Having taken a break from windsurfing for about 5 years now the time has come to mix it up a little and bust out the wallet for new wave setup for North Scarbs, WA.

From what I remember of 5 years ago, gear developments were pretty much change for change sake and I had built a some strong respect for starboard and tushingham as no nonsense quality products.

My question to all you gear heads is...

Has anyone actually come up with any big developments that are worth looking into?

And to all the Perth indian ocean locals, what size gear did you use the most last season? (I'm 75kg's)

cheers guys

James

welcome back

Sandman, I am 76 to 80kgs depending on beer, water intake, etc.

I used my 5.3 about 90% of the time last year.

When you get around to it, I think you will be blown away by the amount of development in windsurfing gear in the last 5 years.

sandman,

I'd say 5.4 - 4.7 - 4.2 or similar should do you fine... board size... 80 liters to begin with.

The new JP twin fins are great boards... and would work great for your weight. Alternatively try the Real World waves. Sail wise, Neil Pryde Fly or Severne should suite you well. RE board alternatives Starboard Evo could be an option.

If money is an issue you can always go for used sails or a Gun Sail setup.

I'd recommend you go and see a shop and try out a few boards... I think Reg in at Windsurfing Perth for example has JP and Neil Pryde... there are a couple of shops that do Starboard... do a search on Start-board.com .

The big changes in the last 5 years I would say is the introduction of the Crossover wave boards (JP Realworld Wave, Starboard Evo, Fanatic Freewave etc. ) and this year the twin fin concept.

As far as the twin fins are concerned I'd probably wait a season or two before committing to that concept and buying a twin fin board. In a couple of season we will see if it was fad plus you will know more what style of boards you like.

Also don't forget the second hand market. There are some real good bargains around these days... you can start by checking the Buy & Sell forum on this site. Most guys that sell gear here will be more than happy to let you try before you buy I am sure...

ahhh a thread after my own heart. I am re-joing the fold after a 20+ year break so all this new fandangled gear is really confusing me. My time in my teens was spent at point danger in Torquay and I still live in the area. Currently tip the scales at a healthy 90 kegs and I am looking to supplement my sport boat sailing with a family friendly beach activity and thought what better activity than dusting off my old skills. Used to blast around on a 9ft glass slalom with a 6m rig but i was probably about 15 lighter!!! would have rated my self as an advanced intermediate.

Any suggestions for some new kit would be greatly appreciated....

Welcome back guys!!!!!!!!

Awsome stuff!!!

I"m 95 kg's and sail an 85 liter board and use a sails from 4.5 to 5.8 wind range 20-35 Knots.When it's a little more on the light side i use a wide 92 liter board.
This formula works once you have your confidence.

cheers guys, your advice backs up pretty much what I had assumed, looking at about 80ltr with a 5.4 and 4.7 I think.

Maybe the JP Freestyle wave or Real world wave and either a NP Excess or North Ice, has anyone had any experience with these for choppy water, sloppy waves and a bit of upwind blasting?

Just make sure to get a skinny mast if you possibly can.Any production board,from the last 5 years, is ok once you get used to it.

i have read a bit about skinny masts..... whats their advantage? just better depowering through twisting off?

yeah, skinny mast were coming back in vogue as I was finishing up, thin = streamlined. thin = thicker mast walls = stronger mast for given IMCS and carbon content. thin = $$$

That was my understanding anyway

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T8 said...

i have read a bit about skinny masts..... whats their advantage? just better depowering through twisting off?

Gday mate ,

Welcome back! i reckon you will find it allot easier these days compared to 20yrs ago.

skinny masts are purely stronger , the have a thicker wall compared to a SDM mast. the all bend the same , the weigh pretty much the same. you MIGHT get some aerodynamic advantages but im sure they are only minor.

so what volume board should an (ex) pretty good intermediate be shooting for? Currently 90 kegs. Preferred sailing location is Torquay's Point Danger. Pretty flattish in the bay and generally smallish waves on the point. Was thinking of some kind of free ride/slalom number.

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T8 said...

so what volume board should an (ex) pretty good intermediate be shooting for? Currently 90 kegs. Preferred sailing location is Torquay's Point Danger. Pretty flattish in the bay and generally smallish waves on the point. Was thinking of some kind of free ride/slalom number.

Length is largely irrelevant for modern board designs. More important measurements are width and volume. I am a bit lighter than you and got back into windsurfing last year. I bought a Tabou Rocket 140. The main reason I bought such a big board was I wanted to be able to go windsurfing more often, and not wait for stronger winds. I have found the Tabou a very easy board to sail and manouver. A few times its been too big, when the winds get up to 20 knots or more, so I bought a smaller Rocket, the 105. Nice board but only taken it out once when I was totally overpowered and in survival mode.

I'd recommend not going too small to start with, going for a bigger freeride of a around 140 litres or more and getting an 8 meter sail or more to suit it. Then you can get going in 10 to 15 knot breezes and have a great time.

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Maybe the JP Freestyle wave or Real world wave and either a NP Excess or North Ice, has anyone had any experience with these for choppy water, sloppy waves and a bit of upwind blasting?

Sandman,

I have sailed both the 84 FSW and the 84 RWW (actually have had the '07 84 RWW and still have the '08 84 RWW).

The '08 FSW is fast... I mean really fast. It does turn well but I would say it's less of a wave board than the 84 RWW. The '08 RWW actually improves upon the '07 RWW in that it's a faster board while not compromising on it's wave characteristics. Both boards plane really early.

Which board to get probably depends on what you are planing to do most... if it's mostly flat to choppy water with some wave action I'd say go for the 84 FSW. If you know you'll spend most time sailing in waves get the 84 RWW.

The '08 84 FSW is available in a light weight version which in my opinion is worth the extra money. A plus on the 84 FSW is that it seem to hold it's value pretty well.

Hope this helps.

T8 : feel free to join us either at Pt Henry or Lake Connewarre if you want to do some flat water blasting or if you just want to see what sort of setups we have.
I usually post in the 'Windsurfing Victoria' section when we have made plans to head out.

thanks for the advice so far.

used to do a fair bit of sailing pt henry in my younger days! might drop past and see what has changed in 20 years!