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jpon2
Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 16
Location: Near New York City
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 Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:00 am Post subject: Progressing from a beginner board? |
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| I started windsurfing last season on 2007 Starboard Rio (253cm x 101cm) 225L. I began with 5m sail and I just got 8.5m I will start using as soon as the ice melts. As much as I like my board, I am thinking of getting another that would allow me to progress faster. Online calculator I used recommends for me 180L as the first short board and 150L as the smallest uphaulable. What are your recommendation for what brands/models I should consider? I sailed my board with daggerboard up and down so I think I could live without it unless it is necessary for light wind conditions. |
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coachg
Joined: 10 Sep 2000
Posts: 3550
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:23 am Post subject: |
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What kind of wind? 5-15 mph, 10-20, 15-25?
Are you looking for a long board or short boad?
What are you goals? Is this your final board for a light wind lake or is there a high wind place near that you plan on sailing at one day?
Coachg |
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techno900
Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 10:31 am Post subject: |
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jpon,
Give us some more information so we can offer a better recommendation.
Weight?
Are you planing?
Have you only sailed with the 5.0?
Do you have any sails between the 5.0 and 8.5?
In the foot straps?
% of gybes made?
% of tacks made?
Water starting?
Typical wind conditions?
What winds have you been sailing in?
Water state? (waves, chop, flat)
150 liters is still pretty big unless you weigh 90+ kg. Also, the gap between your 5.0 and the new 8.5 is huge. Moving up from a 5.0 beginner sail to the next largest size would normally be about a 6.5, then maybe a 8.0 or 8.5. |
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d0uglass
Joined: 28 May 2004
Posts: 1286
Location: Bonita Springs, Florida
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:52 am Post subject: |
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Jpon-
Welcome to the sport! I would stick with the Rio until you have learned how to use the harness, plane, and get in the footstraps, because it will take longer to learn those things on a shortboard.
I think it's sail power, not board type, that has been your limiting factor so far. Working backwards from the online calculator I'd say you're 260+ pounds, which means you need quite large sails to get planing. Have you been able to try the 8.5 yet?
With the 8.5, your Rio will feel like a whole new board, and you will be able to plane when the wind approaches 20 mph.
-James |
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Windshark
Joined: 05 Dec 2010
Posts: 62
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| d0uglass wrote: | Jpon-
With the 8.5, your Rio will feel like a whole new board, and you will be able to plane when the wind approaches 20 mph.
-James |
Agreed. Try getting in the harness, footstraps, take the daggerboard out or retract it in high wind. Get on a plane (have an orgasm), and balance your harness lines and rigging with the 8.5.
You might look into moving to a Starboard Go 155 or a Carve (in the higher volumes 151 or 171) - which do not have a daggerboard (less drag and weight when planing).
Learn how to waterstart and make some jibes in high wind (40-60% will be ok), then move to something smaller.
_________________
www.windsurfquest.net
Windsurfing Locations World Wide
www.mariner-sails.com
Mariner Sails Wind and Watersports |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Windshark wrote: | | make some jibes in high wind (40-60% will be ok), then move to something smaller. |
Here's another viewpoint:
I had been WSing year-round for a decade, in winds averaging up to 40 mph and a bit more, and was very comfortable on wave boards under 100L and sails under 3.0 in the Gorge and Maui and the SW mainland before I made my first planing jibe. I didn't hit 40-60% for another few years, after a few full seasons of sailing the Gorge and the OR coast full time in any summertime winds they threw at me on boards down to 65 liters. Maybe I'd have learned to jibe earlier if I had stayed on bigger boards, but if I had waited until I could jibe 40-60% to move down to small boards I'd have missed a decade of fantastic high wind fun from small lakes to the Pacific Ocean.
The only skill necessary for those venues and winds is a flawless waterstart or, until then, a manageable walk of shame. Jibing is just icing on the cake ... a handy trick ... unless the consequence of drifting downwind is not acceptable.
If all you have is light winds or very flat water, go big. But if you have access to good whitecaps or bumps over knee high in the conditions I mentioned above and are both stubborn and athletic, start moving down in reasonable increments and light up your life.
Mike \m/ |
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dWINDSURFINGYPSY
Joined: 14 Jul 2009
Posts: 39
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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Hey Jpon2
I work for http://abkboardsports.com/ a traveling band of gypsies who teach windsurfing all around the united states.
Where you will be doing most of your windsurfing, will drastically change any answer I were to give you!
If you windsurf in the California Bay Area or in the Columbia River Gorge your size will matter less then if you live on the East Coast! But seeing as how you just bought an 8.5 as your next sail I would hazard a guess that you not from the west coast or even from the North East.
So you probably live and sail in the middle of the country or in waterways not predominantly windy! But you also mentioned that you are waiting for the waterways to thaw! sooo....Possibly Canada In which case the 150 is going to be a pretty good board for you.
One thing to think about is what challenges you!
There are those which only conditions challenge them, IE they are always trying to climb the next Everest... to be able to sail in more and more wind, and say they ride/have been on a 2.5m sail or 100ft waves....
Then there are those which say skills challenge them, those types of people never fail to find something to work on and be challenged by regardless of strength of wind.
