Starboard Start S for people over 85kg?

That board is suitable for poeple with 85kg?

thanks.

[Roger]

Not really!
You would compromise many of the "features" that the Start offers if you purchase
the smallest version for a middle weight sailor.
What year model and how many liters on the Start S you are looking at
Hope this helps,
Roger

When you say "compromise many features", what are the features compromised?

I know it is not designed to middle weight sailors, but still I can play with it a few months and then change the board?

[Roger]

Hi Unreg,
The 150 liter Start Small will certainly work for you if you have some skills, and enough wind.
The newer Start boards (> 2002) do not have the width and volume to make really great beginner boards unless you match sailor weight to board size.
At 185 lbs, the Start M or even the Start Large would normally be considered best for a sailor with no skills.
If you have some skills (gained on a larger Start or perhaps a longboard) then you are ready to progress, and the 150 liter Start will be OK.'
You will need a bit more wind, and a larger sail (than a beginner would need) but the Start S will certainly float you OK.
Hope this helps,
Roger

Roger, you surprise me {as does SB}

yes, i had some longboard skills, but with 100+ kilos my first short board was 160 liters/79 cm

if one uses the james douglass sailcalculator as a reference, 85 kilos shortboard is suggested at 141 liters and 78 cm wide

the Start S is 150 liters and 85 cm wide - why recommend it for sailors under 55 kilos ???

if someone has good balance, is athletic and determined, they may outgrow a big board quickly
if they just wanna putz around on a lake, I still suggest a slimmer longboard - getting harder to get

thx
joe

[Roger]

Hi Joe,
As an instructor, having taught 1000 or more first time beginners, I have embraced the short, wide, very floaty high volume concept for rapid development of windsurfing skills.
In our "A Taste of windsurfing" we have nearly a 100% success rate.
The short, wide, floaty beginner board is a significant part of that success rate.
Another very significant factor is the very lightweight high performance Sailworks
Retro Ripper rigs we use.
Combine the wide board, with a light weight powerful (for it's size) rig and some
innovative instructional technique, and almost anyone can learn to windsurf and
progress to the advanced beginner level very quickly.
So, when someone asks if a smaller lower volume board is a good idea, I suggest
that by using such a small board they are going to be making learning and advancing
more difficult.
I did not say "Impossible"!
Many of us learned on boards and rigs that made learning significantly more difficult than
we've found it needs to be.
Somehow we persisted and eventually learned the skills needed to advance.
This was more due to personal "stubbornness" that gave us the drive to overcome
less than ideal equipment.
So. it would be a bit outside my personal integrity to suggest a board that I fully
understand is less than optimal.
Will our unregistered guest be able to advance whatever skills he has on the Start
Small? Yes! If he is persistent and stubborn enough, he will be able to advance
his skills.
Will it be easy? No!
So why would I suggest or agree with something I know is going to make learning new skills and
advancing those skills more difficult?
Roger

Roger:

I would never say u b wrong - u da man !! when it comes to instructional windsurfing

i am a man of limited resources ie $$$$

if one can buy the good stuff to learn and then sell it is one thing
here the boards over 150 donut sell very quickly
formula boards just hang around on the market

thus, if one is a complete newbie - i always try to suggest lessons and is none available - beg, borrow, steal - just kidding of course, but suggest some practice b4 purchase

i still use my old longboard with a small 3.7 for teaching - after having applied some Chinook ReDek
it took me a while to figure out the smaller the sail and the lighter the wind the better for learning

so, although your logic is excellent, i always worry about resale
here we can rent boards from the local windsurf association
and that is what i suggest my "students" and family after a few instructional sessions with me

i guess my question is - how good of a longboard are the Start and RIO ??
perhaps i should give em a try before dicussing with the pro ? :-)

take care and may the winds be with you always
joe

btw am NOT saying formula boards are starter boards

joe

[Roger]

Hi Joe,
I've found the newer Rio boards are a terrific compromise between a traditional narrow longboard, and
something super wide like a Start.
I still like and use the big wide Starts for the first ever lesson for a beginner due to the stability,
but after the first lesson I find most beginners like the slightly better speed and turning ability
of the Rio boards.
So, give them a try and I'm hopeful you will find your students progressing faster with a better overall
success rate.
Roger

Hey everybody,

Thanks a lot for your comments, those were incredible helpful to me, my name is Alvaro and I am going to register my self right now.