Things to Look for on a Used Board - By Jody

As those of you whose boards I keep shamelessly borrowing every weekend

know, I'm in the market for sumpin' to ride. Actually drove up to

Lompoc last night to check out a Yater "Girl" board advertised for

$400. I'm thinking Yater's a good brand, I'll check it out. The girl

had only ridden it 5 times, the last time being 3 or 4 years ago. It

looked to be in astoundingly good condition.

Then I noticed it.

The HORIZONTAL CRACK! Da Da Daaaaa. This brings up a few things any

girl in the wild should know about what to avoid on used fiberglass

boards. I have compiled verbal advice from Asia at A frame, a how-to

web page, and my friend Chris from Idaho (long story).

1) Horizontal Cracks: are VERY BAD. Any crack that runs the width of

the board stands a chance to have it buckle  when you're riding it. The

crack I observed went more than halfway across the board. It was just a

tiny crack in the glass, but it was right where you stand on the board.

It just made me wonder what caused it, ya know. She wadn't a 300

pounder er nuthin. It was nothing I want to do any business with. I

didn't buy the board.

2) Water-logging. If it's heavy or you can hear the sound of sloshing

water inside, the board is ruined. Don't go there. Not even for 40

bucks.

3) Softness or Tenderness: It's just like with guys: Most of the time

you don't want a soft one--Same thing in a board--it indicates

water-logging. So squeeze it at the rails and press it in the middle.

It shouldn't collapse or give at all.

4) Any crack that looks like it could let water in.

5) Do the ole Shop Around: I've been looking at new boards around town,

I only want something more or less locally made. A new nice

shaped-in-SoCal board runs about $450 (sometimes including fins). So if

you're seeing used boards that are around that price range. First,

check the brand. There are some expensive ones out there. Second, find

out how old the board is. Once I found out that the Yater board was 4

years old, I wondered how much she spent on it to begin with.

Regardless, the asking price was high for a 4 year old board.

I know there's more to look for, but those are some of the basics. Good

luck. ~Jody