Hi All,
First post and I need some advice, so any would be greatly appreciated.
I have sailed about 7 hours and am really enjoying the sport, so much so that I'm even thinking about shelling out my hard earned dollars for a board and rig. Thus far I have only sailed on a JP Funster 205lt but when speaking to the local shops in bayside Victoria, everyone has different advice on what type/volume of board and to purchase. I am approx 77kg, but will lose a couple of kg - down to 75kg soon. The views have changed from going with a centreboard and larger 180lt board to a smaller 150lt board (Star-board Go with centre fin), even a Funster 160lt with a centre fin.
With all this advice, I'm a little confused. I want to get out 1-2 times a week, don't want to buy a board that I will grow out of too soon but also don't want to buy something that I can't sail due to my limited experience resulting in a lot of frustration.
Thanks for any advice.

You have provided some good info here, but a few more questions.

What are you currently achieving each time on the water?
Can you sail both directions comfortably?
Can you turn?
If yes, tack or gybe?
Have you been on the plane or close to it?
How much time do you have available to spend on the water each week?

All these will help answer what might suit you. There are a few guys locally that have just started out and have only used boards without centre boards, at least one of them in how on a 145lt board and starting to use foot straps after a very short time. I have seen others not progress to a board without a centre board for 12 months. So what you need next really depends on the person you are and how well you have taken to the sport so far.

If you have good balance and are already displaying good skills you might get away with something around the 150lt mark without a centre board. You wont out grow something like that too fast.

Thanks for the response.

Yes, can sail in both directions and can tack and gybe (probably not going to win a world champs with my technique). I haven't yet been planing due to location where you learn (calm waters but close to boats).

I would love to be able to spend 2-3 hours per week on the water during summer here in Vic, but I'm enjoying it so much that I will go out in winter too.

Based on your posts I think the 150 litre Go would be the go for you. With the removable centrefin it will help you till you start to get on the plane and once you are getting on the plane the fin can be removed. The Go will be a good board for lighter winds.


There are a couple of windsurfers in Sydney using a Go of the same size and he really likes it. They were out last Saturday at Botany Bay in pretty strong winds.

Based on your skills and weight I would be looking at something like a Star Board GO 141 or 151. The 151 can run a centre fin if you think you still need that, the 141 will possibly stay with you longer and be a better fit for your weight. I guess some will say you need the centre fin, others wont. I think if shortboard sailing is your goal then getting away from the centre fin as soon as possible is a good thing. My opinion only.

Just so its not one sided, you could also look at a JP Xcite Ride 146 to do the same sort of thing as the GO. I'm sure there are others as well.

the JP funster or funride at 145L would be perfect.
The funster has the centreboard and a large range of foot strap positions to get you used to straps and harnesses before going to large a sail.
Personally, i learnt on the 160 and was over that by the end of the 1st summer.
Wish i had kept it though for family and light wind days.

That was one recommendation from the school, funster 160 and you can keep it for the family/light winds etc....

But others suggested the GO as mentioned previously.

Can anyone suggest the best place to learn in the bay (Elwood, Brighton etc..)?

You sound like you're where I was at a month ago when I bought my first board. Same weight as me, similar level of experience. I ended up buying a Starboard Carve 121 and now with about 10 solid sessions on that board under my belt it was definitely the right choice. Glad I didn't go larger. Glad I didn't go smaller either!

It's got enough volume that up hauling is fairly easy, though non-planing tacks and gybes are a challenge. I got in four sessions in lighter winds in QLD which were perfect to get the hang of it off the plane. It's really quite easy in those conditions.

I have just got home from a week and a bit in Perth where I got in 6 good sessions in consistent 15-25 knot winds. In those sessions I've got to the point when I can reasonably reliably beach start (as long as I can get a foot on the bottom) and blast in and out on plane, in the straps and harness (still not quite in 100% control!).

I did find that the carve was way to active for me with the standard 42cm fin, but became totally manageable once I switched to a 31cm weedy.

It's a hell of a lot of fun and I'm sure you'll pick it up pretty quickly if you're out there a few times a week.

Hi dude, at your weight the smallest volume board you will probably use when you advance will be around 120l. And that's real light winds too. So IMHO a 160L board with a centre fin will have a real limited lifespan for you unless you have kids or other people you want to hook into the sport.

