I read it to say that they had a hard time punching through the surf. On the second attempt, they heard a big crack (probably hit sideways by a wave) and decided to come back to shore rather than risk having a major failure in the boat later. Their frustration was enormous.

Come to think of it now, there may be an advantage having a boat with a little weight to it in the surf. Otherwise, you are really vulnerable to the waves taking any momentum. It sounds like a lot of other boats were damaged too.