Another Board Size Question

Question
I sail in San Francisco (inside the Bay, Alameda/Berkeley area) and the winds can average between 7 - 15mph. I weigh 200lbs. I can't water start yet, and probably won't be able to until I advance enough to surf in higher winds.
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Followup To

Question -
I'm a female that just started windsurfing. Still considered a bit of a beginner, I want to get my own gear soon. I am aware that people grow out of equipment pretty fast, so I'm really only shopping for cheap old boards. The other reason for me as to why I'm purchasing so soon is because the place that I do rent out at often runs out of equipment and thats very aggravating for me. So I'm doing very well and have only sailed on Hifly Motions and Revo's. The biggest sail that I have used was a 4.2 Trainer. How far can I get into equipment where I could safely go out alone and not worry about getting in over my head with equipment thats too advanced for me? Can I go from a 220L board to  a 100L or 150L that easy? Thank you very much!

Answer -
Your weight and where you sail and the average wind you sail in are important determining factors.  I will give you a recommendation based on my weight and sailing conditions.  I weigh 145 lbs. and sail on a large open bay (The Great South Bay on the south shore of Long Island) average wind speeds 15 mph. The board best suited for this would be my 125 liter board. This is a board that is good for a 5.5 to 7.0 sail in 14 to 18 mph wind.  The bay gets medium to steep chop in this wind range.  That being said I would guess this size board would be a good starting board for you that you will always want to keep.  It is uphaulable in medium wind in case you haven't learned to waterstart yet.  I would guess the best size sail for you would be about a 6 meter with no cambers for easy rigging.  The best sail in this catagory is made by Sailworks, their Retro model.  It is good for a large wind range and is easy to waterstart and uphaul and has a lot of power but at the same time is very forgiveable.  You can look for a used one on Ebay for this sail or also on windsurfingclassifieds.com.  You can also buy a used board there also.  I buy a lot of my equipment used. If you can afford it,  it is best to buy all carbon mast and boom.  Not only are they strong and light but they will give you the best overall feel. As far as you going from a 220L board to a 125 L board it will take a little getting used to.  If you think it is too much of a jump you can go to a 140L board but you won't be able to sail it in higher winds than say 15 mph.  Let me know where you sail and the conditions you sail in and about how much you weigh and I can be more specific.  Hope that helps.
Patrick

Answer
Based on your weight and sailing locale you would probably be happy with a 140 to 160 liter board for your first board.  Anything smaller will be more difficult to learn on and you will always want to keep that 140/160 board as your light wind board when you progress to a smaller faster board that you will need to waterstart.