Windsurfing on Land ??

It seems water windsurfing hit mainstream in California and then in the seventies it boomed in Germany. Not really sure where it is MOST popular now, although I have seen some clips with lots of activity in Japan. Also just read that windsurfing is still more popular in France and Germany than in the U.S. of A. In case you have NOT heard - Windsurfing Magazine is NOT publishing in 2012 !!!!

Ice windsurfing has some popularity in NE United States, but seems to be even bigger in the Scandinavian countries. There also does seem to be some snow windsurf activity, but not too much. Snow seems to be more kite and ski oriented - here in Montreal in any case...

What about windsurfing on land ?? Since the season between water and winter windsurfing seems longer than usual this year, I thought I would investigate ... In Holland and the UK the "whike" seems to have caught on {i am NOT sure how they pronounce it !!} The whike is like a specialized tricycle with a specialized sail {not a windsurf sail}. In the UK they seem to be allowed on bike paths AND roads !! Think they cost something like 3500 Euros in Holland $%^&*()

Also from the UK comes the turfdog, which simply looks like an altered "mountain skateboard". I tried to order one on-line just to check the price and it was around $700 !!

Locally Guy Trudeau Jr. shows you how to make a windskate using a skateboard. He uses one to practice his freestyling {not that this fellow needs any practice !!}.

You can check Guy out at www.windskate.ca and here is a clip of his tricks on land:

Since I am NOT a free-styler, I am guessing I would be better off with a "mountain skateboard" like a "turfdog". As I am always on a budget, it will be something I make from leftovers :-)

As long as I do NOT look like these clowns :-) {another video GONE} $%^&*(

Unca Freddy just informed me that the lake is frozen up north with a fine crust of snow on top and snowmobiles have passed by...

Forget the land thing - i'm goin' up north and ice windsurfing !!!

Update - was at 30noeuds today and they sell "land surfers" between $283 and $600 where the deluxe model actually has a brake. Employee/owner told me he has been selling many to dog owners !! They use them to "train" the dogs ie the dog pulls them !!


Why not go all out like this ??

and then there are always more - these are from the Auzzie w/s forum

In fall 2015 I started investigating how to get more time out (not necessarily TOW/ on water) since cold weather is NOT always the easiest nor the most comfortable of conditions ... And so, chatted with GTJ of Montreal who sells different versions around $200. 30noeuds sells MBS Mountainboards , but it is around $350...  Hardboot of Wasaga Beach uses a land skate. And I discovered there is a Hungarian company making 3 wheeled Deska boards ...

Mountainboard

Hardboot land skate

xxx

Deska Board

The Longboard Revival

I have written about my "new" 1990 Fanatic Ultra CAT longboard in another post. I have always been a longboarder and only recently a shortboarder - last four(4) years.

In case you have not noticed SUPs are gaining popularity. Some of them accommodate windsurf sails.

The KONAs are gaining popularity too and seem to be going towards a one-board race class/division.

However, longboards are also coming back in the limelight. Even if it is getting difficult to purchase a brand new one. For me it was not just an availability issue, but also a cash issue. The CAT is a classique and i love it already.

No discussion on this subject would be complete without a mention of the infamous LBWS site and forum. They seemed to be out of commission for a bit , butt are now back in full force !! Check them out at : http://www.lbwindsurfing.com

The LBWS site discusses some of the latest boards which donut even seem to be available yet:

Exocet RS D2 - where D2 seems to mean the DIV II nose
Starboard Phantom 377 with batwings
AHD Tactik supposed to be "good in 0 to 15 knots" and supposed to plane in 10 knots

An interesting thing about the Exocet is that Richard Reatti aka "yagon" of LBWS had sent plans to Exocet that never materialized and yet the RS D2 looks JUST like the plans !!! You can read all about this on the LBWS website.

Interesting board just the same !!
Was showing video here, butt now they mark it as private ^&*
Believe I have managed to download it and share it here...



Fanatic was supposed to come out with a newer version of the CAT in 2006, butt that never happened. On the Fanatic forum and the LBWS forum members are screaming for this board !!! Here's an article about the board that never was : http://www.boardseekermag.com/equipment_reviews/equipment/fanatic_megacat_2006.htm

So, why the renewed interest in the more traditional longboards ? A longer board glides better. Most of the new modern boards do NOT schlog well. In light winds a raceboard can plane up early and can be used in winds up to about 25 knots. Talk about your one board solution !! {I still have three boards just the same :-) }


People are saying these boards are more difficult to learn on. I still use an 80's  BIC Dufour Wing to teach people who have never been on a board. First they play on a Mistral Windglider to get a feel for the wind and sail and then i pop the same sail on the BIC. AND OFF THEY GO !!!


One thing I always loved about the longboards was the cruising about on a beautiful sunny day. NOT something one does on a formula board or shortboard - not even a 160 liter !!


So, check out the LBWS link further up in this post - they do have some videos too. ENJOY :-)

When one speaks of RACE longboards - and even longboards, the question often comes up as to which sail(s) to use !! So far I have successfully used older sails that still rig on epoxy masts and also my more modern Maui Sails. There were a Pursuit , MS-2 and a TR-4. Usually i rig them with the leech tighter than usual. This seems to be ideal for this type of board. In Toronto it seems they are amour-ed with the Severne Racesails - 9.5.  They do not seem to have them here in Montreal. On the StarBoard forum Remi mentions the use of the Severne Overdrive 8.5 - and they have a StarBoard Race sail too. I have asked on the Maui Sails forum if they were considering making specialized sails for winter windsurfing and longboards. Does NOT look like that is going to happen soon ... Cambered sails are nice because they retain their shape through lulls and help the board glide on through ... Just saw that Severne longboard sails are called "Dagger" now...

James Douglass "stole" my idea and wrote his own post/article on the subject called new-and-weird-gear-that-i-want-to-try {Great minds think alike, fools seldom differ ...} James took it a little further and included some of the boards for the up n coming lighter folks AND some interesting boards like SUPs that may go well with windsurfing AND the new trend in formula, where the board is a giant rectangle ie almost one meter all the way along. 
We won't discuss the fact that the post contains a new idea in kites :-)

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In OCT 2013 this MegaCAT sold on e-bay for $325. Reserve was about $300 and asking $375. If it was NOT North Carolina and i had not just purchased my Mistral Equipe i would have been VERY tempted. At the same time they were discussing the longboard "craze" on iwindsurf:
http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums

May 2014 - halo777 has purchased a "sport" version of the RSD2. It is not the carbon version and as such is a little heavier and probably more durable. There is actually a potential for me to try this board, as it is in Toronto !! I am drooling already ...

So, yes I purchased a Mistral Equipe I/one in 2013. Sold it at the beginning of 2016 and purchased a Mistral Equipe II/2. Actually purchased the 2 before I sold the one. Also sold my Fanatic Ultra CAT at the same time in order to reduce costs in the year 2016. The Equipe II/2 that I purchased has the standard issue with the gasket wearing out. My model is the carbon XR and is VERY light for its size. For light winds in the 20 kph range I cannot say that I have had anything better. Now we need to see how it does in the bigger winds - since it was a raceboard in  it's time ... Will post a pic when I get a good one !!

Also, DIV II/2s are starting to show up on the marker !! People must be aware of the rekindling of interest cuz none of them are under $300. At $200 I would venture an attempt, but perhaps the price will drop ??

This one interests me the most, but is asking $300: