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I know this is a bike forum but there are some windsurfers on here.
I want to get rid of my windsurfing gear which is quite old ( 25 years plus ), I assume it won't have much value but it's in relatively good condition.
I would rather it get used than go in landfill. The location I used to go ( Pugneys near Wakefield ) has long since stopped watersports and there is no where else to go occasionally locally.
Is there an equivalent forum for windsurfing like STW to see if anyone wants it ?
Thanks in advance
I probably once got over taken by you there back in the day.
I'm down in Notts, happy to post on my club group and see if anyone wants it - pm me. There are a couple of groups on facebook if you're on there.
What sort of kit is it? Was it good kit back then or is it more like WSO (~BSO)?
Was only thinking the same over Christmas when looking up in the garage loft at all the gear that's still up there.
Used to windsurf at Pugneys back in 1983 way before the council took over. Used to throw the board and sail over the fence. If the Police turned up we just used to drop the sail in the middle of the lake till they got fed up of waiting.
Windsurfing was a big part of our lives back then when weekends were spent at Rhosneiger and summer holidays were in Fuerteventura.
That all changed back in 2003 when Singletrack advertised a Ladies week in Verbier. The buzz of the downhills took over from the wind and the waves. Alpline trails took over from the surf and the sand.
Bought my first MTB back in 1987 as an alternative to windsurfing when there was no wind. Most of the people we sailed with did the same.
If you have an Arrows Craze sail, Arrows mast or Arrows/F2 mast extension I might be interested...
But the reality is that kit that old is generally not worth much if anything...
Mountain biking was the nail in my windsurfing coffin too.
Starting with no wind days trips to Woburn sands from brogbrough lake
Still got all my stuff taking up valuable bike space in the garage, look out for another wanting shot of windsurfing gear
I gave all mine away to a pal about 15 years ago. I was very into it in the early to late 80's, was sponsored by a local shop and had a full spread of Mistral/Tushingham/Gul kit, plus a couple of Vitamin Sea wave boards.
Me and a pal went on a Scottish Islands road trip in around 83/84 I think, and on the way back from the Outer Hebrides we thought we'd go explore the waves on Tiree..
We were the fist ever windsurfers there....the rest is history 🙂
Not sure there is much in the way of an active forum anymore after the demise of the old Boards one. Think there are Facebook groups that are fairly active for second hand kit.
Locally (east Sussex coast) windsurfing seems to be very much falling by the wayside in favour of wing foiling, so don't be surprised if there's not much interest in your gear. Worth a try though. I'm thinking of turning my boards into some sort of ornament to my past in the garden!
@Tracey - I turned to MTB when I got fed up of waiting for the wind !
Alpha 215 RS board - long board - 215l, 350cm I think
Mistral Screamer Race - 105l - 278cm
Sails - Tushingham 6.6 - 7 battens, no cams, 5.5 battened ( more recent but can't give a date ), 4.3 and 5.6 Alpha beginner sail.
It was good kit back in the day, the screamer especially as that was the lighter version.
3 masts for the above, 2 booms and associated bits, sit in harness etc, sail bag.
Wow, takes me back. I think I eventually took my old Tiga 250 wave to the local tip about 10 years ago!
I remember lates 80’s / early 90’s when it was the original extreme sport and dreaming of Robby Naish etc while learning to wave jump at Fraisethorpe on the Yorkshire coast on a cold, grey North Sea.
It's landfill basically . Sadly no real value.
All of mine is still in my dad's garage. Don't think it's moved this century.
Sorry OP - take it to the tip
The kit is over 30 years old so muddy fox courier vintage and has aged similarly
There doesn’t seem to be any market for old windsurfing kit and I’d hesitate to sell any of my old stuff as it’s probably no longer safe, never mind being old fashioned. I took one of my boards down to the reuse shop at the tip a few years ago, they said there was a demand for them then - I can’t imagine who from and I suspect that’s no longer the case. I have another board in the garage that’s been there since we moved 25 years ago but no longer have any roof bars to take it to the tip intact, I expect when I can bring myself to cut it up it will go into landfill. Sails and masts do seem to have some reuse value as awnings though.
You might get £50-100 for the screamer, the 6.6 and 5.5 sails might be useable by someone - stick it on FB, there are some people who look for old boards a bit like retrobike. The beginner sail and the alpha board are landfill / decoration.
You could buy a paddle and leash and re-purpose the Alpha as a slightly twitchy SUP for a bit of fun - i’ve seen it done before
@achaney - I did wonder but I've got an iSUP !
I'm looking at the space that's taken up with windsurfing gear ... as I'm looking at touring kayaks !
Landfill I'm afraid
Even the screamer , despite being light and reasonably expensive at the time, still worthless.
You might be lucky on FB marketplace and get £25.
The width is too narrow , the nose too pointy , the c of E will be off for modern rigs. It's probably still pretty fast, but not easy fast.
I wonder if the Screamer would make a good base for a downwind Foil conversion...
I would give it away of freecycle/freegle/facebook group.
We were given a couple of old windsurfers as kids, old and out of date, but I had a lot of fun learning to windsurf, using it as a surfboard, using it as a paddleboard, etc etc. They are still in my dads garage, I will probably push my daughter about on one of the boards next summer.
Obviously not as good as new kit, but if you dont have anything they are great fun. Just like a rubbish bike, I fixed up a horrible Y frame, full suss halfords special for my nephew as it was free and just cost me time, he loved pedalling about on it as he did not have a bike.
Doubt it .
You need Tuttle box or deep Tuttle for the mast
So you would be cutting out the power box or trim box that's in their already .I doubt that there would be enough material left to work with tbh .
I gave away similar vintage stuff last year using facebook. Search for "Windsurfing stuff for sale or wanted". It all went within a day.
Mountain biking was the nail in my windsurfing coffin too.
See Orange Sails - Orange Mountain Bikes for a while...
think viking
You need Tuttle box or deep Tuttle for the mast
There are definitely 'glue on' solutions out there.
https://foilmount.com/blogs/installation/foilmount-3-0-carbon-installation-guide
Orange sails became Tushingham iirc.
Orange sails became Tushingham iirc.
Other way round, I think. Lester Noble worked for/with Roger Tushingham and the first bikes they imported were marketed as Tushingham.
An old mate was sponsored by F2 and Tushingham, so I had access to a load of 'hand me down' windsurfing kit and I got to sell off his old specialist custom boards which were the Vit C brand?
Wait for the next big storm and set it up in your garden...
There's a fB group 'old school windsurfers' or similar with lots of folks enjoying old kit, might find someone on there to take it off you hands. I'm still sailing my boards from about 2002- Original fanatic skate, mistral wave score 88 and a little ahd wave board for high wind craziness. Usage vs space in house is ridiculous but keeping it going for old time's sake!
Hi-Fly 300 owner here with Neil Pryde sails.
Hi-Fly Bleriot (330) and Fanatic Rabbit here.
(Will be need to be careful how/where I advertise the latter!)
Pink fibreglass masts...