Sport Today

by **Dere** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 05:09:13

Got a question for all of you who have tried to teach someone to
windsurf. I'm just getting back into the sport after taking some time
off and bought a 120L Hifly Free. Its a great board for my current
abilities, but is probably too small to teach my wife on. I'm planning
on teaching her in the spring and have heard the new equipment is just
dynamite and so much easier to learn on. So, here's the thing: I have
an opportunity to pick up an older style 10'6" O'brien. I've tried
looking up some info on it, but haven't seen anything online - but I'm
guessing its one of the older, long, skinny (unstable) beginner type
boards. From your experience, would this be a good start? Or, is the
new equipment that much better that I shouldn't waste my time and her
patience on an older board?

Of course, cost is an extremely important consideration here. I'm
thinking she could start on the obrien and make the transition to my
hifly once she has the fundamentals down. Anyways, I appreciate any
suggestions. Thanks.

- Derek

by **nikit** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 05:16:07

See if you can rent a Starboard Start (or Bic Nova or smth similar) for
the first 3 or 4 lessons. There is a much higher chance she will enjoy
these first few lessons if she doesn't fall off the board every other
time. She will get the basics of sail handling right there and you may
even be able to skip buying that extra board altogether - so you would
spend very little money. I've taught a few friends of mine on rented
boards of this kind and they were able to enjoy their experience from
the very first minutes. Learning on an old longboard is possible, but
requires a lot more patience and persistence that some people may not
have.

Nikita.

by **Dan Weis** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 05:16:40

Better off finding anything else. Well, almost. For not much money
you can score used plastic HiFly beginner boards that are at least 60cm
wide. Even these will offer more learning bang for the buck. If you
can, find something post-2000 for your wife. She will be a happier
camper with the gear and can sail on it nicely as the miles go by
without necessariliy being pushed onto something smaller before she's
ready to go.

FWIW, my wife loves the AHD Zen and has expressed her desire to keep
sailing it for years. I've offered her my FW board for kicks but she's
not going for it. Not that the Zen is the only thing going, far from
it, but it is a great board for learning and ripping with a huge FW
sail. Works for lots of folks and comes equipped with a nice padded
deck to prevent lycra snags (think bathing suit).

-Dan

by **leon.whit..** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 05:23:37

Don't do it. Run, flee, save yourself. The board will only serve to
frustrate her and ruin what should be an enjoyable experience. Since
we started teaching on the wide boards, there is no reason to subject
anyone to the ***we learned on. Find a nice new/used wide board
(Start, Nova, Ntrance, Exocet Cruiser, whatever)to buy or rent and use
that for teaching. Better yet, if there's a shop close by, get her a
lesson. Whatever you "save" by going with the O'Brien will be more
than lost in the aggravation she'll have by trying to learn on that
board. Hope this helps. Have big fun.....Leon

Quote:

> Got a question for all of you who have tried to teach someone to
> windsurf. I'm just getting back into the sport after taking some time
> off and bought a 120L Hifly Free. Its a great board for my current
> abilities, but is probably too small to teach my wife on. I'm planning
> on teaching her in the spring and have heard the new equipment is just
> dynamite and so much easier to learn on. So, here's the thing: I have
> an opportunity to pick up an older style 10'6" O'brien. I've tried
> looking up some info on it, but haven't seen anything online - but I'm
> guessing its one of the older, long, skinny (unstable) beginner type
> boards. From your experience, would this be a good start? Or, is the
> new equipment that much better that I shouldn't waste my time and her
> patience on an older board?

> Of course, cost is an extremely important consideration here. I'm
> thinking she could start on the obrien and make the transition to my
> hifly once she has the fundamentals down. Anyways, I appreciate any
> suggestions. Thanks.

> - Derek

by **Dere** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 05:51:15

Sounds like you guys are trying to tell me something, eh? Yeah, I
figured it was too good to be true. Thanks for the advice! I'll try
to pick up a more modern board at one of the swaps next season. Thanks!

by **Brian Foste** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 09:02:38

I'm pretty sure I had a 10'6" O'brien back in the day. It was a very light
(20lbs) honeycomb fiberglass board that I nicknamed the rocket. It was
fastern than hell with a pretty domed deck, good non-skid and was great for
me (I was and still am a heavyweight >200lbs).

That said it was a performance board that had lots of good characteristics
for an intermediate like me but was probably not the best board for someone
new to the sport.

I love the looks of some of the new equipment. Wide tails and all look much
easier to sail than what we had 15-20 years ago.

Treat the wife right and you'll have a sailing partner and advocate. Try to
get her on something you can both use, risky in my opinion.

