Windsurfing
Windsurfing is a great water sport. It’s not the most popular sport in a lot of places. Finding windsurfing lessons and beginner gear can be a challenge in many places. Basic windsurfing is not that hard to learn on your own with the right equipment. I taught myself windsurfing. Choosing the right board and sail goes a long way towards making it easier to learn. We are here to help you pick out the best windsurfing equipment for beginners.
Windsurf Board
Choosing the right beginner board can make or break your windsurfing experience. A windsurfing board that is too unstable will make it very difficult to stand up with the sail. You will do what a lot of us did in the old days and spend days at the lake falling in the water over and over and over. It doesn’t make learning fun. There are a few important things to look for that will make learning easier and more fun. In general, you are looking for a longboard or a freeride board with a daggerboard. Avoid anything labeled as a wave board or freestyle board.
Life jacket or buoyancy aid
As a beginner, you will be falling in the water a lot. A LOT!!! You won’t be wearing a harness or using it until you get pretty good at cruising around on windsurfer. You don’t need to worry about a life jacket or PFD getting in the way of the harness. Wearing a life jacket is a good idea because you will be falling a lot and landing in the water in weird ways.
Don’t use an inflatable life jacket. If it’s an auto inflator you will inflate it within your first 5 minutes on the board when you fall in. If it’s a manual inflating vest or a belt pack it won’t really do you any good. If you fall and somehow hit your head in a weird way and knock yourself out you won’t be able to pull the inflate cord.
Wetsuit
A wetsuit can really help if the water and or air temperature is on the chilly side. You will be going out when it’s windy and going from in the water to standing up in the breeze. You can feel cold from the constant getting wet and drying. I almost always at least wear a wetsuit jacket unless it’s really hot out.