New Wind Junkie

[Moderator]

Dear Windsurf junkies,

I have been sailing about all my life. My dad and I just bought a
Vanguard 15 racing boat a few years back, and I want to get in to
Wind; Kite boarding/surfing. Is there a rig to start off with that you
would recommend? I’d rather be surfing, but has been something I have
always wanted to do, and the wind makes me happy! Even on the top of a
with a parachute out ready to go paragliding. Let me know if anyone
has any good information for me.

Live like a lion, live for the Adventure!

Matthew

[Chris Mihill]

I can only speak for windsurfing (and a little about kiting).  If you're learning to windsurf, the most important thing is buying a larger, stable board with a center board.  A lot of the old classic longboards (such as the old stock "Windsurfer" board) work well for learning because they have a lot of volume and the all important centerboard.  You'll need a center board  in case you get blown "downwind" from your launch site you'll have to sail "upwind" to return.  If you're a beginner, sailing upwind without a centerboard will be difficult.  Some of the new shorter "wide-style" boards are also good beginner boards.  You'll also want a "smaller" sized sail 5.0-6.0.  You're board volume should be at least 160 liters.  If you're a bigger sized person, you'll want more volume.  Lastly, I would recommend buying a used board/sail.  If you're interested I can see who might have some equipment for sale.   Since I'm not a kiter, I cannot discuss specific kites/styles/sizes for learning.  However, I think I can safely say:  Learning to kite in St. Louis is almost impossible.  All the local kiters have learned elsewhere before kiting here.  The launch sites are tricky and there are few places to safely learn.  Two of the best places to learn: Padre Island (Corpus Christi and South Padre) and the Outer Banks.  Both offer miles of open sandy, shallow warm water that's ideal for learning.  Closer to home Smithville lake, north of Kansas City has a very nice clear, grassy launch.   Hope that helps, Chris --- On Tue, 10/6/09, Moderator <great_...@yahoo.com> wrote: