Hi all,

I've decided to give windsurfing a try and was after some advice getting gear.

Firstly, I'm getting some beginner lessons that will include gear hire, but after that (provided I want to persevere) I'll want to get my own rig.

To start with, I'm after something second hand and not too expensive (on a budget). I'd appreciate any advice, but had a few specific questions in mind:

1) should I try to get a complete rig, or buy pieces individually?
2) are all parts cross compatible (do all booms work on all masts, masts-to-boards, sails-to-masts, etc...)
3) what kind of price range could I expect?
4) should I get the so-called 'beginner boards' or should I go strait to 'intermediate' (my background is snow skiing and I advise not to buy beginner skies as you grow out of them quickly and then they just stunt learning).

I know next to nothing about this sport, so there's probably a bunch more questions that I don't know I should know/ask.

Cheers

One thing i'd suggest is outlaying a little more on the beginner (145L-160L) board.
Not knowing you're weight/height location etc.. i'd suggest those size boards
1. Because they're super stable and allow you to progress to harness and footstrap planing quickly
2. very durable
3. great resale value or trade in for your intermediate gear.

As for sails/masts/booms you can pick this stuff up really cheap or free from local crew.
Just try and keep the same manufacturer ie Neil Pryde sails and Mast; Gaastra Sail and Mast.
Booms are not brand dependent really except some prefer being rigged on one side of the sail and others the other side

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Western-Australia/The-FREE-stuff-thread/

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/New-South-Wales/How-come-we-cant-get-a-free-thread-going-in-NSW/

On what u should buy , go big board , medium sail ,when u know what your doing u will know what u want next

Ok, thanks for the advice.

Stutherpirate, I'm 6" and ~73kg (excluding the day after I visit Hippo Creek...), will learn & practice mostly in the Swan river to start off, but want to hit the Perth beaches. Do you suggest the ~160L board would be the way to go? Is length important, or not so much?

What sail size should I be looking at?
And what would be a good length mast that should cover a few different sails once I start expanding my quiver?

What about a Wally for $100. Like many guys, I started on one, and then moved to a short board. Could save a lot of money, and great way to sail on a river. Silly idea?

Buy a 160l board and a 5 to 5.5 sail.

I have an old starboard go 170l. Easy to learn on. Can handle a 8m sail when you want to blast. Holds its value.

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Harrow said..
What about a Wally for $100. Like many guys, I started on one, and then moved to a short board. Could save a lot of money, and great way to sail on a river. Silly idea?

My wally was $50

At 73 kegs I'd be inclined to go around 145L
That will be stable enough to uphaul on and small enough to be lively in a good breeze.
You'd probably be best off with a 4.5m and a 6.0m sail
Just remember it's all about time on water.
The more you do it the easier and better it will get.
Light days strong days sunny days rainy days get out there.

I know there is no shortage of detractor's BUT...

I'm in the camp that questions learning on anything other than a simple old school longboard. Grab one of those $50 or $100 Wally's or equivalent and get into it.

Everyone is saying what to buy. I'll tell you what I bought as I've just taken it up again. Im 90kg. I brought a JP Funster 145L a 430 mast and a 6.7m sail and a mast extension. First day out was an epic fail for most of the day, gusty Easterly. I went and got a 4.5m sail and went out today 18-20knts wsw.Got going instantly and got plaining a few times towards the end of my session. I have surfed all my life, kiteboarded for a summer and done some basic windsurfing a few years back. I suggest trying to buy a light weight mast and boom as this helps significantly.Hope this info helps

G'day J235, I started windsurfing in November 2015. I have had no formal lessons other than the support/advice of the guys at my local beach (priceless). I'm 6' and 101kg. I bought a Starboard Express at 180L and 2.5m x 1m with a 430 mast and a 5.5m sail. I stopped using the retractable centreboard after the first 2 sessions so maybe don't look specifically for a board with a centreboard. For your size a 160L board (as others have suggested) would be bang on the money and look for widths upwards of 80cm. They will not be easy or cheap to find second hand as light wind fun boards are very much in demand so when you see one that fits the bill, jump on it before someone else does. My 430 mast covers my sail sizes from 5.5m to 7m so is a very good starting point for learning as you progress with bigger sails before then jumping to a 460 or 490 for your bigger sails when you get a bit more experienced. For example I only used my 490 with a 7.8m sail for the first time yesterday after just over 3 months since starting out. Luckily for you, you're in WA which means you seem to get a bit better range of second hand equipment than we seem to get over here on the east coast. BTW theres a few boards for sale in the classifieds that will suit you right now.

