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So hey all returning to this sport after a couple of decades, sailed every few years but essentially consider myself a noob. I bought myself a Tabou Rocket 126l with a couple of sails and a little bit of gear, in retrospect paid to much 
but needs to start somewhere. Any way a couple of days ago i headed down to the local lake with a promise of 10-15 knots thinking an ideal day to start. On arrival looked much stronger checked the local weather stn which described 24knots with 30+knot gusts...so i rigged my 6m daytona free ride sail and went for a sail. Now my initial mistakes where
1. footsteps too tight
2. harness lines way too short , maybe chest harness lines?
I was going ok - didn't feel overpowered (i am 100kgs) but certainly out of control. harness and footsteps had me struggling ended up catapulting through my sail 
not sure that this is worth repairing.
So my questions, i know they may seem ridiculous. How do i buy a quality second hand sail? what sort/type do i choose? do i buy a mast boom mast base to suit? does this lock me into a particular brand/type? i understand mast base can provide power or control fore or aft(can't remember which one)?
Am i crazy starting on this board?
How can i regain some control?
Thanks for your help i appreciate any advice
I think you'd have been fine on that rig if it was a steady 20kts, 24 to 30 is probably a bit much for your first outing!
On Tuesday we had that sort of wind here, and the very experienced 100kg sailors were on 6m sails, and hanging on in the gusts.
Check the "Buy and Sell" button at the top of this page. Most people here have a much more realistic idea of what stuff is worth, than gumtree or ebay
You have a great board ..
a no cam 6.0 ..is a great size to have ...ezzy cheetah ,severne gator. Or NCX ,naish noa ,would be my pick .
most sails are pretty good these days .a good 75 % 430 to match.
Buy and sell ...check out stuff in you area .
welcome back .
Welcome back to the sport Scotti,
I take my hat off to you going out on those conditions after such a long time, with this approach I think you are going to have an accelerated re-learning curve 
These gusty conditions dramatically increase the chances of catapulting, and one of the first things I do right after the water start is to put my back foot in the footstrap ASAP, almost at the same time I put the front foot and hook up with the harness line. I've always felt that having the back foot engaged in the footstrap is the best best anti-catapulting method. With time, your sub-conscious will automatically re-learn to sheet out or in based on the gust pressure.
On the sail side, definitely go for a second hand either in the buy/sell section here or from any of the 3 shops here in Perth.
Scotti.
Mast base, extension and boom are not brand specific so buy whatever you want. Masts whoever are a bit more complicated. There are flex top , hard top and constant curve. You will need the correct type to get the best performance from your sails. The is also rdm (reduced diameter mast thicker walls and stronger) and and (standard diameter mast thinner walls and cheaper) carbon content is based on budgetary requirements.
Basically I would check what sails your local shop sells, what sails are most popular at your local spot and what sails are most prevalent on buy and sell seabreeze in your area. Then I would choose a brand from there.
Then you will now what type of mast you will need. It won't have to be by the same manufacturer but will need to be the correct type.
So you do get locked into a few sail brands as the masts aren't compatible with all sails.
Thanks Sin,
Gutsy hmmmmm or rash it was definitely fun. Thanks for your advice i greatly appreciate it.
leftfield is on the money.
I returned last year from a 25 year break.
The big issue is deciding on a sail brand and sticking with it. You buy a board & sail together & it may be better long term to change the sail brand that's going to be easily purchased second hand or a brand that has sails that suit your requirements.
Masts have different flexes, though it seems that more sail brands are going to constant flex. Even then different sail sizes & models may be better with a SDM vs a RDM mast, especially when you use the larger sizes, like I do. [ I sail old raceboards]
The next annoying bit is getting the extension size. There can be a large extension requirement, from 1cm to 35+ cm, so I'd suggest finding the brand of sail you're going to use. Do a small spread sheet on masts & extension needed & try to just buy the one to suit. And of course the boom sizes!
As to carbon vs alloy. well its your money! I'm going to long extensions to reduce the number needed.
My first board used a US cup, the others have a UPin for the extension, so, yes double the extensions! I've just found a adapter, US cup to U pin, so Ill sell off a couple of not needed extensions.
Unifiber have a good sheet showing the sails brands & what masts they use, so you might be able to mix brands.
look for closeout sales, or old stock sails, bargains to be had there with booms mast & sails.
have fun !
Thanks blazing928
So it appears that i need to do some research. thanks you so much for your response i appreciate your input.
Aaron
