Windsurfing 1.01-Boards #1

Part 1 in a series dedicated to any windsurfer (beginner or otherwise):

You may ask yourself “Why are there so many different models of boards on the market?” A relevant question with a relevant answer: Because there are an infinite variety of different wind strengths and water conditions that you can go windsurfing in.

Most boards are designed for specific conditions and it all may seem very confusing to you at the beginning with all of the selection that one has nowadays. Fortunately for everyone, there are clear categories for boards. Now that we have de-mystified the basic classes of boards available on the market today, let’s get to the next important issue:

What kind of windsurfer do you want to be? What are your ambitions?

1 - The Weekend Warrior:
This category covers those time-challenged people who have family or job commitments that keep them from having as much time off as they would like to have. Their goals are not necessarily to be sailing the big waves of “Jaws” any time soon. They just want to have some fun and go out when the time comes. These individuals will most likely be going towards a board that will work in whatever the conditions and will be easy to ride such as a Wide Beginner or Free ride board. I will expand on choosing a Free ride board in a later section.

2 – The “At My Own Pace” Learner:
How cautious or reckless your natural attitude is will determine the equipment that this individual should buy. Cautious learners tend to have a healthy sense of self-preservation and tend to take things “slowly” and THAT’S OKAY! These individuals will tend to go at their own pace and learn gradually as they become more comfortable with changing conditions. In this case, a beginner board will be the source of many years of happiness and the stability will be a godsend.

3 – The “Bring it on” Learner:
The “Bring it on” learner will have a reasonable amount of spare time to fully commit to the sport and intend to progress as quickly as possible. They whole-heartedly embrace the windsurfing mantra of “practice, practice, practice”, they pray to the wind god as often as possible and look for sacrificial virgins and volcanoes to appease the gods on a regular basis. These individuals will not necessarily want a beginner-style board, but instead favor spending a little more time “practicing”. So, they will want a free ride style board that they will keep as their eventual light-wind board.

Tune in for Part 2...