“Amazing Stringerless Handshaped Eco Surfboard” It could be yours for the low, low price of $550! Image: Craigslist
Do you, like many others, spend countless hours mindlessly scrolling through Craigslist for random things you probably don’t need and shouldn’t be wasting time on? For me, it’s three things: surfboards, motorcycles, and the ever-entertaining Rants & Raves section. If you’re lucky, you can find some pretty damn good surfboards—a few years ago, I bought a 6’7 fun shape for visiting friends, and it ended up being one of my favorite boards. It was a yellowing Becker LC5 for $80. I covered it in spray paint, then used it until it was completely destroyed. The coup de grâce occurred a few months ago in Mexico when I somehow managed to put my knee all the way through it. It was a sad day.
This morning, on my regular scroll through the surfboard section, this little board popped up. “Amazing Stringerless Handshaped Eco Surfboard,” the headline reads. No false advertising there—it is indeed stringerless, it is indeed handshaped, it is very eco-friendly, and yes, it is amazing. It’s probably the best* deal you’ll find this week.
“Cleaning out the quiver and unfortunately have to pass this beauty along,” the poster wrote. “It’s been awesome in everything from ankle-high a-frames just up to XL Mavs (I grab my other board for XXL). Gorgeously handcrafted from an eco-friendly, recycled, stringerless blank with a 5-fin setup. I find it works best with an asym fin selection of three carbon composite keel fins all on the left side placed in alternating directions (not included). But it’s still absolutely incredible as a 2+1 with a nubster, or as a thruster, or as a quad, or as a twin, or with five nubsters.”
Of course, when one takes a board like this out at XL Mav’s, it’s bound to have a few imperfections. “Mild pressures as seen in the pics, but otherwise in fantastic condition. Perfect for pros and transitioning beginners alike with just enough volume to catch everything while still performing radical maneuvers with minimal rider input. When it’s not punting massive airs it’s usually finding the barrel in even the mushiest waves. Similar to a Hypto Krypto or Slater Sci-fi but with a squash tail (and not a cheap overseas pop-out!).”
If you hesitate to drop $550 on a used board, well, the seller’s got you covered. “May be open to trades for a Skip Frye fish,” he wrote. “Or something from Ryan Burch or Ryan Lovelace or any other craft shaper named Ryan.”
*worst
