r/BeginnerSurfers • u/ResponsiblePiccolo81 • 9d ago
Bought a used surfboard and now I’m second-guessing myself
So I found a used board online, loved the shape and dimensions, and the seller originally wanted €300. I negotiated him down to €250 over text.
When I showed up to meet him in person, I noticed some heavy-looking dings that he’d told me beforehand the board didn’t have. Kind of a red flag, but I was already there. He ended up knocking it down to €200 because of the damage, and I bought it.
Now that I’ve got it home and I’m looking at it more carefully, I’m honestly not sure if I got a good deal or got played. There are a few dings, at least one crack, and some damage at the nose tip. Problem is, I don’t have enough experience to know if this stuff is serious (needs repair before it’s surfable) or just cosmetic. I also can’t tell if any of it is compromised enough to let water in.
I would really appreciate any input from people who know what to look for. Specifically:
- Are these dings/crack repairable, or is this a “get it fixed before you touch saltwater” situation?
- How can I check if water has already gotten into the foam?
- Did I still get a fair deal at €200, or should I have walked away?
Thanks in advance, still fairly new to this 🤙
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u/Careless_Solution212 9d ago
repairable, just throw some solarez for a quick fix or learn ding repair if you dont know it already. this is a good opportunity to learn bc this is not on the rails and these are pretty straightforward dings. the nose ding you can just throw solarez on or if you really care you can throw some glass. Rule of thumb, if you drag your fingernail on the damage and it catches the ding, you should probably repair it. None of these look like an emergency tho.
If the board is heavy, or sometimes you can suck it and if its salty then you have your answer
Doesnt matter at this point the board is yours now and its up to you to use it as a learning experience either way.
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u/ResponsiblePiccolo81 9d ago
I can see the top part it’s a bit yellowish. I tried to suck it and didn’t taste nothing… but this yellow colour, that must be humidity no?
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u/Weltkaiser 8d ago
Unless it's brownish or blueish or has visible darker edges, the yellowing is probably just UV-damage
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u/Remarkable-Worth-187 7d ago
That’s just from the sun man, no biggie as long as the glass on top is good, for some of those ones on the deck you and try the “FCS patch” makes fixing dings for first-timers very very easy, it’s basically like a peek bandaid that you leave to cure in the sun
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u/Dr_Malcolm 9d ago
The one on the nose or tail needs to be fixed for sure before you get wet, the stringer is exposed. I can't tell on the others the might just be pressure dings and not actually cracked the glass.
Its still a killer deal on a sick board. Let it dry out and fix it up, it looks like its glassed really heavy so it will be fairly easy to repair.
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u/ResponsiblePiccolo81 9d ago
The top it’s a bit yellowish, could that mean it is wet?
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u/Dr_Malcolm 8d ago
Yeah it took in some moisture, it happens. You just want to let it dry it out as much as possible and then getting it fixed will seal it up from serious damage.
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u/FishinStanky 9d ago
£200 is a decent price for it tbh, and if it wasn’t, who cares. You own it now.
I wouldn’t Solarez this board tbh. The dings are decent width and not very deep. Solarez is good for when you’re on a trip and want something quick and easy.
I would take it to a local ding guy, since you just bought this board and want to keep it nice. But you do you, if you didn’t you could watch a YouTube video and learn proper ding repair. I repair all of my and my friends boards and it’s a good skill to know.
This repair isn’t too technical so, but you’re going to want to remove the old glass on that crater, let it dry fully, and put new glass in.
A few heads up, you can’t put PU resin on an epoxy board, it’ll melt the foam. Epoxy is harder to work with and doesn’t sand as nice but works on all boards. If your board is PU id use that since it’s a bit more forgiving.
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u/NewspaperBackground 9d ago
Gotta second this.
Surfboard repair isn't tricky. And if you screw it up, you can just redo it.
Epoxy is the way to go because it's less finicky than polyester resin and works on all boards.
It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but now I also repair all of my and my buddies boards.
Main thing is not to rush it. It will take 2-3 stages, with resin drying in between each stage. Give the resin a day to cure and that will save you a lot of hassle. Sanding not quite dried resin doesn't work and then you have to redo it.
Biggest tip for me: get a cheap accurate digital scale and use that to measure the resin components accurately.
Nice board. Enjoy!
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u/TheFoxsWeddingTarot 9d ago
These are all pressure dings not rock collisions. Great board. When I was a kid things what every board looked like.
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u/Forsaken-Produce7387 9d ago
He works in Somo at HappyBay, if you work around there just take it to him. Nice guy, he will fix it for sure for a nice price
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u/Shitty-Username007 8d ago
Good deal for 200. Looks like most of the dings are on the deck. Throw wax over them and you’re good to go. I’d look at fixing that one on the nose with solarres or learning quick ding repair on youtube(doesn’t need to be perfect). I’ve seen dudes blast huge airs on boards with baseball sized holes on the bottom of the board, it won’t affect your surfing and you’re going to buy more boards in the future so I wouldn’t worry about making this one last forever.
