I used winsurf a hell of a lot on all sorts of boards in the last century. I've returned and dug out my old Bombora South Pacific to sail around on Sydney Harbour. I can stick the centreboard down and go somewhere or raise it and reach around like everyone else (well, one or two other elses). If I want to get some new gear I still want to be able to go upwind. So what's the deal? No, I don't want a Windsurfer. Is there even a name for the type of board that has a centreboard - they used be called raceboards or, what I'm into, a funboard?

Either hat:
windsurf.star-board.com/products/phantom-race/
or a foil.

Wide boards killed them. Well specifically wide boards with big fins and sails.
Then foils put the last nail in the coffin.

So do wideboads go to windward ok without a cetreboard - can't see it.

Thanks for raising this question greycaps. I've only just recently got back into windsurfing after 25 years and been wondering the same thing. Getting back into windsurfing I've bought gear aimed at blasting through the bay but I'd also like to get some gear that allows me to cruise around the bay on a warm summer day when the water is flat and it's blowing 5-15 knots like I did in my younger days (stand up paddle boarding kind of experience but with a sail). I'm also not entirely sure what kind of modern board suites this though

Is it one of these? Is this what one means by wide board? Am also curious how upwind one can get these to go.
windsurf.star-board.com/products-2019/carve-iq/

Or one of these which looks in the ballpark of sportier light wind boards I'm used to from back in the days:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~44q6a/2015-JP-Australia-Funster-145-Litres-258-cm-145-litres.aspx?_page=1&search=MsVd7Fn%2F%2FIrhqHytluWcH0wFtBuyQW12

Can't say I'm keen on buying one of those phantom type boards that was posted in a previous message. 377 litres, really?

I had a early 2000's Bic Nova 180 L board 30 lbs with a 32 cm center fin, really needed it to go up wind. But then got a 2016 Magic Ride 142 L board with a 54 cm fin, wow what a difference, got moving right away so the waves did not push me into shallow water, like they did with the Nova. Good upwind, way better than the Nova, and while MR was 38L smaller it floated me way better due to it being hollow and only 18 lbs. Now on a Goya Bolt 135 L, about the same size as the MR, but 2 lbs lighter, and I can feel it, using an AFS foil can go upwind really good, especially if you do it in a zig-zag manner where you cut up wind hard and then go off a little to keep your speed up and stay inflight, and then cut back upwind.

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greycaps said..
So do wideboads go to windward ok without a cetreboard - can't see it.

Absolutely, but you have to be planing and rigged pretty big.
Which I'd why foiling has taken over. You can go upwind even better but without needing a ton of power.

Just buy a second hand 90s race board . They work well with all new sails , big or small.

www.exocet-original.com/rs-380-v-2019-pro-c2x33111092

Or go and buy a Mistral One Design, Mistral Equipe or Equipe 2 or F2 Lightning.


I would say racing Windsurfer Class (simplified raceboard) is fantastic fun and a real workout. It is also running events around the world and in Australia that you can get into. Foiling is cool but sailing longboards is a form of gliding and is also fun and very enjoyable.


















Note Tim Gourlay 2021 WA State Champion and also LW 2019 World Champion, sails without an uphaul to reduce windage and improve aerodynamics...see how far ahead he is of the competition ! Top sailors never drop their rigs.

Starboard 377 isn't 377 litres.
377cm long. Volume around 250litre depending on model. Grab a 90s Raceboard if you can find one.
SO MUCH FUN.

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greycaps said..
I used winsurf a hell of a lot on all sorts of boards in the last century. I've returned and dug out my old Bombora South Pacific to sail around on Sydney Harbour. I can stick the centreboard down and go somewhere or raise it and reach around like everyone else (well, one or two other elses). If I want to get some new gear I still want to be able to go upwind. So what's the deal? No, I don't want a Windsurfer. Is there even a name for the type of board that has a centreboard - they used be called raceboards or, what I'm into, a funboard?

As already mentioned a wide board needs a big fin or foil to go upwind, whilst both those option are good they are different to using a centreboard, neither of them have the same glide that a narrow board with a centreboard will have and if not planing or flying both the foil and fin options will be slogging.

Funboards like you mentioned are no longer made, the only options are learner boards (JP Funster, Naish Kailua etc) WIndsup (Bic JP and WIndsurfer LT) or Raceboards (Starboard Phantom, Exocet, Unifiber etc). Modern raceboards are great to sail but expensive and fragile, windsups and learner boards are pretty limited in terms of performance.

The closest thing to a funboard now is a BIC Techno293OD, it is similar in construction and performance to a 80's funboard, capab leof light wind cruising and high wind blasting and made to race windward leeward courses. It has a massive following as it is the official youth windsurfing class.

