Back in 1975 I started windsurfing, I learned on my cashed up mate mistral club, lover it so went to look for a board, ended in a boating shop and the salesman convinced me to buy that very light hollow core epoxy custom made board with all the gear, I spent all my hard saved budget $300-00 on it (was an apprentice earning $50-00 a month).
Took it to the lake and had a go, the wishbone was utmost crap would not stay together and slipping up and down the mast, sailed all day, took the piece of crap to the car and noticed a BIG change in weight....... removed the bung and sure enough was full of water .
Emptied and let dry over nite, next day was still as heavy as Gina . Called the dealer for a refund the guy had a good laugh and hung the phone off.
My mate had a fiberglass business and helped me, cut the board open in 2 and found had been reinforced internally with epoxy soaked news paper that had soaked the water. He did a fix foam and resealed it. The fckuking thing was a real submarine.
The funny thing is some dickhead stol;e it from the roof of my car?????? WTF ???? Got my money back on insurance. Bought a HiFly 111 and was happy.............. should have put an add in the paper for tanking who ever stole the brick and offer the rigging an center board for free!
Karma????
Any story you want to share?
Seems that nasty experience has been festering for a while - glad you finally got it off your chest.
The HiFly's were great boards and indestructible, i had a 265 87L, was my first board and loved it
sorry i don't have a story like yours to share
I got ripped pretty bad on a couple of things too. When I was 17 and had no money, I sailed a Bombora tri-fin and the baggy 6m triangle sail. Needed a smaller sail in winter and found a modern 5 batten wave sail for about the right price maybe a smidge cheap, in the sunday paper.
Went and had a look, they assured me it was goood and right for my mast etc. I bought it and when I used it for the first time the luff panel was baggy no matter how much downhaul. I was really upset about that. Mostly I was annoyed the more I thought about it as the sellers had plenty of gear and $$$ but they ripped off an obvious grom with no money.
Then a few years later when epoxy boards became the go I bought a custom waveboard from a guy, I was so excited to have an epoxy proto that weighed half my beloved Mambo 8'6! Nup, shape was a dog and that is why he sold it. He knew it didn't work. It was so bad may as well put a rig on a inflated tractor tyre.
That is why I am so lucky to have been treated right by John at SOS back in day cheap gear that worked,gave me what I needed and looked after me. Or Angus when he had the hire place, giving me a job and letting me use gear, taking me to the beach which was a big deal when u have no licence and only sailed on the river!!! And big thanks to Gary at Dutchies when I had a screwed board and he gave me a pristine polyester wave board to get me out sailing again.
And its why we should say thanks to Laurie for enabling this place where groms and noobs can get warned off shonky stuff, get the right advice and even find free gear that works!! And also why I get sh!tty when some people don't come here for those purposes though....
I once started to ask a bloke for some advice when i got back into sailing and this guy helped me out a whole heap, let me use one of his boards before i make a decision for a new one, tried a sail...bought it, asked more advise....probably to the point where I started to look like a stalker. He remembered that i was looking for a light wind board told me he might have one adding it looks like a pig but goes well ...a Sumo 125L. I bought that too. Love it for those days when the wind is't quite happening. Sailed the thing in f-all wind on Sunday and had a ball
Thanks Mark
I guess i feel ripped by one purchase....from a shop on a not so good sail. Maybe it just doesn't suit my skill set or ability.
My first board was a thing called a Daystar. I bought it out of the trading post. It was made of some shiny gel-coated fibreglass that was as slippery as a salami, and the mast foot was jammed in the board with sand, so I had to 'screw' the mast on and off the base every time I set it up. The rocker was insane, looking more like a banana than anything else. The thing had incredible drag through the water, and wasn't much use in wind over 5 knots. Somehow I learnt to sail on it, and a year later off-loaded it to a friend for $80 and bought my dream board....a Bombora tri-fin.
Over a few emails a shop I've been dealing with for about 6 years recently talk me out of dropping nearly a grand on a new board, it could have been an easy sale but he was concerned the new board was too small. I popped into the shop a month later to grab $20 of spare parts while I was down in Perth, once he saw the newer, significantly slimmer version of myself he agreed the smaller board was OK and got the sale.
For every rip-off story there's a positive one to counter it
For every rip-off story there's a positive one to counter it
As a grommet, I purchased my first proper board [as in - not a foamy] from one of the Mickle blokes @ City Beach Surf Club.
Had it for several years, carted it mostly to Triggs and Scabs - strapped either onto the side of my bike - or on the decidedly dodgy trailer I made at Greenwood high school.
Best $20 [100 scrounged and recycled coke bottles] I ever spent / Mickles are an awesome crew.
stephen
The good story is the help I received from the guys giving away stuff in the free gear section, they helped me go back on the water for a few bottles of burbon and cartons of beer, thanks guys!
Getting my weight down so I can go back on the water............. I look like a hippo on a paddle pop stick!
Getting my weight down so I can go back on the water............. I look like a hippo on a paddle pop stick!
That is a disturbing picture you have just created
Getting my weight down so I can go back on the water............. I look like a hippo on a paddle pop stick!
That is a disturbing picture you have just created
Ahahaha! Just finished a contract in NT and part of my duties was the running of the kitchen.................. they wanted to be on my good side and had bacon & eggs beans, ash brown snags every morning waiting for me on arrival! I can't say no to bacon................. and was treated with fresh scones and cream at morning tea! The only exercising was fishing and horse riding...... mind you toward the end of my stay the horses were getting afraid of me ! and the crocs found me more and more attractive!