been learning on a 200ltr board.weigh 110kg sail in 15-20knots.can tack a few gybes beachstart and planning.time for a new board.thinking about a go 160 or a gecko 156 or something else.any tips.cheers
I think your onto it.
A Go 160 or x cite ride or the gecko would be perfect , something around 80cm wide.
Some people will tell u to get something smaller to grow into.
There are two worlds of thought here,
1 , If your on a small tippy board it will make u learn faster , but if u cant waterstart comfortably or if the wind drops uphauling will be difficult and even dangerous.
or
2 , A 150 to 160 u can comfortably uphaul, u may learn quicker because your actually riding instead of swimming . Coming off a 200 litre board it will still feel small and sporty.
Like me your not a light guy and I have a lot of fun on my 80cm wide board. Its relative , same as a 70 kg rider on a 110 litre board.
My advice go the 80cm wide board.![]()
weigh about what you weigh and started on a small inland lake with a longboard
next step for me ? 160 liter / 79 cm wide shortboard --> continued with 7.0 meter sail and quickly moved to 8.5 + planing
realising this was about 10 years ago - now the freemove boards are taking over
also - board choice often depends on conditions where you are
for me this board was okay with 8.0-10.0
started with the 7-oh, but later used that combo in 7-oh conditions and found board was too wide (chop slapping)
joewindsurfer.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-i-started-shortboarding.html
imax is onto it
But I'd also add, are you talking about for next season where you will have heaps of seabreezes and sail 3x a week in 15-20kn for 3 mths ........... that is very different to sometime sailing and hoping to get out now and then...
Make learning to water start your priority. Thinner boards like a Gecko may be better for this than old school shapes of the same volume. And you may keep it as your light wind board going forward as you progress to even smaller boards.
been learning on a 200ltr board.weigh 110kg sail in 15-20knots.can tack a few gybes beachstart and planning.time for a new board.thinking about a go 160 or a gecko 156 or something else.any tips.cheers
Before you get a smaller board go and dedicate a couple of session to water starting.
Then get a 140L board.
More responsive still enough float for your boat.
Sounds like all the fundamentals are there. Don't fluff around on a board that's too big and unresponsive.
been learning on a 200ltr board.weigh 110kg sail in 15-20knots.can tack a few gybes beachstart and planning.time for a new board.thinking about a go 160 or a gecko 156 or something else.any tips.cheers
Keep the 200, use it as your board to practise gybing, tacking everything in light winds, until you mastered Windsurfing, ie keep it forever.
Then just get a selection of smaller boards, for stronger winds and greater skills as you progress, maybe something 70 cm wide is a good next step to partner with your 200.
But keep the 200, or replace it with a wind sup. Imho
imax is onto it
But I'd also add, are you talking about for next season where you will have heaps of seabreezes and sail 3x a week in 15-20kn for 3 mths ........... that is very different to sometime sailing and hoping to get out now and then...
Obviously WA ![]()
What the guys said.
160L would be perfect. I'm in a similar weight bracket and the 160 Fanatic Shark was perfect for me.
Make sure to resist a temptation to get rid of it once you outgrow it. It'll be handy for years to come in light winds.