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Freeride Boards for a Newbie
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

He's 253 Lbs, not 290 if that makes any difference.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beaglebuddy does have a good point. When it comes to uphauling and getting your act together, anything under 200 liters is going to be a huge challenge, particularly for such a heavily sailor at 253 lbs. However, even if tmonty invests in the board I originally recommended, the JP Superlight Wind, and fails to make it work, even after spending a few sessions on a beginner board like I recommended, he still has a board that will suit him very well in the future. We have to remember that he originally wanted an advanced level board that he wouldn't grow out of. Worst case, tmonty will have to go back and invest in a bigger board like the Kona One, or maybe an older longboard to develop basic skills, to include a dependable waterstart.

While some here like to emphasize that windsurfing is a super hard sport where even real athletic folks are frequently humbled and totally frustrated, from personal experience I know that the sport isn't that difficult for someone that is dedicated and tenacious. You know, the way that I looked at, I knew that I was going to eat crow for a short period of time. Knowing that, I took an attitude where I wasn't that dead serious about succeeding the first few times out. Because of that, I could be more lighthearted and I could laugh at myself.

If I was to recommend something extremely important to the bare beginner, it would be picking the best days for initial learning. Enough wind to get the hang of it, but not too much wind where you don't stand a chance. The absolute worst choice is trying to learn in not enough wind. For tmonty, uphauling using a beginner board and rig, I'm thinking that winds averaging 10-15 mph would give him the start that he needs.
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outhaul



Joined: 27 Sep 2011
Posts: 254

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Exocet Windsup 11'8 is a board you can learn on, SUP, surf sail, cruise and even rip pretty well on. You'll never outgrow it. I'm 215 and have one and it works like a charm.
Another board that I've tried and liked quite well is this custom freerider designed for bigger guys by Tinho Dornellas. http://www.calema.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=608 Check it out and good luck.
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PeconicPuffin



Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 1830

PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 6:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That something is possible doesn't mean it's the best way to go. There would be a lot more windsurfers in the world if more of the people who had tried windsurfing had tried to learn on better gear for learning. We're not trying to weed people out, we're trying to bring people in.

zirtaeb wrote:
OK, I'll bite....
This is were EXPERIENCE comes into play.
OP weighs 290. My old bud 275. Old bud easily uphauled his 133 liter Seatrend 9'5"ers, and could uphaul my 124 liter Seatrend in really flat water. Maybe not first try, every time, but I can't say I can uphaul 84 liters first try, every time.
OP is presumed to be somewhat of an athlete. He kited for 8 years.
Did I say it was EASY to ride 150liters? Did I not recommend a 250 liter longboard?
If you think you can do it, you'll have a better chance of doing it than if you think you can't.
My first ever day, at LakeMerced, I THOUGHT I could windsurf my buds board, a Rocket99. I uphauled it maybe 40 times, sailing less than 30' distance at the best each time. My buds around knew I couldn't do it, and came to watch the hilarious show. Sail was the UP 6.0 and winds 5-25 mph, as NW winds were blowing strong on the coast.
Within 10 days, I was sailing CrissyFields, all the way across, with a 90 liters SURFBOARD!.

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http://www.peconicpuffin.com
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 8:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's another factor we haven't considered: who's more likely to get discouraged and quit ... the newby with a history of athletic successes and expectations to match, or the newby with more realistic expectations? The newby willing to take advice, or the one who thinks he knows best? The one willing to pay his dues, or the one who thinks he can short-circuit the process? The guy on a full floater, or the guy on a bobber or sinker in a light-wind area? The one who wants to learn how to windsurf, or the one who just wants to windsurf? The tortoise, or the hare?
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PeconicPuffin



Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Posts: 1830

PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually most of us have...read the posts.

isobars wrote:
Here's another factor we haven't considered: who's more likely to get discouraged and quit ... the newby with a history of athletic successes and expectations to match, or the newby with more realistic expectations? The newby willing to take advice, or the one who thinks he knows best? The one willing to pay his dues, or the one who thinks he can short-circuit the process? The guy on a full floater, or the guy on a bobber or sinker in a light-wind area? The one who wants to learn how to windsurf, or the one who just wants to windsurf? The tortoise, or the hare?

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http://www.peconicpuffin.com
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beaglebuddy



Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 1120

PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the discussion should be can you go straight into beach starts and then waterstarts completely bypassing the uphauling stage?
And how likely is that possible at 253 Lbs
Has anybody ever started this way?
I tend to think it is quite possible with younger lighter people in the right conditions and location.
One could spend a lot of time in up to cheat high water just handling the sail, flipping it back and forth and learning to steer the board.
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johnl



Joined: 05 Jun 1994
Posts: 1330
Location: Hood River OR

PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 11:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

beaglebuddy wrote:
I think the discussion should be can you go straight into beach starts and then waterstarts completely bypassing the uphauling stage?
And how likely is that possible at 253 Lbs
Has anybody ever started this way?
I tend to think it is quite possible with younger lighter people in the right conditions and location.
One could spend a lot of time in up to cheat high water just handling the sail, flipping it back and forth and learning to steer the board.


The answer is yes you CAN, but the question should be "should you" and the answer would be no Smile
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speedysailor



Joined: 11 Sep 2007
Posts: 841

PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

swchandler wrote:

When I started windsurfing in the mid 80s, I had to wait almost a year to start because nobody was offering racks for cars without gutters. Once I found that gutterless Thule racks hit the market, I jumped on it.
It's funny how styles change. I have two roof racks in my rafters that fit cars with gutters. They are rare now and gutterless, the norm. Whatever, I wonder how many windsurfers take up kiting because windsurfing isn't as easy as they thought it would be.
isobars wrote:
Sorry to seem dubious, but we've been spoofed many times
As I understand it, spoofing is a defense against caller i.d. features. A caller will engage a spoofing service that will show a different number than the actual caller's number. It has questionable legality. I have been spoofed with a number that belonged to someone who was unaware of the use of their number. Since the spoofing service will generate random numbers, most of them do not belong to actual accounts, but this one did.
johnl wrote:

The answer is yes you CAN, but the question should be "should you" and the answer would be no Smile
It has nothing to do with choice. Most people start out windsurfing in light winds when water-starting is impossible. In fact, it is definitely to the beginner's advantage to start out in light winds.
jingebritsen wrote:
beware of boards that have double concave too far aft. They do provide higher end stability, but at the expense of early planing.
The concaved surfaces on my tri-panel Angulo Sumo bottom 125 goes from tip to tail. Consequently, that translates to >>too far aft<<. I wonder what Josh would add to that.
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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Mon Sep 24, 2012 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Beach starting on a wide, stable board with a small fin (shallow water) in light winds should be somewhat easy to teach to a beginner. However, they will drop the sail in water too deep to beach start so uphauling will be essential on the second, third, fourth, etc try.

Just because you can step up on a board has nothing with the leaning curve your body must go through in order to learn the requisite balance necessary to stay on the board. It just takes a lot of time for the muscles to learn.

One thing that will help speed up the progression is weening oneself off the wide board ASAP to be challenged on a narrower, less stable board.
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