Hi,

Have been windsurfing for about twelve months. Can tack, gybe, plane, beach start, water start, stay (mostly) dry , am interested in trying a bit of wave sailing but don't have any experience was wondering what type/size of board/sails to be looking at. Was going to try small stuff to begin with using second hand gear to minimise the impact on the $$$ and too many tears. Currently have a JP Funride 130L with NP fusion 6.1 and 4.9 sails. Oh, and I'm about 60kg and pretty strong.

Kale.

69 or 74 litre wave board, 4.3, 4.7 and 5.3 wave sails, prob a 3.7 aswell.. and a RDM mast..

i was in your shoes about a year ago, i wouldn't waste your money on big gear it sounds like your quite capable, i agree with simpson's suggestion,. start with small waves to get confidence

its really not as hectic as your mind is telling you.

DO IT !!

A 60 kg dude on a 130 ltr funride in waves? He's not going to get it do anything. He also runs the risk of smashing gear not meant for waves then he can't sail anywhere. He'd be much better off picking up a cheap second hand 79 ltr waveboard and 4.7 sail. if he can do what he says he will have no problem.

You should actually find the smaller board easier to waterstart, and something in the 85 to 90 litre range will be floaty enough to comfortably slog around on when you get used to it.

Main thing at the start is to get used to the board away from the waves. You need to be able to gybe it consistently and if you can transfer your tacking that would also be good, but you would have to do it faster on the smaller board. Its something that your 130 is useful for while you still have it - to learn to tack well enough to transfer it to a small board.

There is space between your 4.9 and 6.1 for a wave sail. If you have a 4m mast for the 4.9, you could maybe get a matching 5.2 or 5.3m wave sail. If you dont have a 4m mast, you could maybe get a 5.3 or 5.4m wave sail to match your 430 mast.

At your weight, you might eventually end up with just a FSW of about 85 to 90 litres and a waveboard of about 70 litres, so 85 to 90 litres FSW could be a long term buy.

do a trip to maui in june- july or august :)

board + 2 sail is about 300 a week and you can change boards as often as you want. The waves that time of year are pretty small and unreal for learning on as the breaks are reaf breaks about 200 m off the main windsurfing beach.

with constant 20- 30 knots every afternoon you will learn more in a week there than in a whole summer in aus.

Cam11 said...

Gwendy said...

A 60 kg dude on a 130 ltr funride in waves? He's not going to get it do anything. He also runs the risk of smashing gear not meant for waves then he can't sail anywhere. He'd be much better off picking up a cheap second hand 79 ltr waveboard and 4.7 sail. if he can do what he says he will have no problem.

Thanks for all the information, will be looking at some fsw boards and smaller gear....um Gwendy? Not that it really matters but the dude is actually a chic and if she couldn't do it she wouldn't say it. Have only been windsurfing a short time but have had a fairly extensive background in sailing so seem to have been able to pick it up fairly easily, think having knowledge of the wind, the ocean, sails etc. and how it all works certainly helps...also no couch potato and very determined when I want to achieve something...How does a guy get a name like Gwendy anyway??

Kale.

Oops, Very sorry about that. Should of looked at your profile first.

Great to so a chic so dedicated to the cause. often wondered why more females arn't sailboarding. I was teaching my wife a few years ago and I thought she had a lot more natural talent than I ever had. She never went on with it.

It wasn't my intention to question your progress. The point I was making was that your learning curve being what it is, a wave board within 10% of your weight will be where you end up. A 80 or 90 litre FSW would be a nice stopgap but you'll move on from that quickly. The main difference between FSW and wave is rockerline. FSW is flatter. Pigs of things in waves IMO. I did notice your in WA which is why I suggested a smaller sail. 4.7 might still be too big.

I use a 79 ltr JP wave and I weigh 75 kgs and I've always thought it to be just right.

Gwendy's just a nickname.

Cam11 said...

Gwendy said...often wondered why more females arn't sailboarding.

I wonder myself, I absolutely love windsurfing....When I initially began I'd arrive at work Monday, all excited and run my windsurfing escapades by the girls...then I began to feel embarrassed by the blank faces and silences that ensued...now I just let them think that yes it's some sort of kitesurfingy thing that I do...

Don't worry, that happens to just about everyone here I think

ginger pom said...

Cam11 said...
Not that it really matters but the dude is actually a chic and if she couldn't do it she wouldn't say it.

It matters a lot.