If you are one of the first types then the 150 is where you need to go but if you are from the second type, there is probably a lot of things for you to do to progress farther granted not as much fun but later on you will be glad you spent the time.
waterstarts
harness
footstraps
TACKING [im from the west coast, and that is the number one lost skill, in the pursuit of going fast on a small board and jibing!!!]
Everyone knows the quote you sow what you reap....but the beginning of that quote is often left out! / "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man south, that shall he reap." What that more or less means is don't fool yourself now, because the time you spend today will dictate the results you get tomorrow!
Brendon Quinn
Take it easy, go slow, and sail hard....
Sponsored by RRD Boards, RRD Sails, Ocean Sunglasses
http://windsport.com/thewindsurfinggypsyblog
http://a-o-sports.com/
http://abkboardsports.com/ |
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Windshark
Joined: 05 Dec 2010
Posts: 62
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| Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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| isobars wrote: | | Windshark wrote: | | make some jibes in high wind (40-60% will be ok), then move to something smaller. |
Maybe I'd have learned to jibe earlier if I had stayed on bigger boards, but if I had waited until I could jibe 40-60% to move down to small boards I'd have missed a decade of fantastic high wind fun from small lakes to the Pacific Ocean.
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You can do it that way but people who jibe seem to stay up wind, increase sailing time over water-starting time, and just have more fun....
But ya know there are some who will place in your posession a little pea shooter of a board and point you on a reach in 30-40 mph winds and say 'Naaah you'll be fine, just go for it....back in my day boards were HALF this size, boy."
THAT being said - I moved to a second board that was 'too small' for me after a few months of longboarding. Took me 6 months to figure out all on my own how to water start, another year to jibe over 50% in high wind with little to no instruction of any kind, but I learned it! Intuitively.
Got out of the sport for a while, sketchy inconsistent sailing for a few years, finally got back on my tiny board on a regular basis - jibing skills became a lost art.
Never learning 'right and proper steps' on a larger board may be why I had to 'relearn' everything. BUT you relearn everything when you go to a smaller board anyway.
My gosh people are sooo eager to help a newbie. Hey ABK dude, which one are you? The one with the hair? 
Take one of their clinics if you get a chance, they'll do you right.
_________________
www.windsurfquest.net
Windsurfing Locations World Wide
www.mariner-sails.com
Mariner Sails Wind and Watersports |
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jpon2
Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 16
Location: Near New York City
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| Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 5:49 am Post subject: |
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| coachg wrote: | What kind of wind? 5-15 mph, 10-20, 15-25?
Are you looking for a long board or short boad?
What are you goals? Is this your final board for a light wind lake or is there a high wind place near that you plan on sailing at one day?
Coachg |
I am in NY/NJ area. For my favorite spot, The Windfinder lists 10mph as the yearly average with 9 during summer months going up to 12 during the fall.
The board would have to be short because of the storage situation, not longer than 8.5-9 feet.
My goal is to be able to travel to various launch sites along NJ shore, Long Island Sound |
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jpon2
Joined: 24 Jul 2010
Posts: 16
Location: Near New York City
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| Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:04 am Post subject: |
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| dWINDSURFINGYPSY wrote: | Hey Jpon2
I work for http://abkboardsports.com/ a traveling band of gypsies who teach windsurfing all around the united states.
Where you will be doing most of your windsurfing, will drastically change any answer I were to give you!
If you windsurf in the California Bay Area or in the Columbia River Gorge your size will matter less then if you live on the East Coast! But seeing as how you just bought an 8.5 as your next sail I would hazard a guess that you not from the west coast or even from the North East.
So you probably live and sail in the middle of the country or in waterways not predominantly windy! But you also mentioned that you are waiting for the waterways to thaw! sooo....Possibly Canada In which case the 150 is going to be a pretty good board for you.
One thing to think about is what challenges you!
There are those which only conditions challenge them, IE they are always trying to climb the next Everest... to be able to sail in more and more wind, and say they ride/have been on a 2.5m sail or 100ft waves....
Then there are those which say skills challenge them, those types of people never fail to find something to work on and be challenged by regardless of strength of wind.
If you are one of the first types then the 150 is where you need to go but if you are from the second type, there is probably a lot of things for you to do to progress farther granted not as much fun but later on you will be glad you spent the time.
waterstarts
harness
footstraps
TACKING [im from the west coast, and that is the number one lost skill, in the pursuit of going fast on a small board and jibing!!!]
Everyone knows the quote you sow what you reap....but the beginning of that quote is often left out! / "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man south, that shall he reap." What that more or less means is don't fool yourself now, because the time you spend today will dictate the results you get tomorrow!
Brendon Quinn
Take it easy, go slow, and sail hard....
Sponsored by RRD Boards, RRD Sails, Ocean Sunglasses
http://windsport.com/thewindsurfinggypsyblog
http://a-o-sports.com/
http://abkboardsports.com/ |
I've heard many great things about the ABK Long Island Clinic and I have been reading the manual from the website which is great. I will attend if I can.
From all the comments I got from everyone I gather that I should focus on getting the basics down on my board first before rushing into upgrading. What drives me is a sense of satisfaction I get from learning, progressing up the skills: heli tacks, sailing tail first, carving jibes and tacking that doesn't involve coming to a dead stop:) |
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