Seems that nasty experience has been festering for a while - glad you finally got it off your chest.

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....

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.

Chris6791 said..
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

felixdcat said..

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