Whatever board and sail combo you grab. Make sure you buy brand new gear that holds it together.

Especially the Mast base and extension. And if you can afford it a good quality new or second hand mast and boom as well will give you the confidence that you will make it back to land safely in most conditions.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Can't find many used boards on Gumtree around the 160L mark. Guess I'll have to keep looking.
Generally speaking, how long would it be before I should downsize (and to what)?

Could someone also clarify the terminology?
Is a 430 mast 4.3m long? and a 5.5m sail 5.5m tall? If so, how does the sail fit on the mast?...

Cheers again

Seabreeze buy & sell is better than Gumtree and people ship Aust wide. 430mast is 430cms long. 5.5m is the sail area..

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Browse/Windsurfing/Boards/?search=iVVAl2umBXmHLC7VP1FIeA==

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/default.aspx

Here's a few

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~v9m87/Starboard-Go-155-161-litres.aspx?search=MsVd7Fn$$IqRBEqJrLYVwY9Kxgs6DYq8

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~ts2ta/2014-Starboard-Go-254-cm-161-litres.aspx?search=MsVd7Fn$$IqRBEqJrLYVwY9Kxgs6DYq8

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~v9qft/2006-Starboard-Go-155-255-cm-155-litres.aspx?search=MsVd7Fn$$IqRBEqJrLYVwY9Kxgs6DYq8

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~tw4pp/2003-Starboard-Carve-151-264-cm-151-litres.aspx?search=MsVd7Fn$$IqRBEqJrLYVwY9Kxgs6DYq8

Others can advice on the best one for you.. If you buy the board you can then source the rig separately with advice through here or a shop.
I'm not sure if these will suit your budget?

Mm maybe those won't suit due to price or location but keep an eye on the buy & sell .

is it just me or are there 'no' 2nd hand masts around unless you get the whole kit?

I'm with Stu the pirate you weigh almost nothing. I started on a 148 litre board and I am 95 kilos. If you bought something around that size you could keep it as a light wind board. Or easily offload it to another beginner when your done.

What's your budget? For everything?

Hello,
You definitely need to take lesson prior to understand what you might have to buy to continue and even understand what you mean by next step.

Board measures in volume (liters) and width (cm). Volume is for float ability and width for stability, the bigger the more float ability we say (weight in kg + 20-40 for medium wind kind) and more for beginner. Usually the more volume, the more width...but this is not always true.
Board also depend on program slalom, free ride, wave, beginner....the hull and the outlines are very different...and as a consequence the behavior

Mast measures in meters or cm...from 3,5m (350cm) to 5m (500cm) and more...and some of the significant parameters are the flex curve and the reflex dynamics (material related spring effect). Some mast are RDM (reduced Diametre mast) and others a SDM (Standard Diametre Mast). This diameter have an influence on the sail behavior and most importantly on the mast foot size and the wishbone connection.

Sails measures in square meters and program. They also have 2 other steering parameters, the luff length (mast) and the wishbone length (cm or meters). Again he program can be slalom, course race, speed, wave, beginner, ....outlines, shapes and steering skills are very different

Wishbone measures in cm or meter. Basically, the material durability and stiffness is making the price. There is also a bit of the program but...this is mainly in sync with the sail boom length.

Fins measure in cm, and program and type of board to fin connection geometry

Mast foot and extender measure in length and diameter like masts.

The bigger and the longer board (Wally 300l - 3,5/3,8m) will allow you to be moved with very little wind and technique. They will nevertheless be completely outruled by modern beginner alround board as soon as the wind gets around 7-8knots, both in stability, speed and playfulness.

Most probably you will keep your beginner board for about 30-50 sailing hours...this can be a full season...

Next, you'll need to understand what you are attracted to, blasting fast and straight, carving deep and jumping, making acrobatics... And you'll most probably turn yourself towards a said freeride or bump& jump board, a bit narrower....I guess you'll increase your sail quiver first by taking bigger size to fly faster on your beginner board.

Be patient, and as said earlier, it is all about practice...I usually say that we don't windsurf when we want, we windsurf when we can....that is to say when wind and tide are making the playground .... Windsurfing requires a bit more time than kite to be enjoyed...

