Del, I live just west of Chicago in Elmhurst. On a good day about 20-25 minutes to downtown Chicago. I'll be getting most of my new windsurfing whiskers at various Chicago locations when the wind will be manageable for my abilities. I'm familiar with Wolf Lake as I lived about 10 miles south of there some years ago. I'm guessing this is a good lake to start on. From what I've learned here on Maui, you best be proficient enough to get back to where you stated from, so understanding the wind speed and directions for the various locations in the area is in my best interest. I'm sure I'll be reaching out for advice from others. Thanks for your option input. I will track down Jackie for advice as she knows the Chicago area conditions. I would also like to get some lessons in with her. I'll be at Kahana tomorrow and the forecast is very favorable for surfing so she should be there.
Ady, I do have some pics. I just need to get them into my iPad and send them out. I'm going to stop at Ho'okipa after my lesson tomorrow to get more pics and some video since the surf forecast is a good one. My camera lens is 18-200mm, I wish it had another 50mm to get some tighter shots but it does a pretty good job. I'm hoping the forecast will bring some of the action closer to shore. Just after 10pm here, need to get some good rest for tomorrow. Lights out...

I just wanted to tell everyone thanks for the help and advice. Del Carpenter thank you very much for the information on the people, events, and other Iowa Windsurfing info. I am definitely interested in the Starboard starter that you have and will send you an email soon about meeting up at the events in IA and MN.

I do have a question for those in the know about equipment. I'm talking with a gentleman that has a like new Mistral Ntrance, and am wondering if that board would work for a bigger like myself to learn on. I found some specs on it and am posting those here. I guess it would be good to hear some of you guys opinions that are knowledgeable on equipment and wind surf learning/instruction if this board would be a good fit for me or if it is a little on the light side in terms of the dimensions and litre volume that would make learning more difficult and frustrating for a big ox like myself. Here's the Ntrance specs I found online and I appreciate any advice about me using this board to learn on -

Volume (l) 220
Length (cm) 274
width (cm) 85
Weight (kg) 14,9

I believe the owner said he purchased it last summer in 2014. He also said he also has a 6.5 and 4.7 sail and boom. No mast..

Thanks again everyone! This is a great forum with some really helpful people and I appreciate all the information everyone has shared with me.

It looks like a perfect beginner board Brian. I say go for it if the price feels right and the rest too.
www.club-mistral.com/en/equipment/windboardrange/1/99

Well Kanaha lesson 3 is under the belt now. Back at the ranch for some steak tacos, guacamole, chips, and a couple of Heinekens. I've been on a 230l board the first 2 lessons. The instructor had me try a 180 today. Got out and back a couple of times but turning was ......... shaky? Good feeling moving forward but not enough sea legs for the turns yet. I traded it in for the previous model. Instructor wanted me to feel the difference between them and it's huge!!! to me at this point. Instructor showed us more of a small power gybe today. Worked out pretty good but practice, practice practice.The wind was more consistent today so I spent a lot more time on the board vs swimming with the fishes. I know it's early but I hate dragging myself back up on that board! My wife is also doing very well with her sailing abilities. The new gybe pushed me further down the beach today, a good block or so. So my biggest mission was to make it back under wind power vs leg power dragging my sorry @** and equipment back up the beach. Mission accomplished! Took some time but I got back to our starting point. I did catch up with Jackie for some good conversation. I'm looking into more lessons for the coming days and weeks. Gotta go now, Ho'okipa is calling me.

Hi Brian and Garry,

I'm just catching up on these messages, as I'm down in FL right now with my family for spring break. Great to hear you guys are interested in windsurfing. You've certainly found a great forum to bounce ideas off of. As an intermediate sailor, I've learned tons from other guys in this forum.

I wanted to let you (and others on this forum) know that I have a board that may be right up your alley….

It's a 2002 Bic Techno Free Formula Board. The board has a generous width (94 cm!) and volume (170L), making it especially good for beginners and/or intermediate to advanced sailors on light wind days. (And I'd venture to say that the 94 cm width would give both of you all that you need to stay afloat.) As an intermediate sailor (@ 175 lbs), I have paired it with my 9.5 Ezzy Lion, and I have blasted around in light wind days with no whitecaps in sight. This is a very forgiving, user-friendly, and durable board with many of the characteristics of a full-on formula board, but without a formula board's steep price or fragile construction.

Over the past couple of years, I've added some custom improvements to the board, namely: 1) the original board came with a trim fin. After a few years, Bic switched out the trim fin boxes for deep tuttle boxes to better hold the power of the large fin (65 cm). So to avoid troubles with the original trim box, I had the trim fin box professionally replaced with a deep tuttle box. It works great. 2) I also had a center fin (US) box professionally installed on the board so that my wife and kids could use a center fin (10" FCS Dolphin fin) to better stay upwind. This optional center-fin set-up served its purpose well.

