Hey all

Looking at getting a SUP with a mast attachment on it so I can learn windsurf on it.
Has many people tried it ect and how do they go as a windsurfer?

I was going to try a 160lt learner board but in thinking I could use a SUP and do both?? I was thinking SUP as well because they are easy to stand on.

Please help OB1

doggie

I have tried both JP and Tabou SUP's as windsurfing boards
Both work well and track up wind.
Highly recommended.

Hey Doggie

My biggest concern would be the strength of a SUP. I do both and they are not built like windsurfers. Sups have a much lighter construction and creasing them in even small surf is common.
My Naish windsurf boards are 5yrs plus and are still solid. My Naish sup creased in the first six weeks in deep water so did not bounce off the bottom

MMmm interesting, didnt think of strength......

Select to expand quote

doggie said...

MMmm interesting, didnt think of strength......

Yeah some Star sups have a mast screw insert but there advertising says not for planing or jumping- so what is the point

My mate had one of the first big Naish sups with a track and only used it once sailing as he said it felt really wobbly and vibrating under is feet so a 160l boards will probably feel the same

ive thrown people who I have been teaching for a few days onto sups and they just disappear off downwind.. they have no centre board and normally a small fin.. Also they wont last long into the learning curve like a dedicated planing board with various footstrap settings...

They would do the job to get the general idea of up-hauling but they dont cut it compared to dedicated beginner board like a starboard RIO..



Rio, the instructors best friend (ignore jamies ** English banter)

I've got a Starboard Converse, 136L, which I have sailed once. It went OK.
No, they don't really plane, though I'm sure they would on strong enough wind, but I stayed upwind easily enough despite the smallish fin and relative lack of stiffness. Time will tell if I could be bothered to sail it more. Good for general fitness though.
I'm sure you could teach the basics of up-haul and basic sail control on one, but I agree that a properly designed sailboard would prove better in the long run.
That said, I'd be interested to see in a few years if people had not found that teaching friends and family on a SUP was happening. I know I don't have anything else I could teach anyone on.

I've demo'd a few windsurfable SUP's. I used a KA 7.5 Koncept on a starboard Element (with footstraps even) in about 15kts.

I forced it to plane even though it didn't want to! Once on the plane it felt really loose and pivoty. (They have a rocker designed for surfing on a wave, not for planing with a sail)

As soon as I stopped driving against the fin it would want to come off the plane.

I switched the rig onto my 110 ltr windsurfer and it was perfect. A totally different feel.

However,
I've also used a 5.7 on the SUP in only 8kts (with no intention of planing), and it was good fun, easy cruising.
-This is what they are meant to do when you attach a sail. You use them as a light wind wave catcher for a bit of a play in the waves, or an easy cruise. It only had 3 small fins, but stayed upwind no probs.

I'm hoping my kids will be able to sail it over Summer, but suspect staying upwind may be an issue.

Starboard do a 10ft Whopper with a centre board option to aid it's beginner windsurfing potential.

I think a Sup with a WS attachment is a great multi purpose family toy, but if your main interest is in planing, get a windsurfer.

I sailed my old 9'8" starboard fish SUP a few times in flat and small waves - its like there's a bucket trailing behind you when your planing and I had to use a bigger fin with the thusters but its super stable and you can certainly learn some of the basics of uphaul tacking etc - getting a few windsurf lessons on a school board might advance things a little quicker - you don't need to be planing on a windsup to have fun in small waves - good luck with your mission

Also looking at a SUP that I can teach my kids windsurfing on, and have a paddle on the no-wind days - have a 165 JP Xcite ride which I'll sell if I can get hold of a good SUP that I can sail on mild days. I've had a few paddles on it, but no good in the surf & the deck grip takes the kids skin off when they spill.

I started looking at the 'RRD WASSUP' online last week but don't know a thing about surfing, so hopefully get a chance to trial one. Surely as a designated WS & SUP it would be built a bit stronger?

www.robertoriccidesigns.com/

Other options are Naish, Kona, JP & *board?

I took my daughter out on a Naish 11'6" with a 6.2 wave sail on it for her first taste of windsurfing and she loved it.
I also sit her on the front and we paddle around chatting a having fun, its all good.
I got the same board as I can SUP, get back into the waves, sail around on it on light wind days and teach the family as well.
Sure they arent a dedicated learners board but depending on what you want they are super versatile.

Starboard have a dedicated cross-over board, which is fat as a tick and has a centreboard. All the Camo finish boards have a mast-track and the smaller ones have foot-strap plugs too. They have the full EVA deck, which is nice and soft, for good grip. I like the small size of the 9' Converse for ease of putting in my van, but if I was gonna put kids on with me, I'd go the Whopper or Uber-Whopper.
Fanatic do some very nice looking boards with mast-tracks too.

Select to expand quote

Sailhack said...

