Three reasons I love my old longboard:
1. Cruising in eight knots with speed and grace is fun in wind-starved times.
2. It let me compete in the East Coast Windsurfing Festival races.
3. It's fun to freestyle on.
Three reasons to love a new longboard:
1. Lake sailing.
2. Destination windsurfing (can't beat the centerboard and planing/nonplaning performance to get where you need to go.)
3. Konas are gorgeous.
So let's say you lay your hands on a longboard...where can you go to obsess on what to do with it? Currently I'm loving The Longboard Windsurfing Knowledge Base. In particular, I like the freestyle articles by pierrec45 (who occasionally comments here on the Peconic Puffin.)
Windsurfing...it's not just about shortboards anymore.
Dawg, longboards rule in surfing, therefore they must be great in windsurfing. I can't wait to get a Kona board!
Posted by: Joe Rouse | July 17, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Great stuff as usual Michael.
Indeed freestyle on modern or old longboards is a great tool for stronger wind short board skills and freestyle.
It's still appropriate equipment to teach newbies, great for social gatherings, and sailing with your kids at the back. And a great entry-point to the sport in the form of used, inexpensive first-year equipment.
Using longboards as well as shortboards is a lot sportier. More outings, longboards are what more physical challenge in med-winds, and so on.
Windsurfing rules!
Posted by: Pc45 | July 19, 2008 at 10:34 PM