hooked in Elwood

Okay, had some lessons on Sunday with RPS. Was great fun. Picked it up quickly, the basics that is; could move along and do tacks into the wind by the end of it. Jamie the instructor was very good, explained things clearly and gave us all (me, mate, and my gf) heaps of assistance.

I was on a stand up paddle board, that converts to a windsurfer - it was a long thing, so turning felt like harbour control was going to radio in some tugs to assist the turning process :P I felt like I was windsurfing the pasha bulker :P

But, am completely hooked. My balance is reasonably good, so standing up, getting the mast up, no issues, and got a handle on positioning the sail for altering my course / direction.

Now, will probably hire a different smaller board for a day in a couple of weeks and spend a whole day experimenting and learning and hopefully get some stronger winds.

What I am a bit conscious of is buying a big @rse board. Jamie recommended I could get away with 155 ltrs, so I might see if I can try out something this size before making some purchases. Another chap in my previous post said 145 ltrs was a good start too.

What are peoples thoughts on buying your first surfer?

I wonder if there are many on the market from peeps taking the sport up, but not sticking to it and offloading them.....hmmm... I tend to learn pretty quickly and intend to sail afterwork every chance I get, since I live in Elwood near the beach... so don't want to throw money at a board that will only see me through 5 months or so....

Thanks to the lads who recommended lessons - time well spent.

Thanks for your reply nebbian! Yeah, very hooked :)

I weigh 75kg.

Hey K-dog,
I'm new to the sport aswell,
Ive gotta aggree with Nebbian, your first planning experience will be a whole new side of addiction.

But back to the important stuff!
Well im very simular weight to you, and i learnt on a 155lt board, i never touched a bigger volume. And 7 weeks after testing out the board, i found myself sellign it for a small board 105lt (:
So heres my opinion, dont go wasting your money on a brand new 2010 board that wont even make it to winter. Go and buy a 2003-2008 Learning board/ Large Freeride board. 140-180lts.
I bought my board on special for $1240 and sold it for $800. There for it cost me 440 to rent it out for the 7 weeks, i rekon i could of done alot better if i didnt go and buy a "still new 2008" board.
Search all windsurfing sights and regularly check, as these learning boards disapear by the hour.

Now for your RIG = Mast, Sail, Boom, Ext
I'd say go straight to seabreeze.com.au
And find a tough wave sail from 4.5-6.0 in size, perhaps look for a "Complete Rig"
where you'll get all the pieces to the puzzle.
I would say dont bother with spending more than 500 on this sail, as it could likely get damaged in your learning stages and it may only come out again 5 times a year for the days with strong enough winds to suit such a small sail. I learnt on an Ezzy Sail, which are known to just be ridiculously tough, and will survive almost anything.

The only other big of advice i could give, is once your learning the basics. Go and get yourself some learning dvds and do your reading at, www.guycribb.com/windsurfing_technique_holiday_DVD_0076v01.htm
^Bible to learning windsurfers.

Thanks heaps Scully.

What are your thoughts on price for these dudes as below?

Go and buy a 2003-2008 Learning board/ Large Freeride board. 140-180lts.

I was thinking the same thing. Latest and greatest 2010 learner board just doesn't make sense.

K Dog,

If you're keen to buy and not rent, I recommend buying a half decent rig (2 sails, 1 mast and 1 boom). A good modern rig is transferable between beginner boards to advanced boards.

You can then get a cheap big board that you can uphaul, and when you get planing and water starting consider monving to shorter boards. Keeping the same rig.

In Port Phillip you cant go wrong with a 5.7m and a 5.0m (or thereabouts) wave sails.

