Last year I sold all my sailboarding gear as it was pretty old and I hadn't used it for over 5 years. Recently I've moved to a suburb on Lake Macquarie and would like to pick up some half decent gear to get out again. I'll still kite at the beach when I have more time but windsurfing is less hassle to take on by yourself, launch with trees, better in changing weather conditions and I've got some great spots right near my house where it won't get crazy busy on the water like squids..
I'm not sure what sort of gear I'm after, I just know that it's changed since I used my 10-15 year old gear last. I had a caveman bump and jump board. It was around 8kg and still floated to some degree when the wind stopped, I used to use this with a 5m sail and go out in 15-30 knts. But in saying that I was about 10kg lighter 10 years ago 
. I'm 29, 85kg, reasonably fit and capable for picking up windsurfing again so want something I can speed around on, carve, do small jumps etc. Probably just lake chop use in approx 15-30knts.
What style/capacity board and rig options should I start looking at?
I tried to do a search but couldn't spot an option for 'complete packages' (Laurie?), and I'm not sure what equipment to search for anyway 
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At 85kg, previous sailboard experience and a desire to bump and jump. If you are confident you still have the skills after 15 years, I'd get a 95 to 100l FSW with 6.0m and 5.0m sail. With the 6.0m you'd need consistent +15kts to get going and with the 5.0m you'd be still going in +25kts. You could also use this combination at Nobbies.
Boards to look for are:
- Fanatic Freewave
- RDD Freestyle wave
- JP Freestyle wave
Thanks John340, good info there. Nobbies could be an option later too.
Does FSW stand for foam sandwich construction board?
I'll start looking through the items in buy and sell and make a list of possible components 
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No, FSW stands for Freestyle-wave. It's the style of board which is best descirbed as an all rounder. Check out the following URLhttp://boards.mpora.com/equipment-tests/tested-equipment/freestyle-wave-test/freestyle-wave-mega-test-march-09.html
I am in a similar position as you. I used to wavesail in the late 80s and early 90s. I stopped when I moved away from the coast for work. I restarted sailing after a break of 18 years, about 3 years ago. I started on an old raceboard for the first 2 years. I still enjoy racing and sailing the raceboard when the wind is under 15kts. I bought a freerace board (a slightly more user friendly slalom board) late last summer and have enjoyed getting back into short board sailing. The freerace board is very quick. Its great when you can get some flat water but a bit unforgiving in the large bay chop we get on Morton Bay. I'm currently looking for a FSW board, which I hope will be a bit easier on my old knees and allow me to get back into some jumping and small wave sailing.
Good luck and enjoy yourself. I certainly have.
Come out to coal point in a good nor Easter and chat to the locals , great bunch of guys , there s free riders , bump n jump , GPS , all having a good time .
Sounds good, I'm at valentine so could launch in Croudace Bay in a solid NE or head downwind from Belmont if it's lighter and save driving over. I used to go between Valentine and coal point in Southerly's 15 years ago.. there was plenty of people launching in the park back then.
So free ride is just cruising a bit larger volume boards, bump and jump is similar but a tougher less volume board and can be used in the surf, whats GPS? I assume you're to referring to strapping a position tracker to you to check location/speed over ground?
Select to expand quotekitebored said..
Sounds good, I'm at valentine so could launch in Croudace Bay in a solid NE or head downwind from Belmont if it's lighter and save driving over. I used to go between Valentine and coal point in Southerly's 15 years ago.. there was plenty of people launching in the park back then.
So free ride is just cruising a bit larger volume boards, bump and jump is similar but a tougher less volume board and can be used in the surf, whats GPS? I assume you're to referring to strapping a position tracker to you to check location/speed over ground?
Freeride is just general sailing like slalom sailing used to be. Freerides are user friendly boards- not as fast as slalom but easier sailing, more forgiving and gybing etc.I've heard of people getting 36kts out of their 95ltre rockets ( not me..
) so they can move too.
They can be down to 95 ltres odd. You can B & J with freeride gear. Freeride rocker is generally not as much as wave + they are faster so be a handful in surf of any size and wouldn't be as manoueverable as a waveboard. Maybe doable if you only go out occasionally and play in small stuff at Nobby's.
Yep GPS is strap a tracker on and get your 2 sec , 10 sec speed , nm , gybing speed , average etc + join a team and socialise after a session. Good fun.
