I think that for the average surfer, it's way better to buy 3 $500 boards for different conditions, than buying 1 $1500 board that can't be comfortably ridden all the time
very good points. They will get a good feeling for what boards they like and that will lower the risk of making a mistake if they decide to spend more later. I often see $1500 boards for sale on marketplace having only been ridden once because its the wrong size or wrong feel.
@@Chris_Genex Unless surfing pays your bills, you should be serious about having fun, not about surfing. Cheap is not crap either. Very good and fun boards out there for $500.
@@robertical The majority of cheap boards are sh*t mate, and in my experience only hinder your progression. If you want to have "fun" just stick to your boogie board then..
@@Chris_Genex i mention in the video my first board was crap.It had a bad shape and was poorly made. Maybe you didn't get that part. TLDR - There are ok cheap boards and very bad cheap boards. A beginner is often not yet serious about surfing. $500 is a good starting point to see if they like it as long as they choose a good board.
For the average surfer, it doesn’t matter what brand of board you go with. I’ve had some Torq boards that were a blast to ride and were identical dimensions to models of more expensive brands, at 2/3 the cost. If you really want the most out of your boards it’s best to go to a shaper and get a custom board. When a shaper knows what kinds of waves you’re surfing, and your skill level, they will make you a board that is just right for you. And you’ll spend about the same if not less than a board off the rack at your local shop. Also, the right fins for a board make a world of difference.
Awesome video, great perspective. I purchased an Elemnt EPS midlength recently and have been quite surprised by the build quality and feel of the board
WONDERFUL VIDEO! Thank you 👍. This is something I've struggled with for years. Board selection. Anyone recommending anything over $1000 doesn't have to worry about rent or other bills. Forget it. You can still have fun on cheap boards and not break your bank. I currently surf on a 7ft Wavestorm and 6'8ft Southbay Casper and I'm happy. You have a new subscriber. 😊
Very informative video! Thank you! I mostly buy second hand boards. I have had 2 EPS pop outs from Thailand. One stayed in almost perfect condition over about 7 years. The other got dinged the first time I surfed it and needed fairly extensive repairs after only a few years. I've also had 2 X2 (Tuflite) pop outs from Thailand. IMO this is a great option for a beginner / intermediate and/or travelling surfer because these boards are almost indestructible!
for most of us, once we let go of the ego, it should be mostly about performance and durability. my current favourite board is a Campbell Designed Middle Toe and the board ticks all the boxes for me - build quality, design/performance and even aesthetic but it is on the more expensive end of things I would love to find cheaper brands that also do the job
I have the Middle Toe and it is all-time fast and durable. You won't find a cheaper version of that Exoflex feel and quality. I love mine. If you can afford it - the best you can get.
when you put it like that ... sounds like a lot :) I'm just lucky I didnt get into a more expensive hobby like collecting rare racing cars or aeroplanes. :)
Always felt the PU boards (local & asian) held much of the appeal and satisfaction that skaters get when destroying & wearing out maple laminate decks. They ride great when new, show wear quickly, get a suntan, ding & crease easily but it feels good to wear them out. I look at that dented & dished deck & know that I was getting me some. Then I get to know a new one.
Reckon they somewhat are - tho it depends on your skill level. I gave the Torq Pod Mod a go for a while and one day realized 'wtf am i doin' haha. It was really sluggish, too boaty, and no give. Great for beginners or even intermediates - but not someone who needs to dig the rail. So again, depends on where you are in your surfing journey. Makes total sense for beginners (don't waste a ton of money on the 'latest and greatest' - you're not going to be able to tell the difference). Actually, it will end up hurting you - biggest blunder people learning to surf make is (drum roll...) trying to go too small a board, aka too high performance a board, too quick. Become a pro on the Wavestorm first (or any of these 'cheap' surfboards). Then same size board, but fiberglass or high tech epoxy. Then you're ready... Thanks fro the video.
