in SE Qld there seem to be a lot of people on F2 boards and North sails.( and mistrel ezzy etc) W.A. seems to have a lot more local manufacturers and thus more variety in boards and sails..Windsurfing must be a lot more popular in WA to support these sorts of local industries ? For example, how many windsurfing shops are there in Perth ??

Actually I think Perth has the most per capita:

WSP, 2nd Wind, SurfSail, Windforce/Auswind, SOS, Sails & WS Ctr, Windshack

plus other custom/board specific shops and a number in the hot spots Geraldton down to Margaret River. And we definitely have less population than QLD or Perth v SEQ.

Oh sorry - just realised per "WS Capita" - maybe SEQ would be right then.

Haircut said...

as far as slalom gear on the gold coast the brands seem to change each year

2001-2004 mistral flows and other miscellaneous mistral stuff

2005 starboard hypervomits, F2 SX

2006 starboard sonics and isonics

2007 JP Slaloms and supercross / supersports

2008 Jp stuff seems to have flooded the goldcoast market and resistance is futile

What is the problem with hypersonics? I am actually considdering buying one which is 111L. I think they seem great for flat water stuff and even a bit of chop. They are much wider which gives good early planning and planning in lighter winds. The double concave i ASUME would make it much easier to control, and my brothers ridden one and says they are FAST. Different, but fun is how he described it. Only disadvantage i can think of is they would be a bitch to gybe.

Any advice? would be much appriciated.

Bubs

Only two shops in SA, only 20 windsurfers, we win......again!

Ha, I can just see 18 afghans sitting on the beach (ok dessert) waiting for the tide to come in.

Bubs don't take the advise of a freestyler in regards to slalom boards [}:)]

They are more a mini-formula than slalom board- whilst they do perform well in small chop they are not as easy as a modern slalom board. Their beauty lies in their range of use I have used mine with 10m down to 5.4m sails. When you get a decent swell running with chop then they can be challenging as the rails are sharp up towards the nose and the concaves tend to stall the board a bit. It would have been good to see starboard develop the concept a little further, i've seen 34knots a couple of times on it so they are certainly no slouch.

They do not plane early- rather you need the power to release the hull from the water. They do have great plane-through though. Gybing is good once you get used to them, the 111 has a more curved rail than the previous 105 with a goal to improve gybe-ability.

If you sail in flat conditions (less than half metre swell/chop), use 6-9m sails and love going upwind then they are great. If you sail regularly in chop go for something else.

divaldo said...

Only two shops in SA, only 20 windsurfers, we win......again!

they must be selling things to the darkside. [}:)]

TonyC said...

Actually I think Perth has the most per capita:

WSP, 2nd Wind, SurfSail, Windforce/Auswind, SOS, Sails & WS Ctr, Windshack

plus other custom/board specific shops and a number in the hot spots Geraldton down to Margaret River. And we definitely have less population than QLD or Perth v SEQ.

Oh sorry - just realised per "WS Capita" - maybe SEQ would be right then.

Sails & WS Ctr... whats this shop?
You also have Delta, Bluejuice, Stone for custom boards. Stuart Bell, Sail West, GSpot... I cant think of anymore because I was distracted by the last name of that shop in Gero

Sails & WS Ctr....... peel st, o'connor......ka and kinetic....great place for sail repairs.

missed out severne sails in oz park

also flying objects oz park

last but not least, steve in myaree, for repairs and a great collection of speed needles.

oopps and a bloke in scarbs selling ka stuff

doesn't safety bay have something too

mad....perth has got it all...spoilt 4 choice

be nice to have a shop in hillaries too

Sydney, biggest city in Oz, millions of people, truck loads of windsurfing spots and we have one shop versus 23 odd back in the heyday.
Im happy with that, its all of 2 minutes down the road from my place.
Heaps of choice, nice blokes and handy to sailing spots.

You blokes in SEQ, Vic and WA are bloody spoilt!!!!