I was like you. I used to sail at Nobby's back in the late 80's - 90's but moved up country and then stopped for about 10 years. I had a caveman epoxy waveboard c 86 ltres that I started using at Coal pt with a 5.7m sail. I got the ****s at everyone blasting past so took some advice and got myself a 125 Tabou rocket freeride to get back into it and some bigger sails. I then got a 95 rocket for stronger winds ( 18-25kts off Coal or Valentine). They have been great fun and retaught me how to gybe and got me the basics of GPS sailing.I took the 125 out at Nobbys once but it was only 10-15kts + 1' surf . I think the speed of thr rockets in the surf might be a bit scary although my 78ltre pocket wave is as fast so I don't know how that works!
Hey kitebored, if there was a scale that when from manoeuvre oriented on the left to fast on the right for windsurf board types it would look something like this
Wave (down the line) : Wave (onshore) : Freestyle-wave (FSW) : Freemove : Freeride : Freerace : Slalom : Speed
Freestyle kinda fits in there somewhere - it's for doing new school tricks
There's also racing - longboards (raceboards) and Formula boards
I'm guessing but I would think the freeride and freestyle-wave would be the two biggest slices of the market.
Most sail manufacturers do a sail type for each board type.
For a 1 x board, 2 x sail setup for the lake I'd be thinking a 105 to 115l board of 63 to 68 cm wide with a 36 to 40cm fin.
Slalom or free race would be the go.
Sail wise a 6.2 to 7.8 would give plenty of range for our relatively flat water conditions.
See you at Valentine or the slips if it's NE, also great to get down the back of the sand islands when the big northeastern are on.
^^ I would not go slalom or freerace as they will be a mongrel to gybe if he has not been windsurfing for 5yrs+
+1 on a large FSW ..... 95 - 110L. For lake sailing that will cover an 85kg bloke from about 15 - 30kn if he has a second smaller fin for the good days. Plus it is a forgiving ride that handles chop nice, gets up and planes way better than a waveboard but not trippy rails like a slalom or freerace.
Second choice a freeride at the more rockered / forgiving end of the spectrum like a Tabou Rocket
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
^^ I would not go slalom or freerace as they will be a mongrel to gybe if he has not been windsurfing for 5yrs+
That's not exactly true for the freerace boards I have owned, however if you want a safe bet, I agree with you.
Select to expand quotejn1 said...Mark _australia said..
^^ I would not go slalom or freerace as they will be a mongrel to gybe if he has not been windsurfing for 5yrs+
That's not exactly true for the freerace boards I have owned, however if you want a safe bet, I agree with you.
You can gybe a freerace board reasonably easily. The advantages of a freerace compared o a FSW is that they are fast and plane happily with the right sail and volume under 15kts. The dissadvantages is that they aren't as manoeuvrable, harder to jump, harder to sail in large lake chop and definitely harder to sail in the open ocean. It all depends on what Kitebored wants to do, but having read what he wants to get out of windsurfing then the FSW is what he needs.
Hi, I grew up windsurfing on The Lake, if you only want to sail flat water Bump n Jump stuff, for 85kgs I would look for a 95lt Freestyle wave board, 5.3m and 5.8m wave sails. maybe later a smaller sail for southerlies say a 4.6 or 4.8m
Valentine is one of the best bump n jump flat water spots there is, for some reason the chop there is perfect for jumping in a southerly so you want the gear I suggested to make the most out of that spot and you live there which is perfect. I would drive around to Swansea caravan park for a NEster as you can sail in the flat and get your gybes sorted or sail across to Coal point which is also an awesome Bump n Jump spot.
I would avoid slalom and freeride gear as its harder to use and get back into the sport, and at your age I would think you would be keen to Jump and play around with basic tricks, so a freestyle wave kit would be more fun..
Boardcrazy is closing down so you might be able to see if they have and sails they would be selling cheap..
Cheers
Select to expand quoteP.C_simpson said..
Hi, I grew up windsurfing on The Lake, if you only want to sail flat water Bump n Jump stuff, for 85kgs I would look for a 95lt Freestyle wave board, 5.3m and 5.8m wave sails. maybe later a smaller sail for southerlies say a 4.6 or 4.8m
Valentine is one of the best bump n jump flat water spots there is, for some reason the chop there is perfect for jumping in a southerly so you want the gear I suggested to make the most out of that spot and you live there which is perfect. I would drive around to Swansea caravan park for a NEster as you can sail in the flat and get your gybes sorted or sail across to Coal point which is also an awesome Bump n Jump spot.
I would avoid slalom and freeride gear as its harder to use and get back into the sport, and at your age I would think you would be keen to Jump and play around with basic tricks, so a freestyle wave kit would be more fun..
Boardcrazy is closing down so you might be able to see if they have and sails they would be selling cheap..
Cheers
I think there's less wind these days than when you used to sail here.. he may need bigger sails..
Thanks guys, great info. If you need me I'll be in the for sale section or googling the various brands and models
