Windsurfer LT owners - just looking for some feedback on long term ownership & use.
How are the boards & rig holding up after a couple of year use?
How's the deck holding up - wearing, lifting from board???
Thanks
I have two from the original batch and both are still looking good. Both are stored near the beach so only occasionally go on the roof of the car. They have been used for more than 150 days each and by shared by a number of people. The center board gasket is still good on both and I know that has been a problem on some boards.
Hey Mal, long time no see.
Very happy with mine. Board is numbered around high 300's. Got one of the last of the early release boards.
It has had a fair bit of use and I think it is holding up well. I have it stored in the garage and in a board bag. No issues with the deck pad. Gasket is still fine. Sail is still in good condition as well. I do have a different fin I use most of the time, as the supplied one seems to be made of plasticine.
I don't wash either with fresh water, but do stand the sail up to drain before I store it away.
I think the board is quite durable compared to my other modern boards. But it is very different to the original of course.
I personally don't use it to teach anyone, I have an inflatable sup I use for that. Not that you couldn't, I just don't need to risk it.
Out of the boards in our group, one had a deck delam, and one had an issue in the centre board box. I think these were both quite early rego numbers. Both were replaced under warrantee.
I would not have an issue with recommending them to you, though it would need a good close inspection of the centreboard box. I do wonder if they are as durable as the originals, especially if the owner is keen on freestyling.
Heaps of fun in light winds, and there is a good crew in Brisbane sailing them regularly.
Cheers, Brad.
i'd second what ballast said above and add.
i'm pretty hard on gear. i chipped the back out of the fin when i sailed it reverse into my sons WOD. surprised it didn't do more damage.
i also dropped it putting it on the roof of the car. rail first into concrete drive. that resulted in a tiny whole the size of a fingernail which i patched. really i though it was curtains when i dropped it. amazed how little damage happened.
when i first got it, my son dropped his rig boom head first onto my deck once when playing smash up derbies' on the water. that put a small hole in the deck. but again not too bad.
ive replaced one set of centerboard flaps. we sail them everywhere. in the surf, ocean, bay and they are so much fun,
I found mine damages very easily. I have only taped the repairs so far (all 3 would let water in as you can suck air out) it may have dry glass along the rail but the slightest bump and it cracks - I dont even know how two happened. I keep it in a genuine bag but dont have much faith in it as its not that thick. I only use it for fun with my kids not racing and dont have a dedicated rig, Id sell mine in favour of a more robust board I can sail in 6 knots with a 8.5 and also get the kids on it with a 2m kids rig if someone can suggest one.
No cracks or leaks in our early models (early enough that one of them did the first LT regatta in Australia, I think). One of them lives in the sun on the deck of the yacht and gets knocked around getting dragged on and off; it's got some bumps and scratches but nothing serious and could probably still win at any level. It had one issue and WIndgenuity were happy to replace it but I didn't bother. The other was bought the same day but is kept as a good board and is immaculate (apart from one slight bubble underneath, perhaps caused by going from sea level to 1175 metres elevation).
It's not as tough as the OD but nothing is. I suspect you could clean a beaten up LT up and get it back to almost perfect condition, whereas once an OD was scratched there wasn't much you could do. Flaps can require replacement or modification.
I'm a keen freestyler and the only issue I've found is that you can't do a stern-first clew-first tack on the rail on them. Cobra don;t want them used for top-end freestyling but I don't think that a serious freestyler who treats their gear with respect would have a major problem unless they are very heavy footed and do Everolls.
I haven't changed to the new mast and boom and still race with the alloy boom WIndgenuity sold me about 15 years ago. The sails last well; my training sail is nearing the end of its days but it's about 10 years old or more. At the front end of the fleet you could get 2-3 years of championships out of a sail easily, if you kept it for big regattas and maintained it well. Our only problem is that the racing sails you treat well last so long that we run out of training sails.
