New guy-Windsurfer

[Pete Strople]

Hello All,

I just joined yesterday and know very little about windsurfing. I travel for work and on a couple different trips this year, I had the opportunity to try windsurfing minus any instruction. After an hour of falling and sailing down wind, I finally figured out how to sail back up the beach(I didn't have to do the walk of shame like the fellow first time sailor who used the gear before me). I would consider myself very much a beginner that can navigate in relatively easy conditions.

I've been trying to find some used equipment online but just read the info for beginners on this site. The part that says don't buy someone else junk especially if its more than 5yrs old has virtually eliminated anything on ksl or craigslist. I have a young family that is very active, triathlons, mountain bike racing, ultra marathons and lots of skiing. The buy in costs for new gear is unfortunately not in the budget which is the reason I hoped to go used.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and am open for any suggestions on gear, etc. I live in park city so the Jordanelle is the closest lake, any thoughts on learning there? I also read that there is get together/learning seminar in the spring which I will plan on attending next year.

Thank you for any help and advice you could pass along,

Pete

[Josh Shirley]

Pete:

Thanks for sharing. Check out or learn to page http://www.utahwindriders.com/forum/learnhow.php.

Call me up anytime for help, Josh 801 859-9897

Josh

[Mike Egan]

I have a 160 liter freeride board for sale. It is a 2005 AHD, in good condtion. $700.00 with board bag. However, this may be alittle less board then what you need, depending on weight and skill level.
Thanks Mike
801-502-3217

[RickHeninger]

Pete,

This spring the beginner day was scrapped because of bad weather... If we are able, we are going to try and do a small one this fall... However, weather is even less cooperative in the fall for a beginner day. Keep your eyes open for it.

Mike's board looks like a great option for you as a beginner, in Utah.

We'll hopefully see you on the water.

Rick Heninger.

Oh, btw, you certainly can buy stuff older than 5 years and get awesome use out of it. Just don't pay over a $100 for an entire rig over 10 years old, or ~$250 for 5-10 years. Sail, board, etc. Jeff Moore who is starting out, just had a brother in law find a rig at the Deseret Industries for ~$50 and he was sailing it all day saturday up at Sulphur Creek. However, the newer stuff rigs, jumps, and jibes easier in higher winds!

[Pete Strople]

Thanks guys. I probably should have put in there that I'm a little over 6' tall and weigh about 195. Does the 160 sound about right or should I look for something bigger? How about sail size for high Utah lakes?

Pete

p.s. Mike I left you message about your board...adios

[Josh Shirley]

here are my suggestions:

1 - Don't buy "race" anything, as a new comer. Especially race sails. They have cams with big sleeves that carry a lot of water. So getting it out of the water is a back breaker.
Used sails newer then five years old. X ply or better is a must. Many older sails are made with a clear material called mono film. Mono film has a sun life of 200 hours if that. So if the sail has never been used you probably found a good buy, if it has been in the sun a lot then your $100 purchase will require $75 repairs very quickly. http://www.ezzy.com/sails/materials.cfm here is an example of how much tougher newer sails are compared to those older ones. Newer used sails can be purchased inexpensively. read on.

2 - The most commonly used sail size across the US is .... Any guesses, anybody? ..... 6.0 meters. So find a 6.0 or there abouts. If that is your one and only sail then you will be able to sail many days. No not all the days but many days. The second sail size to go for would be either a 7.5 or a 5.0. Go bigger if you can only sail at Deer Creek and Utah Lake. Great places to look for cheap good sails - http://www.windance.com- or iwindsurf -http://www.iwindsurf.com/classifieds.iws

3 - Board recommendations - 2.2 pounds of floatation per liter of volume in a board. So yes a 100 liter wave board will technically keep you floating at 190 pounds. 135 to 150 liters is a great intermediate level free ride board. Beginner boards come in three sizes small (165), medium (180), and large (210.) When I teach I start with 210 liters but move my students to 165 liters in about the 3rd or 4th lesson.
155 liters free ride board. You will sail many many days here in Utah with that type of board.
If you want a brand new board that will last a long time and be great for intermediates then get a RRD Evolution http://www.robertoriccidesigns.com/y13/#home.windSurfing.raceAndRide.360evoasaI think you could get one at isthmus sail boards right now for $800 including shipping. This is the end of the season so shops are willing to drop prices some.

If you decide to buy a beginner board like the RRD Easy ride or Starboard Rio - I will buy it from you for $600 after one season if you don't like it. Although I guarantee that you won't let it go. Seriously.

