First real goban for a complete beginner?

[kc9hzn]

About a year ago, I bought my first go set, it was one of the ~$30 box "delux go sets". Good enough for learning at home, but the board itself seems a bit too cheap. I'm a bit concerned about carrying it around, say, to board game night. While I'd really love to have a floor goban for my own use (additionally, I don't really have the table space to play go, and floor models solve that), but I can't afford even the cheapest! lowest quality ones I've seen. So, that leaves me looking at table boards. I want something thicker, maybe 1 3/4" or 2" but still reasonably cheap. Any suggestions of what to look for?

Additionally, I'd like to have a wooden 9x9 board, maybe one with a 13x13 board on the other side. Does anyone have experience with those boards?

[msgreg]

You didn't mention how cheap or in what country. A quick survey of some of the main go vendors in the US shows prices in the range of $75 (bamboo) to $200 (Shin-Kaya, Agathis) for approximately 2-inch table board.

There are wooden table boards new in the $200 range as well, but you'd have to go used to get a solid wood of the main goban wood types in that range.

Wooden 9x9 at $11 and 13x13/9x9 reversible are available at $25.

Though the wooden ones are nice, I find that laminated paper boards are adequate for 9x9 or 13x13, placed on a wooden 19x19 or a table.

[kc9hzn]

Oh sorry, I'm in the US and I'm looking for a board between $50 and $100. Actually, I just saw a $75 YM Imports board on eBay that was 13x13 on one side and 19x19 on the other. 2" bamboo. That's pretty close to what I want, though I'd rather have a 19x19 grid on one side and a 9x9 on the other. How are bamboo boards in the durability department?

[msgreg]

You can easily print a 9x9 on letter paper.

[EdLee]

How are bamboo boards in the durability department?

Unless the board is made of very poor materials or manufactured very badly, most boards you buy --
kaya, shinkaya, bamboo, even particle-board, or home-made -- will last many lifetimes
with good care. They'll still be around long after all of us here are gone.

[Boidhre]

I got a folding bamboo board as my first proper board. Easy to store and easier to carry around to game nights. I'm very happy with the quality of it.

Not a useful link for you since it's a German store but this is the one: http://www.hebsacker-verlag.de/bambus-k ... -2971.html

I'm sure similar boards could be sourced in the US.

[Bonobo]

So, since Boidhre already pointed towards Hebsacker Verlag in Germany, I really like this 19x19/13/13 board for carrying around, it has a magnetic “hinge” so there’s no ugly real hinge that could make scratches on the table or disturb the appearance. Have carried it around for years.

This, plus a nice shin-kaya 13x13/9x9 board, plus a full set of stones, and four people can play if they restrict themselves to 13x13 and 9x9; this combo is what I recommend to the parents of the kids whom I teach Go since it gives them the most options.

[EdLee]

Bonobo, the magnetic hinge design is fantastic!

[kc9hzn]

I really like the idea of the magnetic hinge. It shouldn't wear out like a normal folding hinge does. But yeah, I really like the idea of having two 9x9 or 13x13 boards handy. It's usually only four or five of us who get together to play games, and we like to get a couple of games in in a night, so 9x9 and 13x13 are just great, especially since only two of us have played any go. With two boards, we can generally keep everyone playing and happy. As for the reason I want a wooden board over vinyl or paper? The wooden sets just look a lot better quality. Paper or vinyl is good in a pinch but it seems kind of cheap if you're hoping to get others into the game.

Just out of curiosity, though, what's the bargain basement end of the floor goban market? I don't necessarily want heirloom quality (though it would be nice), I want something that'll survive the rigors of shipping and maybe 10 years of use. I'm not opposed to used units. As a matter of fact, I rather like the idea of getting an antique board. I like items that can stand in the face of time, especially if they've proven themselves already by having done so.

[Boidhre]

So, since Boidhre already pointed towards Hebsacker Verlag in Germany, I really like this 19x19/13/13 board for carrying around, it has a magnetic “hinge” so there’s no ugly real hinge that could make scratches on the table or disturb the appearance. Have carried it around for years.

This, plus a nice shin-kaya 13x13/9x9 board, plus a full set of stones, and four people can play if they restrict themselves to 13x13 and 9x9; this combo is what I recommend to the parents of the kids whom I teach Go since it gives them the most options.

I've never found the hinge on my board to be problematic. There are small plastic feet on the base of the board that means the hinge never touches the surface so long as it's a flat surface. The big benefit with magnetic in my eyes is that you don't need a flat surface as big as the board to play on. Not an issue for me but it's a nice convenience.

[Bonobo]

I've never found the hinge on my board to be problematic. There are small plastic feet on the base of the board that means the hinge never touches the surface so long as it's a flat surface.

Ah, then it seems to be made really well.

The big benefit with magnetic in my eyes is that you don't need a flat surface as big as the board to play on.

Yes, I’ve often had it on a stool or a little round table that was smaller than the board. The other benefit is that you can use both sides, so that you have two boards in one.

[Mike Novack]

For the benefit of those among us not familiar with woodworking ........ the problem of the hinges of a hinged board protruding and scratching the surface of where the board is placed or even the solution of that problem by placing tiny "legs" all around that protrude more than the hinges is a matter of low cost.

The problem with hinges protruding means that they were not "inset". Proper construction would have had the area where the hinges go routed out to a depth just over the thickness of the hinge plates. In which case they would not protrude. But to have that really neat the area routed must be no larger than the hinge plates and that means that the corners probably need to be dressed by hand or special order hinges with rounded corners matching the router used. Probably not enough boards made to make the special order hinges cheap and the other solution, make the area routed much larger than the hinge plates isn't neat looking.

[Inkwolf]

Re bamboo boards, I have one of those 2" ones, and it adds another crack every winter. If you live in a state where it goes from wet and humid to cold and dry every year, it may not be for you. (But it is still usable. It is just full of thin cracks.)

If you have the patience to lurk on Ebay, fantastic deals sometimes crop up. I got a nice new YMI shin kaya 1-1/3 inch board for $21 including shipping...

And the shin kaya has not cracked at all.

[bogiesan]

The problem with hinges protruding means that they were not "inset". (snip) Probably not enough boards made to make the special order hinges cheap and the other solution, make the area routed much larger than the hinge plates isn't neat looking.

The strip of magnetic material illustrated on the German site requires a router or tablesaw to make the groove in the edge of each half. Easily done, cheap, precise; anyone with minimal woodworking skills and a proper tool could do it.

My club board is a 1" slotted board from Ye Olde Ishi Press. It's probably twenty-five years old. I carry a lovely woven cloth, edged and hemmed, to place under the board. It protects the board and the table from each other. I think it's more elegant than feet.

[Bonobo]

[..]

If you have the patience to lurk on Ebay, fantastic deals sometimes crop up. [..]

Heh, after reading this I did just that, and I got a nice little (about half of normal size) wooden folding travel Goban w/ stones. Some really cool floor gobans there also … I guess some day I might get me another one.