How To Buy Windsurfing Equipment

There are always great deals on eBay, but you’ve got to know what you are buying.  Someone who is new to windsurfing should never buy windsurfing gear on eBay unless they have an experienced windsurfer to advise him or her. It is not just a matter of price; the main concern is that you will buy something on which you cannot learn. The wrong gear will quickly make you hate this sport.

Windsurfing is very equipment-intensive and gear evolves rapidly. Next year’s popular $1,500 board, will go on sale next fall for $700-800 and, come the following spring, you can find them for several $$ less. Furthermore, what may look great today may get huge changes in next year’s model. The next version will probably be easier to sail, easier to turn, and faster.

UNLESS IT IS THE LAST GEAR ON EARTH…

Windsurfing used to be very difficult to learn, and some people still say it is, but with the right gear and a few lessons, that is usually not true anymore.

For my first board, I bought a used setup for $100 and knew nothing about it. I spent three months by myself and made some progress; then I stumbled across our local windsurfing club. The first time my gear got rigged correctly, a piece broke. The piece was so old you could not get it anymore. I still see boards just like my first one on eBay from time to time and they usually want way too much for them.

WHAT TO AVOID - WHAT TO LOOK FOR

In the early 90’s, mail order windsurfing shops started killing the small retailers. For the most part, it was tough for a retail windsurfing store that was not near a beach to survive, and mail order windsurfing’s deep discounts hurt them even more.

Since these mail order shops were always near someplace windy and warm, they specialized in shortboards, which are great for advanced sailors, but are not for beginners (or they weren’t before they went through major changes). Windsurfing magazine photos played their part too. What is more exciting to look at? A 12-foot board cruising slowly across a lake, or a neon 9-foot board jumping waves in Hawaii?

I don’t want this to sound like an ad for Starboard, but they really revolutionized windsurfing. The Starboard philosophy is simple; To make windsurfing easier, and help more people enjoy the sport, yet still being involved at every level. Starboard is concentrating heavily on the Formula Concept, as windsurfing today is rapidly turning towards fast 'easy to sail' boards. The Starboard Formula boards designed by Jim Drake, Tiesda You and Svein Rasmussen, has over the years been winning more titles than any other and took the 6 first places in the worlds when they were first introduced in 2000.

The Starboard GO was and is a huge success and never have we seen a board retain resale value, as did the original GO. You simply could not find a deal on a used one because no GO owner wanted to sell their board. The design was so good that this year’s new model was identical to last year’s model, so last year’s model was just barely discounted.

Now that they GO is 4-5 years old, you can find deals on used ones.

Starboard also came out with the Start model, which is even better for learning.

While these two boards are unbeatable for learning, there are other good models for learning. From the 80’s the Mistral Bermuda and its lighter (otherwise identical) sibling the Superlight were great for their time. The Bermuda is about 45 lbs. and 12 feet long, so few women (or men) will enjoy carrying them to the beach. The Superlight was 35 lbs., but is very fragile and a beginner will either quickly learn how to repair an epoxy board, or will melt their board because they used the wrong materials. Both the Bermuda and Superlight were good learning platforms at the time and can still be used for that, but there are far better choices. Experienced windsurfers in light wind locations still hang on to their Superlights for light-wind cruising.

Newer models which are good for learning include the F2 Phoenix, Mistral Stance, and AHD Zen. The Zen is pricey and factory support is unreliable.

In summary, you can find a good deal on windsurfing gear on eBay, but unless you know what you are doing, you may throw away your money and hate the sport. Get some advice in choosing the right gear and eBay can offer great deals.