Thought it would be interesting to have a thread on boards you looked at and thought weren't for you for whatever reason, but when your first born was threatened - or your mate made you swap - you finished up loving (or at least enjoying).

You know, the old don't judge a book by its cover thing.

This idea came to me in the surf today. A mate wanted to swap boards.

His epoxy board (I don't like epoxy), with a pretty wide square tail (not a fan of big square tails), a performance shortboard (don't surf them much anymore) with FCS Carver fins (too much rake for me) finished up being a tonne of fun.

Pumpable and fast, snapalicious, positive off the bottom.

I was so wrong and obviously know nothing.

The brand and model? 6'8" JS Monsta Box.



Have at it fellas.

A Chinese bloke who'd decided surfing was not for him had a DHD Ducks Nutz selling on facebook for $400 with future fins. On one of my drunken online lowballing surfboard sprees I offered him $150. He said he couldn't take less than $250 & I said ok provided the board was in the advertised excellent condition. We tryed tea'ing up a good time to meet, but we were both working when the other wasn't. In the end he offered to drive South coz he was able to make it a weekend getaway & meet me at my workplace at the end of my shift.

Looking the board over it had a pretty large pressure ding on the nose rocker, a small one on the bottom & the tail was cracked...I pointed these things out asking how he could say the board was in excellent condition when it wasn't even water tight. I hummed & harred, then offered $150 again. He wasn't gonna take it, we said goodbye, he was packing the board in the car & I ended up offereing $200 which he took.

Expected the board to be a good beater for good size sucky waves that I could surf at places with a higher chance of dings due to rocks or feral crowds. Something I could pack at the bottom of the coffin to protect my other boards. Turned out it was not only good for that but go's well in smaller waves than I expected & is pretty versatile provided waves are at least chest high & not fat or have flat sections. Ended up being my main board this year for decent waves, really fun board too ride

A buddy gave me a once snapped S7 fish that was put together a bit wonky.
Thank, thought I
Yeah, on those fatter days or when fin-remover-reef is higher than I'd like, it is the go to!
Tis it's time to shine again now actually.

I bought off gumtree a 9'4 sel longboard.
i drove an hour to pick it up and it had this twist in it, I thought I'd just take it out on ankle height days now and than.
big yellow twister thing and the centre fin wobbles and it has two tiny little side fins,
started riding it, one day I took it up the coast thinking it would be knee height on the beachies at best ,, for there and it was head height heaving groundswell, it was the only board I had on me.... I really thought it wouldn't end well,, it was a full tube machine and was taking drops like I wouldn't of imagined, it was letting me get in early and under the lip, the twist in it works like an asymmetrical night but in a different way , when going right because of the twist it has just the right amount of rail in the water and the nose doesn't get buried,,, the same twist sorta causes problems on lefts.. so now it's my right hand beachhead barrel board.
Took it down south and surfed head n half or so NP.
I got one of the best barrels I've had out there even when comparing to short board surfs.
It taught me a few things about picking lines on waves and drastically improved my surfing overall.
best 150 bucks I ever spent on surf equipment

Carnot say I have had too many boards that surprised me mainly because of the stoke of having a new or different board but I think the biggest performance leap was a Firewire Activator that exploded of the bottom with more spring than any thing else I had ridden at the time.

Had plenty of duds one that I bought out of a Church for the Bluff early 80's that was a complete dog stands out, also had a twinny from the same sharper a few years earlier that went unbelievably such is the fickle nature of hand shaped boards.

My all time magic board was a board bought out of Margs (Beach Life was it?) in 87 (it just spoke to me) snapped the board I was going to take at Lefties ( Tom Hoye) that morning, I took it to South America for a year and on return snapped it at NP, I didn't understand the significance of that board until years later.

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IFocus said..
Carnot say I have had too many boards that surprised me mainly because of the stoke of having a new or different board but I think the biggest performance leap was a Firewire Activator that exploded of the bottom with more spring than any thing else I had ridden at the time.

Had plenty of duds one that I bought out of a Church for the Bluff early 80's that was a complete dog stands out, also had a twinny from the same sharper a few years earlier that went unbelievably such is the fickle nature of hand shaped boards.

My all time magic board was a board bought out of Margs (Beach Life was it?) in 87 (it just spoke to me) snapped the board I was going to take at Lefties ( Tom Hoye) that morning, I took it to South America for a year and on return snapped it at NP, I didn't understand the significance of that board until years later.

Who was the shaper? Or brand?

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thedrip said..

IFocus said..
Carnot say I have had too many boards that surprised me mainly because of the stoke of having a new or different board but I think the biggest performance leap was a Firewire Activator that exploded of the bottom with more spring than any thing else I had ridden at the time.

Had plenty of duds one that I bought out of a Church for the Bluff early 80's that was a complete dog stands out, also had a twinny from the same sharper a few years earlier that went unbelievably such is the fickle nature of hand shaped boards.

My all time magic board was a board bought out of Margs (Beach Life was it?) in 87 (it just spoke to me) snapped the board I was going to take at Lefties ( Tom Hoye) that morning, I took it to South America for a year and on return snapped it at NP, I didn't understand the significance of that board until years later.

Who was the shaper? Or brand?

Pretty sure it was a Greg Laurenson, Colin Ladhams also sits in my memory one of the two,

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Buster fin said..
A buddy gave me a once snapped S7 fish that was put together a bit wonky.
Thank, thought I
Yeah, on those fatter days or when fin-remover-reef is higher than I'd like, it is the go to!
Tis it's time to shine again now actually.