Quote:

> Got a question for all of you who have tried to teach someone to
> windsurf. I'm just getting back into the sport after taking some time
> off and bought a 120L Hifly Free. Its a great board for my current
> abilities, but is probably too small to teach my wife on. I'm planning
> on teaching her in the spring and have heard the new equipment is just
> dynamite and so much easier to learn on. So, here's the thing: I have
> an opportunity to pick up an older style 10'6" O'brien. I've tried
> looking up some info on it, but haven't seen anything online - but I'm
> guessing its one of the older, long, skinny (unstable) beginner type
> boards. From your experience, would this be a good start? Or, is the
> new equipment that much better that I shouldn't waste my time and her
> patience on an older board?

> Of course, cost is an extremely important consideration here. I'm
> thinking she could start on the obrien and make the transition to my
> hifly once she has the fundamentals down. Anyways, I appreciate any
> suggestions. Thanks.

> - Derek

by **karabas..** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:10:13

Just to note We Extreme Windsurfing have the Demo boards from the
Starboard Nat'l Demo tour (Roger/Ellen) I think there is a Start & a GO
in there This would be the least expensive way to get your wife off on
the right foot for as little $$$ as possible.

This wasn't meant to be an (which it sounds like after I reread it
sorry) AD. Hopefully just helpful info

Jim
www.extremewindsurfing.com

by **Craig Goudi** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:36:45

That board may ruin your marriage,

-Craig

Quote:

> Got a question for all of you who have tried to teach someone to
> windsurf. I'm just getting back into the sport after taking some time
> off and bought a 120L Hifly Free. Its a great board for my current
> abilities, but is probably too small to teach my wife on. I'm planning
> on teaching her in the spring and have heard the new equipment is just
> dynamite and so much easier to learn on. So, here's the thing: I have
> an opportunity to pick up an older style 10'6" O'brien. I've tried
> looking up some info on it, but haven't seen anything online - but I'm
> guessing its one of the older, long, skinny (unstable) beginner type
> boards. From your experience, would this be a good start? Or, is the
> new equipment that much better that I shouldn't waste my time and her
> patience on an older board?

> Of course, cost is an extremely important consideration here. I'm
> thinking she could start on the obrien and make the transition to my
> hifly once she has the fundamentals down. Anyways, I appreciate any
> suggestions. Thanks.

> - Derek

by **m--newsgu** » Thu, 06 Oct 2005 23:59:02

If you search the newsgroup under "O'Brien" you will repeatedly find
warnings against those boards. As others have said: don't do it! I
bought my wife an O'Brien to learn on, and she tried it twice before
giving up. Tried a year later with a Bic Samba (not a great board to
learn on, but better than the O'Brien) and she was immediately happier.

O'Briens are terrible. Heavy, unwieldy, unresponsive to
beginners...just terrible.

Quote:

> That board may ruin your marriage,

> -Craig

> > Got a question for all of you who have tried to teach someone to
> > windsurf. I'm just getting back into the sport after taking some time
> > off and bought a 120L Hifly Free. Its a great board for my current
> > abilities, but is probably too small to teach my wife on. I'm planning
> > on teaching her in the spring and have heard the new equipment is just
> > dynamite and so much easier to learn on. So, here's the thing: I have
> > an opportunity to pick up an older style 10'6" O'brien. I've tried
> > looking up some info on it, but haven't seen anything online - but I'm
> > guessing its one of the older, long, skinny (unstable) beginner type
> > boards. From your experience, would this be a good start? Or, is the
> > new equipment that much better that I shouldn't waste my time and her
> > patience on an older board?

> > Of course, cost is an extremely important consideration here. I'm
> > thinking she could start on the obrien and make the transition to my
> > hifly once she has the fundamentals down. Anyways, I appreciate any
> > suggestions. Thanks.

> > - Derek

by **a_ma..** » Fri, 07 Oct 2005 01:18:03

Derek,
the O'Brien will be a wonderful tool to test your wife's character and
mettle. If she's a truly bad-ass *** athlete with excellent
balance, as well as incredibly high frustration and pain thresholds,
she will find it a wonderful challenge. So don't even think about
babying her by putting her on a Start. I mean, all that fun you could
have sailing on it TOGETHER for a while, her getting the feel of it,
then her naturally advancing, all without getting wet - that's just not
a very good character building experience.

Of course, if you want her to actually enjoy the experience, get
interested in the sport, and continue to see you as a viable choice for
a husband, the above advice might be suboptimal...

We got a Start this year so I can take my five-year-old daughter and
her friends sailing. Paired it with a 1.7 Retro Ripper. The kids love
it. My wife takes it for spins with a 5.0 Retro - and comes back to the
beach saying it was fun. She had pretty much given up on the sport when
she got past the very beginner stage a long time ago. This thing might
get her into windsurfing after all. You might give it a try - it's
virtually no-risk, as the resale value on Starts, large Go's, and the
good beginner rigs (like the Retro Rippers) is incredibly high (nothing
else in this sport keeps its value anywhere near as well).

