sure is .. being 80kg id be looking for a board 150l .. with a board that sive means it would be easy as to uphaul and learn all kinds of beginer thingos ..also as u progrees u can also use that saixe board as an expert sailer ... for now id guss annt thing around 5m sails ... freeride/wave sails ... wave sails are highly durable .. meaning u can fall time after time onto them with very little change of going thru them ... also invest in some lessons .. lessons will speed up your time from bgginer to intimediae like thier no tomoroo

Doggie for that price I doubt it will be measured in litres, which is a new concept. I suspect it will be a long skinny board about 12-14ft long.
Those old style boards are hard to learn on (but plenty of us did it) ..... if you are committed and will get lessons as well it is an acceptable proposition.
However, a newer style wide and short board around 150L is a much better idea if you can afford it.

Don't be put off by people who tell you that you have to learn on the new stuff .....you can if you are committed .............. but likewise don't believe the seller of an old style board if he tells you it is all easy.

Have a look at it and post here what it is and we can advise further

NotWal said...

What's the gear Doggie? - brand and model of board particularly.

i learned on 2 bomboras, a 295 & a slightly smaller bombora with 1 mast, 1 base, 7 sails, 2 fins and 2 booms all in fairly good shape for 700 bucks. took less than 1 season to start heading upwind.

NotWal said...

What's the gear Doggie? - brand and model of board particularly.

Um dont know at this stage I will try and have a look on the weekend and get back to you.

Mark _australia said...

I suspect it will be a long skinny board about 12-14ft long.
Those old style boards are hard to learn on (but plenty of us did it) .....

Mark _australia said...
Don't be put off by people who tell you that you have to learn on the new stuff .....you can if you are committed .............. but likewise don't believe the seller of an old style board if he tells you it is all easy.

Have a look at it and post here what it is and we can advise further

Mark, you are only close to the truth. New beginner boards have only improved over the old 12 to 14 footers by becoming fun for anyone trying to teach someone the sport on top of being an intro to modern wide gear. The old boards were actually just as easy to learn on as the new and much more fun in light winds for the novice, especially if you are learning on your own (and isn't this a sport that encourages individualism?). It's the sport that is hard to learn, mainly because it takes dedication and drive, not because of the equipment. It isn't the nature of the equipment that discourages people (unless they aren't using recommended stuff), it's the challenges of windsurfing.

Rubby said...
Mark, you are only close to the truth. New beginner boards have only improved over the old 12 to 14 footers by becoming fun for anyone trying to teach someone the sport on top of being an intro to modern wide gear. The old boards were actually just as easy to learn on as the new and much more fun in light winds for the novice, especially if you are learning on your own (and isn't this a sport that encourages individualism?). It's the sport that is hard to learn, mainly because it takes dedication and drive, not because of the equipment. It isn't the nature of the equipment that discourages people (unless they aren't using recommended stuff), it's the challenges of windsurfing.

Yeah yeah. I learnt on an old 'one-design' type of board and it was pretty hard to get the balance right, just to stand upright on the board. It took a while but I got there, and found my balance was pretty good. I could happily sail along, tack and sail the other direction. I managed some gybes too.

I managed to find someone who had a newer wide style beginners board and I went from having an okay time to having a great time. I think the use of a modern mono-film sail made a huge difference too.

In my opinion, you would only bother learning on a one design if you had to and otherwise you are better starting on something that is wide and floaty.

For lightwinds I can stick a bigger fin in a beginner board and cruise around. If the winds are slightly stronger I can plane around.

Since I learnt I have occasionally found people that are stuck in a time warp and are using older gear. If they want to know, a quick bit of advice on tuning their gear properly, or using more user friendly equipment can make a dramatic improvement to their sailing fun.

Ben 555 said...

beware doggie - brucie / sailingjoe /rubby whatever he likes to call himself is a troll and shouldnt be fed

Thanks Ben, he is from the USA so you know I didnt take that much notice but thanks for the warning

As most said, get a board shorter and wider instead of the old long and relatively narrow. Newer learner boards are less than 3 meters, and 80 cm + wide, and measured in litres and you want 150-250 litres. Old boards were generally just measured in length. and you will see 3m to 3.80 being stated. Its definately worth the extra coin if you can to get one of these newer types of boards, as they are so much more stable to learn on. As far as sails. I would say as long as its a wave or free ride design, and probably within the last 15 years, it should be ok for your few months of non planning. Like anything, it really depends on how much you want to get into it and your budget. Newer, as long as its right for you, is generally much easier to learn on. Sails and equipments have become more forgiving, better handling and much stronger and lighter. Sails within the last 10-5 years will be much better. These sails you will end up keeping for a few years instead of trying to re-sell on again at the end of the season.

The best thing would be to take your mate who is a good windsurfer along. He will tell straight away on whether the gear is ok.

If the board isn't much good. The next best thing to do is contact some of the places on here which give lessons. They may have beginner boards for sale which are new in design, but well used. They may be in your budget.

The other thing to remember, is that if you are keen to progress, all the stuff you get now, will end up being replaced eventually. Maybe a couple of times before you start to get to the type of gear you want to end up riding. So as long as it does the job, don't worry about it too much. Its just like surfing, you need a few mals and fat boards before you end up on your small shortboard.

I did my first lessons in safety bay this year. If your'e an ABSOLUTE beginner, (and especially since your a surfer already) I would not but any gear. I would rent and get a few lessons if at all possible. With the right gear for the conditions you can rapidly progress if thats your goal. After a few sessions you have a much better idea of what your aspirations are and what sort of equipment works best for the sort of conditions you want to sail in.

How about -

1 x RRD Z-Ride 146Ltr Board with 46" fin and Aerotech board cover, light-weight fast board, good up wind
1 x 4.7m Ezzy wave sail
1 x 5.25m Aerotech wave sail
1 x 5.7m Simmer Crossover sail
1 x 430cm Hypersonic mast with Dakine cover
1 x Chinook wave boom with Dakine boom bra
1 x Naish seat harness - has never been wet
1 x base and extension

$1800 for everything

All looked good in the photos, will have to have a look next week.

doggie said...

How about -

1 x RRD Z-Ride 146Ltr Board with 46" fin and Aerotech board cover, light-weight fast board, good up wind
1 x 4.7m Ezzy wave sail
1 x 5.25m Aerotech wave sail
1 x 5.7m Simmer Crossover sail
1 x 430cm Hypersonic mast with Dakine cover
1 x Chinook wave boom with Dakine boom bra
1 x Naish seat harness - has never been wet
1 x base and extension

$1800 for everything

The board would probably be ok to learn on.

i started on a 148 litre Bic techno.It is super difficult for the first few sessions but at least I can still use it 3 years down the track as a light wind board.

I had two lessons as well on the big Starboard start boards.

I could ride 144 Futura on flat water after about 10 sessions, not very well, but It wasn't something impossible, and for me the learning curve was about right. But before that I was using proper modern begginers board ~200L etc. For me the 144 Futura/Go would have been a very difficult if not impossible from the start.