Isn't it a joke that its June and everyone is frothing about 2011 gear. In all my years surfing - you upgrade when its hammered or you want a change.
Half the 2010 gear is still in the shop for 70% of the original "Retail price" and no one can sell a two year old wave board for 1/4 of the cost.
I just can't work out why the race is on for the latest gear at exhorbitant prices when the difference it makes to most of us is absolutely F**K all - except making us poorer or people feel inadequate cause they don't have the latest.
The longer I windsurf the more wanky the gear race each year becomes
Surely I am not alone in this!
Its alright I'll take my pills now and relax!!
It's normal for the manufacturers to start displaying the gear to the distributors at this time of year at the various manufacturer sales conferences.
It has to be done this early so as they can make the decisions about what they will be ordering so that the gear can be on their shelves (in Australia)for the summer season.
These boards and sails aren't sitting in a big warehouse, they are made to order once the distributors (shops) work out how far across the line the are going to put their nuts trying to guess what the market will want this year.
It should be noted that payment for these new toys is generally done at time of receipt into the shop or before, it is highly unlikely that any shops would work on consignment stock.
If your current gear is good and serviceable there is no need to go out and replace your kit for the latest go faster stripes you don't have to.
However this may not negate your want of new toys, that requires strong will power when entering your respective den of vice
to only leave with just the bit of downhaul rope you originally wanted.
Just remember there is nothing wrong with 2010 gear @ 70% of RRP just the different go faster stripes
Hmmmm must remember downhaul rope
why you need the new gear:
1 last years now looks slightly less pristine than when I first bought it, although not to the naked eye
2 all my friends have the latest versions and I cant afford to look second rate if I'm going to hang out with them
3 this years gear is much more slimming than last years
4 if I didn't spend all our money on new gear how could I be sure you weren't spending it on beer and hookers?
OK, that's actually the justification I get from my other half on spending another wodge on her wardrobe but I'm sure the same logic applies (maybe not the last one!). Well I'm reasonably sure the same logic applies. Cant be totally sure though, as you can probably appreciate I don't actually get the chance to upgrade windsurf kit every year.....
I say bring on the 2011 gear. A flood of 1/4 priced two year old boards on the market sounds pretty good to me. However not sure the 2011 rainbow coloured prydes will be going like hotcakes. They make me pretty chufed with my hotch potch of 2006-2010's
to only leave with just the bit of downhaul rope you originally wanted.
Rushs, Sounds like adundance issues. You can totally ignore it.
Some of my friends are in other sports, ie Gemini racing, Dirt bike riders etc. THey spend a heap on their sport.
If you got the cash why not?
PS JP graphics are ugly this coming year so I'll keep my windsurfing cash and buy twice as much in 2012.
Some companies don't change their designs for the sake of it, Tabou is a good example, if you go to their site they state that on some boards they didn't change the shape because they couldn't improve it.
Its all on a needs basis, I don't need better than my windows 95 computer so the upgrade savings flow through to a new addition in gear next year.
Come on you annual gear updaters - wheres the fire in ya belly - these forums have become particularly bland of late we need some good strong debate - get stuck into it!!!
must thank the people who wear a gps
i can hear the rubbing of hands together right now
cachingo!
How many of you guys are buying an ipad or upgrading to Iphone 4?
Not sure how the companies can survive without a new range every year. If we order by 5th of July after seeing the stuff at this months dealer conferences then the stock might be here by mid December, JIT for the season.
Plenty of time then for the punters to do their research and see whats happening.
It's not great for the northern hemisphere retailers show are mid season now and the punters are already saying I see you changes x or Y for 2011 can you do me a deal on the now obsolete 2010 model.
nothing beats the smell and look of a new sail.
you unroll it and it gleams at you and says yeah baby!
Sad but true, The 2012 end of the world gear is already out there.If you seach you can find( Proto/concept) sail and board thoughts are already on hard copy and on the web, (seek and you will find).
It all makes for interesting viewing. As said before: what goes around comes around and nothing is new,(just repackaged). And nice colour and paint jobs added to follow the current Euro fasion trends,
Check it out, Lime, Purple, Chocolate, Magenta, Manderine, to name a few are all over the fashion pages, so why not on windsurfing sails and boards.
Fanatic, North, etc are Euro driven brands so it is logical they will follow market trends.
US brands just produce their own copy and whoop de do we are all sailing the same colours but dirrerent brands once again.
Remember the boaring old days of "clear" monofilm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me, I like?
Considering the replies here, I think it's fair to comment that this has always happened but that the info stayed restricted, as the shows are not open to the general public.
With the advent of the interwebz and the rise of youtube, the info now gets out very quickly.
Personally, I run the middle ground mostly, updating gear often enough to keep it fresh, while often buying run-out gear, content in the knowledge that it will be close enough for me.
Sometimes I buy the latest, greatest too, when it suits me.
Don't give a toss about go faster stripes - it's the built in fragility and knackering powder component (a trade secret?) built into lightweight boards that makes me fume! 
I'm going to upgrade my One Design sail this year. The good sail I bought about four years ago (second hand but very well cared for, and since use only for national and state titles) is still as fast as a Wally sail can be, so I'm trying to track down a good used sail for club racing 'cause I can't bear to use such a good sail for fun sailing and booze racing.
The good board is still completely competitive after 25 years (it also spends all its time in the rack apart from titles) and the old board used for playing and club racing is showing its age after 25 years, so one of these days I'll have to upgrade to something newer.... like a 1989 Wally!
And yeah, I know that newer gear is really, really quick a lot of the time. But when I use new stuff I'm not exactly sure that it's better in the cruddy conditions we normally spend a lot of our time in, and I'm pretty sure that if we spent our time working on our sailing instead of working to buy new gear we'd be better off. You'd have to be a pretty incredibly good sailor to be pushing the limits of gear from ten years ago or more, so why not concentrate on sailing rather than gear?
