3 Things You Should Ask Before Buying a Surfboard

Firstly, I must point out that if you know enough to know what you want, then that is that, also if you've just fallen in love with a particular board then I know how that is, there is no point trying to talk you out of it.

Now, I love surfboards, and I know what I would look for when buying, but I thought it might be better to ask someone with more knowledge, experience and skills. I turned to someone I have previously chatted with and who has a plethora of board shaping knowledge, Paul Smith, founder and shaper at Glide Surfboards in Ireland.

I asked Paul three things that people should ask when buying a board if it looked too cheap to be true. He said:

Why is it so cheap?

Where is it made?

Why is there no shaper's signature?

While it seems that you are getting a deal, these boards that sometimes are too good to be true are made by cutting corners, using inferior blanks and products and procedures that are based around keeping the cost down and not about making a surfboard that will last and will perform for you.

Why would anyone who was informed about the facts buy one of these sub-standard boards I ask myself?

Maybe I have the answer and perhaps it is already too late.  Maybe a lot of people really do not know that their (to mention no brand names) successful shaper's brand is copied and finished in a factory both far away and close by. That shaper's hands have never touched it, that shaper's eyes have never seen it and the quality has not been checked. Instead the entire process from start to finish has been completed by a global surf company that has its shareholders' returns at interest as apposed to your stoke.

In one of the only sports in the world where it is considered standard to have your equipment custom made, why are people opting for off-the-shelf, especially when the price difference is negligible and given the obvious benefits.  The only benefit to buying off-the-shelf is time, it means you can have it now and maybe that's the most important thing to a lot of people, the impulse buy. To those people I say this bahhh. Why don't you try talking to a human who has developed the particular set of skills that is needed to make you the best board, who maybe has surfed with you, knows you and what you want and can modify the design to suit your surfing instead of the other way around.

One of the best feelings on the planet is anticipation, and you totally get this being involved in the shaping process as a client. All shapers are different, but the ones I use keep me involved throughout the whole process. I'm not sure that is always a good thing, I can change my mind quite quickly, but the feeling you get riding that board for the first time, its totally different to anything else. Its like getting to know a new friend.

Enough of this wierdness now. The message is that you should buy boards from real people that have decent standards and that you can converse with and talk about what you want.

Keep the art alive, say no to mass produced poop. (Drop mic...)