Hi I am looking to get back into windsurfing. 20 years ago I was just able to gybe in moderate wind and ended with a fibreglass slalon board that you could only waterstart with. It was just out of my ability. Looking for recomendations as to what sort of board to get back into and looking to buy used package. I am close to Newcastle NSW. Any help will be appreciated

Hi Ranger 1
I just got back into the sport after 25 yrs - I bought a JP magic ride 154 on this site . I have 5.8, 6.5 and 7.7 sails- the board is probably a bit big but very easy to ride - you should have no trouble putting a package together on this website .

Hi ranger. If you prefer a physical shop, There are 2 places in Lake Macquarie to buy gear - Kite and SUP in Warner's bay, and Windsurfing Shop.com.au in Blackalls Park. Then a few other options in Sydney and elsewhere. Lake mac is a good spot to ease back into it, good spots to sail in any wind direction. We're coming into the doldrums but should still be some good southerlies to come. Welcome back!

i am similar. havent sailed since 2003. Got myself a 112 gecko which is going fantastic.

been back into it for 4 weeks and having a ball. the above i have used from 12 knots to 40 knots just this weekend gone and it was great fun. A tad big with a 4m sail but was very controlled. am using my 2000 era sails which seem to all be completely fine, and am slowly replacing them in the coming season with relatively new 2nd hand sails,

I would have to agree with the others here. Look at the wide thin boards, with a pin tail. Great to gybe and very forgiving. Had an atomic 110 which had a great shape. The JP magic ride, and the Gecko are in the same league. Team it up with a no cam sail like an NCX for a fast, easy to gybe and sail package. Just have to bear away a bit at the start to get going!

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Ranger1 said..
Hi I am looking to get back into windsurfing. 20 years ago I was just able to gybe in moderate wind and ended with a fibreglass slalon board that you could only waterstart with. It was just out of my ability. Looking for recomendations as to what sort of board to get back into and looking to buy used package. I am close to Newcastle NSW. Any help will be appreciated

Hi Ranger 1,
how much do you weigh and what level of fitness atm? These are important things to consider when choosing gear. The modern gear is definitely better than slalom boards from 20+ years ago but my advice is don't rush to go too small too quick or you may get fed up with it. Especially if forced to relearn how to water start during winter as it gets pretty chilly in the lake over winter.

i have a few longboards you could choose from to borrow to get back in the groove and a go 170 (not for sale)
cheers Al ??

Hi all
Thanks heaps for all your advice. It has really encouraged me to get back into windsurfing. I will now look to source the gear.

Just do it.

Ive got a couple of boards here I'm giving away.
Just needs a couple of minor repairs.

There's a Windrush Fun 11 going cheap around here somewhere

Hi, I am also looking to return to windsurfing after reminiscing about my heydays in my teens and 20's. I started in the very early 1980's and gave it up in the 1990's. I am a lot heavier and less fit now (87kg or so). I used to ride a fibreglass sinker and had some great times around Perth and around Long Reef when I was in Sydney. I also had a Tyronsea board which had a centreboard in it.
I would be interested to know what boards might suit me as I start to feel my way back into it? I would imagine something with enough volume for me to pull a sail up on if I had to do it. Do they still have centreboards and suchlike or has that disappeared? I hear masts are now 2 piece (yay) and sails are larger with less chance of overpowering than 30 years ago.
Any suggestions on what to look for gratefully received

My situation was pretty much the same as yours. The forearms took a while to build up some muscle but other than that it was all good. The biggest thing I noticed is that mast tracks are way further back than they used to be. Sails are more powerful and stable.

@Cavitation, if a planing shortboard is your thing then look for something 150+ litres and 80+cm wide to get yourself back into it and it will easily sell if/when you want something smaller that goes quicker. If cruising around on a longboard is your thing then it's hard to pass up a windSUP with a centreboard or maybe even a raceboard. 430 mast and any sail around 6m will get you going

HiCavitation andRanger1. There are sooo many options it can be a bit confusing at times so I thought I'd help you understand some of the terms used for boards and sails. Most brands have similar variants.

On a spectrum that goes manoeuvrability to speed:
Wave, freestyle wave, freeride, freerace, slalom

I have not included Freestyle - this is something newish you might not be familiar with and is all about tricks - lots of board and sail rotations.

Freeride is a good place to start looking, it's designed to be easy and can do a bit of everything. Then go to the left or right depending on your preference for waves or speed. It's quite common to have gear that may sound very big compared to 15 or 20 years ago - an 80kg sailor with one freeride board would probably look at around 120-130 litres and about 70cm width using sails from 5.5m to 7.5m.

Here are some examples of freeride boards that you'll find in Aus
http://www.star-board-windsurfing.com/2018/boards/2018-carveiq/
tabou-boards.com/boards/2018/freeride/rocket-18/
jp-australia.com/2018/products/boards/all-ride/
patrik-windsurf.com/f-ride/
Generally speaking faster boards will have slightly flatter bottoms and sharper rails, wave boards will have more rocker (less flat bottom) and softer rails for easy turning

and some sails
www.severnesails.com/freeride-sails/severne-gator-1
ga-windsurfing.com/sails/2018/freeride/hybrid-18/
www.neilpryde.com/collections/sails/products/ryde
www.robertoriccidesigns.com/equipment/windsurf/sails/x-tra-mk5-x-tra-x-mk5/
Generally speaking faster sails have more battens to stay more stable in higher winds and a shape designed to stay in one place, manoeuvre sails are lighter, and have a shape that allows you to throw then around.

You can still get boards with centreboards although these are usually for three purposes -
racing around a course that involves upwind legs
learning boards to stop beginners drifting downwind
all rounder boards for a bit of exploring and a very broad wind range

Hope that helps

Something like this:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Sails/~-4ksd/2016-Severne-Gator-Mast-Extension-55-metre.aspx?_page=2&search=P6K%2Ftsb2rZrARE%2BQ6m0Zxw%3D%3D

Or this:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Sails/~vcdp7/2017-Simmer-Style-Vmax-72-metre.aspx?_page=20&search=P6K%2Ftsb2rZrARE%2BQ6m0Zxw%3D%3D

And this:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~-t-fx/2007-Fanatic-Ray-125-litres.aspx?_page=2&search=iVVAl2umBXmHLC7VP1FIeA%3D%3D

Thanks Agrid, Paddles, Paddymac and Stuthepirate!
Great advice and now I am going to start hunting for gear. Hopefully I will be out and sailing soon.

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jamesf said..
Hi ranger. If you prefer a physical shop, There are 2 places in Lake Macquarie to buy gear - Kite and SUP in Warner's bay, and Windsurfing Shop.com.au in Blackalls Park. Then a few other options in Sydney and elsewhere. Lake mac is a good spot to ease back into it, good spots to sail in any wind direction. We're coming into the doldrums but should still be some good southerlies to come. Welcome back!

No Doldrums if u go with a foil option.
Dave at Kite and Sup is your best bet.