Firstly I know very little about windsurfing. I live near a lake where many guys windsurf and thought it a good introduction to water sports for my boys. They are 10 and 8 yrs. Is there small kit for them or are they to young still. If so, can we dip a toe in with second hand gear and can you give me some name/sizes. cheers

Burn1, Fanatic do a junior "Ripper" rig down to 1.5m. includes mast and boom.
below is a link to have a look.

http://www.wasurf.com.au/collections/windsurf-sails/products/2012-fanatic-ripper-rig-set

8-10 years is perfect. They are big enough to have some strength and young enough to still want to spend time with their Dad.
A dedicated kids rig and board makes things so much easier because windsurfing is hard to learn. Anything that makes the journey easier is going to increase their chances of persisting.
Get some professional lessions to start with if possible, if not ask some of those guys who sail near you to take your boys under their wing.
If possible learn yourself also. The boys will love being able to learn quicker than you, and you won't have to spend long hours at the beach just watching. Plus you'll get fit and be able to compare stories at the end of a session. You'd need your own board though.

A: same age as girls.

But your boys are the perfect age, and a lake is a generally an excellent place to learn.
Which lake?

Go with your boys and have a look and bit of a chat with the local windsurfers, they will give you the lowdown in your area.

second hand gear is hard to come by as it is normally snapped up quickly.
A rig kit with 2 sails ,a 2m and a 2.5m are about $400(sell for $300 after a year)Severne and ezzy make these.That would be the right size for both your groms.
Boards? Again near imposible to get a used 115 kids board.They are $1500 approx,but there are other options here.

feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

Trousers said...

the short answer is now! the gear is out there, but i'm not sure how the 2nd hand market is.

the longer answer can be found here -> www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/new-age-of-windsurfing/?page=1

I made a big call in that thread a year and a half ago.


i also have a daughter who is 4
she will also be a windsurfer
she already knows she is going to be a windsurfer(brainwashing has begun)
she will be unleashed in 2 years time
she will be easier to teach,she is tougher than the boy!



Well its not 2 years yet and 2 weeks after Elli's 6th birthday she planed in the straps and that was using pseudo rig(ezzy).
Thats a year and a half earlier than her brother

She will from now on be using a proper rig,a power rig
SEVERNE XS-1

start using little boards
and my final(timecomsuming)task of teaching her the waterstart,and my job is done.

Thanks everyone for the great feedback, it seems like now is a good time. hey KA360 I was talking about Narrabeen lakes or Lagoon in Sydney. And your right windxtasy, I will learn also. Learning a new sport is always the best fun you have, and I'm always up for fun. and yes Benny I here your stirring, I kitesurf too but all action sports are awesome, the more of them you do, the more fun you have. cheers guys