Btw there is a great beginner gear for sale on the Chicago Craig's list right now: 180l Starboard Rio+6.0 sail +booms +masts. Don't know who sells it and can't comment on condition or price, but it's a great kit for someone's first couple of seasons IMO.
chicago.craigslist.org/nch/spo/4952328351.html

Instead of sailing this nice day today , I'm fulfilling my family duties and working the bbq ...and secretly surfing the web shhhh Here is a selection of oldish beginner boards you may be able to find for sale with some luck:
www.windsport.com/level_1_beginner/

Brian: At 240 lbs, I would consider a Kona Mahalo. Lots of volume and width.

Garry: Most of the gear on Maui will *not* be good for beginners! You can find gear locally, in better condition, and you won't have to $$$hip it.

Drew

Thanks Drew, good advice. If I did find something I was going to see what the baggage fee from the airline would be. My thought is it would might outweigh any savings on the gear and end up being a wash. Then I'd have to deal with handling it to and from the airport. What has anyone typically paid to take their gear on a trip?

Beginners boards are huge and a passenger airline will probably not take it. My idea was to deal with rental shops like Second Wind where you could rent a board and decide if you like it or not and if you do and they are willing to sell it to you they'll know how to package it and ship it the best possible way. But I may be wrong

My last scheduled lesson is this Wed. From there I need to hook up with Jackie Butzen. I need to see what she has for lessons or if I need to rent something. If I rent I'll talk to Second Wind about a board and possible shipment. This could be a good option, Thanks!

How are the lessons going btw? What do they teach you?

First lesson was: basic understanding of wind terminology with relationship/direction with the beach, your board, sail position(opening & closing door), basic understanding of gybe. Getting up on the board, pulling up sail, grabbing mast to find neutral wind position transition hands to boom, close the door and off you go, ya right! Second lesson was review of first lesson with tack. How did it go? Not to bad, but I had trouble finding or getting enough wind (sail to small?) it shifted from on shore to offshore both days. First day sail was a 1.9 and I think I had a 190l board. Seemed wind was pushing me to much down the beach at times. Had to drag equipment back a few times through the water (as well as everyone else) but heck I'm in Hawaii and could use the exercise! Wind was swirling near the beach and figure due tio trees. Second day I think I had a 2.9 sail. On the second day the instructor had me follow him out and back a couple of times while he explained some basic foot and mast/sail positioning related to the wind. I used to ice boat on Wolf Lake many years ago with my dad. We also had a small sunfish sailboat so I think In my mind I was trying to hold the mast in a more fixed position while trying to find the wind power. Next lesson tomorrow I'll work on the mast/sail position with the instructor if the weather cooperates. Any tips or thoughts are always appreciated!
Sunday we went to Kahana Beach and there were no less than 75 windsurfers sailing and another 20-30 on shore in the park. Wind was just about howling! I checked later when we got back and report said it was 35mph. I'm not sure where they got the 35 from but it was almost blowing us off the log we were sitting on. Had to be some bigger gusts than 35, we were getting sandblasted! No true waves just looked like a lot of 3-4' chop if that's the term. Awesome site watching some of the gybes and tacks!!!!!! Looked like these guys were laying their sails on the water and pivoting their boards around it. I did notice an area that seemed a cryptical point when new surfers were just getting on board and heading out. Once up on the board and picking up speed therers the point when they would try to put their foot back in the strap. I called it the fail zone. I'd say about 10% failed at this critical point. It looked like one guy actually got launched over his sail at this point. It took him awhile to compose himself and get back up.Further down the beach to the west there were no less than 50 kite surfers on the water. What an extravaganza!!!! More to follow......

Only since I have not yet seen it mentioned....another good source for used gear can be the classifieds on iWindsurf.com. local wind forecasts for most of the world, as well. Good luck!

Wow Garry, looks like a lot is going on over there-busy place indeed. We better not give you any tips right now -the instructors may not like it and you have too much info for digesting already anyway. Just pay attention to what they tell you and try to copy their stance and hand and foot positions as closely as you can. Seems that you are making a good progress and if at the end you are able to wobble back and forth and do a tack or gybe without falling you can consider it success . Windsurfing progress doesn't come easy and fast for most of us and we pay for it with a lot of time, money and even some pain. Unfortunately job and family get in the way big time . You can post some pictures if you want-something for us here to salivate over

The last time I was at Kahana I helped a couple people with their waterstarts. Their instructor had taught them to put their front foot on the board and then bring up their back leg once they started clearing the water. I had them try it the other way around and they were much happier.

Starting with your back foot on the board gives you a wider stance (between back foot & mast base) and lessens the chance of getting thrown forward. Plus you can pull the tail of the board towards you and keep the nose from heading upwind. Pull your back foot towards you and push down to help lift your body, while giving a couple "frog kicks" with the front foot if you need it.

Drew

Brian, as a fellow Iowan I'm glad to hear we will have a new windsurfer in the area. I live in Cedar Falls. IA I attend both the Dam Jam and the Worthington MN event each year. Larry Joe Reed a longtime organizer of the Dam Jam lives at Dallas Center IA.. Andy Spellman is a windsurfer from Marshalltown IA. Jeff Hegwer, who lives in Clear Lake serves as the race director. Jeff has a long history as a paid windsurfing instructor. I can send you emails for Larry & Jeff. Mine is constructed by putting my name on this forum in one word (delcarpenter) then add the "at" symbol, and add "cfu.net"

Garry & Brian, I will bring my Starboard Start and an extra Kona One plus extra rigs to the Dam Jam which either of you could use. (The 2001 Starboard Start will be for sale for $350. Demoing doesn't create any obligation.)

Both of you should have an in person conversation with someone familiar with Iowa or Illinois winds & locations. Garry, have an in person conversation with Jackie while you are still in Hawaii if you can. Garry, where do you live or which windsurfing places are you near (when not in Hawaii)?

One option: Buy a wide beginner board, learn to windsurf on it, & when you buy a board that demands more advanced skills, you could still keep the wide beginner board for the windier colder months when the extra width will keep you drier and give you some great planing, or you could then sell it to another beginner.

2nd option: Buy a Kona One Design which is intended as a board for both beginners and for one-design class racing. The Kona class is the most fair one-design class because it uses different sail sizes according to the rider's weight, such as a 7.4 sail for sailors 143 to 163 lbs, an 8.2 tor 165 to 185 lbs, a 9.0 for 187 to 207 lbs and a 9.8 for the largest sailors.

My sail sizes go from 3.8 to 12.0 (though the ones over 9.5 are hardly worth having) because I sail year round in Iowa as a windsurfer, land sailor & snow & ice sailor in winds from 5 mph to 30 mph.