Building or Buying

I started building boards because I'm a cheap ass.  When I first started doing it a whole kit was only about 50 bucks.  One thing led to another and I ended up hooked on a hobby.  There are safer, cheaper hobbies that don't piss of the neighbors, don't clutter the garage so bad and don't give you skin rashes or cancer.  Coin collecting is far safer, potentially far more profitable and hardly takes up any space!

If you have the money, just buy your boards professionally made.  Get a good one with decent brand recognition.  Considering what goes in to a new professionally made board, they are a bargain.

There is a good argument for resale value when you decide to sell or trade-in on a new one.  Often the shop where you bought your board will offer a discount on sequential purchases.  There is little if any resale value in a shitty homemade special with a second rate glass job. 

Realistically it will take you several years to get good results and those years would be better spent practicing and improving your surfing on a good board.

The guys who actually try to make a living at it will thank you.  Guys on Swaylocks will call you a wuss. 

That's OK... you'll be out surfing while they're getting itchy and dusty grinding fiberglass.  Or sitting in front of their computer bragging about their awesome board building skills.

 

just surf a lot

as long as you can

we dont live forever

building boards is good to do

when you cant surf because

of crappy weather or injury down time.

if you have money spend it .

stinyray is right about ding repair voyuerism

coping a template is a no brainer

and an unclaimed repair is your board.

occasionally they just dont have the money to 

pay for the abused board and choose to buy another cheap

cast off instead,hand me downs are easy to come by

sometimes you can repair a ding

and trade a real good old custom for that repair

getting a super quality board that was well tested.

 

you are on the right track

building your own surfboard

is a surfing tradition

well worth preserving.

 

real surfing is slowly being digested by 

a consumer culture and media driven 

mores are bending the conciousness

criterion to fit.Great surf spots and great surfers

are now judged by being photogenic 

at photogenic spots on comercially

designed and marketed products.

 

making a living as a surfboard builder is a noble ideal.

formulating a livable life is a quest.

have fun what ever you choose.

you spend all the money you have

building and working on boards

you get far more for your hard earned money.

 

…ambrose…

is two hundred boards enough?

 

[quote="$1"]

just surf a lot, as long as you can

we dont live forever

building boards is good to do

when you can't surf because

of crappy weather or injury downtime.

[/quote]

[quote]

...building your own surfboard

is a surfing tradition

well worth preserving.

[/quote]

[quote]

real surfing is slowly being digested by 

a consumer culture and media driven 

mores are bending the conciousness

criterion to fit.

 

Great surf spots and great surfers

are now judged by being photogenic 

at photogenic spots on comercially

designed and marketed products.

[/quote]

good points all, and well put