List your worst boards ever

rgruber

Miki Dora status
May 30, 2004
3,617
1,329
113
Worst of all time CI Mongrel. Appropriately named dog. So much vee it was like trailing an anchor.

More recently, a custom Roberts The Lip. I guess somewhere between discussing what I wanted and getting back to California to shape something got lost and I ended up with thick floaty brick instead of the nicely foiled board we talked about. Thing just didn't work. Sold it to a guy who was a big Roberts fan and saw him month later in the water and asked about the board and he said he has sold it too as he couldn't get it to work.

Some boards are just dogs.
 

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
38,642
27,983
113
Havoc4k said:
jkb said:
My recent addition to this would be the CI Fever.
noah salsa loves his
Yeah, the Fever seems to be universally loved. The Fred Rubble was also universally loved and I never liked mine.

That’s one of the reasons I didn’t buy a Fever and got an OG Flyer instead.

I hear good things about the Fever though.

My worst (other than the Rubble) has to be that fucking yellow single fin stinger I have. Good lord that board is hard to ride.

I have a custom from J7 that didn’t work (my fault, he made exactly what I wanted) until I got the right fin setup (very unorthodox) and now it’s one of my favorites.

Another bad one was a 9’4 bonzer gun. The thing would just lose grip at a certain speed. The tail would just lift out of the water and the board would spin out. Almost killed me.

Maybe the bonzer bottom has an upper limit?

I’ve had a couple really shitty boards from one particular shaper that I’d rather not name. He’s a good guy.
 

Woke AF

Tom Curren status
Jul 29, 2009
11,439
7,754
113
Southern Tip, Norcal
From a local Santa Cruz shaper:
Board would not turn -at all. Glassed in fins. Great in the barrel though but sometimes you have to turn to find it.
Saw the shaper while getting a burrito, he asked how it went. I gingerly told him and he offered to shape me a new one. Really a great guy.
I forgot about it but after 6 months he said it is ready, the board was so rockered out it would not paddle. Never went back to that Taqueria .
 

trevorbc

Michael Peterson status
Jun 27, 2012
2,792
682
113
cold
I don't want to call anyone out but the common theme for boards that haven't worked for me all had too much tail rocker. Some of them did almost break me, making me want to quit. I always envied some of my friends that could surf well on anything.

 

20W-50 and blood

Duke status
Feb 4, 2004
24,949
4,032
113
SOCAL
Visit site
heelnipstr said:
From a local Santa Cruz shaper:
Board would not turn -at all. Glassed in fins. Great in the barrel though but sometimes you have to turn to find it.
Saw the shaper while getting a burrito, he asked how it went. I gingerly told him and he offered to shape me a new one. Really a great guy.
I forgot about it but after 6 months he said it is ready, the board was so rockered out it would not paddle. Never went back to that Taqueria .
i can see it now!

"My Shaper is a Taquero" hats!
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,270
19,096
113
Jacksonville Beach
20W-50 and blood said:
heelnipstr said:
From a local Santa Cruz shaper:
Board would not turn -at all. Glassed in fins. Great in the barrel though but sometimes you have to turn to find it.
Saw the shaper while getting a burrito, he asked how it went. I gingerly told him and he offered to shape me a new one. Really a great guy.
I forgot about it but after 6 months he said it is ready, the board was so rockered out it would not paddle. Never went back to that Taqueria .
i can see it now!

"My Shaper is a Taquero" hats!
Gonna call GWS a dustback one of these days.
 

isurfcardiff

OTF status
May 8, 2014
294
109
43
My worst boards:
Bing Elevator 9'4" -- horrible board. Supposed to be a great noserider - wasn't. Sorry, but Calvani blew it on this one! Feel bad for the guy I sold it to!
Kookbox 9'2" -- almost as bad as the Bing, but actually could noseride. Super pinched rails and a lot of tail rocker for a log, The main problem: Was super slow, probably because it was the absolute HEAVIEST board I have ever ridden, save for a 1961 Hobie!
 

vanrysss

Billy Hamilton status
Mar 25, 2019
1,630
3,670
113
from Oregon, now SD
CI Happy. Buckled on my third surf in a 4' wave. Thing went alright, but goddamn that stock glass is weak. I'll never buy another CI again.
 

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
11,534
5,832
113
54
Around '83 when quads came out I had Puu under Spindrift shape me one and had to sale it right away. Felt like I was dragging 4 anchors around but sold and bought a magic Ocean Rythm Paul Kuhn thruster.
 