What I would do in your place would be get a WV membership which will give you Free access to the teach a mate gear at any of the Vic stores. This is learner centric gear and you can use it till you fee you might be ready for to take the next step.

Alternatively a SUP with sail attachment will be a great board to start with and use after you progress to go out in the waves with a sail or paddle or just paddle in the bay when there is really no wind about. They also hold resale.

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jermaldan said...What I would do in your place would be get a WV membership which will give you Free access to the teach a mate gear at any of the Vic stores. This is learner centric gear and you can use it till you fee you might be ready for to take the next step.

What's this all about! Sounds good - is there something like this in Sydney?

I had a go of a one metre wide formula board last week - now I feel like that is all I need... and want.

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Wollemi said...

jermaldan said...What I would do in your place would be get a WV membership which will give you Free access to the teach a mate gear at any of the Vic stores. This is learner centric gear and you can use it till you fee you might be ready for to take the next step.

What's this all about! Sounds good - is there something like this in Sydney?

I had a go of a one metre wide formula board last week - now I feel like that is all I need... and want.

WV do it to encourage new sailors into the sport. Not sure if any or the other state orgs have their own gear or not to provide to learners.

The gear is owned by WV and anyone with a current membership can go into any of the Vic stores and ask to use it. More info on www.wv.org.au

Even the stores realise that bad experiences on second rate gear doesnt help get people into the sport, so getting a good leg up into the sport on current quality equipment is encouraged.

Hey Jay Kay, I am no expert like these other guys - but I can relate to what you are saying.....so will give you a short piece of my mind.

3 summers ago I had only started windsurfing properly with a short modern sail-board (Go 155). Before this time I had about 10 hours (in total over a period of like 10 years) of sailing on those old old large boards with a centre fin. I got the theory and know how to do basic things like gybe and tack (skills that can get you around a lake on a calm soft summer breeze kind of day). During one holiday to Egypt (Dhahab) I got itchy watching other sailors at the resort and I rented a short board (no centre fin) - It was light wind day and I got the gist of what needed to be done, and then I took the plunge to buy my kit in returning to Oz.

I then bought a Go 155 (2010 model i think - this has NO centre fin) with a 6.25 m2 sail that came with the package. I work full time (monday to friday....and go sailing only during summer, and have maybe 1 day on the weekend. I now can plane confidently, gybe, tack, but not waterstart yet. I enjoy tremendously even with what limited techniques I can do......

Three main points from me are.......

(1) I don't believe you need to actually "buy" a board with a centre fin, as long as you know the theory of turning left and right already. These can be re-learned once you start to practice on a short board without a centre fin. I reckon if you don't know how to turn, learn then it first on a rental board and only AFTER do you go and buy a short board. For me, once you are out of the centre fin, you will never ever look back and the fin-box on your board then becomes a reminder of your nappy days because, seriously, you will not be using it.

(2) Because I am learning and want to be able to get out into the water whenever I got the opportunity.....I found that I had to buy a smaller sail (4.7m2) so that on days which are stronger wind (for me this is 20+ knots,and I don't generally go if it is more than 30 knots), I can still go out and practice and learn. The 6.25 m2 I use when the day is light to moderate (say 15 knots to low 20 knots) and I get loads of fun out of it. I found having a flexibility in sail size to be more important to me in learning sailing than the size/brand of the board as these gave me more opportunities to get out to the bay and practice.

(3) The size - GO 155 (despite what others may tell you about the size) WILL PLANE easily even for an beginner/intermediate like me as long as you have learned the basics!!! And when you get to that stage it is loads of fun, and then move onto other more advanced skills like waterstarts and carve gybes. I actually have no regrets at all buying this size as it is really steady, and I think helps me up-hauling up to this point (yes I have yet to learn how to waterstart!!). I can see myself seeing out the rest of my sailing days with this board as long as it doesn't break.

I work 5 days a week and can really only get out one day a weekend, so I know I am never really going to do what the other guys do any time soon. Another point is, I don't really see a need to downsize my board at all - it can do EVERYTHING like planning and gybing. So to answer your question.......I don't believe a large short board will hold you back at all. In fact, I reckon it has accelerated my learning because my kit is quite sturdy.

This would be my final point - know your realistic limitations and don't set yourself up to fail.

Guys, thanks for the advice, really appreciated.