Please hear my confession, it's been more than 10 years since I owned windsurfing gear. :(

In my mind I can still pull off the massive jumps I used to do but my body probs won't agree so I'll probably be doing a bit of harbour cruising and light bump and jump so would like a comfy board.

I've found some older second hand gear, either a Bic Techno 293 twin or F2 Xantos 295 and a few suitable sails.

Not overly familiar with these boards, any comments on them , I'm about 85kgs

It's just as fun now as you remember
How much can you spend ?

The Bic 293 is very wide and stable, being 79cm wide. It planes quite early. It has a fin box in the middle of the hull to put a fin as a dagger board if necessary. You can start windsurfing on it and then progress up to planning in the strap.
You can probably even SUP it.

None of this is true with the xantos. Modern equivalent would be a 100 to 110 l freeride board. Definitely not a beginner board. Technical to uphaul on it with your weight I guess.

If you feel like you can sell transition gear then it could work. Personally, I would get somewhat more decent gear since your level was already advanced.

85kg + 20 knots = 6.x + freeride 105L. You may need a 125 to get back into it. Waterstart ok?

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Nicko29 said..
The Bic 293 is very wide and stable, being 79cm wide. It planes quite early. It has a fin box in the middle of the hull to put a fin as a dagger board if necessary. You can start windsurfing on it and then progress up to planning in the strap.
You can probably even SUP it.

None of this is true with the xantos. Modern equivalent would be a 100 to 110 l freeride board. Definitely not a beginner board. Technical to uphaul on it with your weight I guess.

My skills when I windsurfed were pretty good, bit of wave action or high wind bay B&J (Botany) on a 255cm custom glass board
and towards the end I was a pretty big wind snob and would only go out if it was blowing hard, but that was then ;)

Sounds like the Bic 295 is the go as where I'll be sailing isn't exactly a primo spot, gusty with lots of holes and potential for a big walk of shame if the wind dies.

Kelpo, I think you're underselling yourself. I agree with Manuel, if you were wavesailing 10yrs ago it should come back to you pretty quickly, modern (2000+) gear is easier to sail. Your board was older? Get a 2nd hand freeride board around 120L, 240cm long with a decent fin and you'll get planing nice and early, and enjoy the buzz!. Good luck!

You would have to have been treating yourself pretty badly to not be able to get on a board and rapidly return to 90% of your old level.
Slow cruising will be boring. Buy a FSW board around the 100l mark. Sails 4.5 - 7m covers most Sydney days











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Like riding a bike, you'll be on top of it after just a few sessions. Plenty of us here have done the exact same thing after a 10-year layoff.

I used to wave sail a lot. Had about a 20 year break due to kids. A mate who was a relative beginner invited me river sailing so I dragged out the old board, brushed the mouse poo out of the sail and joined him.

I sailed past him an cranked into a gybe and sailed back to the shore, mentally pumped but so were my forearms.

As others have said, don't under rate yourself. You never forget. The thing with me though, was that I was riding my old gear, once I upgraded I found the modern gear felt quite different.

That was about 4 years ago, I still have the buzz.

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Stretchy said..
Kelpo, I think you're underselling yourself. I agree with Manuel, if you were wavesailing 10yrs ago it should come back to you pretty quickly, modern (2000+) gear is easier to sail. Your board was older? Get a 2nd hand freeride board around 120L, 240cm long with a decent fin and you'll get planing nice and early, and enjoy the buzz!. Good luck!

I completely agree with this.

I had a 10 year break and when I stopped I could not water start or gybe at the time. When I got started again I was pretty much exactly where I left off; although I was catapulting a lot more initially.

When I bought some kit I thought I would go for a big board to re-learn: a 155L Tabou Guru. It was good on a lake and easy to uphaul on. However, I quickly progressed and found it just didn't have enough performance. In stronger winds and in the sea it was just too big.

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KelpoS said..

Sounds like the Bic 295 is the go as where I'll be sailing isn't exactly a primo spot, gusty with lots of holes and potential for a big walk of shame if the wind dies.

If the 293 is really cheap and in good shape then why not, if you like it. However, pretty much any standard freeride board around 120-140L will be more lively and fun.

Depending on where you are going to sail the most will depend on the right board for the right place.
Also depends on what wind strength you like to sail in too.

At least if you buy some decent rigs then they will last a while and get a slightly bigger board and then trade it in once you get yourself a bit better at sailing or keep it for the lighter days and then in about 2 years time you'll be like the rest of us and you'll have your misses demanding space in the garage again and you'll have to sell about 5 of them.....:)