advice on gear

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vidler
vidler
WA
2 posts
WA, 2 posts
5 Feb 2010 8:55am
Gday everyone,

First cab off the rank, Id like to say hi. Just signed up but have been lurking a while using the graphs etc for the weather, only just realised there was a whole forum here.

I'm thinking about getting back into sailboarding after a fair few years. Used to live over the road from safety bay in WA, but have since moved north of the river. Im chasing some advice on suitable boards i can use. Im 6'3" and 100kg. Will be using it on the river so dont need a wave board.

Most mornings im out and about on my surf ski but would like something to do when the wind is a bit much.

Any advice would me much appreciated.

Cheers, Jay
jermaldan
jermaldan
VIC
1572 posts
VIC, 1572 posts
5 Feb 2010 12:37pm
vidler said...

Gday everyone,

First cab off the rank, Id like to say hi. Just signed up but have been lurking a while using the graphs etc for the weather, only just realised there was a whole forum here.

I'm thinking about getting back into sailboarding after a fair few years. Used to live over the road from safety bay in WA, but have since moved north of the river. Im chasing some advice on suitable boards i can use. Im 6'3" and 100kg. Will be using it on the river so dont need a wave board.

Most mornings im out and about on my surf ski but would like something to do when the wind is a bit much.

Any advice would me much appreciated.

Cheers, Jay


Hi mate! And welcome to the Seabreeze forums.

I have had a lot of trial and error with boards so my advice will be first hand.

Firstly you need to assess you ballance and abilities as a windsurfer, this will make all the difference in the board selection. I would recommend borrowing a board to see what you still remember since you left off.

Because of your size I wouldnt recommed anyting below 150l becuase you will just not have enough buoyancy. I assume you will need to uphaul for a while till you get the knack of the beach/waterstart. In fact at your size height you should look at around 170l board. This will give you enough buoyancy to comfortably uphaul.

Nothing too long eaither, what you want is a resonably recent wide board. I personally dont think that a dagger board is necessary unless you are completely new to the sport. Look for something around 250m long and close to 80cm wide.

I have a Starboard Go 170l and I love it! Its just great all round fun. My 135l Bic techno is a lot more tippy and agile and less forgiving. I weigh around 80kg and have decent boayancy with around 130l boards.

You can't go wrong getting a big wide board, and when you grow out of it you will have great resale becuase they are always in demand.
Ellobuddha
Ellobuddha
NSW
625 posts
NSW, 625 posts
5 Feb 2010 2:30pm
Depends on what strength breeze you're looking at riding in.

A board around 120-130ltr should be heaps if you have sailed before. It wont take you long to pick it back up.

Lots of different categories for boards these days. Freeride - for general blasting and having fun. Slalom - quicker but bit more of a handleful. Speed - a whole different kettle of fish.

If you just want to blast around the river and chuck a few little chop jumps etc a freeride board is probably what you're after. If you want to go faster look at a Slalom.

Go demo some boards from your area and it will make it heaps easier.

I wouldnt waste your money/time buying a board bigger than 130 litre as if you have sailed before you will pick it up easy and will outgrow a big board quickly.

I only started back in late 08 and bought a 130 JP Xcite ride which is a great board but now only use it in light wind.

WELCOME BACK

vidler
vidler
WA
2 posts
WA, 2 posts
5 Feb 2010 6:09pm
cheers for the input. Yeah just going to blasting around the river at this stage. Wont be needing to uphaul the starts. i reckon its like riding a bike so should be okay. Will keep my eyes peeled for a freeride style around the 130l mark.

Thanks, Jay
Mark _australia
Mark _australia
WA
23688 posts
WA, 23688 posts
5 Feb 2010 9:48pm
About 10 years ago I came back after 4 or 5 years off. Before the break I was wavesailing (poorly) so waterstarting and gybing were no problem.

I really thought I'd need bigger gear just to get used to it again, but I was told it was like riding a bike so I bit the bullet and got very similar sized gear again.... fingers firmly crossed.

Beach/water starts were 99% stratight away, and I nailed my 3rd gybe and planed out of it. I'm so glas I didn't go big, I'd have sold it after a week!

So if you were planing before, and getting lets say half your gybes, you could even go down to a 100L for use only in a solid 20kn, or as stated above a 130L ish if bit lighter winds are your thing.. Thus I'd get a 130 and maybe about winter time get a 100 for the storms if I were you
greenleader
greenleader
QLD
5283 posts
QLD, 5283 posts
6 Feb 2010 12:22am
why are all the guys getting back into it 100kg plus?

15 years ago everyone was 75-85 kgs.
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