Select to expand quote
KitesurfNoob said..
Also I am on the Sunshine Coast and areas like Mooloolaba and Caloundra look good
Since you are on the east coast, you should be able to get lessons. I highly recommend you do that first.
Sunshine coast is a wave spot ?.. about 15-20 knots ?. If so, I would start off with a 100L freestyle/wave, freewave etc (depending on marketing name) board and a 5.3 wave sail (preferably an onshore wave sail)... but don't go into the waves yet. Start learning in the flattest water you can find in 10 knots. Learn the basics like beach starting, and tacking.
Equipment list is as follows:
sail
mast (5.3 sails, you'll be after a 400 mast)
boom (140-180cm boom for wave gear)
extension
base
board (aim for 62-64cm width)
fin (24 - 26cm wave or weed/wave fin, depending on your weed situation)
Purchase once you start planing:
harness lines
harness
While you are young/learning, try to get 2nd hand gear when ever you can. You are only going to smash it up. There's lots of cheap Severne gear at the moment on the buy/sell section. You should be able to pickup a 2-3 year old sail and a 5 year old board for less then $300 each. With the boom, spend a bit more money and get a 100% RDM carbon, as masts will last you for many years. Pick a bend curve mast, and match your sails to it accordingly. I recommend using constant curve masts.
Finally, you don't need 5 boards and 5 sails to windsurf. You can get by with one board and sail... and normally 2 boards, and 2 sails. It all depends on how much weather condition you want to cover, and the younger/fitter you are, you can make the same gear sail in wider conditions (than say I could). Like me and many other X gens, we only have a van load of gear because we are cashed rich and time poor (when I was younger, it was the other way around).
Good luck !.. and now I have broken the ice, bring on the other 1000 opinions !