Hoho!

I wonder how compact windsurfing is these days? I kitesurf but I really quite like windsurfing. Unfortunatley you cannot fit the gear in a car very well (and there is a lot of gear to haul around?) which is probably the main reason I started kitesurfing. 1 board, 9m & 12m kite covers you pretty much from 13 - 30knots. you can steal your mates surfboard if necessary.

I am lurking in windsurfing forums ( ) and keep reading about some people talk about using ultrashort boards with a few sails of varying sizes but still same mast and boom. Those boards have hardly any volume and I assume they get waterstarted rather than uphauled.

Anybody got some info on what gear is around and what you need these days? Particularly in the sub 2m department for boards?

Nothing out there under 2 metres that I am aware of but my favourite boards are 2 older Naish boards that are 214cm and 210 cm long (110litres and 93 litres respectively).

They are not only compact but also heaps of fun to sail. With very little nose to speak of they are very hard to tack on and the 93 is super hard to uphaul on so gybing and waterstarting are essential skills if using them. They aren't great in chop if you are underpowered but when powered up best thing on the water for me.

Awesome boards.

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Kit3kat said..
Hoho!

I wonder how compact windsurfing is these days? I kitesurf but I really quite like windsurfing. Unfortunatley you cannot fit the gear in a car very well (and there is a lot of gear to haul around?) which is probably the main reason I started kitesurfing. 1 board, 9m & 12m kite covers you pretty much from 13 - 30knots. you can steal your mates surfboard if necessary.

I am lurking in windsurfing forums ( ) and keep reading about some people talk about using ultrashort boards with a few sails of varying sizes but still same mast and boom. Those boards have hardly any volume and I assume they get waterstarted rather than uphauled.

Anybody got some info on what gear is around and what you need these days? Particularly in the sub 2m department for boards?

get a ute, problem solved

I fit all my kit in a VW Polo.
With the board on the roof racks.
My board's a long board though.
That includes a 8.5m sail and 210-270cm boom, and 490 mast.
I sometime take up to three sails, 2 booms, and 2 masts.
Mostly though only 2 sails, 1 boom, 2 masts.

Most hatchbacks will get a board around 235cm and a couple of rigs with the seats flat, no passengers. Roof racks work too, even the soft ones.

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Orange Whip said..


get a ute, problem solved

Not everyone lives in Australia with wide roads and own parking space. ^^

Roofrack is not an option.

So With a 230cm board what else would you need to cover a windrange from 14 to 28 knots (up to 35knot gusts)?

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Kit3kat said...

Orange Whip said..


get a ute, problem solved

Not everyone lives in Australia with wide roads and own parking space. ^^

Roofrack is not an option.

So With a 230cm board what else would you need to cover a windrange from 14 to 28 knots (up to 35knot gusts)?

Waves or Flat?

For flat water 14 knots needs 7.0 - 7.8 and a wide board depending your weight, 28 knots needs 5.5 or less. You may get away with one 430 mast with extensions, that will depend on sails. One boom should cover it and some fins ranging from around 40cm down to approx 26cm.

You would probably need at least 3 sails to cover that wind range.

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Kit3kat said..

Orange Whip said..


get a ute, problem solved

Not everyone lives in Australia with wide roads and own parking space. ^^

Roofrack is not an option.

So With a 230cm board what else would you need to cover a windrange from 14 to 28 knots (up to 35knot gusts)?

Don't know how much you weigh, but if not too much, you should be able to get away with a 430 mast being the longest one, it breaks down to almost the same length as a 230cm board, if that's going to be your limit on length, which should be doable. So any sail that can rig on a 430 mast or less, that should take you up to about a 6.2m sail, depending on the brand, w/o having to use real long base extensions, something I've never trusted or liked.

I used to get 2 waveboards and 4 sails into a hatchback - and that was when stuff was longer - so I think the space requirements has been overstated by some.

Hatchback wave board and two sails was the standard WA hire package in the day, gear is more compact now and way more range, than then so more doable now than then.
Lighter wind places just swap the board for a freeride type board and 2 bigger sails still fits in a lot of cars. 2 good sails will cover the same range as your 9-12m kite.
Main difference compared to kiting is windsurfing has specialist gear for wave v flat water, kiting you can easily use the same gear for both.
Despite the popular image, You don't need a trailer load of gear of big van to windsurf.

Apart from wind strength mentioned, what sort of water conditions would you be wanting to windsurf on? (i.e. waves, flat water, ocean, sheltered harbour, etc). Also, how comfortable are you in these conditions with your kite gear?

