Board Selection Help

PeconicPuffin · Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 1830

Unless you're racing, Formula boards are probably not the best bet for you. A larger freeride board (some suggestions have been made) would likely be much more fun, more user friendly, more jibeable, and generally work out better for you. Good news for you (since you've been away for awhile) is that boards are shorter (by at least a foot) than they used to be, and you need less volume (as the volume and width you require to get going are right underneat your feet.)

jingebritsen · Joined: 21 Aug 2002 Posts: 3371

sailing a formula board detuned is not that tough, except in the corners. they are tough when they have larger sails or fins on them. still, not realistic in this application.

free ride boards typically are boards without daggers. the larger boards i suggested earlier in this thread are easy to sail and fairly affordable.

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3550

A dagger board is something you would find in the original windsurfer or a laser sailboat. Today's windsurfers are more likely to use a retractable centerboard. In a 10 knots a large freeride with a centerboard would go upwind much better than a freeride without.

Coachg

gregnw44 · Joined: 23 Jul 2008 Posts: 783 Location: Seattle, Wa

If you want to be practical...and really get some useful time on the water.

You (the original poster) already said the key things -
You're light 155#.
You're an improving but practical guy with intermediate skills (you're working to be able to tack and jibe a basic board in moderate winds... and you're not comfortable with big sails).
Your typical winds are 10 knots.

I would suggest a Kona One (and or, if you had experienced help from a guy knowledgeable about older longboards) a good used longboard.
But you also said, that you have space restrictions and need a shorter board than a 11' to 12' longboard.

So, your initial though, a Starboar Rio is an AWESOME choice !!!
They're great... and will work for you now. AND will work for you if you progress to expert (in 10 knot winds, needing a board shorter than a longboard).
If I were you, I'd get the bigger model. Because it will be more stable while you're gaining new skills... and it will go faster in light winds... and it will go upwind better for you (which you also asked about).
Greg Smile

gvogelsang · Joined: 09 Nov 1988 Posts: 435

You have a great advantage - you weigh 155 lbs.

The question is: do you want to be able to go upwind and downwind, and see a lot of sights, or do you want to plane and go as fast as possible, out and back on a reach.

Two different things. And, if you progress in your windsurfing, you might want to be able to do both.

Upwind, downwind and try to learn waterstarts, and learn to sail from the straps, a Kona or something like that would be the choice.

Going as fast as possible on a reach - A wide short board. See if you can rent a Starboard GO board - no dagger board - and see how you get on with that.

I learned to waterstart on an original Windsurfer, so any board is great for learning; but for higher performance, something light and wide is better for early planing. But, an outright Formula board, these days, might be too technical to have fun. I have one of the original Formula boards, and at 84 cm wide, and 270 long, it is quite forgiving. I think that something 230 long and 100 wide might be very difficult.

joethewindsufa · Joined: 10 Oct 2010 Posts: 1190 Location: Montréal

as gvogelsang said - you have the lightweight advantage

the Free Formulas are long and not as wide as the Formulas

i have both longboards and a Free Formula
with your weight you could plane on either in 10 knots
but with a larger sail - 8.4 to 9.2
yes, you could start with the smaller sails 6.3 to 7.5
you will NOT plane and the longboards are "better" with the smaller sails
HOWEVER, lightweights like yourself have had plenty of fun on my FreeFormula
with sails in the 5.x range
the beauty of old longboards is - they can be stored outside without any worry of theft ...
i enjoy both longboards and FreeFormula, but the wind minimum for me and the FreeFormula is 12 knots - in order to plane with my 230 pounds

imperfect tacks n jibes/gybes are the norm on the water
just watch and see
unless you have lotsa TOW, and consistent , these skills take time !!!
just keep at it
and HAVE FUN !!!