worst board you ever had

Maybe try a different shaper? Get something different than you are use to getting, shake things up a bit.

 

Worst boards were those I had (10+ yrs ago) before I realized I needed more float. Was buying boards because they were 6'2'' and HP shape.

 

Channel Island K-Step. Worst, by far. I have/had (age) the skills to use it, but it was contrary to everything for which I ordered it. In big surf it was absolutely useless, contrary to the makers claims.
And the quality if the craftsmanship...garbage. Pure garbage.
Sold it and had Mike Baron of Byrne make me one, which came out perfect, and I still have it for larger surf. One of my best.

 

A first generation quad shortboard from the late '80s. It just would not turn. Went really fast...straight down the line.

 

Are the boarts you get off the rack working any better for you than the ones you are getting custom shaped?

I don’t know how long you give the new boart before you give up on it but make sure you ride it in a variety of conditions and with a variety of fin options before calling it a dud.

Sometimes switching fins can make all the difference, or just time spent on that boart to get it dialed.

For example, I still feel like I’m getting to know my 6’ Coil M-80 and I have had it 2 years. I have had some magic sessions on it but I get the least amount of water time on that particular boart compared to my others. Each time I ride it I feel more in tune with it though. Just takes time I guess.

 

got this old 6'8 Orion squash tail beater board. Came with buying off an older LB from an old dude. anyhow, the board is so slow going down the wave that you're guaranteed to get smashed. take it mostly on the low tide sessions, pending doom

 

Bill Johnson rocket quad off the rack from a few years back. Fin spacing was horrible and I've ridden a few quads before. I think I was sucked in by the gimmick of a hybrid "swallow" tail. So that probably didn't help handling either. Also, the glass schedule couldn't have been more than a hot coat. Board snapped after 6 weeks of moderate use during the summer flats. I've had 3 customs since then and have never gone back. I'd never buy a board off the rack again unless in a jam or saw some second-hand shape in good condition. EFF U BJ

 

Without calling out the shaper.... I got a custom made 5-6 years ago, it was around the time that Robert's came out with the white diamond. I wanted a diamond tail groveler and I left the rest up to him.

The board rode OK but it just didn't jive with me at all. I don't know what it is, I just could not stand it. I think my next board was a Firewire Spitfire... off the shelf haha.

 

A Lis double bump squashtail with glassed on marine ply *tri fins*. In 1979. 2 years before Simon's Thruster.

It was sitting in the old Seagull Surf Shop (now Bird's OB). Sitting with another equally rare Lis with twin high aspect fins and sporting a "Canyon" logo (Rusty P). Both those boards would be a fortune now.

So I bought the Canyon Lis, which was a great board. Didn't want to take a chance on buying a dud, even if it was a Lis. One of my buddies bought the board a few weeks later.

Tried it out at Big Rock. It sucked balls. I gave it back to him after one wave and thanked Wayne that I didn't buy it.

 

Had a 6'2 spectrum. The entire deck rotted out and I filled it with Qcell turned it into a floating tank

 

I love every boart I ever owned. Any lack of performance I have chalked up to rider error.

My 6’10” WRV FunFish is probably the worst of them all but it’s also not the right size for me either, so there is that but it did help me get into riding SB’s. It’s also the most fragile boart I own.

My very first boart was a 6’4” BAT that I destroyed the bottom trying to shot the pier as a teenager, when I had no shot at being successful. I still have the boart for memories. It was a great boart till the destruction and crappy repair job I did.

 

I don't think I've ever owned a true dog of a board like some of you are describing, but I've had some go better than others. My worst was probably my first board. 1980's single fin that was about 6'4" and probably 19 or so wide and at least 3" thick. Boat of a board. But like dsup said, im sure that a lot of my problems had to do with user error

 

I've only owned a handful of custom boards and they've all worked fine for me but actually some of the better boards I've owned were off-the-rack ones. The custom ones were all shaped by solid craftsmen and in various shapes but there's something about picking up a board and knowing it's right by the way it feels in your hand. I swear by that. The worst board I've ever owned, and I don't think it was the shapers fault, was a Sharp Eye. I can't stand a board where the wide part is in the tail and that was this boards problem. I bought it to try something new but could never dial it in. It's nice that most shops will trade and/or haggle.

 

6'0" CI Neckbeard (stock dims). Sold it to a buddy so I got to try it again a couple months later... nope, still just didn't work for me.

 

Canyon Fish. That board was awful. Almost got me kilt.

 

...Lost Bottom Feeder. I believe it was a 5'10" Just didn't click with it at all. Way too much volume in all the wrong areas (rails/tail) and fin setup (thruster) didn't work suit my approach to small waves.

 

Agree with DP here, I've always assumed it was me and not the board

 

I always buy my boards off the rack. Custom boards are like women, what you think you want isn't really what you want.