Hi all.
All members of my family including me have been sup surfing and participated in some races for some years now. Board used for racing is a 14feet x 24inches ( letting you know that we are used to stand on slim boards )

Last two years here in my island Cyprus in the Mediterranean every afternoon is windy so in the last month my daughter ( she is 10 ) and i ( i am 50 and 78kg ) have taken some lessons in windsurfing. We started on a 200+ liter board and now on a 175 liter with me at 4.5 sail and my daughter at 3 size sail.

Soon the rentals will close as winter is here so my thoughts are to get a board and some sails. The shop said to me to wait next year so i could steadily use a smaller boards until i get to the 120 liter size board and then get one because if i get a 185 liter board most probably next year i will need to sell it to get a smaller board.

He is correct but my question is why not now get second hand a 2019 Tabou Rocket 125 AST or a 2019 Tabou Rocket 135 AST or a 2020 Tabou Rocket 145 MTE that are available at his shop for sale as second hand and skip the try on the 175, 165, 155. For sails i will need some but second hand are lots available.
I am still in learning to jybe intermediate and started kind of planing on the last rides. My daughter can stand on any board since she surf on much smaller boards. So can i jump on a 125, 135 or 145 and keep going? I want to learn to waterstart but that i need my board and time to spend to learn and with rental shops closing down thats not good for me.

So do you recommend to wait or get a board and keep practicing. i have some days left to try on those boards 125, 135, 145 so if i am able to use them, shall i get one? And if i get a board, which board do you recommend so that i can also keep?

Thank you

You obviously want one so don't wait.

You can tell your wife that I said it was OK

I would think, that for your weight, the 125 would be the best. You are likely to keep it for a long time, even after you go much smaller.

Keep at it & try various size boards. If you're comfortable with a big board you'll get the same confidence as you try smaller & lighter boards.
An 80kgs person can use "sinker's". A board that sinks under your weight. It's all about balancing you're abilities & challenging yourself. If you're able to purchase a few different sized boards varying from say 90ltr volume up to 125ltr you'll certainly find your way of handling the board. I'm 61 & been w'sing since late 70's. Still love it even after having a long spell from doing it (life's commitments).
l've just bought myself another board today.
I've got 4 boards a 78ltr wave board, Starboard Futura 86, 228cm , an older 295 Mistral & now a 250cm Naish board on the way.
We fall, we spill but have a great time & you've now got the bug for this.

Prepare for more $'s lightening your pocket.

Life's short enjoy it.

You're hooked! How can you not be after explaining yourself in detail.

Just go for it! It's a sport for all ages & abilities.

125 will be plenty at your weight.

Great response and Advice is taken since you all point to the 125 ltr direction. I will try them hopefully tomorrow ( let there be wind.. ) and let you know. I will first try the 125 and If I will be able to windsurf on it I will then buy it. Second hand it's here at Euro 700.

It is addictive as all sports, but since this is my new sport now, I can't wait to windsurf everyday ( I live near the sea, 5 min drive and there is a club on beach that can store my equipment for a small yearly fee.
Thank you. More opinions are welcome.

Keep in mind what the average wind speeds you will be windsurfing in, for light winds (12-15 knots) you may want a larger/wider board to get planing early (~80 cm wide). 700 euros sounds a bit much for a two year old AST build rental board, that is probably what he paid for it new as a dealer, and you have been paying for lessons and rental gear so he should give you a price break from the price advertised on his website.

The other thing to keep in mind is foiling!, if you decide to get into foiling in the future it is best to have a board with a foil ready DT box.

Select to expand quote

..larger/wider board to get planing early (~80 cm wide).......The other thing to keep in mind is foiling!, if you decide to get into foiling in the future it is best to have a board with a foil ready DT box.

You got me thinking.. Usually here they recommend windsurf at 15+ so this gets me thinking.
The 125 ltr board is 75.5 cm wide, the 135 ltr is 77.5cm wide and the 145 is 79cm wide. So for light winds I need bigger board? Can't i sail with the 125 and bigger sail?I am excited to buy gear but I must try not to rush my decision... I will try all in wind above 15 and below and let's hope I will decide. Now I understand why you all have more than one board
As for foiling, I did not like it while I tried foil surf as it gets extremely quiet. Even though foiling has its advantages, hearing the splashing is melody for my ears but that's just me

Foiling is highly over rated.

Yes I'll get hammered for this comment. But really it's over rated can't emphasize it enough.

You gotta walk before you can run.

Keep at the Windsurfing first & get your skills up on the gybes, deep water starts (absolutely essential), learn some Trix, like body drags, duck gybes, heaps to learn....

Just remember foiling you need deeper water as those blasted foils are lethal not to mention expensive. Sandbars & unseen objects in the water can end up being highly costly. At least with normal w'sing a good fin size of 30-44cm is ample whether it be straight, raked or curved then there's thrusters (yes the list goes on).

Plenty that have tried foiling end up dumping their gear online again only to go back to normal w'sing.
Check out the YouTube videos of catapults from foiling, they're insane!
And of course there's plenty that love foiling. Each to their own!

At this point stick to Windsurfing without the foil. You're gut instinct is always the way YOU choose what's right for you, along with fun factor first.

Great to hear you're enjoying the new sport. Thumbs up.

Select to expand quote

windsurfing2021 said..

..larger/wider board to get planing early (~80 cm wide).......The other thing to keep in mind is foiling!, if you decide to get into foiling in the future it is best to have a board with a foil ready DT box.

