• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

FREE GROUND SHIPPING ON ALL U.S. ORDERS OVER $100 ( EXCLUDES SURFBOARDS )

Bird's Surf Shed San Diego California
  • Shop
    • Men’s
    • Women’s
    • Headwear
    • Surfboards
    • Youth / Toddler
    • Accessories
  • Journal
  • About
  • Locations
    • Bird’s Surf Shed
    • The Shed OB
  • Contact
0

No products in the cart.

  • Shop
    • Men’s
    • Women’s
    • Headwear
    • Surfboards
    • Youth / Toddler
    • Accessories
  • Journal
  • About
  • Locations
    • Bird’s Surf Shed
    • The Shed OB
  • Contact
Bird's Surf Shed San Diego
0

No products in the cart.

Search
  • Shop
    • Men’s
    • Women’s
    • Headwear
    • Surfboards
    • Youth / Toddler
    • Accessories
  • Journal
  • About
  • Locations
    • Bird’s Surf Shed
    • The Shed OB
  • Contact

how to value a used board

Bird Answers This Most Asked Question: Whats Your Classic Board Worth?

July 28, 2021 by ADMIN Leave a Comment

WHATS MY BOARD WORTH?

Quite often, I get requests to appraise surfboards, either from a historical standpoint or a monetary one. Although just about all surfboards are different in a wide variety of ways, the same basic point needs to be touched on. Below is my response to the latest inquiry. I hope you find it of some interest.

Bill asked to have his Skip Frye appraised. It was heavily used and not in great condition. With the prices of Frye boards escalating rapidly, many feel they are all worth big bucks, but thats not the case. There is a big difference of having a solid rider and a wall hanger.

“Howzit Bill,”

“There are generally three types of people who like old boards. One is the investor/collector. These types of folks generally seek out boards in the 8-10 scale of condition. Some are very knowledgeable, but most are not. These people will spend serious dollars on the right board.”

“Another group of buyers is the decor/buyer. They generally know little if anything about boards, using them as props or more of a decorative item. They can spend dollars, but it’s hard to get it out of them.”

“The last group of people is the I want: the ‘to ride it’ group. Condition is of little importance since it’s all about the ride and not the glitz or glamour. As you would expect, this crew operates on a strict budget.”

 

shawn-parkin-surfers-journal-skip-frye
Some used boards are of a higher value than others due to many reasons. Skip Frye Quiver 2016. Photo: Shawn Parkin

“Your board falls into a very limited appeal group, and this is reflected in its value. Finding a badly weathered board and bringing it back to a respectable level is not a hard thing to do. To completely cover an entire board with a hot-coat pigment rather than polishing it to a high luster is a bit time consuming and is generally not a recommended way to go. Yes, you can hide ALL previous damage and sun-burned areas. BUT the board loses 90 percent of its soul.”

“No wooden stringer to view or possible markings on that stringer. Money buyers realize this instantly and shy away from it. A decor buyer might step up. Preserving a board by leaving all of its damaged areas exposed is the preferred way to go. The board’s overall condition tells a story and captivates all who look at it as they think about where the board has been and all of the waves that it’s been ridden on. A nice seal job with a lightly sanded finish is very cost-effective, thus making the board more affordable and interesting than one that has been covered up. In this scenario less is best.”

“Five to six years ago, your board could have sold in the $1,200 range if presented to the right group of buyers. These days, you’d be looking at a price range of between $600 to $800 — again, if presented to the right group of folks.”

“At the present time, I have a professionally sealed and polished early 1960s Hobie that has a great logo and no less that six stringers. It is priced at $595 and has been here for two months. The board market may recover in time, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting.”

“For another gauge of its value and a possible sale, list it on eBay and see who bites and what type of offers are coming in. As is often the case, your local shop or group of beach buddies will tell you I’m nuts and the board is worth big bucks. Every one has an opinion, and they are usually giving it to you for free. Getting the money that  people say it’s worth is a whole other ball game.”

“In closing, I’ll leave you with this; Skip [Frye] does fine work and is a credit to the profession. The board you have is unique in its own way, complete with the stories you have about it. I’d say enjoy all that it has to offer and be proud of what you have helped bring back to life.”

With respect,

Bird

Original post from SD News 2014

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: buying a used board, educational, how to buy a used board, how to value a used board, used surfboard

  • Browse Boards
  • STORE
  • Locations
  • Cart
  • Opt-out preferences
Bird's Surf Shed San Diego

STAY TUNED TO ALL THINGS "SHED"

All Killer, No Filler! We will keep you up to date with events, product releases, boards in stock, and more good info.
Please enter a valid email address.
Subscribe

Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

BIRD'S SURF SHED

Call Bird's Surf Shed (619) 276-2473

(619) 276-2473

1091 W. Morena Blvd. San Diego, CA 92110
1091 W Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
[email protected]

[email protected]

Events

Events

Get Directions

Get Directions

OB SHED

Call OB Shed (619) 276-2473

(619) 226-2473

1963 Abbott St. San Diego, CA 92107

1963 Abbott St
San Diego, CA 92107

[email protected]

[email protected]

Get Directions

Get Directions

INFO

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

Return Policy

Return Policy

FAQs

FAQs

Cookie Policy

Cookie Policy

ADA Compliance

ADA Compliance

SOCIAL LINKS

© 2022 Bird's Surf Shed. All Rights Reserved.

×
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, Bird's Surf Shed use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}