windsurfing, costs?

[mrbicyclet]

I'm looking at getting in to windsurfing but have no real idea where to start. I live near cleethorpse which seems an ideal place to learn. The only thing putting me off is the cost.

New starter kits seem to start well above a grand which is a bit too much, I'm happy to go second hand but don't really know what to look for.

Any pointers?

[Brother D]

Just go to a windsurfing school and practice on their kit - all the kit has come on massively with light boom/mast/sails and super wide boards which make learning so much easier, and you'll want to move on from there with your own kit - ebay is very good as is boards.co.uk for used kit

Once you have mastered the basics you can decide what route you want to go down wave/freestyle/freeride and the likes.

Stick with it - learning takes a while but the first time you get up on the plane in a harness you'll be hooked.

My one key thing that helped me the most was having a good instructor.
The best lesson I had was the first - she waded out with a board to chest height, tied it to a buoy, and told me to practice walking around on it, balancing on it at one end and falling off for an hour. - (She didn't even charge for that lesson). When it came to getting a sail and mast to hang on to I could focus on the sailing part rather than worry about falling in.

Costs:
5m Sail
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NORTH-INSTINCT-5-3m2-WIN...

7m Sail
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/North-Sail-7m-Quattro-/2...

Boom
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boom-NORTH-RED-MODELL-20...

AHD board
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AHD-Free-Diamond-77-Wind...

Mast foot, downhaul winder, wetsuit, roof bars, add another 200 - so all in around 600-ish

Obviously if you want new stuff then the price goes up, but if it's something you get into you just upgrade and sell your stuff as you go along.

Also worth keeping an eye out for packages that come up - like this one
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Superb-Windsurfing-start...

Edited by Brother D on Friday 10th January 16:15

Edited by Brother D on Friday 10th January 16:17

[thetrash]

Don't bother with it and learn to Kitesurf, it's easier to learn,more fun and it doesn't have to be BF6 just to get out.

[Justin Cyder]

Windsurfing is a brilliant, brilliant thing. I did it for years & I can think of very few sports in my life that made me happier.

The best way in is via a school. Take an RYA course or two & you get to use their gear while learning. Some schools act as clubs & for a fee you can use the gear all year round. That is a very good thing if you're stuck for storage.

However, you do need to go into it with your eyes open. First of all, it requires a LOT of gear. You'll need a board, at least two sails, possibly two masts, wet suits, boom, various ancillary bits & bobs. Many committed windsurfers run a van purely to keep all the gear in - as you progress you may wish to add a 2nd board, more sails - it goes on & on.

Secondly, it's not easy. It takes time to learn various aspects & can be very frustrating. Even basic techniques like beach starts are not intuitive & don't get me started on carving. You can spend years getting to a decent standard but as with most things, if you persist, you will get there.

Thirdly it's hazardous. You are mixing speed & water & people do get in trouble. Deaths are rare, but it is perfectly possible to get stuck under a sail, hooked in to the boom unable to breathe or knock yourself out on the mast and so on. I flew paragliders for years & took nowhere like the amount of injuries I racked up windsurfing. Never under estimate the sport & the respect you need to show it.

Finally, it is in decline. Kite surfing offers obvious advantages in terms of gear & it's easier to learn. Whilst it still can be seen to be dangerous - you're essentially on the fast end of a big pendulum, the truth is windsurfers left in droves to take up kite surfing just as hang gliders deserted when lightweight, throw it in the boot of a car paragliders came along.

I'd look at both & make your won mind up. Personally I like wind surfing more, but it's a subjective thing.

[mrbicyclet]

CHeers for input. Hmm think my head may have been turned by kiteboarding, from what I've seen theres a bigger scene around this way and I don't have much storage space either.

Will have to look into lessons for both around here. Cheers

[Robbo66]

20 years windsurfing, and all bar one of our lot have tried kites and come back. Realise it's subjective, but nowhere near as satisfying as windsurfing IMO.
You also need almost as many kites as sails, to max the time on the water.
Used to race so had the full on slalom boards, and also wave boards with relevant quivers.
Now the boards have changed radically, so have 2 only as far broader wind range.
Get to Vassiliki , get a week of lessons while there, learn to water start and enjoy.

[Justin Cyder]

Robbo66 said:

20 years windsurfing, and all bar one of our lot have tried kites and come back. Realise it's subjective, but nowhere near as satisfying as windsurfing IMO.
You also need almost as many kites as sails, to max the time on the water.
Used to race so had the full on slalom boards, and also wave boards with relevant quivers.
Now the boards have changed radically, so have 2 only as far broader wind range.
Get to Vassiliki , get a week of lessons while there, learn to water start and enjoy.

