Warranty Terms

Last updated: May 2025

We stand behind the quality of every surfboard we shape and every accessory we sell. This page details the warranty coverage we provide for our products, particularly our custom surfboards, and how to make a warranty claim. Our aim with these warranty terms is to give you peace of mind while also being clear about what is and isn’t covered.

Importantly, the rights and benefits outlined in this warranty are in addition to the consumer rights you have under Australian Consumer Law. Our goods come with automatic guarantees that cannot be excluded under law accc.gov.au – more on that in our Consumer Rights Policy below.

Warranty on Surfboards (Manufacturer’s Warranty)

Coverage: GS Surfboards offers a limited warranty for manufacturing defects on the custom surfboards we produce. This means we warrant that your surfboard, under normal use and service, will be free from significant defects in materials and craftsmanship for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase (unless a different period is specified for a particular model or special edition). If a manufacturing defect arises and a valid claim is received within the warranty period, we will, at our option:

• Repair the surfboard at no charge, or

•Replace the surfboard with a new board of the same or similar model/specification, or

•If a repair or replacement is not feasible or is overly burdensome, offer you a refund of the original purchase price.

The remedy chosen will depend on the nature of the defect and what is most practical. Our goal will always be to get you back in the water with confidence as soon as possible.

What Qualifies as a Manufacturing Defect?

Manufacturing defects are issues that arise from the way the board was made or the materials used, such as: delamination of the fiberglass from the foam core (under normal use), excessive sinkage or weakness in certain areas due to improper lamination, fin box or leash plug coming out due to poor installation, or the board being delivered warped/misshapen beyond intended design. Essentially, if the board fails in a way it shouldn’t, during normal, intended use, and that failure is due to something that went wrong in making it – that’s likely a manufacturing defect.

Exclusions – What’s Not Covered:

Surfboards endure extreme forces and various environments, so not every damage or issue is due to a defect. The warranty does not cover:

• Damage from Impact or Misuse: Dings, cracks, or breaks resulting from hitting something (e.g., rocks, reef, hard ground, your own body, another surfboard) or from dropping the board. Snapping or creasing a board while riding a wave (especially big waves or flat landings) is typically not a “defect” but a risk of the sport, unless there was a clear structural flaw.

• Normal Wear and Tear: This includes pressure dents on the deck from your feet (foot wells), minor dents or compression spots from regular use, yellowing of white foam or resin over time (UV exposure causes discoloration naturally), and slight softening of materials with age. These are cosmetic or expected outcomes of using a surfboard and do not affect its performance significantly.

• Water Intrusion After Damage: If you continue to use a board after it’s been dinged and not repaired, water can get in and cause further damage (like delam or rot). Damage resulting from neglecting to repair a known ding is not covered.

• Heat/Element Damage: Surfboards can be damaged by extreme heat (e.g., left in a hot car or direct sun in summer) or by extreme cold. Delamination or foam shrinkage due to heat exposure, or damage from leaving a board in a board bag wet (causing blank discoloration or mold) are not manufacturing defects. Always keep your board out of direct sun when not in use and don’t leave it in closed vehicles on hot days – temperatures inside a car can well exceed what the board can tolerate. Similarly, avoid leaving it in sub-freezing conditions for extended periods.

• Modifications or Repairs by Others: If you or someone else (other than us) alters the board – e.g., cutting in a new fin box, reshaping it, or any structural changes – or if you have it repaired by a third party, and then something fails in that area, it’s not on us. We can’t warranty someone else’s work. (This doesn’t mean you can’t get your board fixed by someone else – just that we can’t cover their repair in our warranty.)

• Fins, Leashes, Accessories: This specific warranty is mainly for the surfboard itself (the foam and fiberglass structure). Fins, leashes, board bags, traction pads and other accessories might have their own manufacturer warranties (often 3-6 months for leashes, etc.). We will honor and help facilitate any warranty claims with those third-party brands if an accessory fails due to a defect. For instance, if a leash swivels breaks under normal use within 3 months, or a fin has a manufacturing flaw, contact us and we’ll assist with the claim to the manufacturer or possibly replace it ourselves if appropriate.

• Second-Hand Boards: This warranty covers only the original purchaser and is not transferable. If you sell your board to someone else, they do not get a fresh 12-month warranty from us (they may still have rights under consumer law for a used purchase, but that would typically be between them and the seller). We encourage second-hand buyers to inspect boards thoroughly.

Note on Custom Artwork: If your board has custom artwork (airbrush, resin tint, etc.), slight variations or fading can happen over time. That in itself isn’t a defect. However, if there was a clear issue with the artwork application (like it started peeling off due to improper technique), we would consider fixing that, as it’s a workmanship thing.

