Getting back into windusrfing and need rig advice.

[Jminnow]

I learned to windsurf in high school and taught kids to windsurf through college but have not been out since (I'm 30). I would consider myself to be an intermediate sailor. I had just gotten comfortable water starting when I stopped sailing. I never owned my own gear because I had the school's equipment at my disposal and was a broke student.

Can anyone recommend an all-around rig to help me get back into the sport a used to love? I am 5'11'', 185 lbs and will be sailing mostly in the Marblehead, MA area. Also, if anyone is selling gear I would love to hear about it. Thanks for any and all feedback. Enjoy the summer!

[npiankov]

The equipment has definitely changed in the last 10 years. The sails are of different shape, fiberglass masts have all been tossed into the junk pile.

What you would want these days is probably a sail made in the last 5 years (2004 onwards). The newer sails are much better at handling gusts and make it easier to sail. For your size in our area I may start out with a couple of sails: 5.5 and 7.0 or 6.0 and 7.5 (or something of that nature). 80% of the sailing around here occurs in-between those sizes. If you were on the Cape, you might want smaller gear.

If you choose wisely, you may be able to get away with using just a single mast and boom for the 2 sails. For the mast, get one with at least 30% carbon content. If you have some extra money, you'll actually thank yourself if you get 50%+. It doesn't seem like the difference in weight and responsiveness is that huge, but even at intermediate skill level you'll notice. One recent trend is to use reduced diameter masts ("skinnies") - they are very nice.

You'll need a board too, I guess. You may start out with something in the 130-140 liter range (any modern freeride board from any manufacturer would do). Everybody ends up with multiple boards eventually (you may want a 100L later on), but the 130L board is something you'll probably keep using in lighter winds for many years.

For sailing spots, make sure to check out Pleasure Bay in Boston some day. Perfect for windsurfing and a good group of people sailing there. You can gets tips on gear/sailing, maybe find someone selling what you need. See you around!

[d0uglass]

If I were you I would probably start back with a longboard, because with a longboard it doesn't matter as much what the sail size and wind strength are. From there you can gradually build up a quiver of more conditions-specific gear. I like the "Kona ONE" longboard but there are some good used longboards out there too, like the older mistral raceboards. Maybe check the classifieds section of iwindsurf and ask at your local shop to see if there are any deals.

For the sail, around 6.5 - 7.5 m2 ought to be a good start. I made a body-weight sail size calculator that might help pick the size.

http://www.vims.edu/general/sailpaddle/sailcalculator.xls

If you decide to go for a shortboard instead of a longboard, the calculator can also recommend a volume in liters for your first shortboard. I think npiankov is about right with 130-140 liters for your weight.

Good luck.

-James

[jingebritsen]

I've played with masts for decades. That's one of the most important things to get right. 50% carbon would be the first upgrade to try to search for. Skinnies are okay if you want to go ocean sailing. They are not as able to deliver as broad of a range in performance as regular masts do.

Why? Skinnies do not reflex back to the original shape as fast. Although tougher, they are less stable and tend to let the sail flatten out too much with rig tensions. Think about how much more stable a bent piece of paper or metal is even with just a slight bend in it. Same goes with sails. Today's sails have all that shape built into them. RDM's can be bent too far and then all that shape gets pulled flat. Might as well have a sail from 2 decades ago, if one over down hauls a sail with an RDM.

I've made this point dozens of times and get a lot of flack for standing up for my point. Meanwhile, do the experimenting yourself if you do not believe me, folks.

[PeconicPuffin]

[Ugly_Bird]

[jingebritsen]

Please try a kona before you write off long boards. One board, one sail, is not out of the question for starters. Yes, I like larger short boards too, but a kona sure simplifies the re-entry.....

[johnson_brian_j]

Let's not forget that there are other good longboards out there, other than the Kona. I have a Fanatic Viper that I love. I've also sailed a friend's Kona and another friend's Bic 293. All are great longboards, and despite all the hype about the Kona, I didn't think the Kona was any better than the Fanatic or the Bic. Many other manufacturers have also added longboards to their lineups in the past few years (motivated, no doubt, by the success of the Kona brand), so there are lots of options to choose from.

Jminnow asked,

[npiankov]

I would be real careful about getting a longboard. The major advantage of a longboard is the daggerboard. It helps you in light winds - allows to go faster and take better angles upwind. This is great if you see yourself cruising around, exploring. For example, taking a 4-hour trip around Boston harbor, going from island to island. Unfortunately, this advantage comes with a price: the board is heavy and optimized for the "cruise". It doesn't work as well when planing (slower to get up to planing speed, slower when planing, doesn't handle chop or jibe all that well).

So if you are interested in having more fun in the 12-20mph winds, I would suggest a shortboard. If a major part of your sailing will come in <12mph, fine, get a longboard.

The longboard also offers marginal stability advantages and is easier to keep upwind for a beginner. However, you were already at the waterstarting stage when you left the sport and not a beginner, so I don't think this would be an issue for you.