Kit3kat,

Here is what I do and it works perfectly for me! I look for a board shape that has the largest wind range possible, and has a nice, fast looking shape. This is what I came up with and it's the only board I use, the only board I have and the only board I need. It is the 115L Naish Starship. The board has been carefully crafted and designed by the Naish family to begin planing very early. I found the board begins planing in the range of 12-13 MPH winds and can be sailed up to about 30 MPH winds until it becomes too floaty and bouncy. The huge wind range this board can handle is all due to the shape of the board. The board is narrow, not wide like most new generation boards. The volume is placed mainly in the middle of the board. The board has double and single concave shapes to it along with beveled rails to achieve this amazing wind range it has. It's got a sail range of 4.5-7.5. That's huge!!. I have not regretted buying this board at all. It's very stiff. Get this, the board is advertised as a freeride, bump n jump, freestyle wave board. That says it all to me. The board does it all, and does it all very, very well, all the way from waves to flat water. I have tested it in all conditions and it's a rock star of a board in my opinion. I only use 3 sails in the 12-30 MPH. wind range, 6.8, 6.0 and 5.3 sails, 1 boom, 2 fins, 34 and 38cm fins, 2 masts, 430 and 460. That covers me from 12-30 MPH winds. Pretty cool huh!!!.

Good luck with your pick. Educate yourself as much as you can before you buy.

^^^ I know what you are getting at, but not good advice if the poster is a total beginner.
They want width (certainly not narrower than most) and 50% more volume than your board.

Neil Pryde Ryde sails (5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5) all rig on the same mast and same boom.

There are probably sails from others that do the same.

Plenty of boards that will cover 15-30knts but you must do your homework for your location. Go and speak to the sailors that are there, you might find some cheap gear available.

Inflatable boards, sub 2m length when deflated, check them out as they will fit in the boot of your car.

Fun times ahead for you!

I learned on a narrow board and had no problems at all. It was floaty but narrow. It cut through chop and that's important. It also depends how good his reflexes are, he kites so he is already ahead of the game.

^^ Yes but you said your Naish is better because it is narrow. Indeed yes, for range of use for an expert
But the O.P may not know that you are referring to an advanced board

in general for beginners - width yes yes yes

rough guess all in a bag .1 board 1 boom 1 mast 3 sails ext.
2.5 metre x 800x 500
still more than your kite...but what can i say about windsurfing...

it rocks. speed and gybes at full bore
knowing you can still get home if the wind drops and your 1 kms off shore.
give it a go.

Wait for the RS:X convertible (or RS:ONE convertible, cheaper).One board (122L), one sail (7.8m), one foil for light wind and one fin for strong wind should cover the 8 to 30 knts range.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Neil-Pryde-RSX-Convertible-first-prototype-test/?page=1

Having only one board and 2 sails is contrary to the principles of windsurfing, minimum should be 4 boards and 7 sails, about a dozen fins, 5 masts, 3 booms plus spares. Only rare specimens with mutating dna can start windsurfing and not accumulate equipment. Don't delude yourself, if you start and you like it you will find excuses to buy more stuff, because it's fun.

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powersloshin said..
Having only one board and 2 sails is contrary to the principles of windsurfing, minimum should be 4 boards and 7 sails, about a dozen fins, 5 masts, 3 booms plus spares. Only rare specimens with mutating dna can start windsurfing and not accumulate equipment. Don't delude yourself, if you start and you like it you will find excuses to buy more stuff, because it's fun.

Certainly doesn't apply to everyone who windsurfs. For me, the fun (and the simplicity) disappears when one has got too much kit to choose from and lug around!!!

I use just two boards, three sails with two interchangeable masts - 95L freeride; 85L FSW; 4.5, 5.3 & 6.0 sails; Ezzy 400 & 430 rdms (also have a quiver of three fins for each board that I regularly use, plus a few others that get used occasionally).

I just choose one board and two of my sails, along with the two masts and one boom for the prevailing conditions (plus other bits like mast extensions, a harness, etc) and it all fits easily into a station wagon. Could probably get away with just a 5.0 and a 6.0 for a 13-30 knot wind range much of the time if I had to.

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GazMan said...
Apart from wind strength mentioned, what sort of water conditions would you be wanting to windsurf on? (i.e. waves, flat water, ocean, sheltered harbour, etc). Also, how comfortable are you in these conditions with your kite gear?

80kg.

everything, apart from maybe ocean. I learned kiting in the english channel and also been kiting on Lanzarote in winter so im comfortable from pounding waves with whitewater, to stormfronts all in very gusty winds. By nature a lot of the conditions we have here is just choppy water with lots of smaller kickers.



I'm a bit of a minimalist. I'd only really like 1 board I can use for the majority of stuff. I'd be ok to have 2 masts though (they dont take that much space do they). I also have a tendency to like slightly undersized gear even though im quite tall- i used to kite with a tiny 130cm board and also ride a slightly undersized cyclocross bike.

What are the different fin sizes for?

Each sail size needs an amount of lateral resistance to stop the board going sideways. Bigger fin means more lift to get you planing earlier, smaller fin more control. The faster you go, the more lift a fin creates. Too much lift makes the board bouncy and difficult to control. Initially you can probably get away with one per sail size.

2 boards 94L and 105L
2 sails 4.4 and 5.4
1 boom
1 mast

and

1 kite 10m
1 directional board
1 harness
1 wet-suit
1 Toyota sedan.

and 1 semi understanding suffering wife

Depends where you live :P. If I'd live on Hawaii i'd probably only have an 8m too lol.

If you want to race the sport is not compact as you want to be covered for everything which includes light wind and that means big size gear.

Otherwise one board that floats you and a couple of sails you can do a lot with.

like this?

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Kit3kat said...

GazMan said...
Apart from wind strength mentioned, what sort of water conditions would you be wanting to windsurf on? (i.e. waves, flat water, ocean, sheltered harbour, etc). Also, how comfortable are you in these conditions with your kite gear?

80kg.

everything, apart from maybe ocean. I learned kiting in the english channel and also been kiting on Lanzarote in winter so im comfortable from pounding waves with whitewater, to stormfronts all in very gusty winds. By nature a lot of the conditions we have here is just choppy water with lots of smaller kickers.



I'm a bit of a minimalist. I'd only really like 1 board I can use for the majority of stuff. I'd be ok to have 2 masts though (they dont take that much space do they). I also have a tendency to like slightly undersized gear even though im quite tall- i used to kite with a tiny 130cm board and also ride a slightly undersized cyclocross bike.

What are the different fin sizes for?

Difficult to get one fin size that will cover 13-30 knots range but no probs with two fins, particularly if using only 2-3 sails with that board. Also, if you sail in weedy areas then a weed fin is a must, though they do have less drive than a more upright fin. So for each board I use standard ( non weed) fins and 1-2 weed fins.

For an intermediate to advanced Windsurfer around 80 kg then I think a freeride or freestyle wave board ( depending on water conditions you normally sail on) around 90-95 litres would cover the 13-30 knot range on flat water with two sails (with the two masts, I just interchange the top sections to make the long mast shorter for my smaller sails so I really only use 1 1/2 masts much of the time). For a ' relative' learner new to windsuring though, 30 knots on one of these boards would take a while to master!!!

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Kit3kat said...
Depends where you live :P. If I'd live on Hawaii i'd probably only have an 8m too lol.

Windsurfing is never going to be as compact as kiting.

I've seen people get it as lean as one board, one mast and a couple of sails etc, and fit it all on a small trailer, towed by a push bike. I've also seen people fit a two board and sails to go with combo into a vw golf. It doesn't compete with a backpack with a board strapped to it though. There's plenty of advantages to windsurfing, compact gear isn't one of them.

There's a certain level of douchery in some (not all) kiters towards their own brethren that has steered me clear of even wanting to try it. I've not yet seen it in any windsurfers.

Give it a go if you're keen, everyone's friendly at the beach.

You know what the worst thing about kiteboarders is? Having to share the beach with them.

I can fit 2 boards, 3 sails plus masts, two booms, a bunch of fins, and two teenage kids plus wetsuits and other paraphernaia in a Toyota Kluger, without using the roofrack.
If it's just me I can add another board and a couple more sails (visibility isn't great though).

I know plenty of people who get their windsurfing gear in a small hatchback. Don't automatically think hatchback for small cars though - the Toyota corolla sedan is longer internally than the hatch and can fit a longer board. (Yes I did take boards and masts to the showroom to test them out)

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Ninjury said..
Each sail size needs an amount of lateral resistance to stop the board going sideways. Bigger fin means more lift to get you planing earlier, smaller fin more control. The faster you go, the more lift a fin creates. Too much lift makes the board bouncy and difficult to control. Initially you can probably get away with one per sail size.

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Kit3kat said..

GazMan said...
Apart from wind strength mentioned, what sort of water conditions would you be wanting to windsurf on? (i.e. waves, flat water, ocean, sheltered harbour, etc). Also, how comfortable are you in these conditions with your kite gear?

80kg.

everything, apart from maybe ocean. I learned kiting in the english channel and also been kiting on Lanzarote in winter so im comfortable from pounding waves with whitewater, to stormfronts all in very gusty winds. By nature a lot of the conditions we have here is just choppy water with lots of smaller kickers.



I'm a bit of a minimalist. I'd only really like 1 board I can use for the majority of stuff. I'd be ok to have 2 masts though (they dont take that much space do they). I also have a tendency to like slightly undersized gear even though im quite tall- i used to kite with a tiny 130cm board and also ride a slightly undersized cyclocross bike.

What are the different fin sizes for?

At 80kgs, if you are after 1 board, look for either a freerace, freeride or FSW board between 100 and 110 litres. 2 rotational sails - 6.5 and 7.5 will cover 13 to 25kts. If you choose the right sail brand, you'll need 1 alloy boom and one RDM mast . For fins a 36cm for the 6.5 and 40cm for the 7.5. The whole lot will easily fit inside a medium sized station wagon. The board you choose will depend on the type of sailing you want to do. The freerace is faster. The FSW is more manouverable. the freeride is somewhere in between. This asumes you can windsurf. If you can't then you need a bigger more stable board (at least 140 litres) to learn on.