Looking for advice

[jonathanmorris8]

I am considering buying a used board locally. I am 200 lbs 6'0 and 32 years old. I did windsurf a little bit back in high school but it has been a few years. So I am basically a beginner that should pick it back up quickly. The board that I am looking at is:

Comet F2 340 with a F2 Arrow sail

board 340 cm long 64 cm wide 26lbs
sail- 6.1 square meters
boom- 200 cm
Luff 480 cm

I live in Virginia Beach near the water so I would be able to sail in numerous conditions.

My questions are:

What would this setup be worth in terms of $?

Would this be a good board to start with?

Is it too advanced or too beginner for me if I plan on picking it up again quickly?

Does my weight match the board?

Would I need to buy other sails? If so what is the general cost of a good sail?

Is the board too old? Will I be trying to find parts that dont exist anymore? I believe the board was made in 95 or 96

Anything else I should need to know?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[clyde]

board 340 cm long 64 cm wide 26lbs
sail- 6.1 square meters
boom- 200 cm
Luff 480 cm

I live in Virginia Beach near the water so I would be able to sail in numerous conditions.

My questions are:

What would this setup be worth in terms of $?

At best $200; everything is dated. I would pass if anything else is available. Many have learned on such gear but why not take advantage of all the advancements that make it easier to re learn and progress.

Would this be a good board to start with?

Maybe but, I would like to see you start again on something wider; maybe 75 cm. wide. The sail at 480 cm. luff sounds dated.

Can you rent gear somewhere? Go there and try the beginner stuff and see what it feels like and how much you remember.

Keep us informed and good luck

[riverdog10]

I agree... go with newer more modern gear. When I got back on about a year ago learned the hard way because I wanted gear on the cheap.... then ended up buying something a bit wider and newer after a miserable frustrating month. Believe me when I say the investment is well worth it. Especially if your starting back up a little older, heavier, and less nimble (like me). the resale pretty much hold well too if yu grow out of it. Lots of people are looking for beginner starting out equip.
Hope I helped.
good luck!

[everlewis]

I am 46 and took a windsurfing lesson in 1985, went a couple of times and then decided to take it up again just last year.

I'm 6'5" 190 lbs. and bought an old school fun board - an 11 foot HiFly with retractable center board and mast base on a track to move it forward and back, one piece fibreglass mast and a 6.0 sail. I found it on craigslist for $100.

For my body weight it's a floater and I was able to get right on it and go. I was delighted to find that I could sail it competently (sail it around a lake in my area and come back right to where I started) after so many years away from the sport.

For a low initiail cost of $100 it is serving its purpose of getting me back on a board. If I keep going I'm sure I am likely to want a more modern board, but it will be one that I will choose after getting some experience. For the same $100 I suppose that I could have rented two or three times and then made a larger purchase, but I don't mind having the old floater fun board that I can thow on the car anytime and that would be fairly easy for someone else to learn on also. I am also not worried about recuperating the $100. When I am done with it, a craigslist free stuff listing should make it dissappear.

Also, since I live in Colorado, It's possible that I will not make a big investment in gear here, but rather use the latest and greatest at a Vela windsurf center while on vacations. Just google them to check them out.

[outdrsmn]

I too was like you just picked up windsurfing @ 7 year ago. took a lesson and bought an older (95ish) 320 long board. That worked well for a while till I wanted to start to learn jibes and sail higher winds. I found a Hifly Matrix twin fin in 03 and it has been my go to board ever since. Well until now.
I finaly broke the bank and bought a board that suits my weight and how I want to be sailing. Along with some newer sails and masts. I mention this because you will likely follow the same path but on a quicker timeline due to your previous windsurfing. You might be better of to rent some beginner equipment and see how much you remember then demo a few different boards to see where you want to be.
As far as what the combo you are talking about is worth, it's hard to say. I will tell you I just sold the 320 with a complete rig for $100 on ebay. If that helps.
Also check out the local windvisions.com website It's a good resource for windsurfing in the Tidewater area. You can find gear for sale, there is also a link to Windsurfing Entheusiasts of Tidewater and Beach Sports. The W.E.T. site doesn't look like it's updated much but the club is still active. At least I hope it is I'm planning to join this year. Good luck!!!!

[Spennie]

Lots of excellent advice here, wanted to add one thing: When you do get ready to buy something a little more advanced, get something that will challenge you and grow into it, instead of something easy and grow out of it. I bought a "transition" board when I was learning, and grew out of it in two months, then took a beating on lost resale value.