Older, out of shape surfer

Question
I dabbled in wind surfing for about 5 years. I bought an old, huge 210 Bic board that was so tippy and hard to use that I eventually gave it up and bought a sailboat.

I miss wind surfing and want to get back into it but need advice on a new board.  I'll do it right this time.

I'm 57 and not in great shape, 6'3" and 250lbs. I sail on lake Michigan and larger inland lakes in the midwest. I don't have the skill or stamina yet to sail in heavy air and have never even attempted a water start. I can come about and jib, believe it or not, about 30% of the time.

Any suggestions.

Thank you in advance.

Answer
Hey Harry,

Great to hear that you want to continue windsurfing.

The new boards are wider and much more stable than the old ones we learned and sailed on. There are many great boards to choose from and I would recommend that you go to windsurfingmag.com and read their reviews on light air boards. There is way more information there than I can give you. The thing to realize is that their definition of a light air board is around 130-160ltrs. Most manufactures make boards of the same style in larger volumes. There is a links page that will take you to the manufacturers sites and you can read up on the higher volume boards. As for a recommendation, check out the Bic Core 293 D and similar boards. This volume will float a guy your size very easily and allow you to uphaul. It has a daggerboard so you would still be able to go upwind with ease. The best part about these newer boards is that they do quite well in higher winds. The daggerboards retract fully into the board and the board becomes very much like a short board. This helps you to be able to learn waterstarts, jybes, and other short board manuvers with a lot less frustration than a true shortboard gives. Check out the new gear and then find a local shop near you if you can. Most places have gear that you can test ride and also provide good advice. Best of luck with your shopping.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover