buying used complete rig

Question


Dear Windlover

I'm an old liveaboard sailor from Miami. Havent' windsurfed in 12 years. I'm 190lbs, done it maybe 30 times, no waterstart ability, though can handle 20 knot winds and chop, broad reach at speed, harness, etc.

I'm looking to buy:  board is BIC Race Tech Ceramic Kevlar built in France - she can't tell me the litre volume. I can't find it online.

I figure I need 140 litres to uphaul and jibe - can I comfortably go with less? (I'm 48 years)

She has 2 sails - 5.5 and 4.5's - big enough? Winds 15-25kts

Thanks for the help.

Hamish

Answer
Hey Hamish,

The Bic Race Tech boards were a mid-90's board that came in various lengths and volumes. Measure the board for length and you may be able to determine a ballpark volume.
Here are my guesses on length vs. volume;
9'-9'6"  - ~110-130ltrs
9'6"-10'  - ~130-160ltrs

So, if it is 9'6" or longer, you shouldn't have too much trouble uphauling once you get your board balance back. You could uphaul on something smaller but it takes a lot more balance and work.

As for size of sail for your average winds, you would probably want a larger sail. If the board is 9'6" or larger, it would probably hold up to a 7.5-8.0. Your size in those conditions would need a minimum of 6.5-7.5 in the lower wind range and you can probably use the 5.5 if the sustained winds are 22+. The 4.5 would require 28+ for your size. If the board is under 9'6", you will find uphauling a challenge. My best advice would be to get a waterstart lesson or get some instructional videos. Waterstarting is actually fairly easy to learn and uses way less energy to get up and going than uphauling. This gives you more time on the water. Google Peter Hart, Dasher (try dasher windsurf), Alan Cadiz for links to great instructional videos. Also check out www.windsurfingmag.com under instruction for a lot of good info.

Hope this helps,
Keep on sailing,
Windlover