I had a shaper who made my custom boards for years...then I bought a Wayne Lynch Semigun Surftech Tuflight in a sale for fun and put some carbon fins on it and mate...fastest and toughest board I ever owned! After years of travel, still look like new...I like soulless, stiff things.😂
Thanks for the show i have a quiver but didn't have a midlenght in it so when i walked into this surfshop and saw the price i was like feels good looks good ,,got the blue so i Purchased a 6 '8 Wildcat from the Elemnt same brand paid 480 last spring on sale with a pair of Keel fins. Tryed it this spring due to feeling weird about my purchase and where it was made didn't use all last year this year. Now I cant put it down all my other boards don't get used. I purchased the CI twin fins after trying it with keels and an absolute bullet in the water for this tank 45 litters for me thats alot. But thank you Elemnt Surf for creating a budget friendly board and i will be purchasing the fish next unfortunately cant afford the big brand names anymore. Baby got to eat.😅😅
Thank you for sharing this story. This video was made for this exact purpose. Not everyone has $1500 to spend on a board and there are still some reasonable alternatives out there. No shame in feeding your family.
It's easy to say buy local but boards are too expensive these days. Can't expect the consumers to fund local shops when the local shops and big brands are pricing us out of affordable boards. I'm happy to support Chinese made board brands if I can get them for half or less of the price that rides the same as an Aussie made board that is $1300. Especially when they're all made in a fuckn machine anyway. Who gives a fuck if an Australian put a chunk of foam in a machine or a Chinese bloke. Surfing is so mainstream nowadays that it doesn't matter anymore.
@@boarderz8275 No you are just one of the kooks didn't know the difference between a hand shaped surfboard and a WaveStorm from China. I bought a well-made groveler local shaper for $635.00 US, and I'm riding it with every wave under 6 feet for more than 2 years. It's free world you do whatever you want.
Jordy had to be tricked into riding Smith boards in a stab video, now he loves them. Try all different shapes and sizes, you never know what is the magic board. What kind of waves do you surf?
I got the best barrel of my life on a 6 6 SMTH Humanoid quad (ridden with twin keels) in a Cyclone swell. The SMTH Goldfish is perfect in beach breaks and reef breaks. I ride it in anything from mush to head high. Being in Noosa I get large fat cyclone swells to hollow sandy beach breaks.
what a score! I bought a pin tail channel bottom for about that made in Indonesia and it was an amazing board. A little soft on the glass but it flew! Sold it for almost what I paid.
I get local shape EPS customs for around $400. I really cant beat that. Then i get hayden future flexs on their black friday sale for around $500. Gotta find deals.
I usually buy local but the one asian made board I had was great. 7 foot rip curl fun board that Im told Maurice Cole designed. It was cheap, glass was solid as a rock and went fantastic. One of my favourite boards of all time.
Living in cape town I have only bought boards from renowned shapers. The tend to be a bit more heavily glassed due to the amount of kelp in the water at a lot of spots. I have only been disapointed by one of them.
That is a perfect reason to go local. The local shapers know the conditions. I have found my locally shaped boards excel in local waves because they have been tuned to perfection.
What’s up! I’m also Cape Town side. Finally been able to save up and buy a custom shaped board. Was wondering what shaper let you down, don’t want to make a mistake on my first custom. My mates dad owns GROW boards so I was thinking of going to him for a good price but what do you rate?
@@bladeloots9301 Hi mate not going to name and shame as he has also shaped me some peaches. But I rate Stubbs, Also Dave Jenkins, DVG boards and Pierre De Villiers shaped me a gun and a step up that were and are amazing. A proper old school craftsman. GROW boards are great my son had one and loved it.
I've had a really good experience with this board, bought it 2 years ago, having owned other made in china brands and using only epoxy boards, this feels like a good quality board
Most boards are machine made anyway these days unless youre getting a custom from a local shaper. I couldnt care less if an australian bloke or a chinese bloke put a chunk of foam into a machine. Especially when one is double the price. Surfing has gotten too greedy and locally made boards are too expensive. If you arent getting a handshaped custom theres no point in getting a board from an aussie brand.
Untill i recently bought myself a 6' cymatic ive only ridden second hand boards and ive got to say i probably should have bought a new board earlier, ive had an vessel eco bean, a vessel hybrid rpm something or rather, a 7s super fish and plenty of other boards ive forgotten and although some have been quite good ive noticed they dont seem to ride in the pocket anywhere near aswell and seem more suited to wally fatter waves. They also dont have the carving capability and some of pu boards in particular just have paper thin glass and get holes in them way too easy. Just my 2 cents i think if the more expensive board is more durable and will last longer its well worth the money
Some of the life can be sucked from used boards before you buy them. The cymatic is a dynamic board with a progressive bottom shape. New boards feel awesome to ride. Thanks for sharing
@@eamonglavin2532 yeah I had some great rides on mine in Sydney and the Philippines. It opened my mind to more rounded noses and the concave down the middle made it like a jet.
