RichardG said..

zim3 said..
Hello all
Is the lt a good beginner board...there is no racing in mackay, but plenty of ocean.
If this is not a good beginner board for the price would one just get an inflatable 10.7 Redpaddle with a sail?
Loved racing hobie 16 in my youth.
I hope the lt class takes of as regattas are good fun.
Cheers

Yes it is. It is cheap and simple. Good thing you can keep it in your quiver and use it in light winds/heavy winds and race it too, freestyle it, surf it or SUP it. It is a good workout and many top sailors use it too eg Kiran Badloe pictured below. It has brilliant resale value too. For learning would recommend a smaller sail in addition to the 5.7m2 racing sail. The smaller sails are available from dealers.

How well does it go in say 20 knots or so?

BarryDazz said..How well does it go in say 20 knots or so?

It goes well but above 25 knots it is very challenging to sail and can be brutal - a real test of sailor, fitness and skills. 20-25 knots is a test and not so bad but 25-30 knots is more difficult. The great thing is you only need one board and one rig in one design fleets. Not a lot of fiddling and tuning needed compared to foiling Moths or foiling windsurfers. Rigging can be done quickly. It is really thrilling particularly racing in big fleets and regularly races are held in winds gusting up to 30 knots plus. We do note in 5 - 30 knots plus an LT will always be racing but many other craft will not. The maximum speed on one is around 25 knots plus and it really feels fast particularly surfing down wind waves on reaches or off the wind passing or being passed by competitors, with some exciting tussles. Railing to windward is a joy and these boards glide, they are gliding boards. Windsurfing lost so much when one design racing died out but it now lives again !

Thanks for the input folks....you may have a new convert.
Are the boards tough?
100kg falling all over them?
Well.try not.to.
Some humour with exercise and a bunch of sailing, seems like an easy win.
Thanks