Even though its the youth board its probably the closest thing to what your asking about

Windtechs are longer and narrower and go upwind really well even subplaning. They don't have a centreboard.
windtechwindsurfing.com

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Sandman1221 said..
I had a early 2000's Bic Nova 180 L board 30 lbs with a 32 cm center fin, really needed it to go up wind. But then got a 2016 Magic Ride 142 L board with a 54 cm fin, wow what a difference, got moving right away so the waves did not push me into shallow water, like they did with the Nova. Good upwind, way better than the Nova, and while MR was 38L smaller it floated me way better due to it being hollow and only 18 lbs. Now on a Goya Bolt 135 L, about the same size as the MR, but 2 lbs lighter, and I can feel it, using an AFS foil can go upwind really good, especially if you do it in a zig-zag manner where you cut up wind hard and then go off a little to keep your speed up and stay inflight, and then cut back upwind.

The centreboard in the nova is just a us box fin. If you take it out and use a large fin in the back it will go well.

You also have the option or getting an RSX board. They are similar to what you describe except they slow and horrible to sail in every conditions.

The Windsurfer LT is a fun board to sail, surf and to race: www.facebook.com/windsurferclassaus/videos/609520166306348/?__so__=serp_videos_tab

Baratti Beach Park (Piombino, Tuscany): highlights of the 3rd italian national race 2020. winds 20-35kn.Its not Hawaii, its Tuscany, Italy but nice waves outside around the gybe mark. This is the thrill of one design racing.

www.facebook.com/windsurferclass/videos/315349423134241

Plus there is great camaraderie, gliding and competition as it is one design. There are many great sailors in Sydney (or NSW) using the boards eg Rohan Cudmore, Mark Paul, Dolly, Chris Thompson and Scotty O'Connor etc.

You can even compete in the Australian Masters Games at MBSC in Perth for October 2021 on one. There will be 100 charter boards provided by Windgenuity (Greg Johns) available for interstate charters etc. Then there is Dec 2021 Worlds too with charter boards again...

Even David Ezzy, speaks volumes for the class, as the foiling fanatic admitted in an email to the WA organisers of the WA Windsurfer Class State Championship: "Love it! Put me right back to 1978. I agree, racing is easier and more inviting with the Windsurfer LT class than it is with foiling."

Live and learn - turns out it's A Bombora Capricorn not a South Pacific and all of 160 litres (they didn't seem to put a name on these boards). Thanks for the info. I think I'll stick with it for a while and make sure I don't loose it's centerboard.

^ Take a template of the CB if youre worried about losing it. Can easily make a ply n glass replica.

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greycaps said..
Live and learn - turns out it's A Bombora Capricorn not a South Pacific and all of 160 litres (they didn't seem to put a name on these boards). Thanks for the info. I think I'll stick with it for a while and make sure I don't loose it's centerboard.

Cool board..never owned one but I think they have a tail with stepped hull, like the Astro-Toy but I think the Capricorn is a quattro concave and were designed by Bruce McKee. I think this board was fun enough that Scotty O'Connor kept one on the Fijian island he lived on as a light wind funboard...

www.mckeesurf.com/?page_id=85

Yes. None of the wide slalom or fun boards will plane, let alone go upwind in 5-10 knots.

A full on Formula Board might using a giant, unwieldy 11-12m bastard of a sail, but that is definitely not fun cruising.

As others have said, the closest thing to what you seem to need is an older 'Funboard/Raceboard' like the ones Richard posted.

Or, just stick with what you have if it's doing the job.

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FormulaNova said..

Sandman1221 said..
I had a early 2000's Bic Nova 180 L board 30 lbs with a 32 cm center fin, really needed it to go up wind. But then got a 2016 Magic Ride 142 L board with a 54 cm fin, wow what a difference, got moving right away so the waves did not push me into shallow water, like they did with the Nova. Good upwind, way better than the Nova, and while MR was 38L smaller it floated me way better due to it being hollow and only 18 lbs. Now on a Goya Bolt 135 L, about the same size as the MR, but 2 lbs lighter, and I can feel it, using an AFS foil can go upwind really good, especially if you do it in a zig-zag manner where you cut up wind hard and then go off a little to keep your speed up and stay inflight, and then cut back upwind.

The centreboard in the nova is just a us box fin. If you take it out and use a large fin in the back it will go well.

There were various Novas. I owned one (210d maybe?) for awhile that looked like an EVA covered version of the RS:One. The EVA wrapping to the bottom deck inhibited planing performance which is a shame. Otherwise, it was really fun board. Probably would have kept in the garage had it planed just a bit better. At least a newbie got to use it.

Bic 293ODs, 185d (293 without bells and whistles), Fanatic Viper, Starboard Rio are just a few recent production boards that are fine, imho. Plus, of course, the aforementioned 90s raceboards.

Like many here, 98% of the time, first wide boards/long fins and then foil boards have made a centerboard redundant.

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Paducah said..

FormulaNova said..

