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Found this article and thought it interesting and raised some very valid points especially with the lack of newcomers to the sport.http://www.lbwindsurfing.com/windsurf/the-longboard-windsurfing-revival/
If anybody has or knows someone with an old longboard/raceboard gathering dust in a shed somewhere within Brisbane to Bundaberg area please let me know willing to spend $.
Interesting article but fairly one sided, that said, some valid points. The problem is that now days the longboard has no chance of being the future of the sport, why, because as soon as a kid sailing a longboard see's someone fly past and bust a shaka or someone at a beach shred a wave they are going to want to do that.
It may be a little offensive but honestly the longboard is the domain of the older windsurfer and the 'club meds' of this world. Most kids given the choice of sailing a longboard or sailing a shortboard would pick the shortboard every time, imo, even given it's wind range deficiency; I know I did.
I`ve got a Tiga race longboard (bright colour graphics; like a Ken Done painting). Only problem is I lost the the universal connection to it when we move down to Brisi from North Queensland in the late 90s. Other than that its in great nick.
Hi Jolee i had the same prblem with an old bic i have (broken Part) but have fitted a couple of threaded stainless plates into the mast track box so it now takes a standard/modern mast base, works ok but no longer moveable.
ps remember ian the fisherman/net maker, had a sail on new years with him he is stuck down here
@ cjw I'm getting older and sometimes desperate for a sail, thats when the longen comes in handy, also have fitted a plastic seat to a uni joint and can paddle it like a surf ski
I have read the article and it does make some valid points.
I've started sailing at the end of last summer, on a short board. In the very beginner stages, a lot of the points in that article stuck in my head (read it last year) and thought about buying a longboard. I had some frustrations with the short board (the ones mentioned in the article).
After approximately a year on and more time with the shortboard, I've changed my opinion. This is what it came down to; Once I've experienced the short board in windy conditions, there's no way of ever going to a long board for me. Even if I could go sailing almost everyday with a long board, I'd always be hanging for short board conditions. I don't own a longboard, wouldn't mind one, but I can't justify the space, etc for the amount time I'd want to go out with it.
I don't think short boards killed the sport, it just died a natural death, similar to roller staking etc. Majority of people still left in the sport say short boards are the go and rightly so (my opinion).
Agree with you Gustee. Riding a longboard in light winds is basically not as much fun as riding a shortboard in stronger winds. This is why the sport is shortboard biased.
I think the article is too dismissive of how shortboards changed in the naughties. Overall designs improved dramatically, with short boards performing better in lighter winds. I don't think in any way an old 140L shortboard like some form of 295 could compete with a modern 140L shortboard like a Tabou Rocket, JP Xcite Ride or Starboard Futura.
I too would love to own a longboard, especially a thin one that can cut through the water in light winds. A few years ago I tried a Tiga raceboard in light winds and it was great to sail. Wider boards seem to push the water out of the way in subplaning conditions, generating a fair bit of resistance. This Tiga would slice through the water. However it was not as fun as riding a short board in planing conditions.
I think the length of a longboard affects their popularity. As our cities become more crowded, even having a garage becomes more of a luxury. Basically in Sydney you need a fair bit of money to buy a place with a garage. So where to store your longboard? At least with a shortboard, even if you live in an apartment with no external storage, you can keep it in your flat.
If you really want to get back into non planing windsurfing, get a SUP with a mast mount. The new epoxy or wood construction means these boards are MUCH lighter then their blow moulded counterparts. Some (JP wide body) even come with a centre fin mount so they can go up wind really well.
Great cardio workout paddling in sub 5 knots on flat water. A real hoot in small waves and when the wind gets too annoying, whack on a small sail and go non planing windsurfing.
Taught my brother to windsurf on one boxing day.
The 10'2" Tabou is also fantastic for this cross over purpose.
I noticed a couple of secondhand "Speed" raceboards at Board Crazy in Brisbane not that long ago but they are not appearing on the web page, worth a call.
There is a big difference between the plastic longboards on ebay and a epoxy raceboard. If you want a high performance board then go for a raceboard, if its just for mucking around in light winds then any longboard or SUP would probably do. I looked for ages for a used raceboard, I eventually gave up and resorted to building my own one (2 years ago).
