Hi, I windsurfed about 15 years ago when I was a school boy and want to give it a go again. I used to only do it at West Lakes and the Port River if that gives you an indication of the level I was at. What sort of equipment should I be looking at to get started and are there and shops in the CBD still? I thought there used to be one on Pirie St?
Thanks
Hi KXJ, I was like you - a return sailor, did a bit of sailing when I was a kid and returned recently. I am a beginner myself.
You need to do a few sessions on a big board (> 180 litre) with a centre board (dagger fin) and a small sail (The more sessions the better) before you can think about buying anything.
My suggestions are in this order:
Go to a school and hire beginner equipment. Sadly, to my knowledge, no school exists in Adeliade (anymore). The closest one is in Port A-gutter. I was lucky to do a season with a school.
Ask people on here to let you use their beginner equipment
Buy a cheap long board
I would suggest coming out with me (I have a intermediate board), but you will struggle on it like I did (and that was after a season on beginner equipment). I have had two friends try for a few times to use mine, and it's no good. You need to start on a beginner rig.
If you can get a few successful sessions in on a beginner board, then you can have a few sessions on mine. Once you crack mine, I reckon you can then buy an intermediate board and then you should be right.
Good luck. It's a long road :)
Keep an eye on this section of the site Kym, My wife and I have plenty of equipment if you want to just rock up and have a go, we sail mainly Goolwa or Seacliff,
Send me a PM
***Shameless plug***
I am selling an intermediate board in the buy & sell section.
Bic Veloce 288 (120L) in brand new condition
let me know when you think your ready for it and make me an offer
***end of shameless plug***
Hi all, I thought I would join in on this topic to ask some advice on suitable gear for beginners. I have been kitesurfing for the past 6 years but am looking for a new challenge. I was doing a bit of research and it seems like the Starboard RIO M would be a good board for a beginner (who happens to weigh in at about 85kg) + have some fun later when a bit more experienced, does anyone have experience with this board, or heard anything about it?
I think it is better to start with a wide board without a dagger board like the rio has. Checkout a big Starboard Go.Might be a bit harder at first but it will take you much further. Dagger boards tend to get in the way when you are learning and then when you start planing and with the wide boards now you do not need it for stability.
If you are a beginner with no or little experience definitely go for a board with a centre-board. Something along the lines of the Rio is ideal... reasonably high volume, wide and stable and a centreboard! You may be able to get away with a Go, or a number of other high volume boards without a centreboard, but then again you're just making things more difficult for yourself.
The current Rio also benefits from having a centreboard casing which closes up completely when retracted allowing for planing in higher wind much more like a big freeride board.
A Go in a similar volume to the Rio is fine in light winds, but as soon as the wind kicks in and/or its choppy, the width of the bigger (155+) Go's make them a handful.
There's no shortcuts to windsurfing... start at the beginning and you will progress rapidly!
Good luck, but most of all, have fun.
Tony
Regardless how well a dagger board retracts water wind still enter the dagger board slot when planing. The best board I know of to learn on which is no longer made is the old Starboard start with a removable center fin rather than a dagger board also 280m by 1m made it a very stable platform it was also a real laugh when you got it planing. (sam has my old one I used to teach my wife to sail on, he might want to sell it) Rio is a good board but you will soon be wanting to sell it and buy something without a dagger board. On a wide board the dagger board make very little differance to stablity sure it might help you point a bit. I learned to windsurf on the old windurfer one design a long time ago and have seen the change. The Go 155 is your best bet it is wider than the Rio its lighter, shorter as well meaning a fatter nose thus easy to tack, has option of inset foot straps plus is a great light wind blasting board. Rio will just hold you back.
from the starbaord website:
The GO 155 is based on the same concept as the GO 175, but it is one size smaller making it the better choice for those who want a more fun freeriding board without that much compromise on stability and ease. Like the GO 175, the GO 155 has footstrap options to cater for the total beginner, progressing sailors and advanced windsurfers.
I can vouch for the older style Start, and the Go 155.. I have both in my collection at the moment. The Start is great for learners - although I have never used the removable centreboard, and it is a lot of fun for light wind freestyle, and also lighter wind planing with a 6.4 or bigger sail and a long fin (it was based on a formula board).
The Go 155 is just a little harder for the rank beginner, but still quite easy. It really doesn't need a centre fin because it has quite a pronounced double concave hull which gives it plenty of traction as well as smoothing out the bumps in chop. A Go will last you longer than the Start before you out-grow it.
Again, lots of fun for more advanced sailing with the straps outboard, and a bigger sail in up to 25 knots provided the chop doesn't get too big.
Both are easy to tack and jibe on, and the EVA padded decks are really friendly.
Either will serve well, but get off them as soon as you can before you develop bad habits due to everything being too easy on such forgiving boards.
