Newbie Buying Spree

Hey Dude,When buying a board you've gotta decide whether you want something that will be easy to use right away or something that you can grow into.
I'm about your size and did most of my progressive work on a 150L board (although I had had bigger boards previously). It was big enough for me to up-haul on but advanced enough that I eventually learnt how to plane, use a harness and footstraps, waterstart and eventually gybe on. Obviously if you go smaller things will be more difficult to start but more enjoyable as you progress, if you go bigger things will be easier at the start but you'll get bored later on. As a general rule a wider board will be more stable for things like up-hauling and will probably get you planning sooner but a longer board will be more enjoyable on the lighter days when planning just isn't going to happen. Centerboards are also great in sub-planing conditions but a pain in the a** once you get up and going. For sail size, I'd get something around the 5.0-5.5m mark (most people start with 4.5m but you're a bigger bloke), you'll be doing a lot of up-hauling initially so you want something small and light but still big enough to get you moving. A 430cm mast should be sufficient to get you started, just be cautious when buying sails that your mast will fit (standard mast lengths are 400, 430 and 460....a 430 should rig most sails between 5.0 and 7.0m). Bog standard booms are 160-220cm, again this should be sufficient for your needs, just check the sails you're thinking of buying to make sure your boom will get the job done. Happy hunting p.s. check the free stuff thread

^^ nah go cheap and use the seabreeze brains trust to advise on what u need (and/or supply it for free to you!!! - look at the free gear thread)

a $300 freeride board (about 150L) with a homemade centreboard, and a $500 wave rig will do. Then when u get better u can remove the plywood crap cenreboard and put a bigger sail on and go planing along in 20kn.

(I do agree with Rider, just that if you don't have the quids and DO have the motivation it can also work out great)

Select to expand quote

Toph said..
Thanks for the replies. If I go into a shop, you would hope they would set you up with the right size gear. At least now I have a basic idea of what to look for if I go second hand out of the Quokka or Gumtree (or buy and sell here).

Cheers

If you are looking at something post a link here for feedback before you buy as a lot of people buy cheap crap gear from E bay or gumtree find it isn't suitable and get turned off the sport.

Hi Toph,

This is a nice board, but Futura is generally considered a race board. It would be a handful and possibly too fragile.
Not sure if they made versions for beginners (?).

With this brain, and having made all the usual mistakes beginners make...I would not buy anything yet.

I would rent a beginners board with a small sail for another 2-3 sessions.
Next, I would rent the same large board but with a 5m sail and play with it for another 2-3 sessions.

Then.. if I would still be motivated, I would buy a 150-160L freeride board and 6-6.5m sail and sail it for the whole season.

The cost of rental will be heaps lower than buying an re-selling boards.

If you are still keen to buy, something like this would be ideal (deliberately chosen a sold item) :
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Windsurfing-Boards/~tyq28/Starboard-Go-155-litres.aspx?search=eLRMcKwwdw5MNNdCu3ZkVY1sZN7EP4mcXth5TVwkyRk=