[Leo Chan]

Hi Pete, I think what Josh said covers pretty much everything you need to know. Given that you're over 190 lbs, the smallest board I would suggest is 150 ltrs. So, the 160 ltrs board is certainly a good one to start with. Depends on how often you sail, you might out grow your board much faster (or slower) than some people. So, it might be worthwhile investing some time to figure what board you need. I like the Starboard products for beginners (the Rio or Go models are my favorite). They have multiple foot strap positions you can adjust should you advance to the point where you can plane on them. As far as sails, I wouldn't spend too much money on them because you will likely to ripe a few before you know it. Buy something cheap (but not too old) and fits your size (5.0 to 6.5 for you as a beginner).

On that note, I have a Starboard GO 2006 model for sale if you're interested. It has 175 litrs and I added a nose protector. It is in good condition. You can see a picture of me and my GO board here.




Good luck and hope to see you in the water soon!

[Steven Nyhus]

Welcome Pete,

I agree with what Josh has to say. Good information there. I just got back into this sport a few years ago and was in the same situation you are in in terms of finances for equipment. If you take your time and shop around, you can find some good deals. I am also about 195 and 6' and right now I only have the opportunity to sail here in Utah, mostly at Deer Creek. The board I use is a free ride at 157lts (plenty of floatation for up-hauling) and the sail that I use most is a 7.5 sq. meter. If you can find a board in that size range at about 75cm or more wide, you will have a very stable platform. Sails from about 2002 to the present are a lot better than older ones because of the wind range they can handle and the ability to tune them. Here is what I have been able to aquire over the years that works for just about any conditions here in Utah (not ideal for all conditions, but it works):
157 ltr board 258cm long x 84cm wide
9.0 sq. meter sail (8 - 15 mph winds)
7.5 sq. meter sail (12 - 20 mph winds)
6.2 sq. meter sail (18 - 28 mph winds)
5.0 sq. meter sail (25 - 35 mph winds)
2 booms (one boom for the 6.2 - 9.0 sails and one for the 5.0 sail)
3 masts - 490cm 460cm and 430cm (all bought at the spring swap meet for a very good price)
2 mast bases 1 universal joint (2 different sizes to accomidate sail sizes)
2 fins 58cm that came with the board (works for sail sizes from 7.0 to 9.0) and a 49cm fin for the 5.0 to 7.0 sail sizes)
By being a careful shopper and educating myself on what to look for, I have been able to get everything for a lot less than 1/2 off retail prices. There are a few people here that have some good sources for good used/demo and couple year old new gear. Ask questions and look for posts from John Dubock when he does a piggy bank alert. He knows people all over the country that sell good stuff from time to time. I can also let you know about a couple of ebay sellers that have great gear and are great to deal with.
I hope this helps some. If you have some questions, let me know (I am down in Orem). Hope to see you on the beach soon!

[Pete Strople]

Thank you all once again for the info...

Steven, now I know what gear to shoot for size wise but I do have one question and possibly a stupid one at that. Why did you get 3 different mast sizes? Do the various sails not all fit on one mast? I get the 2 different booms for the different sails but not sure about the mast.

Adios,

Pete

[Steven Nyhus]

Different luff sizes for the different sail sizes. If you look around you can get more than one sail to fit on a mast. For example you could probably get sails from 6.4 to 7.6 or even up to 8.0 to fit on a 460 mast. It all depends on the manufacturer. Usually sails from 8.0 up to even 10.0 will go on a 490 mast with the right extension. When looking for sails, pay attention to the recommended mast length. Another thing to consider is the bend properties of the mast. Some sails will just not rig well on some masts.

[Mike Egan]

Hey again. I called back this morning sorry for the delay. I'm going to out of town for the weekend and we be back on tuesday. We are about the same size. You can try the board out if you what. Plus, The UWA has a starboard go around 200 liters that you can use for free. Josh has it now and you should be able to get it from him for a couple sessions on the lake 801-859-9897. If you can uphaul and are comfortable sailing around you will be fine on my 160. Plus you will not out grow the board. A true begeinnier board you will more than likey out grow in 10 days of sailing or less. So, you may want to use the UWA beg. board until you buy. This is a true free ride board no center board. The only reason I'm selling is I have a formula board that I use in the same wind condtion as the AHD. I live downtown SLC and you are more than welcome to come and check it out. I hope you get out this weekend it looks good.
Thanks Mike