Depends if you are planing center boards help you get upwind and make the board more stable but restrict speed when planing

kpb said...

As your probably aware I'm a novice with a set up which allows me to put in a centreboard .my question is are they needed when learning?if so what is there
purpose

I never used a centreboard when i was learning (JP Fun Ride 130). When i bought my wife a board to try and learn on i bought one with a centreboard (Starboard RIO 180). I had a few goes on it but honestly i found it to be a pain in the arse in all conditions except for trying to get up wind in 6-8 knots against the tide. You can't go in water that is shallow due to the length they normally are and when you do get to the stage of planing it will make the board lift up onto the leeward rail which is just another thing you will have to try and control when first learning how to plane. Also it will make learning to beach start harder due to the shallow water thing again. You will have to be in something like knee deep water to attempt a beach start and if your not very tall that's not an easy way to learn beach starts.
If your in light wind and trying to get up wind drop it down but all other times kick it up and sail that way. ie only use it if you have to. That's my 2 cents worth anyway.

as a beginner it is an advantage to use the centreboard because you are standing up near the mast.

a sailboard is steered by shifting the sails centre of effort either forward of or back from the boards centre of resistance.

without a centreboard your sails centre of effort is constantly in front of the board centre of resistance and as a result you will be inclined to sail off the wind.

to learn sailboarding you need to be able to also sail upwind so that you can get back to where you started from. a centreboard makes this easier to achieve.

i reckon upwind sailing is becoming a long lost art. it uses a seperate skill set and stance. don't loose your centreboard.

i hate to say it qldnacra but the railing up of the board is very handy when controlled correctly.

Centreboard keeps the board balanced too.

without seeing you in action, you probably need to open up your stance, sounds like you are sheeting in hard and racking the rig back to far.

to open your stance,

front leg staight with your foot just behind the mast and pointing forward
back leg bent at the knee, foot perpendicular to the rail of the board near the centreline.
front hand 6-12 inches from the mast so the rig is leaning towards the front of the board slightly.
arms straight.
p.s. don't oversheet.

leaning the sail in front of the centreboard will turn the board down wind.
raking the sail toward the back of the board will turn you into the wind.

this is actually a pretty good stance


where are you located, i'll give you a hand if i can

if you ever make your way over to VP during a light wind day let me know and i'll meet you at the beach.

Ok so I removed the centreboard after reading reviews about the board I have...followed the tips everyone has given me and success s I was sailing ..slowly but still sailing thanx again everyone