Any of you guys windsurf?

[NickD]

So I needed a project to take my mind off of schoolwork while at college. A few of my buddies are surfers, and were making boards, so I decided to make a windsurfer. We designed them in AutoCad, and printed out full size plans. I based my board design on the Naish Global, which is supposedly a good all around board. I'm almost done shaping the foam core, and should be glassing the board soon. I have access to an old longboard windsurfer back home, which I'll try to learn on. The one I'm making is not a beginner board, but it has plenty volume (110 liters) to support my 135 lb self. Any thoughts? In shaping the board, I keep seeing hints of International Canoe, especially in the tail, which really resembles an IC stern. I've always wanted to take up windsurfing... the simplicity, coupled with the speed is awesome. I'll post pics soon.

-Nick

 

[Teaky]

Yep, used to, and post some photo's eh.

 

[Steveromagnino]

go to www.star-board.com and check out their modern formula boards (w-L racing) longboards and so on.

You might get some good ideas.

Love windsurfing; it's great fun. Width is the key element to learning though; you need to be on a board something like 80cm wide, preferably even a tad more to get started; the big wide starboards and so on are arond 1m; basically you can be planing within maybe 6 hours of starting if you understand general sailing. The learning curve is way shorter.

 

[European Bloke]

You’ll probably need to learn to waterstart to sail a 110L board, either that or have very flat water. I learned a few years back, never got that good but it was great fun. Every time you thought you were going fast you learned a little more and went faster.

 

[TeamFugu]

I used to a lot! I still have my '80s era kit that I'm turning over to my son so he can learn.

With all of the complaints of how hard a skiff is to sail, expect to swim a lot more while learning to windsurf. Windsurfing is a whole new world. Finesse, quickness, and balance are more important than strength. Lighter guys also have an advantage. Less drag from the water, smaller sails and less air drag, and more agile.

My son wants to build a board and I keep telling him that the shape of the board is determined by how you plan to sail. Flat water and high speeds love long skinny boards. Small to medium waves with tight turns like shorter boards with lots of rocker. Since it seems that you're almost finished shaping the board, asking what shape to make it might be a mute point.

Advice, get a medium length wide board with lots of flotation to start. When you start to get bored, move to a more complicated board and larger sail.

My two reasons for not windsurfing any more is first my hands are so beat up that I can't grip the booms long enough to stay out for a good amount of time. Even with a harness. The other reason is that I got so it was only fun when it was blowing so hard I could barely hold on and was on the razor's edge all the time. The wind doesn't blow like that all that often here so I started to spend a lot of time sitting on the beach waiting for the wind to fill in.

 

[robjwilkinson]

I am getting a bit like that with the RS700...wanting a good strong breeze so's I can stay out on the wire all the time

I do like the idea of windsurfing, tried a long time back and managed a wobbly line and that was it. Very addictive I should think.

 

[gui]

Best bang for your $ if you're ok with old gear. Just never try new stuff! and stay away from kiting, that's for old farts.

If I wasn't so lazy, I'd build a displacement board. Something real' long and impossible to turn. It's hard to build a short board when you can pick one up for a song.

Good entry to boat building I guess.

Best of luck and post some pics.

 

[dogwatch]

Used to windsurf, used to have a 115L litre board. Pretty much mandatory to waterstart it unless the water was unusually flat (or shallow!) and at that time my weight was similar to yours. Just because the board has enough buoyancy to support you doesn't mean you can uphaul it. Not too convinced about someone who sounds like they haven't windsurfed before building a 110 litre board. You will be into quite a learning curve when you come to sailing it. Have fun!

 

[mark1234]

Modern boards are a lot easier - a longboard is still quite wobbly in comparison. The other thing that makes a huge difference is rail shape - older kit tends to have sharp rails, whilst the modern ones are much rounder, and keep that a long way aft - slower, but more forgiving. Board design is quite a subtle thing, particularly in terms of V and rocker.

At 135lbs, 110 should be fine as a first planing board, if a little tricky as the very first intro, but it sounds like you have something else for that. I'm 180lbs, and had a 120 as my first board - uphauling was fine. Just remember to keep your feet in the middle! When I was good I could *just* uphaul on 85ltrs, though waterstarting is a lot easier.. and uses less energy.

Windsurfing is a great partner to sailing - once you get it, you'll not want to go out in <20kts.. so sail when it's light, windsurf when it's blowing dogs off chains! And don't knock the kites either, very portable!

 

[TeamFugu]

I am getting a bit like that with the RS700...wanting a good strong breeze so's I can stay out on the wire all the time

I do like the idea of windsurfing, tried a long time back and managed a wobbly line and that was it. Very addictive I should think.

At least with the skiff you can go out in 10kts, half trap to weather or stand on the rail, then toss the kite and get back in the easy chair. With my windsurfing kit, I'd still be sitting on the shore waiting for more wind. Sure it isn't as much fun as 18, but I can still have more fun than I would fighting a sinking board.