Fine for learning, but too expensive if your just starting out. A 6'6" foam board is the best learner option in my opinion. Big enough to catch anything yet maneuverable enough to progress later on. Also nsp's are one of the heaviest boards out there (learned on a 6'6" nsp back around 2005)
I liked riding them in Waikiki they are tough wearing for the rental crowd. They have been around for more than two decades and you could do much worse. I agree a foamy is a good bridge to a fibreglass board. Once you get right into surfing there are awesome boards to unlock like CI Mid / CI MId Twin and similar which are more refined designs beyond the target audience of NSP.
@@blinksurf the other day I've seen a NSP fiberglass board that looked nice, it's not a beginner board, it's a twin fin with a round pin tail, in PU, all for 460 €.... So I was wondering, of course the board was made in Thailand.... I then came to know that behind the design of that model there's a shaper from Hawaii a certain Carl Schaper.
@@andreabordoni2665 I just scrolled through their current lineup of board and it seems they've started making a whole range of boards in a bunch of different constructions. I think you were looking at the Gemini Twin in poly. Looks like a solid option for the price if it's your size. (Sorry for swooping in on your responses blink 😅)
V has been around since the 60s.good shapers have spent years perfecting their skill and knowledge so they can supply you with a good workable board also local shaper know their area and produce local boards.if the board you are looking at is not up to standard don’t buy it.a good local shaper will not let an inferior board leave their factory.also stop believing the marketing hype from the vast surfboard makers.fins will turn an ordinary board into a good fun board.remember cheap boards end up in land fill very early a well made board last for decades be responsible with your purchase.
some of the boards I have seen listed on Marketplace have a rougher surface then the moon. There is a market for every board - even if you donate it to a grom or give it to the TIP - they will sell it. Someone will paint it and wall-hang it. Another good point though about buying a cheaper new board versus a worn out board.
All boards break end of story 1500 dollar 3000 dollar boards your kidding 90 % of people will have no idea why there board dosnt surf well or for that matter does surf well. Pretty hard to beat buyiing your boards in Bali go there without boards buy them there go surfing and bring them back. There are good and bad boards everywhere the materials that are used the craftmanship the choices and price options in Bali 2nd to none
Always fun buying a board on a trip. Great points. I have had a board by Vouch they tell me I will have a hard time breaking. It's a triple plywood Stringer Gun and pretty strong! Thank you for sharing.
glad you love it. Mine is a treasured go-to board in my travel quiver. It has been to the Maldives, Philippines, Thailand and all over the East Coast of Australia.
Good video, i think we have to stop thinking that made in china is = s**t. Durability of this board is actually not bad, i had couple of hypto Kripto in the past and the durability was pretty bad for the price.
The only two boards I have snapped ever were 1) Hypto Krypto and 2) Firewire seaside and beyond. Both of then snapped on my second surf. Simple stuff like duck diving and wiping out on a 2 foot wave. Its my opinion they were not well made. I'm pretty sure the Hypto was glassed in a factory they had in Monavale NSW at the time. The Firewire was made in Thailand. I agree with you that we should not generalize.
Ar go flog ya log , eye ride anything and everything, from the dump .. just ask around the tweed gatta , 98% of them can't keep up with me . Even resort to jumping out the car with knife's for me , not counting cheep shot's, you make it I'll brake it , or pass it hear I'll show you how to ride it
Correct! And that never seems to get much airplay. I do love fins and I have especially loved the Australian and Hawaiin manufactured fins but some of the good ones are indeed made in Asia.
I would never ever buy a surfboard from China! That goes against all my consumer ethics needless to say the quality control would be garbage! Support local shapers..
How is the quality control on your phone? BTW I'm all for buying local. Local shapers should improve their service if they want to win. Often they are sloppy with followup and sometimes they mess up the order. Often actually. maybe 20% of the time.
