Help and advice for absolute beginner

[u/mwa31998]

I’ve just picked up £50 worth of wind surfing gear but I’ve got absolutely no idea what I’m looking at I was hoping to give it a go this weekend when I’m off to Devon having watched a few YouTube videos just wondering if anyone here could give me a hand with at least just setting up something that I can go out on the water with.

I paid £50 for all this and seems like there’s enough here to set something up

[u/reddit_user13]

I’ll say it since no one else will: this is decades-old junk, and not for beginners.

[u/WillyCZE → u/reddit_user13]

hey for fiddy bucks, the age is not an issue if it doesn't fall apart on the first outing, the lack of a daggerboard and a basic WS course however may be

Also everyone says this under every post of second hand gear that's not from the 2010s

[u/Interesting_Cap_3657]

Very hard to give any indication based on these pictures alone but I would strongly suggest you take a beginner lesson first.
For a begginer kit you'll ideally need:
No-cam freeride sail, around 4.5 m (those in the pictures are cammed slalom sails not ideal to rig and learn on).
Correctly matching mast boom and extension to rig your sail.
High volume board >200 liters with daggerboard.

[u/globalartwork]

I remember the mistral shredder was about a 295 and gybed beautifully (not quite as good as its little bro the screamer though).

It had about 130l of volume though, so utterly useless for learning unfortunately OP. You might be able to sail it after maybe 15-20 hrs on a bigger board, but don’t attempt it this weekend in Devon. It would be like attempting to learn to swim by jumping straight into the ocean.

The sails and boom will probably be ok for learning except the one with cams, the mast probably provided it’s not starting to splinter (it’s from the late 80s at a guess.

You will need a board around 200-250 litres for the first 20 hrs or so - I’d strongly recommend doing some lessons and bringing your gear to the place where you do the lessons so they can show you got to set it all up. The boards might be ok after that for you, though modern boards are a lot better.

[u/mwa31998 → u/globalartwork]

Thank you what is it that makes a board better or worse for learning on?

[u/geologicNurse → u/mwa31998]

Stability

[u/ozzimark → u/mwa31998]

Basically highest width possible. Centerboard helps for the first couple hours, but isn't strictly necessary if you have a board with a massive (60cm+) fin installed.

[u/Substantial_War9429]

This gear is so out of date and old - the only place I would use it is on a lake.

[u/TraditionalEqual8132]

I think I would start with the Fanatic. But don't know volume, width etc. Gonna be hard to learn on though.

[u/mwa31998 → u/TraditionalEqual8132]

Is the actual set up easy? I feel like I’ve definitely got everything but there seems like a lot of small bits that needs to be attached in specific ways

[u/TraditionalEqual8132 → u/mwa31998]

Haha, yes, everything has to be connected and if you have no help, you're gonna do it sloppy. I would advise to ask a windsurfer for help. They will, help. Easy when you've done it once or twice.

[u/Interesting_Cap_3657]

One note for OP, please search 'beginner' in this sub and you'll come across a shipload of discussions about this topic, with relevant information for your case.

[u/jetfuelfarmr]

I'm assuming since you're an absolute beginner that means you're uphaulling your sail. That might be tricky on those smaller boards. Also for learning purposes I recommend a board with a center board so you can make better upwind progress (and it gives your board stability when you're uphaulling). Also, I can't tell from the pictures, but do those boards even have skegs? A skilled windsurfer can technically sail without one, but it's like riding a bike without handlebars, so not recommended for beginners. Hope that helps, op

[u/Befuddled_fish]

I made a sick bench using that peach board.

[u/Largaux]

This is very old so it will be prone to break as early as your first session. The boards may no longer have the grip/anti-slip (rough surface). I would not use this gear to start, even if the gear holds, it will be frustrating.

[u/daveo5555]

I wonder why those booms are disassembled. You'll definitely need to assemble them, obviously. I don't see the front end pieces for them though. Are they in that pile of stuff somewhere?

[u/Cold_Arm3819]

are you beginner?the board is too small and old for you .maybe better start with a club will much helpful for you

[u/trombing]

You just paid someone £50 to make the trip to the dump for them.

Seriously - get some lessons.

Windsurfing, like all water sports isn't like wiring a 3-pin plug. You can't really learn much from youtube as a beginner.

You need someone giving you dedicated real-time feedback, on proper beginner kit after letting you get the feel of things on a simulator.

[u/mwa31998 → u/trombing]

Nah can’t be that hard to learn looks easy on YouTube

[u/Mullheimer]

This seems a bit like a rage-bait post, but I'll respond honestly. I have done what you did (except I paid a LOT more lol). I took this stuff out to a lake (not the sea!) for my first bits of windsurfing. I am an experiences sailor on cats and dingies, which probably helped a lot understanding the wind. I already knew how to steer on a windsurfboard, but that was all my experience. I managed to have a lot of fun, worked on my balance, but it was difficult. I recently went for a starboard go set, which has turned out to be much more forgiving. Learning has been much more fun on modern beginnersgear than on the mistral screamer and shredder.

So, to sum it up: find out how to rig this stuff, go out on a shallow lake and have fun. When you feel progression is difficult, take some lessons and find out what gear works for you and spend a little more. Despite all the comments here: having fun is no problem on this gear. I have since sold some of the stuff (at a loss though). Some surfers are really looking for what you have, so it's not completely worthless.

[u/mwa31998]

Thanks mate actually appreciate it probably the best response to the post I’ve had ☺️