Also looking at a SUP that I can teach my kids windsurfing on, and have a paddle on the no-wind days - have a 165 JP Xcite ride which I'll sell if I can get hold of a good SUP that I can sail on mild days. I've had a few paddles on it, but no good in the surf & the deck grip takes the kids skin off when they spill.

I started looking at the 'RRD WASSUP' online last week but don't know a thing about surfing, so hopefully get a chance to trial one. Surely as a designated WS & SUP it would be built a bit stronger?

www.robertoriccidesigns.com/

Other options are Naish, Kona, JP & *board?

Thanks everybody I think I will get a dedicated windsurfer, 160lt

We have a 10'6 Fanatic Fly, works a treat, sort of planes, has very soft rails though, so dropping a mast on them isnt recommended,

A specific WS board would be your best bet!

Select to expand quote

divaldo said...

We have a 10'6 Fanatic Fly, works a treat, sort of planes, has very soft rails though, so dropping a mast on them isnt recommended,

A specific WS board would be your best bet!

@ 80-85kgs would 160lt do the trick?

I'm 80kg and 136L works well enough for me.

The Fly is a very nice looking board, with the laminated timber finish.

Select to expand quote

doggie said...

divaldo said...

We have a 10'6 Fanatic Fly, works a treat, sort of planes, has very soft rails though, so dropping a mast on them isnt recommended,

A specific WS board would be your best bet!

@ 80-85kgs would 160lt do the trick?

I recently got a fantic fly 10' with the intention of using it as a crossover wave sailboard / SUP. Haven't had a chance to put a sail on it yet.

I have used a naish 11'6'' with sail and that worked fine, but a bit boring for flat water sailing. My partner a beginner Windsurfer had no problems sailing it either. I found it went upwind OK if you ralied it windward.

I've sailed a lot the large Starboard SUP, was given to me as a sponsor "gift".
I beat the crap out of it by going in strong winds and biggest flat-water waves I could, plus railrides and all - even running aground - to no avail, it's very solid. I think the comment about weakness in SUPs was a freak thing. Even the pad deck never came off after railrides - wow. The screw-ins are also very solid (no track but 2 holes).

Regarding losing people downwind: we're talking beginners - I always teach on-shoring, thus losing people never happens. Beginners drift downwind on any board anyways.

SUPs do plane no problemo, it's a lot of work but funny thing to try. Other than that, little upwind but it's workable. They're very comfy and put beginners in great confidence for learning. I find them more pleasurable than the Go boards, which seem to bore people very rapidly after a few outings.

IMO all this...
P.

I have a starboard 10'5" and have used my 6.2 on it a few times with my kids on it.
I have now got a kids 1.5 rig which my boys have used but they did tend to go straight downwind(current too made it worse).
I don't really want to get a windsurf learners board just due to how heavy they are compared to the sup and the sup is so versatile.
Has anyone considered getting a FCS box(or us box) and fitting it to a sup where the centerboard would be or something similar?
You could still sup on it with a blanking plate and with a larger fcs fin in the center when the kids are learning to windsurf so it has more directional stability.
Not sure how this would affect the strength of the sup but weight wise it would be stuff all.
Any thoughts?

Another option is the Exocet Kona (the one). It is definitely a longboard windsurfer primarily. The construction is acs so definitely a little heavier but very tough. I use mine all the time for SUP as well as windsurfing. Its got a lot more rocker than than some of the modern longboard windsurfer (e..g rrd longrider) and even the Mistral Pacifico which makes it Ok to use for SUP in the surf. Its got a power box fin and I use a small wave fin when I SUP with it or take it our for light wind wavesailing sessions. Having the centreboard does help learnong to windsurf as you when you are using the sail to turn the board it gives the board someting to pivot around in light winds.

Cheers
Marlon

Select to expand quote

roberto said...

I have a starboard 10'5" and have used my 6.2 on it a few times with my kids on it.
I have now got a kids 1.5 rig which my boys have used but they did tend to go straight downwind(current too made it worse).
I don't really want to get a windsurf learners board just due to how heavy they are compared to the sup and the sup is so versatile.
Has anyone considered getting a FCS box(or us box) and fitting it to a sup where the centerboard would be or something similar?
You could still sup on it with a blanking plate and with a larger fcs fin in the center when the kids are learning to windsurf so it has more directional stability.
Not sure how this would affect the strength of the sup but weight wise it would be stuff all.
Any thoughts?

-Yes, I think it's the way to go and I'm planning to do it with a 9'8" Starboard Element.

With the types of wind a kid is likely to be learning in the sideways pressure the fin would be subjected to wouldn't be that high. It's more about having the centre of resistance further forward so the board can pivot about it and also track better.

By the time they are up to stronger wind, they would probably be able to sail a different board anyway.


My young son can sail a Bic Nova (with centre fin) happily in light winds doing little gybes etc, but disappeared down wind when he tried it on the Element.

I'm thinking with the Nova and a centre fin in the Sup, both kids will be able to sail at the same time instead of having to take turns, which would make it way more fun for them.

Jeepers, my brain is imploding!!