Last year I got out windsurfing 46 times (raceboard=21, slalom=14 and wave=11) some of the best sessions were on the raceboard. I've windsurfed short boards for 20 years and still think a waveboard with a 4 or 4.7m is great. However, apart from getting me out on the water in lighter winds the raceboard has opened up a whole different aspect of windsurfing. Obviously not everyone's thing, just depends on what you what to do in lighter winds.
Some photos are on whitecaps website www.whitecapsphotography.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=8857198
My rig on the raceboard.
The issue is not long versus short, as some posts imply. In fact the two don't overlap all that much. In real winds I take my Goya and Flare anytime over a longboard.
The issue is sitting on the shore in the 10-15 knot range and whinging as we see often, versus going out and getting a work out.
Yes it's one more board, it's large and cumbersome, but getting out in say 15 knots and no harness is a great exercise that keeps fit for when the wind does pick up.
I windsurf for the workout first and foremost.
kind of dont agree with the shortboards are better thing... although i do love being powered on a shortboard, ive actually had some great lightwind longboard wave sessions this past year.. when the wind dies.. throw the 6.2/7.0 on the longboard, and keep catching waves, a completely different feel to it compared to the shortboard.
and if its more onshore, the extra length helps getting out.
its the same as comparing shortboard surfing to mals.. theyre both good.
i ride a kona 11 5.. and unless you live where you get lots of perfect conditions, its well worth getting one.
i also have an old mistral equipe that i still use .. but thats a completely different beast.. but, still id rather sail that in flatwater than a formula board.
I love my longboard, an Exocet Kona Surf (370cm, 170L). I go out nearly every day in the surf, no matter what the wind is doing, and have a lot of fun in the waves. It is normal where I live to have extended periods where winds will not get over 15k. This is the joy of the longboard. As it is a longboard, it is more cruisy. That's not to say that I can't do cutbacks, bottom turns and get some air when it pleases me! It really comes into it's own, especially in 2m+ conditions, riding the swells from off a headland to a km or two up the beach, going down the line all the way. And so easy to get out through the chop, even in low winds.
To give you the gist of what I am talking about:
Did anybody come across two piece boards that can be assembled like a mast ofr expamle?
If could save a lot of space if we could divide our board into two pieces.
Ok i can hear voices that will add 1 kg weight to the construction due to hinges and mounts but hey we can have 140 cm long pack inside car easy then.
i'm with you gidget!
longboards like the kona 10'5" or sailable sups tuff enough for the surf are excellent fun.
Yeah light wind wave sailing is a lot of fun. However you cannot imagine a Tiga race board, Fanatic Cat or Mistral Equippe being out there in the shore break.
Light wind wave sailing can be achieved easily on a larger short board. I've done it a few times on my Tabou Rocket 140.
Back in the day I used to do it all the time on my Bombora Zot. One memorable session was with dolphins on the north side of Windang Island in a light southerly wind.
yeah the raceboards are horrid in surf. but the surf designed longboards are different beasts. plenty of rocker for the turns.
one of the things with the larger shortboards is they are typically fairly wide to. the kona styled longboards or sups are narrow and you can feel it in the turns. narrow is good.
there is also a lot more momentum/volume up front with the longboards which can help clumsy carves.
''The glide-the new sport of longboard wavesailing
Jeffrey Henderson, sailmaker of Hot Sails Maui, lives in the home of the shortboard. Waveboard heaven. High-wind nirvana.
And what is Jeff doing for fun and for the future of windsurfing? He's becoming a prophet of longboard wavesailing.
Longboard wavesailing seemed almost like an oxymoron for years. Wavesailing meant shortboards. Longboards meant flat water. But as Jeff and a few other people realised, modern longboards (like SUPs) under sails can be just as effective in the surf as longboards you paddle - and longboard surfing has long been the growth area of windsurfing's sister sport. Henderson reckons longboard wavesailing can give the same boost to windsurfing.
Shortboard wavesailing is fantastic, but longboard wavesailing offers you different sensations. You can punch out through the white water in only a few knots of wind, so you can slide your longboard across glassy waves rather than windblown chop. You can cruise into the sunset, after the shortboards and even the kiters have gone home. You can slip out to isolated breaks, and wriggle out off beaches too small and sheltered for a shortboard to work. And just like long surfboards, long windsurfers have that stunning feeling only a long hull slipping through the water can create - the 'glide'.
"We want to be the inspiration to get the beauties back on the water and remind people about a great feeling called 'glide', long lost to shortboarding" writes Henderson. "It is a totally unique feel that sets the soul on fire, and revives your energy, instead of exhausting you."