I may have emphasised the negatives a bit heavily. To be clear, windsurfing is a blast. Once you get planing, you'll want to sail day & night.

Also, Robbo's right somewhere like Vasiliki (Vaselini ) or Moon beach in Egypt are ideal to hone your skills. Warm, shallow & very, very windy.

[disco1]

As some of the guys have suggested, get over to Vass for a week.

As a kid I was mad for windsurfing, raced at national level, loved it but fell away from it, mainly due to having to grow up, work, Mrs and kids. Last year had a eureka moment and got back in to it. Over a decade since I last went out and hit the water like I'd never stopped; blasting, carve gybing, waterstarting..etc.

I've spent £1000+ on kit (Point7 sail or two, mast, boom, Exocet Warp SL board) but you should be able to pick up a complete starter/pregression set up for £500ish on ebay.

Loved it all so much I've booked a family holiday with neilson to Vassiliki late in May, cant wait!!!!!!!!!!

[Robbo66]

Disco,

Same here, Neilson every year to keep my hand in. Ortakent last year, best wind out of all the venues. Came back and bought a Kode 103, sold my Kombat. Kept the wave boards though. Jim sorted me out, nice fella.

[disco1]

Jim's a good guy, went to primary & secondary school with him. His shop is coming on leaps and bounds. Was it your Kombat he sold last year in the shop? If so I would have liked that as my change down board but it sold v quickly. Anyway, v happy with my slalom stuff, that Exocoet Warp SL pro is silly fast on the flat, black board and black sails

I considered ortakent (sp?) but just thought Vass is closer and legendary, just one of those places you need go atleast once in your life. We've got the seaview family room for 2 adults & 2 kids. The family are looking forward to it, Mrs wants to learn, gave her a lesson or two last year in Dale but think she'd do much better in the warm water and sun in all day coaching sessions.. I've heard good things about the kids clubs too, lots SUPs and general messing around.

Bring it on...

[Brother D]

thetrash said:

Don't bother with it and learn to Kitesurf, it's easier to learn,more fun and it doesn't have to be BF6 just to get out.

In general, a society that demands quick gratification I can understand the appeal of something which takes a few hours (or less) to learn.

However as other posters have mentioned, its phenominal when you get the hang of it, and dare I say becoming rather exclusive nowadays?

Also the injuries with kite surfing seem a lot more severe than those from windsurfing* especially head injuries from being lofted and the like, but also I was never keen on the safety aspect of having equipment failure a mile or more off the coast with a kite rig vs a windsurfing board a mile off the coast.**

• (I've got no stats to back that up).

• (I assume the kitsurfing boards are more like wake boards than mini surf boards so not much bouyancy provided)?

[thetrash]

Brother D said:

thetrash said:

Don't bother with it and learn to Kitesurf, it's easier to learn,more fun and it doesn't have to be BF6 just to get out.

In general, a society that demands quick gratification I can understand the appeal of something which takes a few hours (or less) to learn.

However as other posters have mentioned, its phenominal when you get the hang of it, and dare I say becoming rather exclusive nowadays?

Also the injuries with kite surfing seem a lot more severe than those from windsurfing* especially head injuries from being lofted and the like, but also I was never keen on the safety aspect of having equipment failure a mile or more off the coast with a kite rig vs a windsurfing board a mile off the coast.**

• (I've got no stats to back that up).

• (I assume the kitsurfing boards are more like wake boards than mini surf boards so not much bouyancy provided)?

It took me a whole summer to learn to Kitesurf 12 years ago, It wasn't that instant! Back then windsurfers were buying kites to get going in lighter wind, most didn't go back. All bar a few oldschoolers, everyone kites now, I think it's because it's more fun. There are hundreds more tricks to learn and you are not restricted to mowing the lawn if it's flat water.

I agree that I'd rather be stuck offshore with broken windsurfing gear than kiting kit. The twintips only just keep afloat themselves rather than offer any buoyancy! There have been some nasty injuries kiting, mostly due to lofting. The problem is people going out in stty gusty onshore conditions, some people would rather get out and have a st session than wait for better weather.

Kitesurf kit is much easier to carry around too, that said I brought a SUP last year for when there's no wind. It's really, really easy to learn but very rewarding in the waves.