if you shop around and haggle, you will actually buy a new board for $1800, maybe less. Most folk i know pay about 1700 - 1900 for a new board generally regardless of make/model. So any secondhand boards for $1400 are probably overpriced unless absolutely perfect condition and current model. Maybe someone paid too much when new?

I think if you are 65kg you will find 117 litres a pretty big board

if you call 1-board-for-all trying to cover 12knots through to 30knots or more, 117 litres will be too big once wind is much above about 20knots, even with smallish sail and fin.

everyone's different but personally I find my current board (i recently bought a tabou 3S 97 litre) usable in up to 25 to 30-ish knots with 4.5 to 5.5 metre sail and 28cm fin, and i fluctuate between about 65-70 kg in weight (we had a 25-30 knot squall on thursday and i could still loop and attempt vulcan with it). With enough practice you would probably handle anything, but generally east coast doesn't get much above 20 (on goldcoast anyway), so I'd say 105 would be pretty good if not still just slightly on the large size? However, the 3S doesn't feel like a big board considering it is nearly 100 litres. I'm not sure if all modern 100 litre boards feel like the 3S, as this is about the biggest board I have ever had and can't really compare except for riding some friends large boards which did feel pretty big.

I find a steady 15knots with a 5.5 RAF sail on a 90-ish litre board gets me planing no problems on relatively flat water and 17 knots enough to do tricks, in fact 13 knots was ok for planning when i weighed 65kg, but now i'm 70kg



i must be building muscle

I have a 105ltr Screamer and am 75kg. I find it great in 6m weather. It still has enough float to get me out of trouble if the wind is marginal.

This is a 2005 board and I find it great. It is nice and responsive, but not stupidly twitchy.

I also have a 130ltr Screamer (2006), so I obviously like them. This is great in 7.5m weather.

Both boards have the same feel.

The 117ltr you are looking at would equate to my 130ltr roughly, due to our weight difference. I think the price they are asking is too high though.

Hi Harrow.
Don't take everything said on the forum as gospel.
The old adage that you 'get what you pay for' applies to windsurfing as it does in most aspects of life.
You can be lucky & get a fire-sale price on equipment, though that usually only happens on the less popular models or runout/superceeded models. ( or maybe the retailer needs more cashflow as he's been squeezed so much by haircut!!!!)
As in any industry, a good customer is looked after, though
there wouldn't be any windsurfing shops around if everyone was like Haircut.
Back to the Screamer.
It is a very good board, though there is no one board for 'all wind conditions' You have to work out where you want your bias , along with what sails you have, where you sail etc....
We do have a screamer demo board (yet another reason shops have to make some profit) so if you're in Perth, then pop in.
Is $1400 too much?? What would you want if you were selling a good condition board that you'd paid $2000 for less than a year earlier?
I don't think it's over the top as long as it is in VGC.

Cheers.
Jez www.2ndwind.com.au

cansyd,

I envy you - oh how I wish I could get my wife out on the water! How excellent it would be to go sailing together.

I have a 7 year old daughter who really wants to have a go. I wonder what age the average kid is able to get going?

Regards,
Harrow.

Don't worry, I'll haggle a little.

I have a dentist friend who walks into a new car dealership and says "I'd like one of those please. How much will that be".

I bet that car salesman shouted for all the drinks that night!

Just checked Yellow Pages and did a ring around. There is only one sailboard shop left in Sydney. Where is the haggling power???

I can just imagine the conversation:

ME: "Uh, can you do any better on that price".

SHOP: "No, why, are you going to drive to Perth to get it cheaper?"

Harrow, I bet your dentist friend doesn't get much haggling from 95%
his customers. Drinks should be on him 5 nights a week.
Come to think of it, how many people out there would be happy to haggle for 10% of their wages every hour?

Jez

Pss. We have probably the largest selection of s/hand boards in WA.

Hi Harrow.
Should cost no more than $80 to ship to NSW.
E mail us if you need more details.
Jez