Hi guys, havent been windsurfing for 20yrs and want to get back into it. What volume board would you recommend for a 90kg guy who will probably rope start the majority of the time.
Rule of thumb is your weight in kgs +30 = board Litres, but width plays a big part too!
Probably aim for a modern 125L freeride at least 70cm wide.
Thanks DavMen good advice, all I need to do is find a cheap secondhand board and rig
+30 is a safe bet for uphauling, if you sailed before and expect to advance quickly then +20 to +30 is OK too. I'm 95kg and still float OK uphauling a 118 L board.
Congrats on getting back into it mate
..mind you i haven't persisted a lot..
im 100kg or so and can uphaul on my 118 supersport .
By time the chop gets bad enuf to be a problem you can usually water start anyway.
i can tack the thing now as well altho have to be fast getting around the nose or she tends to dive :(
Short and fat are definately a good way to go - these boards are super fast when the wind powers up and very stable when doing big carve gybes. also very forgiving :)
once the wind starts hitting 20-25 knots tho they are a bitch to keep on the water as the wind gets under em and they like to fly espcially if the water gets very choppy. On flat water speed runs tho this doesnt really become and issue.
Howdy, my advive if you want to learn and have lots of time on the water in various wind conditions would be to go for something bigger. I learnt on a fanatic shark 160 ltr and i still use it now on those light wind days. Its quite heavy but its strong and no matter how high your boom to board nose ratio is it wont break ( wish i could say the same for my jp) With the right sail and fin you can get the thing flying and because of the volume i can get out when others are just sitting by the shore. If you want to learn moves i think its always best to try them in non planing conditions and a stable board. ( fundementals ) Also if you decide to move on you wont have any problems selling them.
..mind you i haven't persisted a lot..
but it also has an efect your fitness.strengh .. i can uphaul a 75l and i weigh 65kg ... if u are a bit older u may wants to even go a bt bigger depending on your fitness
..mind you i haven't persisted a lot..
Darren,
Just some support on what lee1972 said, if you spend a little extra and get a new (superseeded)/near new big shortboard ie shark 160 you can basically upgrade as you get better with little or no changeover in $. Any of these big short boards keep their value extremely well, or if you can see into your windsurfing future a bit they can be something you will never part with. Sails, booms, bases, fins and slalom boards pretty much loose a third- half their value when they walk out of the shop- big freeride boards and most masts you won't loose too much on should you need to sell or upgrade later 