For reviews of the board, see here and here.

I would be willing to sell everything as a package -- board + all of the bells and whistles (4 footstraps, 3 fins, 1 center fin, and board bag) -- for $1100.

Details: Board = 2002 Bic Techno Free Formula, 170L, 267x93, weight: ~24 lbs. ($650)
Footstraps = 4 Dakine footstraps ($40)
3 Fins = 1) 65 cm Deep Tuttle ($125) 2) 54 cm Tectonics Maui Deep Talon Deep Tuttle (never been used) ($125), 3) 35 cm True Ames Tuttle ($70)
Bag = Epic Gear Day Wall Bag ($85)
Center fin = Dolphin FCS 10" ($20)

I won't put this board on Craigslist and/or eBay until next week when I return home. Wanted to let you and other folks on this forum know about it first. If interested, feel free to send me a personal message via this forum, or you can e-mail me directly at : ctirres [at] gmail [dot] com

My 2001 Starboard Start is 279 cm long, 100 cm wide, its volume is 230 L, I believe it still weighs the original 34.5 lbs. The stern fin box is Deep Tuttle with a 40 cm Drake fin. No daggerboard, but it uses a centerboard fin which attaches by a regular or short Tuttle fin box which came with a half-moon fin which I still have. I also will include a regular or short Tuttle fin that is 54 cm long which improves the upwind performance quite a bit. My 54 cm fin has about the same area as the half-moon fin, but the much longer length of the 54 cm fin gets additional leverage which produces a better performance. There are 4 footstraps. The 54 cm fin when used affects how deep the water must be before you can get on the board. In strong wind without the center fin the Start planes quite nicely. In winds too light to plane its width and shortness gives the schlogging performance common to beginner boards. The EVA deck is very forgiving. I still have it because I want its stability when both the water and air are so cold I really want to stay dry....as in 20-25 mph in March or early November, and I use it teaching windsurfing or stand-up paddleboarding.

I am selling it because I've decided to get the new Kona Hula for the same purposes. The Kona Hula has a retractable daggerboard and is narrower.

The only boards which might be more stable than a Starboard Start for a large sailor is a Kona Mahalo (they are hard to find) and a Mistral Prodigy. Neither of those is wider than a Start, but their extra length gives them more fore & aft stability which also makes a difference part of the time. Both are likely to be more expensive than my $350 Start due to being newer.

The "best" board for a beginner is the one which keeps the beginner coming back for more. That might be the Ntrance or Bic Free Formula because they are more exciting when you do get going. Or it might be the Start because you will get enough extra time on the board actually sailing. It might be the Start because the board price is low enough you get to buy a wider range of sails. It might be one of the other boards for another reason. They are all good boards.

Test

Nice shots! That's what I'm talking about, lots of action -pros and alike. Someone on a what looks like a Kode Wave and a sail with plenty of sponsors stickers-doing a forward ...or double , NP/JP guy preparing for his sky high launch aswell and even someone riding a wave on the new strange stubby board from Fanatic in the bottom picture. Epic
PS: the Starboard guy must be KP -Ezzy sail and probably 81 Kode Freewave trifin.

Del Carpenter wrote:
I agree with Del here -- the best board for a beginner is the one which keeps him/her coming back for more. Brian, given your size and Del's knowledge of the largest volume boards, Del's Start may indeed be the way to go!

Brian, you came the right place. This group is very helpful. I know Del and recommend taking him up on his offer of demoing the different boards. My personal recommendation would be for a kona, but you might feel much more comfortable on the start. Really is a personal preference - and my experience (which includes several years of teaching) is that it is best to make the learning process as comfortable as possible. Learning to windsurf is not easy. It is challenging and exhausting at time but very rewarding. Whichever board feels right to you is your best bet. You can always change gear later. Get used to swapping/buying new gear - it comes with the territory of being a windsurfer.

Anybody have a 110-120L freestyle/twin tip board they are selling?

Just wanted to chime in here on board advise.

I am 6,2 280 and 50 years young now. Currently sail a Bic 170 formula from the early 2000s. Love it as my flat water shortboard. I do not sail much chop anymore. I have paddled it too but it's a struggle. Mostly sail lake Andrea in Kenosha.

On light wind or days I have friends with me I have 2 1988 F2 lightnings They are 12 feet long but very narrow. Not east to learn on. One I just use for parts.

If You want a shortboard and are staying on flat water, around 170 liter is a good choice. Sup boards are a good longer board alternative.

Hey Brian what's up in Iowa ?! You went silent all of a sudden. Any news in the windsurfing department ?