Another what board for me question

[Thberget]

So I've committed to getting back into the sport after a 10 year hiatus and need some advice on gear. Couple things about me: I weigh about 220lbs. And back when I used to windsurf, I sailed a 130 liter board from the nineties and was comfortable in the straps and getting the board up on the fin. My gybes were not very good, only being able to plane out of say 10% of them. I was proficient at water starts. I've been sailing beach cats since I stopped windsurfing so haven't been completely away from the water.

So I just bought a used rig with a 7.5 sailworks retro and am looking for a board. This will be used primarily on the Chesapeake bay. Target use range would be for 15-25 mph wind days. I'm not going to bother going if it is lighter than that. Ideally I would like a used board but may be able to convince myself to buy new if it makes more sense.

So based on this what would you recommend?

[adywind]

110L FSW or Freemove board if you are more into bump&jump type sailing. 130L Freemove if you are into flat water blasting/gybing. There will be some getting used to but after that you may never outgrow it.

[isobars]

Used, unless money means nothing to you and won't prolong your retirement date. As I've said for decades, virtually no board is unique enough* to warrant buying it in-season for intermediate or even advanced recreational level sailing. There are just too many closeouts, winter sales, and great used boards on the market for that. Just one example is this one at Windance, who ships for <$100:
http://www.windance.com/115-L-Naish-Global-2011-CSP0466S000/
It's too small for your criteria, but they get bigger ones in, and there are many other brick and mortar shops such as Isthmus offering excellent deals nationwide now and in general. Surely your local shops have some deals going on now which may make everyone happy.

* Usually. I deliberately and advisedly broke that guideline this year, but that's another story with many chapters and criteria.

I also advise being less picky on that 15-25, especially initially. I also demand planing power, but you have some catching up to do, and TOW is critical to that. I'd think Chesapeake area garages and basements would be bristling with barely used longboards available for peanuts to supplement the board you're primarily interested in. That Retro and a 220/140L longboard would be a blast with wind gusting into the teens, getting you planing quite often and being fun whenever there's even a decent chance of planing. Unlike many total newbies, you have the skills to enjoy a longboard now ... well, as soon as the ice fishermen have to quit and and you can see over the shoreline snowbanks ... snicker, snicker ... (66 degrees, barefoot, 40 mph, and big glassy rollers just last Friday in the Gorge).

Concerning specific boards in your size range, I can't help you beyond my usual advice: buy for user-friendly fun, not peak hull mph. If our gear isn't easily accessible fun, we'll find more and more excuses not to go WSing, and that sucks. Save the specialty boards meant for some kind of racing or tricks for, you know, ... racing or tricks.

And unless you're a 6'3" body builder, I and an ever-increasing body of research strongly recommend low-net-carb eating such as Atkins. Every few pounds of body fat adds another mph to our planing speed threshold and another couple of liters to our board's bulk. A little less weight and a little more TOW and you'll be ready for a smaller board on your 20 mph days, when the chop gives way to some small but useable swell.

Mike \m/

[adywind]

Hey Isobars, since you mentioned Windance, do you have any idea how good or bad the condition of their B rated boards is? I may pull the trigger on one of those 86 Kodes some time next year. I started to mistrust those ratings after Big Winds sold me A+ rated board with cracks on the nose patched with clear tape

[gvogelsang]

[cgoudie1]

Hey Ady,

I am not Iso, but I do spend a fair amount of time at Windance, and they
really try to make their descriptions fair. B rating at Windance is going
to be a serviceable board in good shape with some minor repairs, at the appropriayte weight. It'll have some scratches.
But, you should read their description of what their ratings mean, they are
very close. You can also get somebody there to describe it to you
(maybe even with a video). Those Kodes are B rated mostly because
of the installed nose protectors, which are well done, but do reduce
the value of the board (to most people).

I love that Kode model, it's sweet for light wind waves, or light to
medium Gorge wind.

-Craig

[Thberget]

Thanks for the responses. I am thinking about picking up a windsup for the lighter days and to help rebuild some skills.

Keep em coming!

[adywind]

Thanks Craig, much appreciated !
Thberget I'm ~170 LB and I also sail in what's usually described as bay conditions . I currently have a 9' WindSUP ; 110 Freemove and a 92 FSW boards. I mostly use the 110 /we don't get a lot over 20 mph here/ , started using more the 92 this season and almost stoped using the Windsup. Those big heavy boards are very personal thing-some like them for life, some like me get bored after a season or two. You also can't really practice short board moves on them and you can actually develop bad habits because they don't promote active sailing. If you have a family with kids who like sailing a Windsup can be a great beach toy espatially if it's inflatable,-unlike any short board. I couldn't get my own family to like it though

[SeaDawg]

I lived in Richmond for 10 yrs and kept an eye on the marine forcast all the time. I saw a lot of winds below 10knts and 15-25knts was pretty rare. Maybe plan your purchases around trips to the OBX .

I've found that a good Longboard(Equipe II) and a 100-120ltr Freeride paired with a 6M and 7.5M can get a fair bit of fun on the water.

If just one board maybe something like Tabou Rocket 125/135.

[isobars]