I got a mouthful from the donator of said board this morning after he happened upon this post. I would like to now go further and say that this wonky, ugly-as-sin board is a wave catching beast that unfortunately lives up to it's new moniker. For it is the 'kook magnet'. And I'm a huge fan. Thanks Weedbeard and Big Ross. RIP

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Buster fin said..

Buster fin said..
A buddy gave me a once snapped S7 fish that was put together a bit wonky.
Thank, thought I
Yeah, on those fatter days or when fin-remover-reef is higher than I'd like, it is the go to!
Tis it's time to shine again now actually.

I got a mouthful from the donator of said board this morning after he happened upon this post. I would like to now go further and say that this wonky, ugly-as-sin board is a wave catching beast that unfortunately lives up to it's new moniker. For it is the 'kook magnet'. And I'm a huge fan. Thanks Weedbeard and Big Ross. RIP

Gold. How did he find this? He needs a life.

Yahoo Kelvinator. Oggy had been hassling me for a few years to try one. It was dog ugly and I wouldn't be seen on that thing. It was named after a fridge door for God's sake!

After a few years, took a demo for a ride. Fast. So fast. Loose in the lip, amazingly surprisingly forgiving on late drops (that rolled bottom on the nose apparently). Went back to the shop and immediately bought one. It's been my go to for 2-5 foot board for the last 2 1/2 years.

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thedrip said..

Buster fin said..

Buster fin said..
A buddy gave me a once snapped S7 fish that was put together a bit wonky.
Thank, thought I
Yeah, on those fatter days or when fin-remover-reef is higher than I'd like, it is the go to!
Tis it's time to shine again now actually.

I got a mouthful from the donator of said board this morning after he happened upon this post. I would like to now go further and say that this wonky, ugly-as-sin board is a wave catching beast that unfortunately lives up to it's new moniker. For it is the 'kook magnet'. And I'm a huge fan. Thanks Weedbeard and Big Ross. RIP

Gold. How did he find this? He needs a life.

I believe it was pulled from a bin

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thedrip said..
Yahoo Kelvinator. Oggy had been hassling me for a few years to try one. It was dog ugly and I wouldn't be seen on that thing. It was named after a fridge door for God's sake!

After a few years, took a demo for a ride. Fast. So fast. Loose in the lip, amazingly surprisingly forgiving on late drops (that rolled bottom on the nose apparently). Went back to the shop and immediately bought one. It's been my go to for 2-5 foot board for the last 2 1/2 years.

I've been keeping an eye out, but most second handies seem to be on the larger size.
dont really want to go new, until or if it clicks for me once tried,
what sizing you recommend drip?
90kg, 2 to 4 power paddle (1 hour or under) sesh surfs metro or DS a week, average level and fitness
cheers

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mazdon said..

thedrip said..
Yahoo Kelvinator. Oggy had been hassling me for a few years to try one. It was dog ugly and I wouldn't be seen on that thing. It was named after a fridge door for God's sake!

After a few years, took a demo for a ride. Fast. So fast. Loose in the lip, amazingly surprisingly forgiving on late drops (that rolled bottom on the nose apparently). Went back to the shop and immediately bought one. It's been my go to for 2-5 foot board for the last 2 1/2 years.

I've been keeping an eye out, but most second handies seem to be on the larger size.
dont really want to go new, until or if it clicks for me once tried,
what sizing you recommend drip?
90kg, 2 to 4 power paddle (1 hour or under) sesh surfs metro or DS a week, average level and fitness
cheers

I'm your weight and mine is 6'2". Goes really well on beachies although most of my surfs are reefies.

Mate in Albany surfs mainly beachies. 84kgs and he is on a 6'2" too.

Thanks drip

will keep an eye out.

Fish

Many moons ago I was down the local surf shop (power station as it was known) There I stubbled upon a 6 foot 3 square tail shaped by Ried Oliver with the brand Gecko. It was proberbally the ugliest board to look at ive ever bought. Standard all white big lizzards on the bottom and deck glassed in fins where the norm. It was the actual shape that was ugly. Just didnt look like a board that would go well. Bit fat bit wide odd rocker. But it was cheap as. Brand new and like $200 bucks off. I think it was $350.

It was the best board ive had. Rode it every day for at least a couple of years untill it just about fell apart. I went back to that shop several years later and low and behold another board same size just as ugly and on sale. I traded the gecko in on it and headed to the beach. It went like a dog. So bad. After only two weeks I went back to the shop to get rid of it and hopefully get my old board back.

To my dismay the old faithful gecko was gone. Sold to a grommet. I felt good that a grom may enjoy the board that went so well for me. Got rid of the other board and moved on.

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thedrip said..

Buster fin said..

Buster fin said..
A buddy gave me a once snapped S7 fish that was put together a bit wonky.
Thank, thought I
Yeah, on those fatter days or when fin-remover-reef is higher than I'd like, it is the go to!
Tis it's time to shine again now actually.

I got a mouthful from the donator of said board this morning after he happened upon this post. I would like to now go further and say that this wonky, ugly-as-sin board is a wave catching beast that unfortunately lives up to it's new moniker. For it is the 'kook magnet'. And I'm a huge fan. Thanks Weedbeard and Big Ross. RIP

Gold. How did he find this? He needs a life.

Oh, I see... Who doesn't get into Seabreeze?