GrumpySmurf said...Stuthepirate - most of the ones you listed are less than 150 liters - so I assume your opinion is that around 122 l is OK for me? Also, most are in other states, is shipping of a board feasible?
swoosh - bear in mind I haven't been for 20 odd years
From the sound of it, you were OK 20 years ago, but not killing it. Not gybing, only 1 foot in the straps so not jumping either. If you were only water starting 80% of the time, were you uphauling the other 20%? Guessing you were planing though and got a taste for that feeling of speed. One thing I can say to you is that the gear has come on miles and miles since the Bombora days and you're going to find it so much easier to get planing, to gybe and to go fast than you did back then. I would have had a Tyronsea Stinger back then which I thought was the business. Compared to what I sail on today, it was a massive floating turd. Actually, I moved onto a Strapper slalom after the Stinger back then, so this was what made me twig how bad the Tyronsea actually was.
I am 42, weigh 75kgs and had a bit of a break for a few years too, not 20, more like 6 or so. I was much more advanced than you when I let life get in the way.
I started back on a 93 ltr JP Wave, with a 5.5 sail. In terms of sail, I think given your weight and the wind in WA, 5.5 is plenty big for you.
In terms of board, I think you could be looking around the 120 - 130 ltr mark. After I started back on the 93 ltr board, I sailed it for a summer and then went up to 106 ltrs and I've gotta say, my enjoyment increased a lot. The break robbed me of technique (which comes back) and my endurance wasn't what it was (although I am pretty fit, ran a marathon recently). I have just bought a 122 ltr Starboard Futura for light wind sailing and I would be leaning towards something like this for you. You can uphaul on this board, its 73cm wide, so stable. You can get out on it in 5 to 6 knots of wind and putter around (good for your daughter) but also take it out and go really fast in winds up to 18-20 kts (although I haven't had much of a chance to do this yet - no wind in Melbourne).
My reservation about getting a 150 ltr is that if it all comes rushing back to you, you'll want something smaller pretty quickly.
Hope this helps. Feel free to PM me if you wanna chat more about the board.
PS I bought my boards on Seabreeze, last one from QLD. Interstate couriers will cost you about $80, and I can share some info here as well.