Were you asking for example prices on those learner boards?
Dont spend more than 1200, and dont spend less than 400.
If you buy a 2nd hand board from a store, make sure you go in with a fellow windsurfer. Prices will be abit over the top and he may even try dump some gear in your hands that will make your windsurfing life hell and turn you off the sport (personal experiences)
I would say watch the 2nd hand market on seabreeze.com.au and other classified sites, once you found a board. Prices wont be over the top on seabreeze (peace of mind), they will be on ebay :P

If you buy a Large "Freeride Board" instead of learning board, you will be set for a long time.

example;

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing/Boards/~r7shj/2004-JP-Australia-X-Cite-150-litres.aspx?search=eLRMcKwwdw7JYs6%2f7EeGrjAn%2frf2XajT90nz%2bli83qk%3d

150lt Freeride board
Hes asking for 1500, but it also includes Mast, Boom, Sail, Harness, etc which would proberbly add up to value of $800.
Leaving the board worth ~$700-900
Thow dont go buying this Collection, as you cant use the mast, boom, sail etc (RIG) its simply too big.

You could offer this guy to buy the board seperate...

Even though you will out grow your learner board it can still be very handy to keep. I learnt on a 140 litre JP Funride and am now on a 101 litre board but I still use the 140 litre board when it's between 15 to 18 knts as I can't get up planing on the smaller board in thoses winds. (i.m 67kgs) Have heaps of fun on it in the light breezes.

there has been (or is) a tendancy by some to consider the width of the board more critical than the volume, with which I'd agree.
(Such as in the labelling of Tabou boards like Rocket 61)
That Bic 125L is 64cm wide but i think a more modern or more "freeride" rather than "freerace" shaped board would be wider and so easier and more versatile.

"Freerace" suggests to me that the board will be longer and thinner with harder rails, and so faster in a straight line but harder to turn and prone to more buffeting in the chop.

I found a modern 100L board (short, wide & thin like Futura 101) is a more stable and usable than an old 120L slalom (long, narrow and tall AKA "The toothpick").
Or at least the 100L is more stable that the volume difference suggests.

The difference of the volume basically affects how high the boards sits in the water when non-planing.

Having said all that I learnt on a 60cm wide longboard (although there the centreboard gives added lateral stability)

Hello, if your interested I have a 2 year old fanatic shark 145lt for sale. It's in great shape, almost brand new. I've just put it up for sale in my local winsurfing shop in Canberra, if your interested send me a PM.

Cheers...Jase.

My first board was 165lt JP xcite (110kgs also)...although looking back, I could've managed a 140-150lt, maybe less if I had've had lessons. My advice, if you're close to where you can get lessons/hire - do it a few times and when you're ready to buy, buy a good/large (150lt ish) freeride board, unless you can handle a smaller board, but honestly, with Vic conditions it's still good to be able to get on a bigger board in marginal conditions! My 165lt still gets plenty of workouts on the low wind days, and I've bought a paddle to SUP on it for the 'no-wind' days.

Oh yes... if you PM me your details and if I go out on the water this weekend I'll give you a call/text where I'll be and you can come try out my 135l with a 4.7 rig to help you decide on a board size.

Ok guys I'm torn,

Which board is better?

The JP Australia X-Cite Ride 160ltr OR the Starboard Go 155ltr?

Both very good boards, but very different...

A mate (Chef) bought a 165 GO...and I bought a 165 JP Xcite around the same time. The GO is a great learning board, and the evo deck makes it durable and comfortable, but I found that it takes another learning curb when you want to progress onto a smaller board. The JP rides more like the board you will eventually progress to, and goes like the clappers, but you have to protect the nose from damage (catapults). At 110kgs, I'd go a size smaller (145-155lt?)...if you're getting lessons, you'll progress fast. I wish I had've, the 165 is just a bit too big to use it enough, and I had to get a mid-board (135lt) before I was able to get onto my current fav (109lt) which is about as small as I'll go unless I move somewhere windier.

Personally, I'm happy with my choice, but I know Chef is the same with his...I guess it's what you're used to. As mentioned, the GO would prob hold value better if you wanted to sell it, but chances are you won't. Both of us still get out the big boards in marginal conditions for cruising and chop-hopping, and I can't see either of us selling our boards.

I'm considering a BIC Techno 283 - anyone have any thoughts on these? It's around 7 or so years old..... I'm just not sure....

Can't comment much on the funride, but from what I've been told, it's similar to the xcite...prob a bit less focus on performance & more on the useability?!? The xcite is a medium-high performance freeride board, which means it suits most forms of sailing...the larger size not ideal in waves, but that's standard across most boards.