the board when you are on the nose, while the slightly pulled in tail, tri-fin set up harder rails allow the board to perform from the tail.
The board I still LOVE looking at, but haven’t seen in stores is this one, the Robert August What I Ride, tuflite in a wood veneer and also in the blue/yellow/white:
Write up: 9’0″ RA WIR – It makes sense to ride a board that maximizes your fun regardless of the conditions. “What I Ride” utilizes a 60/40 rail configuration which, in combination with a nifty tear drop concave conveniently placed under the 18″ wide nose, greatly enhances your style of nose riding.
These boards are supposed to be all around good boards and pretty solidly high end. Flexible as far as conditions it can handle, durable, can do both turns and noseriding well. It’s also durable with the tuflite epoxy. So far everyone showing me boards has said “yeah, that’s a nice board”. I haven’t seen this one in stores, so I don’t know how much it runs. It’s sister boards (there’s a red/yellow/white too) run about $800-840, over $900 for the length I want in the surf shops around here. That’s compared to over a grand online. Downside is it is a little thicker than I’d like, 3 inches. I was hoping for less.
So looking at price, if I could get that kind of board for the same price as one I’m a little hesitant about, maybe that’s the one I should pick? Crap this is hard.
The fiberglass vs epoxy/tuflite decision is throwing me too. According to Jeff, fiberglass absorbs more shock and is a smoother ride especially on choppy days when a stiffer epoxy board would tend to clang around. They are more flexible and have more give in the runs which translates to more momentum. BUT fiberglass is delicate. Bump into a wall even gently and you’ll be out $30-50 on ding repair plus 5-10+ days with your board in the shop getting fixed. The tuflite on the other hand, will chip after banging it or dropping it pretty hard, but not ding. It will stay watertight after chipping.
I’m clumsy. I dropped my watch while trying to get my wetsuit on and scraped the finish pretty good. I’m expecting to mangle a fiberglass board. I guess that’s fine if it’s cheap and I don’t care about reselling it. If I buy a board hoping to only use it for a year and shelve it or sell it then I don’t have to worry, however…
…I tend to keep things FOREVER, until they are absolutely unusable. I just sold the skiis I’ve had for 12 years! They are the only pair I’ve ever owned. I’m hoping to find a board I love and ride it for as long as I can in whatever conditions I can. I’m not worried about resale value so much as love. I want to love how it looks and how it rides. I want something that will help me learn and stick with me once I’ve got the hang of things.
I’m still looking at used boards. I haven’t ruled that out and would, in fact, prefer a used board. It’s hard to find them in the exact size I want and often I don’t know anything about the boards which makes me nervous. As you can tell, I like research.
Gotta think on it some more!