Long time lurker, first time poster.
I'm 48 and really looking to get back to Windsurfing. I windsurfed all through my teens till i was 25ish. Everything from Tyronsea 360, 330, 295, Then a Bic Electric Rock (Which i loved more than my girlfriend.) I was an inland sailor, ripping around on the Hume Weir in Albury Wodonga, never got into the surf. I would have called myself an intermediate, loved going fast, and my gybing was coming along. And then life made me get rid of my gear and do other things.

12 years ago I got into KiteSurfing for about a 5 year period. (Before the Coke Ad made everyone with a tan think they could be the next booster). I often sailed at Dolls Point, and was enjoying it, but as the beach and site got more crowded and my kids came along, i gave away my boards and kites to the brother in law who would use them. I'm still into Traction Kites and don't mind the odd boost with my Blades.

I'm about 106kg's / 189cms tall and reasonably fit for an old bloke, (swimming, surfing (logs) etc but really need some advice of what i should be thinking about in terms of
- any recommendations for instructors on the northern beaches
- What & how to pick the right size and type of rig (beginner/intermediate; 106kg human; rig for varied, but flat water, conditions) . Im very aware that the gear today is wider and less volume than back in the day.
- What sort of money should i be investing for decent gear

Hope that's not too much to ask of my 1st post, but I do need all your help!. Ive noticed others have asked for similar advice, and after reading the other posts i could find any recommendations for "Heavier / Big Boned " sailors.

Any advice greatly appreciated. May the wind blow.

P.S. I'm based in Castlecrag Sydney

Re-grip the 'ol Bic and get out there!
windsurfing is sick fun. Get a newish sail/mast ect. and a decent fin to start and you'll be into it again.

I'd suggest:
- 130ish litre board
- a 6.5--7.0m no cam RAF sail
- a 7.5-8.0m no cam RAF sail
- definitely a carbon boom at your weight...these cop a pounding from bigger sailors.

Once your back in the groove on this gear, and should you feel the need for speed, then supplement with:
- 100 - 105l small board
- 3 or 4 cam race or semi race sails

what's the wind like where you are ??
i am 105+ likos

in light wind I like a longboard or JP SLW92 with BIG sails ie > 8 meters
when wind increases to about 16 knots I actually still like about 160 liters
with about an 8 meter sail

next board down i tried a 132 liter board
went back to 140 liters and 80 cm wide as next board down
with 7-8 meter sails
as i am a collector, also have a Shark 145 HRS 75 cm wide

starts to get tough to choose - not

Hi Stefang, I like you , are 48, and have a very similar story (without the kite surfing) to you. I am slightly heavier than you and got back into windsurfing about 6 months ago. I got myself a fanatic gecko 156 and a 7.5 Severne no cam ncx. Absolutely brilliant, I am so hooked. It takes a little bit to get used to the shorter wider boards but once you do, they are easier to sail than the old style. I have also just got the ncx in a 6.5 for the real windy days. My advice is to get a free ride board with adjustable footstraps so you can start in board and work your way back and out.

After I had a 16 year break (then 123 kg, now 98) I bought a 141 go, 9.5/8.6 overdrives & used my wife's 180 JP funster to learn/relearn all the basic's from Jem Halls DVD

As mentioned above go a larger freeride board, I chose the go because of the full Eva deck (easy on the knees when climbing onto it) & it was a tough skin model (never damaged it), but I would assume most of the larger freeride boards have similar features

Looking back I wished I had gone with twin or no cam sails as mentioned above at first as water starts & up hauling would have been easier & progression would have been faster

be quick just spotted on the Buy and sell here a dirt cheap starboard carve 75cm wide right up your alley!! Cheap as chips too! and 7.5 ezzy legacy sail , both in Qld that would be great combo for you, then just get a 6.5 or 6m legacy and your set from 12-30knts flatwater, get RDM mast to go with them 460 and 430, you don't need to lash out on a carbon boom to get back into it, alloy is fine for now, and no need for cambered sails.
Youve sailed before so it will all come back quickly.

After a 25year break I got a Severne Overdrive M1 8.6 and a Starboard carve IQ 151. Loved the sail, it got me going in just over 11knots and I can hang on to 20knots, The board just didn't inspire me though, easy to sail but boring. I switched to a Starboard Ultrasonic and that was awesome until it got choppy and although great in a straight line didn't really like changes in direction, upwind and close reaching maxed out was just asesome. Then got a Severne Fox 140, can't say enough nice things about this board, Construction is awesome, much tougher than my other boards an only 200grams more than the US. Really easy to sail, faster than I want to go sometimes, piece of cake to jibe, Enough float so that I can uphaul if needed (I'm 92kg + wetsuit), only thing I've changed for next year is a bigger fin and a Overdrive 8.6M2 as my M1 has taken a beating.

Thanks guys, makes it so much easier when u stand on the shoulders of giants to cut the learning curve.

So i have landed my self a used 2018 JP 154 wood core magic ride(thanks Robert). And sourced a 2018 Severene Turbo GT in 8.6m (thanks Simon), and another used 7.5m NCX.

Now whats the go with RDM / SDM masts and carbon booms etc. Any pointers?

New vs used (preloved), anything to be wary of?

Any brands i should steer away from, or have low mean time to failures?

Any advice again greatly appreciated.

Now back to formulating how I'm going to explain how all this gear just mysteriously appeared in my garage to the "boss". I have sold off a pretty good telescope to fund this so, me hopes my nuts are still intact going into xmas.

sG

Never sailed RDMs but on larger sized sails like yours, I believe SDMs are definitely the go. North masts have been good to me for many years, but I'm sure others are eminently suitable too. Be disciplined and do a quick wrap of electrical mast tape to join the two mast halves before threading into the sail. RAF sails in particular have a nasty habit of slightly separating mast halves as you go for more purchase on the sail to thread it up the sleeve a little deeper. Nothing more devastating than writing off a perfectly good mast just because the ferrule is not fully inserted.
Booms...just make sure you have enough extension range to cover your sails outhaul requirements. Otherwise, I believe once you're into the carbon range, there's very little separate them for the casual sailor. Have had good experiences with Maui Sails and North. I've not heard of any chronic issues with any of the other popular brands either....Neil Pryde, Severne, Chinook, Simmer etc.

Check your mast curve / sail brand compability. You have more leeway with camless sails than cammed ones.
www.unifiber.net/masts-selector