Way back when, of course, all windsurfer surf sailing was on longboards, but that was all but forgotten for about 20 years. It hung on in a couple of places. Henderson sailed alone on Maui, and the original Windsurfer One Design class sailors in Australia still got together for an annual fun contest in small surf. But longboard wavesailing remained almost unknown until the last year or two.
It's now dovetailing neatly into the SUP boom, because SUPs fitted with mast tracks make great wavesailing longboards. Kona are also making specialised wavesailing longboards, and PWA pros like Scott McKercher are getting out in the wave on their longboards. But still, while there are echoes from the distant past, longboard wavesailing is such a developing facet of the sport that every time you go afloat, you can be adding your own little bit to history.
Let's let Henderson take up the when and why of longboard wavesailing;
"What is it? Sailing surfboards with no footstraps in light wind, hopefully in waves. You can sail when there's no wind, the curse of our sport as a business for the last 20 years.
Why? Sail before kites can launch. Sail for quiet, private fun and reflection. Surf glassy empty waves. Crossover to stand up surfing in no wind. Go surfing with a friend. All the reasons windsurfing started and more, just better in surfing waves.
Who? Globally, we are few in numbers, but increasing by the day.
Stand up paddle surfing will attract many new converts to longboard wavesailing.
History? Guys in California and Hawaii surfing bent stock windsurfers. I started wave sailing tandem surfboards in 1997. Future?_Lets make it up as we go.
Where? Anywhere light wind blows and tiny to big surf happens."
The boards Henderson uses are long (about 12 foot/3.66m), designed for surfing rather than planing. "Simply, these are WAVE boards that work the same way a SURFBOARD does" he writes. "Boards need to be pretty long to get the 'glide' to work. If you want the 'glide', stay long."
In outline shape, they are similar to the original Windsurfer, but they are wider, have more rocker and different rails. "They need to be surfboards first, windsurf boards second" he notes, and the specialist boards are obviously better in the surf than 'normal' longboards; a Raceboard doesn't work well in waves at all.
Having said that, when I got into longboard wavesailing I was stoked to see how well an original Windsurfer went. Sure, it wasn't like the waveboards I used to compete on - but after just one sail, in a country cove in the late spring evening after the kites had packed up, I realized how much I'd been missing since I'd decided longboards weren't meant to surf. In about ten knots of wind, the longboard punched easily out through the small waves. It didn't turn like a shortboard, but this was real surfsailing, carving long arcs along the top and bottom. And most importantly, it was all laid-back joy as the longboard slipped along into the westering sun.
"I have sessions where I can't remember anything as I have been so in the moment the whole time on the water" says Henderson. "This is not replacing short boarding; it is just a complement to it." ''
from...http://www.lbwindsurfing.com/wave-sailing/the-glide-the-new-sport-of-longboard-wavesailing/#more-34
great post wave knave.
glide is the word i was struggling for. i broke my cherry on a 9'8 custom sup/windsurfer, swallow tail single fin. no straps.
the glide really caught me out taking off onto waves. unlike a short board i was instantly accelerating down the face.
for me, being a little clumsy in the surf i kept falling off the back of the board. wasn't ready for the glide 
loved it.
perth guy here I'm 16 and i learnt on a longboard. I showed interest when i was around 12 and my dad and i got out all his old gear and managed to get a rig out of it. The board i learnt on was a big mistral with a centre keel, it was a beast and i think it could probably hold about 3 people XD
WARNING - LONG POST!
I wrote both the article the original poster posted, and the one that Wave Slave posted. Obviously I'm biased, but I still stand by them. In fact, since those articles were written there's been a shift back to longboards - not huge, but quite widespread.
I'll take some of the points that have been raised;
1) "If you really want to get back into non planing windsurfing, get a SUP with a mast mount."
The dimensions (especially rocker) of a SUP make it much slower and less efficient than a "real" dedicated windsurfing longboard. Of course, if all you want to do is get out and cruise, that's fine. But there's probably as much performance difference between a fast longboard and a SUP as there is between a Bombora Tri-Fin and a modern shortboard, and we rarely imply that you may as well get a Tri-Fin as a Futura.
2) "Riding a longboard in light winds is basically not as much fun as riding a shortboard in stronger winds. This is why the sport is shortboard biased."
What's more fun is a matter is taste; personally these days I get bored very quickly sailing a shortboard in strong winds on flat water, or frustrated waiting for winds and waves. Other people love it, and good on them.
