I am thinking about trying out windsurfing. Looks like it could be a fun alternative to surfing when the waves are choppy. Has anyone tried windsurfing and have any recommendations for a beginner? Might try and find a used 130 liter freeride board I love surfing, snowboarding and mountain biking; and would like to add windsurfing to the mix.
if you don’t have a family to care for then go for all the selfish pleasures you can life is shorter than hot pants
Yes... Wind surfed (literally riding waves... not flat water) for a few years back in the late 80s/early 90s and really liked it. At the time, it was the sh!t. But today, my recommendation is... don't. Kiteboarding blows it away. I'd never spend a dollar on a windsurfing board now... all kite, all the time, if given the choice. You'll get 10 times the number of waves and rip them... maybe even pull into a few barrels. Try that on a windsurf boart.
Sounds fun man! I have not tried kite boarding either. Can you launch a kite by yourself? Also it seems sketchy going far out on a kiteboard alone since they do not float. I am leaning towards windsurfing because you can launch on your own. And the spots near me are on the upper Chesapeake and Delaware Bay. There are alot of trees around and it would be tough to launch a kite.
sorry in advance for derailing but besides looking cool wind and kite surfing look like a lot of equipment and time to set up. So i can't help you there. but as for derailing the thread how about a hydroplane? Seen a dude have mucho fun by me and the vids i see are sick. I want one but man are they're expensive.
Years ago in my town there was a solid crew of surfers who windsurfed when there weren't waves. I always wanted to get into it but the equipment was really expensive and bulky to transport and store. Most of that crowd called it quits when kids came along. Its rare to see anyone around here windsurf and even kite surfing seems to be fading a bit. On howling offshore days in the winter there were a couple of them who would sail in the back bay behind Ocean City. They had to have been getting to over 40 miles per hour.
Got to say I'm with scobeyville on this one. There was a sign on the Marquee in front of Ron Jon's by my house that red board shorts $9.99 and it look like they were worth about $9.99. And then I thought about the has anyone tried windsurfing tread. And then I thought there's two things I won't do buy windsurfing board shorts and go windsurfing. Just kidding not hating on anybody you enjoy it do it it's just not for me. And maybe because I don't have the skills to do it but you never know till you try
It is a lot of gear, and it is expensive. That's why I haven't made the leap myself. But I've done both (with borrowed kite surf gear... I owned windsurf gear) and in a week you can get good enough to get hooked... a year until you're truly competent... and then it gets better from there. So yea... an investment in gear and time. It can get sketchy when you're out really far in big surf... just trust in your gear... and don't think about it! My brother-in-law who taught me everything I know about the water said under those conditions, both kite surfing and windsurfing are the definition of "extreme." Windsurfing gear is bulky and a pain in the ass. Kite gear is less in terms of taking up space, but takes a few minutes longer to set up and rig. Windsurfing you can get set up and be in the water in minutes.... longer to pump up your kite and get into your rigging. Surfing is the true minimalist approach to performance wave riding.
Damn 40mph through the chop must be wild! I rented a jet ski once and was going 60mph on a choppy day. $hit Was fun.
Good info as always. Thankyou man! I signed up for a windsurfing lesson. Depending how that goes I might try and find some used gear. Also if you ever get the chance to try mountain biking, do it, its awesome. Mountain biking conditions are good 80% of the time. MTB gets pretty intense at full speed on the downhill. But with good brakes a beginner can go slow and ease into it
Haha. No worries man. One of the benefits of being super active is you can drink alot of beer and not get fat.
I did a lot of MTB during the four years I lived in Michigan. Bought a bike the summer before I left and did a lot of riding at a place called Cheesequake Park. Then I moved to MI and it was basically my replacement for surfing. A lot of great single track all over the state... at least one, Potowatami outside of Ann Arbor... was ranked among the top 10 single tracks in the country. So I was lucky for a while there...
Good day! Windsurfing can indeed be a thrilling and enjoyable activity,but I prefer kitesurfing. I decided to learn how to ride safely, I of course began with kitesurf school in Portugal. I was able to become familiar with and knowledgeable about the various sorts of equipment thanks to this before I made any private investments.
