FreeRide Wide Boards

This class of board is probably the most popular one, as it provides boards for the widest active level of windsurfer - intermediates. These boards can be found in advanced sailor fleets as it can increase the number of windsurfing days, because on light-wind days you can easily rig the board with a large sail for some freeriding.

• Starboard Futura- Starboard replace its legendary freeride board, the Carve,with this new model. A brave move on Starboard’s side as the Carve was an easy winner for them against other popular boards in this class.
• JP Excite Ride - The best board in this class, the Excite Ride offers a wide range of board volumes (100-160) and width (63-79CM). If you have the money to afford a JP, you should go for it!
• F2 Stoke - Ranging from 95-145 liters,a solid board that comes with two version - one for the smaller 95-125 with reduced contact with the water, allowing easier planning, and the 135-145L boards, providing more stability for beginners and early intermediates.

Next post will present freeride boards from other windsurfing equipment manufacturers - Naish, Fanatic, Mistral and more!

The following scene might be familiar: a perfect day for windsurfing - wind is not to strong, water not too choppy, it’s not cold yet, it’s a weekend. You race down to the beach, and what you want to do,more than everything else, is get into the water and start working on your waterstart or gybe. You spend as little time as possible rigging.

You get into the water, and five minutes into your session, your forearms start hurting, you feel overpowered,you keep crashing.. There is a good chance all these things happen because you did not rig properly.

If you think about it, one of the things that seperats advanced sailors from intermediates from beginners is proper rigging. Proper rigging will do for you the most important thing - give you more time in the water.

W e must start at the beginning, so we will just start with the simple technique of rigging.

Before we go into all the details, watch this short clip. In our next post, we will explain in details how to implement the riggingtechnique from the clip.

We’ll start with the mast. You would usually want to get a 4.30 or 4.60 mast, with around 30% carbon. Some places will provide you with a 1 year warranty for a new mast and will replace it if it broke. There is a good chance you’ll break a mast (I broke my mast because I did not make sure the two mast parts were inserted all the way) so paying the extra bucks buying a new mast might pay off.

You could also buy a used mast but you need to make sure it’s in good shape. Since masts are usually mostly aluminum, you need to take a look at the mast to see that it is not fractured, especially near the part that plugs the two mast pieces together.

There are of course fancier masts - with a higher carbon percentage, who are stronger and lighter than the mast you will probably start with, and there are skinny masts, which are, well, skinny.. their diameter is much smaller than regular masts, they way much less and are much stronger. They are suited for wave riding and make freestyling much easier.

The boom is similar to the mast in regard to the things you need to decide prior to buying - it is also made mostly from aluminum and has some carbon fiber to make it lighter and stronger.Thee is also a good chance you will break a mast, especially if you windsurf in strong winds. If you can get a 1 year warranty from your local

As everything else in windsurfing, the best source of information are your fellow sailors,so do not hesitate to ask them to help you decide if a boom is in a good condition or if the price your dealer is asking for a sail is fair.

I would like to focus now on other windsurfing equipment you will have to buy. The difference between this equipment and a windsurfing board is that sails,booms,masts and other accessories can last you a life time. If you buy a good all around sail it can serve you well for many years (if you take good care of it). As for a board - at a certain point in time you will feel like you need to move ahead to a a smaller,shorter,lighter board.

Probably the second most important piece of windsurfing equipment you will buy is a windsurfing sail.At least one,but you would probably want to get more than just one sail. For most people, a 5-5.5 for windier days and a 6-6.5 for light wind days should be enough. The advantage of buying new sails is that they will probably more than one board. Make sure you take good care of them - wash your sail with fresh water to extend it’s life. Buying a used sail is also possible,just make sure there are no apparent holes or cuts in the sail. Large patches, usually found at the bottom of the sail, mean the sail has gone though some rough times, I would think twice before buying that sail.

Next post will discuss two other pieces of equipment - the boom and the mast.

The top 5 windsurfing tips for beginners:

1.Take a lesson - although it might be tempting to use your friends’ wide board and just spend an hour with him on water, what you should do is find a good windsurfing school - it can either be somewhere you can drive or a place you plan to take your next vacation to. The basics,like any other sports, are so important that it will worth the extra money you’ll spend.

2.Start on a wide board - whether you decide to take a windsurfing course or with a friends’ help,try to start with the widest board with the most volume you can find. The board should be at least 80CM wide and have at least 160L of volume. It will make learning windsurfing faster and more fun.

3.Take your time - learning to windsurf takes time. The progress really depends on how many hours you spend on the water learning the basics - uphauling, proper stance, understanding the wind and your board. You will need at least 10X2 hours sessions to be able to control the rig. However, you will have lots of fun from the first moment your step on the board!

4.Surf only in light winds and flat water - it’s really tempting to go out whenever the wind is blowing but days with strong,gusty wind or lots of chops will cause frustration and might put you in danger. Be patient!.

5.Never windsurf alone!! That is the most important tip I can give you. As a beginner, never windsurf without having someone around.Make sure someone knows you went out - get to know the local shop owner and some of the spot veterans.

Just remember that windsurfing is all about having fun on the water. You’ll have some unforgettable moments on the water, but you have to play it safe!

Feel free to add your own tips for beginner windsurfers!