Hi, I am currently 16 years old and have been wanting to get into windsurfing for years! finally managed to bring it up properly with the folks as I am soon going to be way to big for my current sail boat (little Arafura Cadet). anyways I have about 6 years sailing experience and have done a few lessons with the great guys at Windsup, while playing around with a learner board from my local club which is roughly 180 liters and with a 5.4m sail whenever i get a chance. I'm seeing minor improvements in my abilities but have been wondering what should i be looking at for my first gear and board? I'm currently at boarding school so it has limited the time that i can practice by myself, however that means i am based in Adelaide.
what the bottom line is what would make a good board considering i have access to a big learner should i need it a little longer. someone i met briefly suggested a big Free Style Wave board because of my weight (70Kg) roughly. any help is appreciated support, tips and crititism is all welcome
Welcome....A big FSW is a great choice but very fragile while learning..imo.. get ya FSW but keep up the lesson, get ya water starting happening and practise getting the board up to full speed hooking in.. these are the times your going to crash the most and smashing up your new board will sux ..seen this a few times people have had a few lessons then go buy all the gear and in two weeks time there selling the gear and quitting because the gear is to small and carnt get going or they smashed the board up and carnt afford another one and puts people off the sport real quick...to me spending a few extra hundred bucks on lessons practising on there gear will save you heaps and give you confidents to jump on your board and sail away with out smashing it up in the first 5min and putting you off for life!
Not sure where ya going to be sailing, but there is always plenty crew willing to help out. 
thanks for the advice GAPF, I will deffinetly keep up the lessons also I'm based around Glenelg, but also Kangaroo island during the school holidays, where i think i mentioned that i was using a 180L beginner board and 5.2m sail whenever i have been there. thank you for the help 
and who are some good people to try and get in touch in for any sort help or advice from my area?
Nice friendly crew at Boggy and great learning spot....if ya carnt get out that way!
Sems would be the best metro beach for wind 
nearly always someone out when theres wind!
I would say get a free-ride board with plenty of volume to start >120l and get out in light winds. If you do this and learn to gybe and tack in light winds consistently you will improve your skills when planing much faster and even when you can plane, waterstart etc, this style board is good fun to learn your first carve gybes, jumps etc on.
Get an instruction dvd like the Gem Hall one called Beginner to Winner.
Summer seabreezes are the best to learn in but this time of year north haven (launch by the surf club) is pretty nice on a north-westerly, flat water, warm (ish), not too gusty. Just mind the kiters.
thanks barri i will do if i get the chance i do a lot of my windsurfing on KI as well though any thoughts on there? can be a bit choppy most of the time and gets gusty as hell this time of year any suggestions for when I'm there?
Catch up with the music teacher Tim Frears he is a keen (used to be!) windsurfer and may be able to help out!!
ok thanks i will do, remember him from down the club when i saw him last he was in a laser.
Tim is a good one to talk to. he was racing lasers but now races bic windsurfers at Kingscote sailing club.
I dont know much about KI but pretty sure Tim said he just launches from the sailing club.
yea i know tim havent seen him in awhile was my team sailing coach before i stated boarding school in adelaide, even though i think this was his last year coaching for Kingscote
Who are you!! Another fellow young punk from KI wanting to windsurf hey???? Been a few years since I was learning over there but the yacht club is a awesome place to learn. Infact one of the best I have ever found. Get a large board over 100 litres and just practice!!! PS what arafura cadet do u have?
CHEERS Chris.
i have Wave Warrior bless the old girl still fast as anything even though shes 20 or so, shes had a few dings but do you know Ashley that man is amazing with boats! if you know him i'm one of the doctors sons you know Johannes? well i'm Brandt Hi
Ah yes cool. I used to sail nirvana. Was bloody good fun! Windsurfing is a lot more social and better then sailing I think. Once you progress you get out in the waves and its awesome fun cheaper and a lot less gear then sailing. Windsurfing SA will be organising a come and try day this summer so that would be a good day to come along. I may have to gear for you if your keen its not that new but works perfectly fine.
Cheers
yea thats kinda why I'm making the switch some of the big time sailors in Adelaide are way to competitive for their own good (i was sailing at Adelaide sailing club for a bit) really gives sailors a bad name plus windsurfing just looks so much better! where can i go and find details for that come and try day?
Select to expand quoteGAPF said..
Hay`s the man...taught me everything i know! 
+1 Hay's the man you want to be hooking up with for advice!
You have access to a large learner board so that is a bonus, I would be looking at a freeride/freestylewave board around 115 litres. I own a 116 fsw and its pretty stable and easily uphaulable in rough water for me (95kg)
Make sure the width is at least 64-66cm for stability. No need for anyhting flash either, jump on buy/sell and grab something for $200-300 as long as its a modern shape - 2005 or newer???