If you'd said you were a chic then we would have believed your own assessment of your abilities without question.... The absence of a Y chromosome tends to make these things much more accurate.

Ah...the Y chromosome! So that explains why the fish you guys catch are always bigger.

I still have concerns about a real waveboard. 65-70L is what she will end up on one day, but anything under 90L is going to be a major step down.
All you blokes recommending a waveboard, did you jump straight from a 180L beginner's board to a 80L waveboard? I doubt very many did...


There is a reason crossover stuff exists. Transitions - steps down, not giant leaps.

A FSW about 80 - 90L will still have a bit of planing flat in it - can you imagine how frustrating it will be to try and get a small waveboard planing if you've had a year on a 130L?

I say a year on a FSW, once you're used to it then sell the 130L to fund a waveboard and keep the bigger FSW.


Kale - when you say gybing and you talking holding the uphaul rope and walking around the mast, or a planing carve gybe with the rig flip (and caught on the other side)? That is gonna make a big difference

Talk to Windxtasy, she knows more about gear for your weight and progressing through a similar stage to you than any of the guys here who are way heavier and went thru that stage about 5 - 25 years ago.

Stuthepirate said...

I've got a 110L Naish Koncept, which i'm going to take out in the waves.
I'm 90kgs, Would a 5.3 in 15knts be a good way to start on small waves? maybe port beach or south leightons?
I tried it up in Gero at St.?? something park near bluff point and was pretty overpowered in +20knts and i only had a weedy on but caught a couple of waves and jumped a couple but where in perth would best suit?

[apologies for topic bombing]

Hey Stu,

I've been taking my 116 lt FSW into the surf with a 5.2 sail. I'm only catching spilling-type waves around chest high. Clean wind from 8-12 knots is plenty- unless you want to plan and jump waves on they way out? Light wind is fine, so long as it's steady enough and has some push to chug you out the back and get you on the waves. I'm only 76 kgs though... You may need 10-14 knots to get you out the back and on the waves.

Stronger winds are fun, but certainly not essential for wave riding.

Mark _australia said...

Transitions - steps down, not giant leaps.

A FSW about 80 - 90L will still have a bit of planing flat in it - can you imagine how frustrating it will be to try and get a small waveboard planing if you've had a year on a 130L?

I say a year on a FSW, once you're used to it then sell the 130L to fund a waveboard and keep the bigger FSW.

Is all good Mark_aus_san, we are on the same page .

As for Stuthepirate....how rude!! Apology accepted!

get used to a smaller board first

Hi Kale,
as a fellow female windsurfing hopefully I can give some useful advice. I am 58 kg, so similar weight too. The sooner you can work down onto a smaller board the better, the more fun you will have. Smaller boards are much easier to water start and to control in strong wind. Would recommend you just buy cheap second hand boards and work your way down in size as you get comfortable with each (you can probably step down 20-25 litres without any problem at this stage). My biggest board now is 86 litre (FSW). My favourite board for stronger wind is 68 litre (wide wave board). It is hard to find FSW below ~ 85 litre. FSW are easier to get planning and are generally fine to surf on especially at the beginning. I am just getting into wave sailing myself but have sailed wave boards for years because only wave boards are small enough for small people in strong wind. My smallest sail is 3.6m, which I use in winter squalls, like today! 4.0m should be fine for most strong wind conditions. Where do you sail? There are a few keen women sailors down in Safety Bay if you want company.

Congratulations. Thats' a great progress in 12 months. I'm so envious

PhilSWR said...


...work on smooth drawn out turns in lightish winds around 8 to 14 knots. Step two- Once comfy with step one, repeat step one again but in stronger winds from 12-15 knots and you'll tear the waves to peices...

When Ocean Reef shows 12-15 knts is hardly visible on the surface.
What sort of sail would a 100kg guy need to sail a wave board in 12-15 knts?

Mark _australia said...

sboardcrazy said...
Yep I'm the only one up here. It would be nice to be able to commiserate with someone who understands on those days when it blows 30kts and the 100kg guys are frothing at the mouth while I'm just trying to stay on the water!

Do you offer commiserations when all the 100kg guys wanna go wavesailing and are skunked - whilst you plane around easliy in 12-14kn? lol

Nah.. I used to love it when they saw me out ,got all enthused & came out & slogged....that was in the good old days.. These days on flatwater the b..'s blast past me on their 8.5m+ sails and slalom or formula gear [}:)] so I can't win!