Those of you just moving to the islands and in need of a surfboard are probably scratching your heads as to why they are so expensive. Well Clark Foam, the company that supplied nearly 90% of the worlds foam surfboard blanks recently shut down it’s California plant making it nearly impossible for shapers to find foam blanks. What this means for the buyer is that prices are going up. If you buy from a store, like T&C or HIC, you’ll have to pay their mark up. Even at shops that sell used boards, like RVs in the Waikiki are going up. People know that fiber glass boards are still desirable and will charge accordingly.
However, you don’t have to pay the high prices to get a good surfboard. You can easily find a cheaper board by going to lesser known places. One such place, that I have purchased many o’ boards from is:
honolulu craigslist sporting goods
It’s an online, free classifieds that anyone can post on and that anyone has a chance to contact the seller and bargain their price down. If you are looking for somewhere to buy a good longboard in town, head onto craigslist and look under sporting goods, you’ll be sure to find quite a few boards that are between 8′6″ and 10′. If you are in town I would suggest looking for a board that is for sale in Kailua or somewhere on the windward side. Nobody wants to travel that far away and you can usually get the price down.
Another great place to buy used boards is at planet surf. A Planet Surf just opened in Waikiki and they offer cheap boards that are brand new as well as boards that people sell on consignment. If you really want a deal on a longboard we suggest the Planet Surf on the North Shore just before Shark’s Cove next to the Foodland. They have cheap new longboards that you won’t find a better price on. Gorgeous boards too.
One last place you can look is at both Costco and Sam’s Club. Although no one wants to say they are using a board from Costco everyone admits their epoxy boards are some of the best there are. And for $320, for a brand new 9′0″ board, that will last you forever, you can’t go wrong.
Good luck finding a board, just search around and you will see something that suits your needs. Don’t buy at the first place you stop, chances are it will be way over priced.
For more information on Water Sports and Surfing check out our helpful pages:
Oahu Surfing
Oahu Water Activities
Aloha
Kim and Erik
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