Airlines and Windsurfing Equipment

victor · Joined: 03 Aug 1998 Posts: 581

re: packing.

foam pipe insulation works great for protecting board rails.

trey · Joined: 04 Apr 1995 Posts: 34

I have flown sailboards and bikes to Maui for decades. Assume that the airlines will not handle your equipment with care. BE SURE TO INSPECT YOUR GEAR BEFORE LEAVING THE AIRPORT! Any claims for damage will be honored only before you leave the airport and must be immediately reported. I have learned this lesson the hard way.

Trebor_HI · Joined: 17 Aug 2008 Posts: 26

"you don't know what's going to happen until you get to the check in counter no matter what you see on the airline's website."

Yes, I fear I'll show to check in, with my flight scheduled to leave in two hours, and they won't accept my gear. I'll have to ditch in the airport lobby...LOL...I have to do before but I was a mile out to sea.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Here's another way to manage WSing gear when flying to Maui (or any other name brand destination spot). It dramatically reduces the risk, hassle, delays, and cost, making the trip feel less like work and more like play:
1. Place your relevant boards, booms, masts, sails, and miscellaneous hardware in one tight, neat, organized pile in your garage.
2. Toss your harness, helmet, rash guard, shorts and tees in a small second heap.
3. Throw pile #2 in a bag, pick it up in one hand, and drive to the airport.
4. Rent all the $#!+ you left behind in Pile #1.

It's just a thought. It works GREAT, you have just the right gear for the venue, and check-in can take less than three minutes if you can carry that one bag on.

KISS \m/

carl · Joined: 25 Feb 1997 Posts: 2674 Location: SF bay area

Looks like Isobars missed that you are moving to Maui not vacationing.

Aren't you taking any furniture and personal items? It might be worth
taking a small container of stuff, in which you could also take all your
equipment too (there are lots of sailable light wind days in Maui too, especially in winter.) Plus getting all new furniture on Maui is expensive.

MalibuGuru · Joined: 11 Nov 1993 Posts: 9300

There is an awful lot of used 2014-15 rental gear on the island for cheap!

If you take a major airline, you'll be able to get it there.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

I didn't miss the move; I just chose to address the broader issue as implied in the thread topic, for readers at large. Besides,

Trebor_HI · Joined: 17 Aug 2008 Posts: 26

All the small kine stuff I'm putting in a suitcase. So, it's the board, mast, sail and booms that are the hassle.
The board is 98 liter Naish Vector which is getting a bit outdated. The mast is a 430 which is best suited for sails in the 5.5 - 6.0 range. Sail is a 5.0 Naish Force that I think has a place in a Maui quiver. Aluminum booms, nothing special. All from Oahu.

It is a colossal hassle to fly with gear. Not to mention the rental car hassles.

We're still figuring out how to ship our stuff. As for now, were selling all our furniture and boxing up everything else. I think were gonna use a freight forwarder for the boxes and let them bring the board, mast, etc

Thanks for all the comments!

scottwerden · Joined: 11 Jul 1999 Posts: 302

Might not be worth bringing what you described. Most people seem to update gear when they get here. Don't discount a bigger sail or mast though - most of the winter sailing is on bigger stuff. Winds are light in the winter so 5.5, 5.8 sails are pretty normal. Even in spring my usual sail is 5.2 (I am 205 lbs). Maui is more about waves than wind.

When we moved to Maui 4 years ago we used Pods. Worked pretty well.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935