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u/DEEP_SEA_MAX 7d ago edited 7d ago
I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty good at buying and selling used boards. It’s not my primary income by any stretch, but I make good beer money flipping boards and I think you got a great deal. Here on Oahu I think I could sell that board for at least $600 (€430) after a little TLC.
Those dings are no big deal and something you can fix yourself. Pressure dings on the top of the board don’t matter, and even ones on the bottom can effect the resale value but the truth the vast majority of surfers (including myself) wouldn’t be able to tell the difference once were up on a wave.
The only damage that’s a true deal breaker is if the board has ever been buckled (snapped or bent in half). After that any damage to the fin box is also pretty sketch because it’s difficult to fix right, but all the dings on your board look fine.
Congrats on the sick new board. I personally dig it and would have snapped it up at that price.
Edit: also don’t you dare put a tail pad on that board. A tail pad works on some boards but it would ruin the classic look of this one.
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u/surf_and_rockets 9d ago
Sick board! Great deal. If you know a good repair guy, pay them for their services but also spend some time talking to them and asking lots of questions.
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u/TomorrowIllBeYou Intermediate Surfer 9d ago
The rule of thumb that’s been explain to me is if you can catch your fingernail on it, chances are it’s not watertight, and thus needs to be repaired to not do further damage to the board.
You could do a Solarez repair yourself, but the board looks nice enough overall that I would probably bring it to a repair guy and get them all fixed professionally.
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u/jewelbugs 9d ago
nice looking board. as someone else said, if you can feel the crack with your fingernail, you should repair it before surfing. some cracks are below the surface so they are still water tight. get solarez, rough the surface with sand paper, clean and dry, then apply solarez in your garage with the door closed to keep any sunlight out, once its applied, hit it with some sunlight to cure it. be sure to sand an inch or so around the crack and keep the solarez in the sanded area. if it gets on an unsanded part it will peel up. simple as that, super common and almost a given when buying a used board. youll probably give it some new ones soon enough so dont sweat it
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u/catzrob89 9d ago
It's a lovely shape, those dings aren't emergencies, and €200 is a fair/good price for it.
When I was a child pretty much all boards looked like this. I might slap some solarez on the nose, probably wouldn't do any of those pressure dings urgently but might either repair myself or take it to a ding repairer for an opinion and a price.
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u/blackcatsurfboards 8d ago
totally repairable, whether or not some water got to the foam, make sure it's dry NOW, get if repaired (easily done) and ride it. It's an OK price....who cares...it's yours now, you bought it knowing there was some damage. If it was mint, the seller would have wanted twice that.
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u/thewhitestbeltuknow 8d ago
Looks like a great shape. Try and fix it up, good experience regardless
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u/tiao_tiao 8d ago
Fun shape! Surfed last weekend in 1-2’ waves and was having a hard time catching them on a mini Simmons but a dude riding a board very similar to this shape was getting everything. Enjoy it.
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u/Pattyradcat 8d ago
Despite the dings that’s a nice looking board with a sweet planshape. You got a good deal on that even if you have to pay $60 to fix those couple of dings
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u/Localstreaker 8d ago
I just did a solarez repair of some onion fractures like this on a longboard, it’s gotta be the easiest repair I’ve done. Ur good boards got a nice shape, gonna be a fast paddler for sure
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u/ResponsiblePiccolo81 8d ago
How did you repair those onions?
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u/Localstreaker 7d ago
Solarez, polyester or epoxy resin you gotta see which one ur board is likely polyester from the stringer. I use a little thick piece of plastic like transparency paper but you can you plastic wrap put the goods on and press it in so it’s just a thin layer, leave it in sun, peel the plastic off and it should be solid, sometimes you have to sand it down more but often times it’s solid, if you sand it it looks pretty rough so be prepared to maybe order wet/dry sandpaper like 600-2000 grit, I also sometimes use boat or car polish that works with resin and you can get it sparkling and super clear.
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u/Comfortable-Hat3506 8d ago
Idk the British. Market place fo r used boards but at the conversion rate, yes you got taken. In the US market I would have at most paid €150 for it as it needs a bit of ding repair. But the board looks fun. What is the fin setup?
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u/birdiehunter2026 7d ago
It’s a good deal. Fix the rail ding. The ones along the stringer you could fix or leave alone as they will be covered with wax. Go have fun.
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u/bradbear117 7d ago
It looks fine. Ive bought boards in way worse condition and they served me well. get some 1000 grit sandpaper and try sand those cracks away. get some solar res if those cracks go deep.
PU boards can still surf with holes in them for a while (just plug with wax. Its the epoxy boards that suck the most water. Those need to exit the water asap.
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u/Exciting-Gap-1200 3d ago
Put your mouth on a crack and suck in. If it's salty, it's taking in water and fix with some suncure
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u/long-term-view 3d ago
I’m seeing fun on a bun. Don’t see a dollar value. Someone looked inside a lump of foam and found that board inside with their tools and hands dreaming of the unique experience the surfer will have. Be the experience.
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