Hi all.

I'm new to this fantastic sport. I always wanted to do it, but never got around to it. At the moment I am borrowing a friends board and sail. I cant believe how much fun I am having, trying to learn to pull the sail up, its just great, a little frustrating, but still nice being active on the ocean.

Anyway, my first question is will need to get a new board soon. At the moment I am borrowing a Wayler YPSI, that a friend had at the back of their garage for years, I think it is a really old board, but still fun to get the feel of uphauling. I have had a look at the Starboard Go and it seems really nice, but will it last me more than one year ?

Alex

A GO is a great way to start. I have a 155l GO and its been great. Helped me progress reasonably quickly. I wont be selling it either even though I just got a smaller board. I will use the GO for days when there are only light winds and for when friends come down and want to try it out.

hi alex, i learnt on the go, and it is a fantastic board, and it is great on lighter wind days on the river, with bigger sails, and yes it will last you years

but the goya Surf, is also a promising board, it has more of a rocker than the go, making it a bit nicer in the chop, plus it has multipul foot strap options, and a center board/dagger board, the soft eva deck also is a pluss on this design because it has high sections which guids you to where your feet should be for uphauling and sailing and adding extra grip. and besides this its wide enough to use as an SUP board when there really isnt any with.

the plus of the SURf is the cheap price of $1350-1390 for a brand new board!!!! and the resail price will stay high with the starter boards when it does eventualy come down to sellling....

but the GO. the eva deck on them is a bonus, but the really bad thing is that they often find cracks from impacts, and very slowly let water in, but this isnt really a problem if you have added protection on your boom/mast (boom bra's) but ontop of that the price. the second hand ones go for over $1500 and the 2006 2nd hand are even more expensive,

but if you can find a GO. it will last your a long time, but you will need to get anotehr board with in a year because you will out grow it. but if your in WA pop into windshack have a chat to alberto, becuase he will always set you in the rite direction.

here is a link to the surf http://windshack.com/products.php?cat=windsurfing&scat=5&id=104

and dont worry about the site being out of date because of the home page, it is upto dat within the last 2 or 3 weaks. just that the first bit hasnt been changed yet

Keep Sailing
Jordan
windsurfjournal.org (server is being updated so webpage will be working again soon)

Today was a prime example of why I will be keeping my GO.

Winds were only about 12 - 15kts max. I played for a little while on the 95L Sonic but then spent about over hour having a blast on the GO. Was heaps of fun and was still up and planing when it was near impossible with the Sonic (although that was probably more due to my technique or lack of it anyway )

Yeah I have 140 and 105 Tabou Rockets. I liked the 140 so much I bought the little one. However Sydney has such light winds I have not used the 105 yet.

So if you buy something like the Go, it would be a good idea to keep it for at least the three reasons I listed above. Don't listen to the advice of anyone over in WA. The wind is much more variable (code for light) on the east coast. So having a bigger board will get you more time on the water, which is what its all about.

nobody said...

Hi Alex,

Welcome to the Starboard GO forum.

Fair enough but he already owns a long board, a YPSI Wayler. Yes its old but the new long boards seem to be reinventing an old longboard windsurfing concept. So unless he has unlimited funds he would be better off purchasing a short board in order to progress in planing conditions. That advice is on the proviso Alex is interested in planing conditions which from his original post is probable.

Sailhack said...



OB64,
When's the wind due in Geelong? The only time it seems to blow is when I'm in class, or on the way home.....I check the weather reports every week before leaving home......as soon as I see a definite, I'll be bringing the gear with me!

Just bring your gear every week. Then you cant miss out lol.
I think Tuesday and Wed. look ok this week.
Blowing from the west so Pt Henry would be pretty good. High tide was around lunchtime today.
As usual I will have to work and by the time I finish its too late in the day.
Winter sux lol.

x sport guy said...

...

if your looking second hand... good luck because some of these boards seem to be rare coz people seen to hang on to them for years even as they progress, and cost nearly what a new one does. i gave up looking and ended up buying new, but theres plenty of good second hand rigs available,

There are two on eBAy now:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Starboard-GO-windsurfing-board_W0QQitemZ220230257267QQihZ012QQcategoryZ2920QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
cgi.ebay.com.au/Windsurf-starboard-GO-Neil-Pryde-5-4-North-Sail6-5_W0QQitemZ300219645616QQihZ020QQcategoryZ2920QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Mobydisc said...

I saw a Tabou Windstyler at the Gybesports. Its a nice looking board and appears to be very well finished. However you'd have to do a lot to convince me its much better than an old windsurfer or F2 Lightning.

I own a Windsurfer. I have sailed with an F2 Lightning. They are three very different boards. Like I said, you need to have a go to appreciate the differences.

Oh, great, this wekend looks fantastic. Looks like the wind will be light for a beginner like me. Cant wait to get out again. Looks like I will get the Go, just have to wait a few weeks till I save the dollars to buy it. Looks like I'll be dragging the oh' so heavy Wayler Ypsi around tomorrow.

Does anyone know where I can get a replacement centre board and back fin for a wayley ypsi wind surf board which I bought in 1982. Any replies would be much appreciated. Thanks PIERS.