How to Buy a Used Surfboard
Buying a used surfboard can be a daunting affair. It feels like every board for sale online is perfect for beginners, only surfed a few times, good in ankle high to triple overhead waves, and Kelly Slater touched it with his pinky finger. How are you supposed to determine if a board is actually good or not? Here are a few things to keep in mind when buying a used surfboard.
Know what you are looking for and stick to it.
Do not trust a seller to tell you what is going to be good for you. They have never seen you surf and do not know your ability. Talk to an experienced surfer, shaper or even someone at a surf shop if you are unsure what kind of board you should be looking for and be honest about your skill level. Once you figure out what board you need, stick to it. Don't buy a board that is 4 inches too short just because it is a good deal or looks cool. If it is the wrong board for you, then you won’t have fun surfing it and will then be stuck also trying to sell it in a few months.
Dings
Frequently, boards being sold online have some amount of dings, even if the seller says it doesn’t. When looking at a board be sure to double check every inch of the board before handing over cash. If the seller tells you about dings beforehand, call up a ding repair shop and ask how much it will cost to fix it. Having this information will help in deciding what the board is actually worth what the seller is asking.
Common dings to be on the look out for:
Delam
Fin Box Damage
Tail Rot
Nose Chipping
Soft Spots
Poorly completed repairs
Negotiations
Figuring out a price for a used board is always difficult. I have sold plenty of boards over the years and am almost always confused by how much I end up getting out of a board. The main thing to keep in mind is that sellers are almost always trying to get more for their board then its actual worth so always offer less than what it's posted for. Where possible, try and negotiate in fins as that is an added cost that many people don’t consider.
Buying used boards is a great way to try new shapes and save some cash. As long as you keep these things in mind when getting your next stick, you can avoid getting burned.