[Yea, I'm showing my Noobieness again, but I need advice...]

Consider getting current stone grind on the base, even though there is one already. A lot of factory stuff is just given the once over for looks, get somebody to give it TLC on a machine. A good stoning will open the base up a little more, helping impregnate with wax easier. This is a good alternative to 15 coats. I only have the attention span for 5 -7 coats.

[Good carving freestyle??]

Good call Matt D

I recently got back into riding softie setups fot teaching after 8 years on nothing but hards, carving or freeride. I got an Alibi 159 last year and loved it,super flexy but torsionally rigid enough to get on edge and have some fun.

mick

[Anyone see this? (Base grind machine)]

D-Sub,

Would definetly advise against this. Back in the day (late eighties/early nineties) I worked in a shop that had no board specific machines. They do exist from companies like Grindrite and Wintersteiger. It's real easy to groove the center of bases on half a belt. Also, there are other aspects to take into consideration. Can you still purchase emulsifier for the machine (it won't run long if you don't). Can you get belts and diamond stone cutters. ( The stone cutter isn't a major downside but when they go they're expensive.) Lastly, without some training these puppies can be dangerous--10 becomes nine sort of stuff.

Hope this was helpful.