The big problem is that people hang onto them, so they can be a bit hard to find.
Take Divaldo up on his offer - things have changed A LOT in the past 15 years, so you're really starting from scratch.
Thanks for the offers, I will have to take them up sometime in the near future.
I'll also keep my eye open for some cheap set ups, I see full kits some times for a couple of hundred, are these likely to be more trouble then they are worth?
Also I'm guessing from the zero replys on the CBD shop question means there aren't any, I sure as hell can't find any.
thanks
Kym
Thanks for all the board advice, looks like it will be a toss up between the GO and RIO....
Any advice on rigs? I usually kite with a 12mtr for 15-20kt winds, what would be an equivalent sail size. Getting into a new sport is so confusing ;-)
KXJ
Glascraft and Onboard. Both shops are excellent.
Outgrowing your equipment is the least of your worries I think. There are so many people who have given up windsurfing because they brought something that was too hard for their level.
The windsurfing school I went through used to be based in Adelaide. They are now in Port Augusta. This course is fanastic. It teaches all the basics, and gives you very good product knowledge (which you need to know to start buying equipment). Maybe your best bet is to take a few lessons with Matt ?:
Matt Stringer at the Port Augusta Outdoor Adventure Centre
Ph: 0886422699
Email: paa.oac@bigpond.com
It's a long drive, but I really do recommend it.
Windsurfing is a great activity :), so definately give it ago :)
Ja
If you are just starting 15-20knts is not a good idea.
as a biginner you need to sail with a much smaller sail till you get the hang of it.
Most sailers would be on a 6 to 7.5 in 15 to 20knts I would sail a 8.5 to 9.5.
A beginner would be on a 4.5 or smaller as you get better the sail size will go up.
Hi Andyj,
Drop into Glascraft some time and I'll share my experience of 28 years personal windsurfing experience, about 8 years of windsurf instruction and being a retailer of both the Rio and the Go. It might be a bit more helpful than the random advice you get on here.
Cheers,
Muzza
Muzza with comments like that you might win one customer but others may go else where. I to have been windsurfing 28 years and have been a windsurfing instructor, Also not working for a windsurfing shop my decisions are not made by what I am able or want to sell.
if you want Neil Pryde gear go to Onboard Glasscraft don't sell it any more. At the Onboard Demo day I had a stuff around on some beginner gear which was good so before you jump in and buy something check out both shops!!
Cheers Pittsy
KXJ,
Second hand is not such a bad idea....
Having just gone through the whole return to windsurfing after 20 years thing, over the last year or so, my advice is buy or BORROW something VERY cheap and stable to start with.
Very cheap because all going well you'll outgrow equipment faster than you can move it on.
Stable, because that builds confidence. Stable, I guess this means around 180l or so.
I was lucky and got to borrow a starboard start when I returned to the sport. It was like sailing a well made jetty. (Pretty fun all the same!) BUT, three days on that, and I was ready for something faster/less stable and I'n no athlete. So go for the offer of a go on the start, it might be all you need to get you going.
From there I got hold of an old Mistral Prodigy, (250l, but pretty quick with a BIG sail) that was pretty good step up, but I was ready to move on in a year.
After that I was able to buy a new board that suited me for the long term. Maybe I will outgrow the current board one day, but I can't see it happening for a while.
The thing is, to get to this stage I have not spent a fortune in equipment i have outgrown.
Sail sizes...
My logic was to get hold of any old clunkers I could and make my mistakes with those (yes, you can put your head straight through monofilament! And your foot, and your harness, and just for variety, last week I put a channel post through one sail.) Now I am saving up for something decent as I have mainly stopped wrecking sails.
Glascraft and Onboard are terrific, and when I have the money, I shop there. But it's mainly ebay and the like for me. So far, I've been pretty lucky. I bought the board new from a brilliant shop in Coloundra in QLD, along with a secondhand wishbone and few other bits at VERY good prices. If you are in that area check it out. Caloundra City Sailboards. Incredible place.
Muzza I have no doubt the Rio is a good board and one great to learn on. Your post would have been fine if you had just left off the end knocking others' advice. Also like you I have had many years windsurfing experiance and was pointing out that the Rio would be a great board to learn on but maybe not the board someone would want to advance on expecially someone who has already mastered kiting.
If I was teaching someone I would probably use my Go 170.
PS I would love to see the RIO planing without any water coming out the slot never see a board with a retractable dagger board do that. That actually is not the reason I think the dagger board is a problem for learners they are unlikely to plane when learning.
I am not against boards with dagger boards either I own a windstyler and it a great laugh in light or stronge wind, have to take it out in the waves one day to see how it goes. But it would be easier to teach some one to windsurf on my Go 170 than the windstyler.