Andreas

by J » Fri, 07 Oct 2005 02:40:57

Derek,

I agree with all the commentary about the new, modern boards. The
difference is night & day. I got a JP New School 180l board in the
Spring so I could teach my wife and daughter. I had tried in the past
with older boards with no success. On the JP, the board is so wide that
they can develop a sense of balance without hundreds of
enthusiam-sapping falls. Also, note that newer sails are a lot lighter
and much much easier to uphaul. While on the topic of uphauling, check
this site out;

http://SportToday.org/

The easy-uphaul enables one to easily lift sails off the water just by
leaning backwards. (If you get one, use a razor blade to remove their
logo as it can limit the adjustment range). When I sail with an 8.5m
sail my time on the water is now limited by how long I choose to spend
out rather than being exhausted if I have to drag the thing off the
water with a traditional uphaul. Admittedly it designed to work with a
harness hook, but even with bare hands it puts one's back in a more
appropriate position for lifting a sail up off the water.

In many threads on this newsgroup the recommendation for teaching is to
use newer gear and it's corect. It makes the process much more enjoyable.

Jim

Quote:

> Derek,
> the O'Brien will be a wonderful tool to test your wife's character and
> mettle. If she's a truly bad-ass *** athlete with excellent
> balance, as well as incredibly high frustration and pain thresholds,
> she will find it a wonderful challenge. So don't even think about
> babying her by putting her on a Start. I mean, all that fun you could
> have sailing on it TOGETHER for a while, her getting the feel of it,
> then her naturally advancing, all without getting wet - that's just not
> a very good character building experience.

> Of course, if you want her to actually enjoy the experience, get
> interested in the sport, and continue to see you as a viable choice for
> a husband, the above advice might be suboptimal...

> We got a Start this year so I can take my five-year-old daughter and
> her friends sailing. Paired it with a 1.7 Retro Ripper. The kids love
> it. My wife takes it for spins with a 5.0 Retro - and comes back to the
> beach saying it was fun. She had pretty much given up on the sport when
> she got past the very beginner stage a long time ago. This thing might
> get her into windsurfing after all. You might give it a try - it's
> virtually no-risk, as the resale value on Starts, large Go's, and the
> good beginner rigs (like the Retro Rippers) is incredibly high (nothing
> else in this sport keeps its value anywhere near as well).

> Andreas

by **Eric La** » Fri, 07 Oct 2005 23:31:00

I'm gonna recommend against it, but for a different reason...

Second board I ever owned was an O'Brien Elite (is this the same as we're talking about?).

I actually found it very easy to sail (once I recovered from the strain of carrying it from the car to the water ;^) ), but
this turned out to be a problem! I learned a whole lot of bad habits that proved very hard to break when I transitioned to a
"real" board (a Bic Rock). On the Elite I could put my feet almost anywhere and not have a problem - not the case with other
boards. And if you did something wrong with foot pressure or sail position, you had about 15 minutes to figure out there was
a problem while the board reacted - again not the case with most other boards.

Just my 2 cents of course...

Eric Law

Quote:

> Got a question for all of you who have tried to teach someone to
> windsurf. I'm just getting back into the sport after taking some time
> off and bought a 120L Hifly Free. Its a great board for my current
> abilities, but is probably too small to teach my wife on. I'm planning
> on teaching her in the spring and have heard the new equipment is just
> dynamite and so much easier to learn on. So, here's the thing: I have
> an opportunity to pick up an older style 10'6" O'brien. I've tried
> looking up some info on it, but haven't seen anything online - but I'm
> guessing its one of the older, long, skinny (unstable) beginner type
> boards. From your experience, would this be a good start? Or, is the
> new equipment that much better that I shouldn't waste my time and her
> patience on an older board?

> Of course, cost is an extremely important consideration here. I'm
> thinking she could start on the obrien and make the transition to my
> hifly once she has the fundamentals down. Anyways, I appreciate any
> suggestions. Thanks.

> - Derek

by **a_ma..** » Sat, 08 Oct 2005 00:31:50

Eric,
that's sounds a little bit like saying one shouldn't learn how to
ski/snowboard on a low to moderate slope, as it teaches bad habits by
being too forgiving. I think that windsurfing is one of those sports
where a lot of things have to be done all at the same time. Having a
chance to learn the subskills (such as sail handling, etc.) without the
constant worry about balance I would take to be a good thing. YMMV.

Andreas

by **m--newsgu** » Sat, 08 Oct 2005 00:41:37

In fact, I would argue that the O'Brien was the worst board of its day
for any type of sailing. Without a doubt it was the worst board I've
ever sailed and the worst purchase I ever made, and I have had a few
regrets along the way.

by **Craig Goudi** » Sat, 08 Oct 2005 01:09:06

That's just because you never had a Kerma Run, possibly the worst board ever
made,

-Craig

Quote:

> In fact, I would argue that the O'Brien was the worst board of its day
> for any type of sailing. Without a doubt it was the worst board I've
> ever sailed and the worst purchase I ever made, and I have had a few
> regrets along the way.

Sport Today

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?

beginner equipment - 10'6" o'brien?