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
38,642
27,983
113
vanrysss said:
CI Happy. Buckled on my third surf in a 4' wave. Thing went alright, but goddamn that stock glass is weak. I'll never buy another CI again.

Who glassed it?

Some are better than others. I won’t buy a PU CI unless it’s glassed by The Lab.

Also did you get Team Light?

Btw, whoever glassed the Bonzer Shelters should be put in jail.

I gave one the thumb test and punched right through....on the deck.
 

ChaseTMP

Billy Hamilton status
Apr 6, 2014
1,712
3,118
113
S. Redondo
JS Air17X was a no-go for me. I had a guy who I saw often enough at my local spot, but hadn't talked to, ask me why I was surfing switch every wave. When I said I wasn't surfing switch and that I couldn't figure the board out, he remarked that he thought I was a goofyfoot, but couldn't wrap his head around how much I seemed to struggle. I literally could barely get down the line and was going over the handlebars on most waves just trying to generate speed.

I briefly had a Chilli Churro (round-tail) which I could get down the line, but turned like sh#t, pretty similar to my Black Vulture.

Lost Rocket did not work for me at all, just super sticky and soured me on ever trying another Lost. I get tempted pretty often, especially the SITD's which always say how forgiving they are.

Honorable mentions:

Rusty Barking Spider (I loved the used one which I broke and hated the custom replacement that I spent a pretty penny on).

CI Dumpster Diver was super inconsistent for me, would have an ok wave then a shocker. I never had a overall good session the couple weeks I owned it.
 

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
11,534
5,832
113
54
rowjimmytour said:
Around '83 when quads came out I had Puu under Spindrift shape me one and had to sale it right away. Felt like I was dragging 4 anchors around but sold and bought a magic Ocean Rythm Paul Kuhn thruster.
Happen twice again Randy Cone Junior year of high school starts shaping and does customs for cheap so I have him shape one. Did what he wanted or thought and never could stand square or squash tails sold it dud :drowning: lucky learned from mistakes and talk exclusive with shaper beforehand or look and feel up used boards good. I struggled at first with my superbuzz but luckily it was not a costly mistake turned out to be fins and once dialed I was/is stocked :cheers:
 
Apr 18, 2013
48
2
8
...Lost RV Tried all kinds of fins, tri and quad and nothing worked

Coil squash tail - I really wanted to like this board but it sucked. I read all the hype on here about them and since he is a local shaper in my town gave him a shot. I also could feel those dimples in the board when riding and didnt like it. Hopefully they have gone back to smooth bottoms on those coils but doubt I will take another $600 gamble again.

 

Woke AF

Tom Curren status
Jul 29, 2009
11,439
7,754
113
Southern Tip, Norcal
My second Tomo and last. The first one was magic.
Nano XTR. Glass-on hatchet fins
Board did not come out as ordered but after the 9 month wait...whatever.
The fins would wash out on each turn. Had to do a lot of milking.
Going backside on a HH day, on a consistent peak after the bottom turn set up in the pocket the burgery wave would over take the board, each time. The board had no drive. That was the last straw and sold it soon.
 

SixtyGrit

Gerry Lopez status
Oct 3, 2015
1,010
1,219
113
SD
5'7" Von Sol Shadow in Hydroflex

Purchased it used (in perfect shape) so I could retire my PU/PE 5'8" shadow that was absolute magic at the cliffs.

It was nowhere near the same model - rails / volume distribution / glass was absolutely an abomination. Felt like a stiff, lifeless chunk that was unsurfable. Sat too high in the water, skittering across without any ability to engage a rail. Same fin setup, etc - just terribly executed construction / finishing. Something tells me the previous owner had a similar experience.

Unloaded it quickly, and I still stare at my 5'8" shadow daily in my bedroom, which I'll probably take out for a spin sometime soon.

My latest handshape is likely to fall on one end of the spectrum here as well... fingers crossed I don't end up with another board to add to dog list.
 

Bman76

Nep status
Mar 10, 2011
924
716
93
...Lost puddle jumper - terrible board. Didn't grovel. Didn't surf decent waves - did nothing. Tried five sets of fins. Wasted my 40th birthday gift on it. The horror...the horror.

Interestingly, i bought it as a result of terrible custom experiences - which should also be a thread on here...