^ but you have the pro edition.

most board manufacturers sell boards in a range of construction and vary the construction depending on sailor ability level.

i'm not saying one board is better or worse than the other, just pointing out there are differences.

that's handy to know, i thought that all pro/team boards were built light. appears that's not the case.

easty said...

carvegybe88 said...

by the way easty i live on a far right next to pit water (the water behind 7 mile beach) and it's tarrific, also been spending most of my summer holidays at my shack at dodges ferry how bout you and by the way where do most of the windsurfers hang out not really many of them around dodges

I take it that's a farm next to pit water? Must be near 5 mile beach or around there somewhere? That would be a great spot for learning, isn't it shallow there over a huge area? This may be why you've never come across the need to waterstart?
Most sailors hang out at various places on South Arm - for a NW to SW wind, it's Ralph's Bay from the Doran's Road boatramp. For seabreezes it's either Pipeclay Lagoon at Cremorne (great learners spot also)(launch from down Honeywood Rd) or the main beaches at Cremorne or Clifton. Lauderdale beach is ok for N to E.
Check out
http://windsurfingtas.org/dragonfly/

yeah the farms more near cambridge, but i have to wait for the tides to get some good sailing yeah it's all pritty shallow and most of the time i can touch the bottom, but it still gets some decente breezes. are there many people who actually do it in tassie or are there only a few on any given day

easty said...

carvegybe88 said...
[br
yeah the farms more near cambridge, but i have to wait for the tides to get some good sailing yeah it's all pritty shallow and most of the time i can touch the bottom, but it still gets some decente breezes. are there many people who actually do it in tassie or are there only a few on any given day

Yeah quite a few, but rare to get more than 10 in the same spot at the same time. Some stick to surf sailing, some hunt flat water for speed, but if you check out those spots I mentioned (for those wind directions) you'll meet others, and don't be afraid to introduce yourself and talk about gear / technique. I suppose at 15 you are limited to where and when your parents can taxi you around. Convince them that you are hooked on a healthy outdoor physical activity rather than drugs, and that to further your addiction and make it last through your vulnerable teenage years you must explore new sailing areas for different wind directions.

i like your style

carvegybe88 said...

it seems as though everyone thinks i'll be putting dings in my board, i haven't put one in my current board yet, so are the new boards more fragile or am i heading towards bigger falls

Yeah unfortunately it is not 'if' but 'when' you damage your new board. The old longboards are so tough you could drop them off the roof and they would come out fine. The new boards are very susceptable to dings with every bump (more like surfboards) because the materials and how they are made make them both super light but also quite fragile. The most common damage when starting out is when you're hooked into your harness and you get catapulted, the force of the wind in the sail combined with your weight create an enormous impact between the mast and nose of the board. I even dinged my board by lightly hitting a step as I was carrying it. I completely broke the nose clean off my old board with a very nasty catapult in 30knots. More commonly you will crush it just enough to allow water to find its way into your board, adding weight to it and lowering performance.

There are preventative methods but nothing is 100%. Expert windsurfers still trash their boards.

A new board sounds extremely exciting but honestly you won't notice any difference in performance between one 6 years old and the most recent release at your level, it will just look very pretty at the beginning and show the damage more easily.

On another note just like someone else said, start learning your 'beach start' and progress to a 'water start' asap on your current gear. Extremely handy skill to learn for dealing with higher winds.

dude dont get a new board. unless your super rich and can buy a new one whenever you want. save the coin, get some more sails and a skinny mast. ive been sailing for ages and still dont buy new boards. i just damage them too quick and thats not from catapulting, just ucking around in waves or freestyle i regularly crunch my boards. get one that you dont have to worry about and youll improve faster than if you have one your scared to break

carvegybe88 said...

by the way easty where do you get your boards from in tassie

Just sent you a PM - what Buzzy just said plus some more info.

you could geta full set up of 2nd hand gear for the same price as a new board. and it would be a far better option. you probably will have killed the resale value of a new board the first day you take it out and damage it

sboardcrazy said...

Scully said...

+1
Sorry to hijack this thread but Im just about to get a new board & since Ive been trying the guy cribb more upright sailing style I tend to catapult a bit & Im paranoid about destroying the thing..how do you avoid damage cheaply.. ( ok smartasses dont say dont catapult..)

Don't let go until the rig is in the water!

If you hold onto the rig, then it tends to go to leeward