Beginner board/ Obrien Elite

Question
QUESTION: Typical situation, neighbor selling a "9 out of 10" condition garage stored O'Brien Elite for $400 here in Texas, no local shops nearby, and my friends have moved to Kiteboarding, sooo, I need some advice. It's a 10'8 board with a 5.4m sail. I'm 6', 225# and I have many friends who hang out would like to learn. I've heard they're heavy but indestructible (which would be a plus in the party situation!) Is this a board I should consider? Is that too pricey for an old board? Thanks! Great forum BTW, just hard to search...

ANSWER: I would say that is too much for such an old board mint condition or otherwise.  You could get a much newer model used for that much money, it's just a question of watching and waiting which means you could miss the summer sailing season.  Board design has evolved a lot since that board was introduced.  The newer the board the easier they are to learn on.  The older equipment(older than 10 years) is a higher learning curve. It sounds like a good deal and someone will probably buy it for that much but I would have to recommend against it.

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QUESTION: Okay, in that case, when I do see a board come available, how do I gauge if it would be a good board for my ht/wt, etc? Or if it's priced correctly? There's no dealers close by and the smarta** kids locally all say get a kiteboard! lol..Do I just need to start calling shops to ask the pros everytime? It seems the good deals are gone quickly and there really isn't many available in my neck of the woods. Google searches bring up comments but not much advice! Any tips?

Answer
It is tough to find the right stuff at a fair price.  I am always on the look out for good used equipment as I cannot afford new stuff.  I just keep looking.  You should be looking for a board in the 150 to 170 liter range.  If you are a rank beginner you should probably be looking for a board with a dagger board.   I have been windsurfing since 1982 so I remember all the names of the old boards and avoid them.  The newer boards are much wider and this make them less tippy and easier to learn on.  Call around to shops to see what they have in used boards even if it only gives you and idea of whats for sale.  The question you need to ask when buying a board is what year was it made.  Most people selling them won't tell you or don't know.  Try doing an internet search on the board by name as see what you can find out.  I often use this method.  Sometimes a search will turn up a forum and if you read enough of it you can get an idea of how old the board really is.