However, even if shortboarding in strong winds IS more fun, that doesn't mean the whole sport has to be biased towards it. As a comparison, riding a bike downhill may be more fun than riding it uphill, but you don't see specialised downhill road bikes and only a few DH MTBs. Riding a surfboard in clean 6' barrels is more fun than riding in 3' slop, but plenty of surfers still go out in dodgy conditions and plenty of surfboards (mals, SUPs etc) are specifically designed to be fun when the conditions aren't perfect. Sailing dinghies are designed around average conditions, not perfect conditions.
So the fact that certain conditions may be more fun doesn't mean that the whole sport has to be biased towards the gear that works in that conditions.
3) "The problem is that now days the longboard has no chance of being the future of the sport, why, because as soon as a kid sailing a longboard see's someone fly past and bust a shaka or someone at a beach shred a wave they are going to want to do that."
But in that case, where are all the kids who have seen someone bust a shaka or shred a wave and then got inspired to go into windsurfing?
Around the world, hundreds of kids are sailing hybrids that you could call "kid-size longboards" - i.e. 5'4" kids sailing 3m Technos and 5'9" adults sailing 3.7m Raceboards. Kids like messing around (which you can do in light winds), they don't always need a huge challenge, they're not all adrenalin-charged revheads.
25% of the people turning up to Windsurfer One Design championships are under 18. It's similar in the Kona One Design overseas. In the UK, the biggest junior windsurfer competition fleets are in Technos, not freestyle, wave or slalom. In other forms of sailing it's the less-extreme classes that get more kids.
I don't know if there's a shortboard scene in Oz where 25% or more of the sailors are under 18. So kids aren't just into freestyle or waves- far from it. In fact, given the other things modern kids do, it may be the less-extreme activities that attract them more. From many angles windsurfing, even in waves, isn't "extreme", so if extreme is the thing the whole sport could be in trouble.
4) "It's only in Australia that there are few newcomers into the sport. Elsewhere in the world windsurfing is alive and thriving."
It's much smaller than it used to be worldwide - some estimates say around 8% as big, others 20%.
5) "I don't think short boards killed the sport, it just died a natural death, similar to roller staking etc"
To quote an article from kenalu.com about Svein Rasmussen's message to Starboard dealers;
"It’s clear that windsurfing did not follow the typical adoption curve of most active sports. After reaching a very strong peak it declined precipitously leveling off at a much lower participation rate than similar sports. They typical boom/leveling cycle for active sports goes through a very fast growth period when the sport is “cool” and everyone knows about it, then declines to a maintenance level at perhaps 60 percent of the peak. Windsurfing declined to something like 20 percent of the peak participation. Starboard maintains that was because all manufacturers focused solely on the performance end of the market, abandoning longboards and the simple fun of being on a board in light wind in favor of sinker shortboards and high-performance sails that required careful selection and tuning to meet conditions. They are looking to SUP to rectify that problem!"
So windsurfing's decline wasn't just the normal drop-off, but something more.
Anyway, thanks for all the positive posts, the interesting posts with opposite views, and the way everyone (pro or anti longboard) has reacted.
all i know is windsurfing is the most exhilarating thing i've ever done.
better than sitting on your fat ar/e watching the world pass you by!
as my mum keeps telling me when i complain about her 80 a day cig habbit.
each to your own, and i do agree with her.
Jeff Henderson (Hot Sails Maui) was asked, "In the early days of the sport, no one planed, yet people had a lot of fun. The focus shifted to high performance sailing. Has non-planing windsurfing got the stigma of shuffleboarding, or is it an aspect of the sport that deserves to be discovered by people who aren't necessarily extreme by nature?"
JH - "People who used to be adrenaline junkies usually end up taking Yoga when they grow up. Longboard windsurfing is the yoga of windsurfing.
It rejuvenates you, not exhausts you. This will be bigger in the future as it was bigger in the past." quote from http://www.stableroad.com/henderson.html
Sounds like what attracted people back to mals. Soul surfing. Longboards in smaller surf would be a hoot under 15 knots, or ride one of those swells way out the back that has trickling white water at the top that end up as nothing waves on the beach. Long DTL ride....I can't wait! I'd love to have a quiver of Jeff's dacron SuperFreaks!
^ kids are almost at the age where the beaches are calling so i'm wanting one for that. it may be a while before i can afford to get one built but it's on the drawing board.