You got me thinking.. Usually here they recommend windsurf at 15+ so this gets me thinking.
The 125 ltr board is 75.5 cm wide, the 135 ltr is 77.5cm wide and the 145 is 79cm wide. So for light winds I need bigger board? Can't i sail with the 125 and bigger sail?I am excited to buy gear but I must try not to rush my decision... I will try all in wind above 15 and below and let's hope I will decide. Now I understand why you all have more than one board
As for foiling, I did not like it while I tried foil surf as it gets extremely quiet. Even though foiling has its advantages, hearing the splashing is melody for my ears but that's just me

every board has a sail range, in general the bigger the board the bigger the sails, go to the manufactures website to see the recommended sail range for a board.

I agree 700 Euros is too much for a 2 year old budget (AST) rental board.
I'd want to make sure whatever you get can take a foil, especially if one day you want to learn wavesailing. The foil translates in a way that big gear just doesn't.

+1 for the idea of getting a board that will eventually mount a foil (unless you will be ready to buy a foil board later).

Yes, in any case, get good at windsurfing first. Then, if you decide to move into foiling, you will have the skills to move forward.

Select to expand quote

Sandman1221 said..
Keep in mind what the average wind speeds you will be windsurfing in, for light winds (12-15 knots) you may want a larger/wider board to get planing early (~80 cm wide). 700 euros sounds a bit much for a two year old AST build rental board, that is probably what he paid for it new as a dealer, and you have been paying for lessons and rental gear so he should give you a price break from the price advertised on his website.

The other thing to keep in mind is foiling!, if you decide to get into foiling in the future it is best to have a board with a foil ready DT box.

That's where foiling comes in! A whole new addiction there!

It was cloudy with possible rain and danger of lightings so we did not get into the sea yesterday
Today is a more promising day
I will keep you posted with updates.

Get a 145. Nice and wide to uphaul in choppy sea yet still very fast. When you attempt gybes and get half way around and stall you wont always fall in. At 50 you just arent as agile and quick as 30 year olds. 145 will plane earlier and still get you home on days when its not too windy. Lots of experts on forum and its hard to remember how physical it all is as you try to waterstart , after just about drowning with sail on top of your head you want to sit exhausted on a floaty thing, uphaul and gratefully get back to the beach. Light weight and wide . Foiling is another whole thing. Not yet, just get gybes and waterstarts going, thats rewarding enough for now.

Good news of updates of the testing of the boards.
The weather last weekend was perfect for the testing of the boards so both days i was on them
I have firstly tried the 145 with the sail i am familiar with, the 4.5. First impression was that i could easily stand on this board but moving about on it i said this board is a sinker but then i realized that wrong placement of the foot makes the board wobble and tilts/sinks. After realizing this i was very concentrate of my foot placements and then this board was a plain joy . it forced me to use the sail to correct my mistakes and ohh boy when i made planing.. That's a board i believe as many said above will stay for me for a long time and teach me all windsurfing steps.
Next hour i jumped on the 125 and i was still floating on it but i was falling in the water too many times for minor mistakes This will not make me move forwards or enjoy the sport, at least for the following year or two.

Second day then again on the 145 and i made progress on my planning, gybe and tack and then when the wind drop it still got me going. Cruising with this board is really relaxing too. I enjoyed this board and i honestly believe that's a board will teach me a lot.

As my coach and friend here on the spot ( not the owner ) said to stick to this 145 boards and with this board i will be able to learn all windsurfing tricks which is an important part not to skip any of them.

That's a good testing of the boards and i am glad i made up my mind. Now its time to be an owner of one 145 ( and some sails ) so i will have unlimited time to learn and play . Any recommendations for sails ?

Thank you all for your time and advices.

Select to expand quote

improvit said..
Get a 145. Nice and wide to uphaul in choppy sea yet still very fast. When you attempt gybes and get half way around and stall you wont always fall in. At 50 you just arent as agile and quick as 30 year olds. 145 will plane earlier and still get you home on days when its not too windy. Lots of experts on forum and its hard to remember how physical it all is as you try to waterstart , after just about drowning with sail on top of your head you want to sit exhausted on a floaty thing, uphaul and gratefully get back to the beach. Light weight and wide . Foiling is another whole thing. Not yet, just get gybes and waterstarts going, thats rewarding enough for now.

After trying the 145, you are so correct

I've gotten the most use out of my 145 before I started going heavy into race foiling.

Even then, if it's marginal I can use my 145 Blast with anything from 5.8 to 9.5, with or without a foil.

Looks like the Tabou is a powerbox so you likely won't be foiling it, but you're also in a windier locale so you should still be able to use it plenty.

Select to expand quote

windsurfing2021 said..
Good news of updates of the testing of the boards.
The weather last weekend was perfect for the testing of the boards so both days i was on them
I have firstly tried the 145 with the sail i am familiar with, the 4.5. First impression was that i could easily stand on this board but moving about on it i said this board is a sinker but then i realized that wrong placement of the foot makes the board wobble and tilts/sinks. After realizing this i was very concentrate of my foot placements and then this board was a plain joy . it forced me to use the sail to correct my mistakes and ohh boy when i made planing.. That's a board i believe as many said above will stay for me for a long time and teach me all windsurfing steps.
Next hour i jumped on the 125 and i was still floating on it but i was falling in the water too many times for minor mistakes This will not make me move forwards or enjoy the sport, at least for the following year or two.

Second day then again on the 145 and i made progress on my planning, gybe and tack and then when the wind drop it still got me going. Cruising with this board is really relaxing too. I enjoyed this board and i honestly believe that's a board will teach me a lot.

As my coach and friend here on the spot ( not the owner ) said to stick to this 145 boards and with this board i will be able to learn all windsurfing tricks which is an important part not to skip any of them.

That's a good testing of the boards and i am glad i made up my mind. Now its time to be an owner of one 145 ( and some sails ) so i will have unlimited time to learn and play . Any recommendations for sails ?

Thank you all for your time and advices.

Your coach and friend was correct about the board so get their advice again. Try what ever there is available there too.