Hello, I returned from Lago di Garda, Italy a week ago where I tried windsurfing for a first time in my life. I absolutely fell in love with the sport so the first thing I did when I returned was buying a gear. After my euphory weared off and my sanity returned, I noticed that this is in my garage:
2001 Fanatic Bee 124 litres
Mistral 5.9 sail
all the rig components I need to get going (everything new, I bought it with the sail and the guy in the shop trimmed it for me and explained everything, so I should be able to set it up properly)
some Rip Curl neoprene
Now the thing is I had something huge under my feet on Lago di Garda and the 124 l Bee looks pretty unstable for my 80 kg (cca 178 lbs) of weight. I tried to get on it last Sunday without sails (just the board on the water) and it didnt feel THAT bad, but I couldnt actually stand on it - I always ended in a water.
Next weekend is the first time Im gonna get all the equipment to my local WS-friendly lake and Im pretty determined to spend hours in water trying to get on the board and rise the sail, but TBH Im also pretty scared that I bought the wrong gear.
Long story short:
Is it possible for basically an absolute newbie with weight of 80 kg (cca 178 lbs) to learn windsurfing on a 124 l freeride board?
Yes, however you will gain a lot more if you can score a 200L board... even if you only had it for 2 weeks of hard core sailing it would dramatically improve your balance.
Once your sorted a 124L will be a big board for an 80kg rider... it will just be a slightly more frustrating learning curve!
In ideal conditions it won't be too bad, ie flat water and steady light to medium wind.
It doesn't matter that you can't stand on the board without the rig.
The rig with a bit of steady wind in it adds enormously to stability, once you've learned a bit of sail control.
It may pay to practice uphauling on the beach, until you have it down pat, the transition between rope and boom is always the tricky bit. Also practise sheeting the sail in and putting your weight on the boom, hang on with your front hand and control sail power with your back hand.
It's learning these skills that will be harder on a smaller board, if you can do it on the beach a bigger board won't be necessary
PS don't forget to do this in both directions!!!
That's one of the downsides of learning to windsurf, you have to do everything twice!
You fell in love with the right sport - each and every outing has twice the excitement of the one before.
Like the other guys said, yes it's possible on a 124, but will require patience. However it's gonna be rewarding. Regarding balance on a 124, don't worry, it's actually easier to stand on as you try to uphaul, than just stand there. Most of us couldn't just stand on there.
Now, on top of the advice given above, I would add: learn on an on-shore or side-shore wind. DO not venture on an offshore wind, will take you out to sea, and too difficult to learn then. First 10 outings: pick the right conditions, even if you have to wait out.
Tying the booms: I find it's easier to teach with the booms not too high, i.e. slightly above armpits. Once you get going, you'll tie them higher, but not too high for the time being.
If you're in Sydney, Narrabeen, Balmoral and places in B-Bay are the right to find flat, friendly on-shores, depending on the time of the year. Narrabeen mostly in the winter.
Ask advice once there - friendly bunch...
Thank you guys for your replys, so my gear is hopefully not a completely flawed choice for a noob afterall. Its good to know that Im doing it maybe the hard way, but definitely not the near-impossible way.
decrepit: You mean standing on the board on the beach or practicing just with rig on a shore? (probably standing on the board on the beach, but Im a bit worried if it will not break under my feet when its not in the water) 
I am a newbie to the sport also,I have a 150l board but it is 87cm wide at 100kgs I find the width really helps.I also go out in lighter winds to learn my tacs and gybes that also let's me know where I can and can't stand on my board
A great choise in the fork of the road windsurfing will give you so much pleasure 4 the rest of your life remember keep your back square 2 the wind when uphauling once you can keep your balance holding the sail with a small amount of back hand pressure and your front arm stiff and strong and you are going forward try tilting the rig forward towards the nose and you will go away from the wind and if you tilt it back you will go towards the wind thats your basic steering but you might allready know that dont expect 2 improve straight away it dose take practice and is proberbly on of the hardest sports 2 learn but lifes full of challenges and dont let this one beat you we all strugled as much as each other but the rewards are awesome and all the windsurfing crew are very approchable and allways willing 2 guide you along the way happy days ahead
i actually have a Fanatic BEE LTD 124 and use it for bigger winds {over 20 mph/knots} since I am a heavyweight of 100 kilos
i use it with sails 7-oh and 6.3
i tried like you did - stand on board with no rig - impossible for a heavyweight
tried to uphaul it traditional way ie feet equidistant from mast base - almost impossible
now can uphaul it with front foot just in front of mast base and back foot further back
things i have suggested to others is - find balance point on board and put mast base close to it - for uphauling
now i water start this board and reserve uphauling for emergencies
it is a very good board and will serve you well !!!
hope you learn to love the sport as much as i do
if you buy a bigger board to start, KEEP this one - it will be your go-to board with your weight
good winds
joe windsurfer
Alot of technical info about the 2001 Fanatic Bee 124L here, about 2/3rd's of the way down this blog by a bloke in Canada.
joewindsurfer.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-i-started-shortboarding.html
The first weekend of windsurfing on my own gear is over!
I must say the beginnings were quite tough (whole Saturday was mostly about uphauling & swimming 
), but Sunday afternoon I was standing on the board with my sail full of wind cruising at moderate speed. Im going to start working on jibes next weekend. 
Are you still dreaming at night about flying over the water , and skipping over the waves ......
I am it it been 6 months for me
Aaaaaaaaah Lago di Garda...... Torbole....... Riva...... Malcesine..... used to go there every years for a month, windsurfing up to 10 hours a day..... was fit then! i miss very much! Is it still very windy and busy! I used to stay at the Camping Al Core in Torbole love the place!
Besides windsurfing, I was also impressed by the meal there, those Italians just know what they are doing when it comes to cooking
And most importantly, have fun!
looks to be the down haul coming from the mast extension not actually from uni joint
