It's about technique on smaller boards, you need to be much quicker and be carefull where you put your feet. I'm 95kgs and can uphaul my 95L if I need but I'll be knee deep in water before I get the sail up. You should be ok to uphaul on a 100L board at your weight, when I started out I'd always have a board in my kit that was too small for my skill level but I think I helped me progress much quicker. I'd go out first on my small board and splash around for an hour then I'd switch back to my bigger kit and everything would be sooo much easier.

Keep it up your doin great, just wait for the day your in the straps & harness and fully lit....you'll never forget that first blast.

Cheers.

Aussiex said...

Hey,
i weight about 60kg, what is the smallest board (Litres) i can uphaul on?
Because the smaller board size you go the cheaper you can get them. Would say a 100L board be ok given that it is wide enough

Do you own a board yet Aussie? Personally I think you HAVE to own a 100L (approx) freestyle board and should be doing everything in you power to get one. Forget slalom boards, forget freestyle wave boards, forget cruisers, get a freestyle board. Period! There is not a board out there that is more versatile than a 100L FS board or a quicker progression tool once you have the basics down. They are fast, light, plane early, stable, just straight up boss. Ask Ben he'll agree with me And yes you'll be able to uphaul on one super easy.

I weigh 87kg can uphaul 110l no problem but my 98l is a different matter, much easier to waterstart, easier in every respect, uphauling can really take it out of you.

Get a board that gets you on the water the most. Just cause its possible to uphaul a small board doesn't mean dogging around on one in marginal conditions is fun. A larger board will be easier to uphaul and sail . it will perform better in lighter winds and plane earlier which means you will spend more time sailing and that is the single best way to progress.

cammd said...

Get a board that gets you on the water the most. Just cause its possible to uphaul a small board doesn't mean dogging around on one in marginal conditions is fun. A larger board will be easier to uphaul and sail . it will perform better in lighter winds and plane earlier which means you will spend more time sailing and that is the single best way to progress.

+ 1

Different tack: What do you want out of windsurfing? It seems you are young, keen and a quick learner with very good sailors around to help you progress fast. With that in mind I would make the strongest recommendation possible to steer clear of anything like a 110-120L free-ride or cruising board because you will out grow it super fast and you will be bored as ****. This is unless you are happy to cruise back and forth for the next 5 years just working on gybes...sounds boring right...it is.

If as I imagine you want progress your windsurfing to the widest range of possibilities; proper board/rig control, waves, freestyle, general bawse spec then as I stated before get a 100L (ish) freestyle board, you will NEVER out grow it. Most people dismiss them because they have never tried them but mark my words, this is THE board you want if you want to progress your windsurfing as fast as you possibly can and have nothing board wise holding you back. The only thing is they are harder to find, heaps of freestyle waves, not that many freestyle boards. TBH i'd ignore any FSW boards, they are a compromise, never ridden one that i've though, **** yeah.

Maybe a touch big for your weight (but ok), something like this

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing/Boards/~bu7ci/2009-JP-Australia-Freestyle-Pro-107-230-cm-108-litres.aspx?search=8x7uhC3xupLfSeSIUroV8hgQM09lGfgE

Yep get a 100 freestyle if you can, won't be a problem uphauling.. You're 16 and your probably not a spazz, so you don't need to take the same learning route as hoi polloi..

Problem is 100 freestyles are rare in Aus, if this was Euroland there would be piles of them on every corner, cause every body has a 100 freestyle in their quiver, except Australians, we're the ones who are backwards..

These guys are all using a board you could uphaul on, and they use the same board for 35 knots in Egypt to 14knots on Lake Estonia..



The guy at the link that CJW posted also has an F2 comp style 96, man that board was the ducks guts.. And he only wants $80 for it, offer him $40 'kids rates'..


The first 'Spock Tail'

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing/Boards/~bu7ci/2009-JP-Australia-Freestyle-Pro-107-230-cm-108-litres.aspx?search=8x7uhC3xupLfSeSIUroV8hgQM09lGfgE

CJW said...

Different tack: What do you want out of windsurfing? It seems you are young, keen and a quick learner with very good sailors around to help you progress fast. With that in mind I would make the strongest recommendation possible to steer clear of anything like a 110-120L free-ride or cruising board because you will out grow it super fast and you will be bored as ****. This is unless you are happy to cruise back and forth for the next 5 years just working on gybes...sounds boring right...it is.

If as I imagine you want progress your windsurfing to the widest range of possibilities; proper board/rig control, waves, freestyle, general bawse spec then as I stated before get a 100L (ish) freestyle board, you will NEVER out grow it. Most people dismiss them because they have never tried them but mark my words, this is THE board you want if you want to progress your windsurfing as fast as you possibly can and have nothing board wise holding you back. The only thing is they are harder to find, heaps of freestyle waves, not that many freestyle boards. TBH i'd ignore any FSW boards, they are a compromise, never ridden one that i've though, **** yeah.

Maybe a touch big for your weight (but ok), something like this

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing/Boards/~bu7ci/2009-JP-Australia-Freestyle-Pro-107-230-cm-108-litres.aspx?search=8x7uhC3xupLfSeSIUroV8hgQM09lGfgE

I know you said to avoid freestyle wave boards, but i just can't wait for a freestyle board to come along in my price range. I would rather compromise and get a freestyle wave. I will wait to see if the guy with the $80 board messages back first. But then i might just buy a board and get on the water.