Windsurfing is a great sport and I have to agree that bang for the buck is hard to beat. Where windsurfing helps with normal sailing is it teaches you a lot about weight placement, balance, and makes you much more aware of the wind. A friend of mine who has an FD said that until his crew started to try to windsurf, he had a hard time understanding where the wind was coming from, finding puffs, and why he had to move his weight around so much. After windsurfing, he said it was like he had gotten a whole new crew.

 

[Amati]

Fwiw, for a comfy uphaulable board, a nice formula is the same number of litres as your weight in pounds. So. If you weigh 100 lbs, a 100 litre board, if you weigh 200 lbs, a 200 litre board.

If you think this strange, more than a few of the Formula designers are using as rule thumb cm in width to square metres of sail area: 60cm for a 6 metre sail, 100 cm for a 10 metre sail.

P

 

[Amati]

What foam core are you using? xps can lead to outgassing. Although it is most excellent to shape.

 

[Gouvernail]

In answer to the threads question??

I ahve tried. And tried

after I get sick of climbing back out of the water I susally come to shore where everybody who has been amused and impressed by my ability to keep climbing from water to board while failing to grasp I am about to fall back in...are waiting with whatever beers they have not already consumed.

 

[Cruisin Loser]

I spent the 20 years when I didn't have a boat windsurfing, used to go to the Gorge, Maui, Aruba, Bonaire, Corpus Christi. Incredible fun on a small board. A 25 knot day on a 110 liter slalom board is like skiing fast through moguls that are moving.

Learn to sail around and hang from the boom on the big board. If the conditions are worth a shit, you'll have to waterstart a small board, but it's actually way, way easier than uphauling, just takes wind. The equipment now is really good, the sails have very stable draft and a wide wind range, but pricey. Used gear is an excellent value. Windance Boardshop in Hood river has a web site and is very reputable for their consignment operations - a good source for booms, sails, hardware.

Learning can be much like encumbered swimming.

 

[NickD]

Thanks so much for the input guys, this is exactly what I need right now- keep it coming. The foam that I'm using is actually just that blue foam they use for house insulation. I'm thinking of looking for a used ~5.5 m^2 sail. I don't like the fact that all the windsurf sails seem to be of the modern laminates that are super susceptible to UV damage though. I have a sailrite sewing machine and I'm totally fine with patching up a beat up sail to start with. I may even look into making my first sail. At this point in the learning process, none of my gear is going to be the limiting factor, so I'm not too worried about it. I just want to get out there. I feel like the windsurfer will fill a major void for me. When it's blowing too hard for the 470, or I can't find someone to sail with, or I just want to take off somewhere for a weekend, I can just throw the board in the car and go. Here's a crappy picture of the board in my room. I'll try to throw a couple good ones up when I'm done shaping and get some glass on it.

 

[dogwatch]

If the conditions are worth a shit, you'll have to waterstart a small board, but it's actually way, way easier than uphauling, just takes wind.

It's easier once you can do it. It's like learning to ride a bike in that it suddenly goes from impossible to simple. In my case it took a week of trying, trying, trying. Some learn quicker, some never learn at all.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

Nick, before putting any glass on the board do a test on a piece of scrap. I was told that some of that type of foam can melt when glassed. I think it was a certain brand. Also do not underestimate how important the sail will be to your learning curve. If the draft is able to move around too much the sail will be very hard to control. I have 1 brand new sail that I got this summer, it's a 7.5 from World Sails. I also have a 5.3 wave(1990), a 5.5 slalom(1985) and a 6.5 race(1985). One day this summer I went out with the 7.5 when it was supposed to be 15-20. Turned out to be 25-35. I was way overpowered. So I rigged the 5.5. The draft was able to move around so much because the sail is really old and bagged that it was harder to control than the 7.5. Puffs would hit and the sail would and after a few secs the draft would move back in the sail. I kept moving the mast forward trying to correct it but had to just call it a day. This winter I will be looking for a used 5.5 or so that is around 4 years old. Also start out on a big board till you get the hang of it. I learned on am IMCO and whatever the recreation version of it was while in college at Eckerd. Windsurfing is a very different sport and requires a whole different set of skills. It will teach you a lot about balance, not only yours relative to the board, but also about balancing the sails over the appendages. Helped my sailing tons. Good luck

 

[TeamFugu]

You'll have to use epoxy. Polyester resins will eat that foam. Also don't let acetone touch the bare foam either.

Go ahead and get the newer sails. That darn mylar holds its shape much better than the old cloth sails and you can see where you're going. Both are huge pluses. Just don't leave the sail in the sun when you aren't using it and you'll be fine. Remember that, in a lot of things in the sport, there are very good reasons they do things the way they do now. Don't fight the trend too much. Someone has probably already tried what you're about to try. Learn from their mistakes.

 

[NickD]

Yeah guys, I've been using epoxy for everything so far. I know that poly resin tends to eat a lot of foams. The stringer is glued in with epoxy, and the foam is laminated of 3 2" boards of foam, all epoxied together. I'm also planning on reinforcing the deck under the foot strap locations and mast track, using small laminated pieces of aluminum and marine ply. That way I'll be able to drill and tap the deck in those locations, to install my hardware. I'm going cut pockets in the deck with a router, and epoxy in my reinforcements, then glass over everything. As far as the sail goes, I'll keep looking for a decent used one