new to the sport looking to buy gear

[judeannsmith]

Hi, I just finished taking a great class at Calema Windsurfing School in Floria- however... I live in San Francisco and the wind is very different..

I learned on a super lite 2 which was a very long board... every one in the bay area seems to use short boards... my question is what the heck do i buy.. regardless of what the hot shots are using here.????

do i stick with a longer board... ?? help..
thanks-

[russob]

Dont buy a long board for San Francisco bay boardsailing!

I faced a similar decision a few years ago. I decided to rent various boards at Crown Beach, Alameda CA to hone my skills. After my first summer, I was ready to move to an intermediate board (130 liters).

You will quickly out grow and become bored with a long board. Practice first and then consider buying a used intermediate or widestyle board. There are plenty of decent boards on this webpage (120 - 160 liters - depends on your weight).

Good luck

[carl]

It also depends on your weight, skill level and where you sail. If you can waterstart then you can sail smaller boards in higher wind venues. If
you cant or are learning to waterstart it is better to sail in more sheltered places like Shoreline lake in Mtn view or Alameda beach, Berkley (near Cal sailing Club), Foster City lagoon, Coyote Pt inside the cove. Dont go to Chrissy if you dont waterstart. It can be very unforgiving. The board size you choose will depend on your weight and ability. I would talk to a shop that rents boards (ASD at Coyote Pt is great) You can try before you buy. Have fun