Have fun, sail a lot
Plettil

As your quite light I reckon if you have good balance you would just about get away with a 130 Litre learner board but bigger is easier. The learner boards are durable and user friendly. Also a small sail 4m is easier to uphaul (pull up out of the water) and control while you are learning. You will be doing this hundreds of times and it gets hard on the hands. Maybe invest in some windsurf glove's. Also Gumtree is OK to buy gear if you know what your getting. Also if you go into windsurf shops they seem to be OK in seeing what your looking at on Gumtree and will avise if its OK. They are understanding of a newbie budget.

Thanks all.

When buying second hand gear, especially the boards, what are the things I should look for? Will damage be obvious, or not really? Are repaired boards ok to go for?

Don't want to spend $$$ and have the thing full up and sink the first time I use it...

When looking at second hand sails make sure the material doesn't seem too brittle from sun & heat exposure.If they are brittle any bashing around and they split easily. Check the mast sleeve particularly near the top section of the sail. This area gets tight on the mast when rigged and can wear thin from the inside so its hard to tell how worn it is. I had a second hand sail tear in this area yesterday so I'll have to get it repaired. A repaired board is fine if it has been done right and is not waterlogged. If the repair looks crap it probably hasn't been done right. With a bit of shopping around you can get some really good gear for just a few hundred dollars. Your biggest struggle is going to be getting a board so you really only have 3 options 1. Wait for the right board to come at the right price and snap it up. You could get lucky here or it could be a waiting game. 2. Fork out the dollars for a good learner board (new or newish but easy to re-sell)3. Go cheap to get started but I recommend pay no more than $100 for an old big board. Sometimes you can get a whole setup for $100-$150.

What's 'big' in the old boards? Lots of the old stuff doesn't have volume that I can see. 2.8m long? Longer?

They are usually around 3m long and some have volume info on but some don't but they should be about 10cm thick. Any older gear is heavier than modern. The board I had 16 years ago was hard to carry especially when the wind was strong but it all comes down to your budget. My opinion is older boards and gear take more physical effort to sail but if you do the hard yards with them you'll be cranking once you upgrade to something modern

Hi j235, I'm a total newby to windsurfing coming from surfing, and no disrespect mrbones because I know where you're coming from but I've gotta disagree with you based on my experiences over the last couple of months. From what the gentlemen who have taught me to windsurf say, windsurfing was killed by being difficult to learn. These wide learning boards that have been around for the last 10 years make it easy to learn, note I say 'learn' and not 'master' though. There's no way that myself and my learning buddy Adam the roofer would be sailing like we can today in only a few months without these wide boards and more importantly the advice of blokes who love the sport enough to teach us. Budget on spending $1 to 1.5k on a good setup j235 and if you score one for less then you've got money to spend on bigger sails as you learn. Get yourself down to a beach with a bunch of guys who care enough about windsurfing to help you learn, here at my local their advice and their company is priceless, they know who they are.

Paddles B mere I totally agree with you. If you look through this topic you will see my past replies saying how much better the modern gear is. I gave up on windsurfing 16 years ago due to getting frustrated with old gear and the new gear was just too expensive back then. If an old setup is all someone's budget allows then it will get them out on the water and picking up the basics but modern gear is definitely the go for anyone that can afford it

Fair call mrbones, you're right, whatever budget gets you on the water works.

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sboardcrazy said..

leftfield said..
This on gum tree might be of interest to you?

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bicton/surfing/windsurf-gear-new-complete-with-harness/1106482678


Also a beginner board here too.


www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kingsley/other-sports-fitness/windsurfing-kit-everything-you-need/1106494428

Don't think the 2nd one would suit a beginner..

Last night that advert also included a 160 litre board for $520. Must have been sold.

But the only board left is definitely too small.

Hi again all,
Thanks for pointing those boards out, got the first one and now learning. It's a bit harder than the 220L that I took lessons on a few weeks ago, but starting to get the hang of it I think. Looking forward to getting better and a tad more wind, it's dead atm.
Thanks for everyone's help :)

j235 what did you end up getting ? Board ? Sail ?

The Nano 155L board, 5.8m sail, 430 mast. Mast, sail look almost brand new, and board in top nick too
:)

...now the big learning process begins...

Cool. You could also get a smaller sail for high winds and learning gybes on average days. I got a 4.5 for $40 and it fits on aa 430 mast but I've seen some even cheaper. I've been looking up some of the tutorials on YouTube. There's some great stuff that really helps. Consistency is the key. Get out anytime you can