Old Haut 6'5" needs repairs, need help!

[JLu]

Hey, I am new to surfing, and since I don't have it in my budget yet to invest in a board, I got a $20 board at a garage sale. I measured it at 6'5", and I am 6'1", 190 Lbs, so I was worried this might be a little small as well. The fiberglass on the nose is peeling back, and there are alot of scratches in the glass. There are also a few dents in the bottom of the board, and I was wondering if it was possible, or practical, to repair this board, and if it was possible to do this using fiberglass patching, or tape, and epoxy? any input would be appreciated, here are some pictures (Also if you know anything about this board, please let me know, because I had never heard of HAUT until I bought this):

Here is a full view of the top of the board

Here is a close-up of the nose damage (there is no foam missing)

here is the logo on the bottom:

full view of the bottom

Someone patched three dings with resin, no foam, kinda made me mad.

Here are the dents on the bottom:

and I have a shot of the edge, which looks worn

(all these pictures can be found at http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v384/whatislove/Haut%20Board/


And if I cant repair this, I dont really mind, I'll just use it for decoration and keep saving for a good board.

 

[Halcyon]

Hey Jlu,

Doug Haut has shaped well over 30,000 boards. He is one of the true masters of the art. The board looks like it's worth saving to me. With some professional attention the board can be made water tight and brought back to very good condition. It's a little small for a beginner of your size. In the condition it's in it's not worth a lot of money but it could be repaired for a modest amount of money with the right tools and a little time. I don't know where you're located but it might be worth taking it to a local shop to see how much professional repair would cost. I know the Haut shop here in Santa Cruz would be happy to work on it. It's just hard to estimate what the cost of repair would be just by looking at photos.

Good Surfin', Rich

 

[LeeD]

Yeah, Hauts good.
Before you invest like $150 to get that one glassed and sealed, you should go surfing a couple of days to really drive into your head that board is too small for your weight to learn surfing.
Then after two days, let the board dry completely (one week out of water or fog), and consider a 7'6" funboard with a wide nose and about 22" wide.

 

[JLu]

hey thanks for the advice, both of you, I think for now Im gonna buy my friends 7'8" longboard to learn on, and then eventually get this one restored. Im going to go to santa cruz on friday though, for the oneills sale, so if you could let me know where the Haut shop is, so I can check it out, that would be great. thanks!

oh and i would try surfing it, but i had a quick question, when they glass it, can they fix bubbles? and if i were to surf it when its not waterproof, could that cause it to get water logged, and just cause more problems? thanks

 

[Halcyon]

Hey Jlu,

When you come in from the North on Route 1 Turn left on Swift St. The Haut shop is on the right at the corner of Delaware I believe. You can't miss it. You should call ahead so you can talk to someone in the shop that can give you some straight info on ding repair. The glass man may not be there on the week end. I'd call them up before go to Santa Cruz.

HAUT Surf & Sailboards
345 SWift Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-426-7874