Warranty on Accessories

Items like fins, leashes, and other accessories sold by GS Surfboards are generally produced by other manufacturers. They may come with their own warranties (for example, a leash might have a 6-month warranty against defects from the leash brand). We will assist you in claiming those warranties. Practically, if an accessory we sold you breaks or malfunctions unusually soon after purchase, contact us. If it’s clearly a defect (and not misuse, like a leash cut by a sharp object), we’ll usually work with the supplier to get you a replacement or refund quickly.

For GS-branded accessories (if we have any), we’ll similarly warrant them against defects for a reasonable period (say 6 months) with similar exclusions (normal wear, etc.).

How to Make a Warranty Claim

If you believe you have a warranty claim, please follow these steps:

Contact Us: Reach out via email (info@geraghtyshapes.com) or phone, and provide the following details:

• Your name and contact info.

• Proof of purchase (order number, receipt, or at least approximate date so we can find our records).

• A description of the issue with the product.

• Photos of the issue, if possible. For boards, take clear photos of the damage/defect area and the whole board (top and bottom). For accessories, photos of the broken part.

Evaluation: Our team will evaluate the information. We might ask additional questions to determine if it’s likely a manufacturing defect or another cause. In some cases, we might need to inspect the board in person to make a final determination.
Board Inspection: If the board needs to be inspected or repaired, we will coordinate how to get it to us. If you’re local, bringing it in is easiest. If you’re far away, we might arrange a courier pickup. We will handle or reimburse reasonable shipping costs for valid warranty claims. We might also direct you to a local surfboard repair specialist to assess – if the defect is obvious, sometimes a local shop can confirm it and even fix it under our direction.
Outcome: Once confirmed as a valid warranty issue, we will proceed with the remedy (repair, replacement, or refund). We’ll discuss with you what makes the most sense. If it’s a small issue (like a single fin box came loose), a repair is usually quickest. If it’s a major issue (board snapped under normal use very early in its life), likely a replacement. Replacements: because our boards are custom, a replacement means shaping you a new board – which will take some time, but we’ll prioritize it. If a refund is chosen, we may ask for the defective board to be surrendered to us (so it doesn’t remain in circulation). We’ll handle that case by case.
Timeline: We aim to resolve warranty claims promptly. Minor repairs might be turned around in a week or two. New board replacements might take a few weeks (due to shaping, glassing, curing time). We’ll keep you informed throughout the process.

What if My Warranty Claim is Not Approved?

If we determine the issue is not due to a manufacturing defect (i.e., falls under the exclusion list or otherwise outside warranty), we will let you know our reasoning. In such cases, although it’s not covered by a free warranty repair, we still want to help:

• We can often repair the board for you at cost (you’d pay, but we might do it cheaper than usual as a goodwill gesture). Or we can recommend a trusted repair shop.

• For irreparable damage, we might offer a discount on a replacement board, especially if the board was fairly new, as a courtesy to keep you as a happy customer.

• Ultimately, even if something isn’t covered, we don’t operate with a strict “deny and goodbye” mentality – we will try to work out a solution that is reasonable for both parties.

If you disagree with our assessment, you do have options under Australian Consumer Law to seek independent remedies. We hope to never reach that stage because we intend to be fair and in line with the law from the start.

Additional Legal Rights

Our warranty is provided in addition to your consumer guarantee rights. Under Australian Consumer Law, products come with guarantees that cannot be excluded, such as that the products are of acceptable quality and fit for purpose. If our product fails those guarantees, you are entitled to remedies even if the formal “12-month warranty” has expired.

For instance, if a hidden defect in the board became apparent after 18 months that should not occur in a board of that age (assuming normal use), you might still have a right to a remedy under ACL because you would expect a surfboard to last more than 18 months. We acknowledge that and will assess such situations on a case-by-case basis in line with legal guidelines.

In any communication about warranties, we will never mislead you about your rights. We won’t tell you “sorry, out of warranty, nothing we can do” if consumer law would say otherwise. It is actually unlawful for businesses to misrepresent consumer rights (e.g., saying “no refunds after 30 days” no matter what). We take compliance seriously.

We include here the mandated Australian Consumer Law warranty text for goods:

Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

This means even outside our warranty period, if your board or product has a failure that constitutes a major problem, you can seek a remedy under ACL. Of course, what is “acceptable quality” can depend on the product’s age and price. But we won’t shy away from these obligations.

Contact for Warranty Issues

For any warranty questions or claims, reach us at:

GS Surfboards – Warranty Claims

Email: info@geraghtyshapes.com

Please include your contact details and as much info as possible about your issue so we can help you faster.

We are dedicated to quality and customer satisfaction. Our reputation rides on every board we send out. If there’s a problem, we’ll do our best to get you sorted and back to enjoying your surf experience.