Sandman1221 said..
I had a early 2000's Bic Nova 180 L board 30 lbs with a 32 cm center fin, really needed it to go up wind. But then got a 2016 Magic Ride 142 L board with a 54 cm fin, wow what a difference, got moving right away so the waves did not push me into shallow water, like they did with the Nova. Good upwind, way better than the Nova, and while MR was 38L smaller it floated me way better due to it being hollow and only 18 lbs. Now on a Goya Bolt 135 L, about the same size as the MR, but 2 lbs lighter, and I can feel it, using an AFS foil can go upwind really good, especially if you do it in a zig-zag manner where you cut up wind hard and then go off a little to keep your speed up and stay inflight, and then cut back upwind.

The centreboard in the nova is just a us box fin. If you take it out and use a large fin in the back it will go well.

There were various Novas. I owned one (210d maybe?) for awhile that looked like an EVA covered version of the RS:One. The EVA wrapping to the bottom deck inhibited planing performance which is a shame. Otherwise, it was really fun board. Probably would have kept in the garage had it planed just a bit better. At least a newbie got to use it.

Bic 293ODs, 185d (293 without bells and whistles), Fanatic Viper, Starboard Rio are just a few recent production boards that are fine, imho. Plus, of course, the aforementioned 90s raceboards.

Like many here, 98% of the time, first wide boards/long fins and then foil boards have made a centerboard redundant.

Centreboards redundant LOL

Good topic.
For cruising in 5 to 15 especially if you're bored with going back and forth you need a centreboard in my opinion. Coincidentally these are the best conditions for the LT. Any stronger and a Race board or smaller board would be more enjoyable. Foiling looks great if you're fit, not too heavy and have the cash. Formula killed racing and we should have stuck with raceboards.

We started off with versatile funboards. The more modern versions - LT and hybrid raceboards (mistral prodigy/Bic Techno) are a lot of fun under 20 knots.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree that hybrid fun boards are fun in 20kts. Outside a racecourse they are okay at best, dull mostly. They lack the subplaning performance and technicality which makes a raceboard engaging in 5-10kts.
Even a raceboard is just kind of okay in 5-10, but as soon as it's 10-15 I'd far rather be foiling and the vast majority of sailors agree.

So unless you have a desperate need to get on the water in <10kts then center boards are redundant.

^PFFFFT! Many times I've had my ol IMCO over 24kts just blastin around. Had my Speed F1 over 28kts heaps of times as well. Can rip past half the shortboard pack. Nothing better than planing past a shortboard while they dredge around. Amazing how many shortboarders comment when 2.5m of bonnet in the air goes rippin past. Stand Clear BIG RIG coming thru!!
Gotta Love it!!

They've gone the way of the dodo, just like Dacron sails

They have only disappeared to those who listen n act as the Bigger, Better, Harder, Faster ,Fashion Police manufacturers want you to.
That's fine if you wish to close your mind to how it all started.
Bet there's plenty of GPS crew out there whod love an XY 351GT in their garage.
But that's an OLD straight line, crap handling pushrod V8 from yesteryear.
RIGHT????

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FormulaNova said..

Sandman1221 said..
I had a early 2000's Bic Nova 180 L board 30 lbs with a 32 cm center fin, really needed it to go up wind. But then got a 2016 Magic Ride 142 L board with a 54 cm fin, wow what a difference, got moving right away so the waves did not push me into shallow water, like they did with the Nova. Good upwind, way better than the Nova, and while MR was 38L smaller it floated me way better due to it being hollow and only 18 lbs. Now on a Goya Bolt 135 L, about the same size as the MR, but 2 lbs lighter, and I can feel it, using an AFS foil can go upwind really good, especially if you do it in a zig-zag manner where you cut up wind hard and then go off a little to keep your speed up and stay inflight, and then cut back upwind.

The centreboard in the nova is just a us box fin. If you take it out and use a large fin in the back it will go well.

I did that, TrueAmes 54 cm sweeper fin, still slow to get going and relative low flotation, which allowed waves to push it shoreward.

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John340 said..
They've gone the way of the dodo, just like Dacron sails

Pictures say a thousand words.......... looks a lot like your set up getting left in the wake of those dodo's

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John340 said..
They've gone the way of the dodo, just like Dacron sails

Which class your talking about , race boards ?

We have a distance race around an island in Seattle. It's open to any windsurfing gear you want. It runs under two bridges and the island is tall enough to form massive wind shadows.
The record was held by one guy with a Div2 board for YEARS. Most people used a raceboard to run it with Formula making a rare appearance.
Within two years of foils hitting the scene only record was being beaten on a regular basis.

Or local short course racing is the same. A few isolated videos of decent sailors passing poor ones doesn't change that.

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Grantmac said..
We have a distance race around an island in Seattle. It's open to any windsurfing gear you want. It runs under two bridges and the island is tall enough to form massive wind shadows.
The record was held by one guy with a Div2 board for YEARS. Most people used a raceboard to run it with Formula making a rare appearance.
Within two years of foils hitting the scene only record was being beaten on a regular basis.

Or local short course racing is the same. A few isolated videos of decent sailors passing poor ones doesn't change that.

Speed is relative. Racing identical gear around the buoys determines the best sailor. The most popular sailing classes have centreboards.