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advance420
Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 24
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:10 pm Post subject: General Questions about Windsurfing from a beginner |
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Hey everyone,
At the end of the summer, I will be moving to Hainan, China to study Chinese at the local university. Hainan is a tropical island in the South China Sea, and I've read that windsurfing is very common there. I currently live in Wisconsin, USA.
Since, I have 2 months before I leave, I thought I would go out and buy a kit, and spend the rest of my summer practicing on the lake near where I live.
I found a really nice kit for 450 dollars. Could anyone experienced tell me if this is worth it?
http://madison.craigslist.org/spo/3106164873.html
Now, the university is about 1-3 km away from the ocean. Is it feasable to carry all that gear to the ocean? Obviously, I won't have a car, so I'm wondering how much it all weighs, and if it will be easy to carry back and fourth from the beach.
Also, does the board need to be in a travel case when I fly? The board is 138 inches. Do you think this is too big to include as a checked bag? I found on the website that for Hainan Airlines:
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Surf boards Hainan Airlines allows surfing gear to be transported as checked baggage. The total size (length+ width +height) of each piece of surfing set should be less than 277 cm or 109 inches and no more than 203 cm or 80 inches. This includes a piece of sail surfboard with masts, arm shanks and sails.
Hainan Airlines does not allow surfing gear to be included in the free baggage allowance. Only one set of surfing equipment for each passenger can be applied to special charging policies, namely being charged a fee of 50% of a standard charging unit. [Annotation: Each charging standard unit is 110 UD dollars. If RMB is used for payment, the exchange rate on the date the overweight check is completed shall be applied.] Other surfing gear shall be charged according to ordinary charging standards of over limit baggage.
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Does this mean my board is too big, and how much will they charge me since it's over-sized?
How are these things usually carried with a car? I currently have a 2000 Ford Mustang. Do I just tie it to the roof?
All input would be greatly appreciated.[/quote] |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:30 pm Post subject: Re: General Questions about Windsurfing from a beginner |
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advance420 wrote: | 1. the university is about 1-3 km away from the ocean. Is it feasable to carry all that gear to the ocean? Obviously, I won't have a car, so I'm wondering how much it all weighs, and if it will be easy to carry back and fourth from the beach.
2. Does this mean my board is too big
3. How are these things usually carried with a car? | [/quote]
1. No way in hell, unless you're a masochistic 250-pound bodybuilder looking for a guaranteed way to mess up your back and destroy the board. You're looking at 50 pounds of bulky, unwieldy crap including a 13' eggshell just waiting for a tiny gust or a tired hand to let the pavement crush it.
2. Yes. Buy something in China. If they WS there, there will be used gear there.
3. Securely lashed to commercially available roof racks. Anything less risks losing the board, and the ensuing wrongful death suit, on the highway.
BTW ... get some lessons ASAP. They will make your remaining two months MUCH more productive. You'll find learning Chinese much easier than learning to jibe, especially without professional lessons. That's one reason we love windsurfing so much; it's the most challenging activity most of us have ever tried.
Mike \m/ |
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inlandsea
Joined: 29 Sep 1996 Posts: 174
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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I second that. Better to take lessons locally now and rent gear for the rest of the summer if possible. If you are in Madison you can also check out the universitys sailing center as they might have gear. Also check with ithmus sailboards as they area near you. They might have a program or a better option for you.
As for traveling with that craigslist gear, forget it! It will cost a ton to due so if it is even possible .
Philip |
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npiankov
Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 82
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Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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The gear you are looking at is pretty ancient. I would even say that $450 is a little bit too much money for it. Stuff like this is worth more like $300-350 nowadays.
You can probably learn on this gear. However, it's not clear whether you'd enjoy it beyond your first 1 or 2 months. It's clearly not worth taking to China - it will cost more to transport it there than it's worth, even if you are allowed to bring it on the plane (those old boards are long and quite heavy).
Lessons are useful. The other thing you may want to consider is renting for your first few times. See if you even like it! Then, once you sort of know what you are doing, you can make a more informed decision about what to buy. That's what I did. Yes, it costs 50-70 per day, but it's worth it. You don't have to transport anything, you'll get the right gear for your level. After a few lessons you may find out you don't like this at all and it would save you quite a bit of trouble. Or you may find you like it a lot and would rather spend $1000 to get something modern.
Good luck! It's a fun sport and hopefully you'll like it as much as most of us. |
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