Hi guys,
I've been trolling here for a while on and off. Getting real keen on buying some new gear, but I have no idea where to start. I've read some good posts on what to avoid, and after too many equipment failures on my waterlogged bombora x-it, I need to work out where to start.
I've got a decent sail or two and a boom or two that will be fine, but the board has got me stumped.
I'm based in launceston, and rosevears has always appealed to me being so close(I'm in riverside). I've sailed once with the port sorell guys last year on an old crappy one design too. Although its been a few years since i had some awesome times at coles bay where i used to sail for weeks every summer.
I'm about 85kg (90 wet :-)), and can still water start no problems...gybing...maybe ...
I hate borrowing people's gear, but how does one work out what they want/need? Or should I just buy what I think will do and hope?
Do demo days happen, and what's the go? Are you able to take gear out for a go? And is there somewhere I can hire gear perhaps?
Sorry guys, so many questions, but I'd love to get involved and help grow the launceston community...
Appreciate your feedback
Johnny

Good to see you getting back into the sport. You have just missed a couple of demo days. Any way I would look for a freeride board around 115liters to 120L this will make it very easy to get up and going and you should be able to uphal and nail those jibes. I would look at something fairly newish and it will make it quite easy. looking for a board I have discribed, I probably wouldn't pay over $800 as you will progress quickly and will be looking for a smaller board.

Good advice from Izaak and great to hear you're keen to get back into the sport!! What type of sails do you have and what type of sailing are you mainly keen to do - at Rosevears, will it be mainly just flat-water blasting back-and-forth?

Thanks guys.
There are quite a few on 'buy and sell' that I've been looking at, eg. The Mistral Flow V120 - 282 cm, 120 litres sounds nearly ideal, but I dont want a board that makes gybing a friggin knife edge turn like my old X-IT ;-)...this is where I hope the combined knowledge of you all can help.

The only sail I have is a Neil Pryde V6 5.9(could be a 5.7..hmm) which should be enough to get by for a year or so.
I'm a speed hound, or used to be, so straight line blasting is my poison! I clocked 34kn on my X-IT about 15years ago when I was betatesting a SpeedTech (i think) device that had an impeller that you had to stick on the fin which sent a magnetic pulse through to the LCD display velcro'd to a footstrap. That would have been 15 years ago!

I can organise a demo of some different gear if you want to try some stuff out. Send me a PM or just drop into Planet Surf Launceston for a chat.

Cheers AL

Awesome man.
I will absolutely do that. Thanks heaps.

Hi Johnny
It would be great to catch up with you sometime for a sail (also from Riverside). I generally sail at lagoons beach at low head which is a great place to sail in westerly conditions, Rosevears on a NW and Kelso,Greens beach area on easterlies. Keep an eye on the forum for whats happening. Let us know if you are keen for a sail ...we usually are. This weekend a lot of us are heading to Stanley to sail and I will be bringing up some extra gear including some bigger boards. Looks like the winds will be a bit light but there is usually something to sail in up there. Would be great if you could come.
Paul

Incredible coincidence, but I'm taking the family to wynyard for the long weekend, so I'm nearly there!
I've actually sailed in a channel on the west side of the nut I think it was, again, probably 13yrs ago...
I will definitely try and get up if nothing to say hi and meet some of you guys!
I have to say I'm getting a little excited!

Guys,
I need some more advice. I've just picked up from my cousin a Severne Synergy kit.
I was a little dubious after doing a quick look up online - but it's a full kit that comes with stuff I need to replace to give me some confidence that my gear isn't going to break.
So, it's got a europin mastbase, extension, boom, mast and 6m sail. I believe the mast is the White version which appears to be only 45% carbon...not sure if this will be a problem or not...
He's offering it to me for $500, and only used it 3 times, then lost interest.

I'm going to throw my x-it on the roof with this gear, and hopefully get to Stanley this weekend and give it a crack. Might be enough to get me back in the swing of it.

Wondering what you guys think about it?

Select to expand quote

JohnnyHuett said...

Guys,
I need some more advice. I've just picked up from my cousin a Severne Synergy kit.
I was a little dubious after doing a quick look up online - but it's a full kit that comes with stuff I need to replace to give me some confidence that my gear isn't going to break.
So, it's got a europin mastbase, extension, boom, mast and 6m sail. I believe the mast is the White version which appears to be only 45% carbon...not sure if this will be a problem or not...
He's offering it to me for $500, and only used it 3 times, then lost interest.

I'm going to throw my x-it on the roof with this gear, and hopefully get to Stanley this weekend and give it a crack. Might be enough to get me back in the swing of it.

Wondering what you guys think about it?

Sounds like a good deal. If there is an issue, it is that the sails are built to retail for around $350 dollars. A sail built for that price is just not as powerful or as stable as a sail that would sell for around $500 to $700 dollars. But so what, you are getting a good mast, mast base and boom and the sail is still way better than something from the mid ninties before they invented the "loose leech".

Also you are probably going to bounce off the sail a few times anyway and cause some wear and tear on whatever sail you use.

It will be interesting to see if the X-it is fast enough to give some of the modern slalom boards a scare (they will definetly be quicker around the corners).

Just cracked out my v6, and there are two nice straight rips in the bottom panel.. :-(
But I've put it on the roof anyway.
Im not sure ill give any one any challenges, (other than straight line...) Hell, I'll be stoked if I can get there and move on water at ;-)
Appreciate your reply Al. We'll see how she goes!

Is there any etiquette when you guys are racing, I.e. just stay out of the way I assume? If I do get to turn up, is there a window I should be there or avoid, I don't want to be the annoying noob- apart from online :)

Don't worry too much about the racing. Definitely preferable if we are racing that non-racers do keep clear of those racing, but generally it's all pretty relaxed and if you see that sailors are lining up for a start, just a matter of keepng away from the rounding marks. The races generally only take 5-10 minutes each at most, so it is not expected that non-races keep out of the water or anything like that.

Be a great opportunity for you to check out some of the gear if you can make it and we do get some wind!!

My wife has just given me the nod for sunday, so it's looking good my end!

Will be great to meet you all.

Speaking as a noob.
Mostly they go around but try and avoid the race lines.

Generally most are relaxed. We're. Of playing for sheep stations.

Synergy rig packages are great value. Well worth the money.