Question: Windsurfing, Kitesurfing, and Kayaking?
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Answer #1:
If you want to save, buy used. For windsurf you can get into something decent for less than $500. Then, as you learn you can buy better/newer stuff and you will find opportunities. My advice for either windsurf or kiteboard: Go where the locals go and talk to them Look in craiglist for used equipment. And BEFORE you buy ask for an independent opinion. Because there is a lot of junk that you should not buy, totally superceded stuff. Personally, I always suggest to buy a longboard like a Mistral Equipe, One Design or Pan Am or Fanatic Mega Cat, Fanatic 360 or similar. These were race boards in the early 90s, but can be used as beginner boards too. Once you learn, you can keep them for low wind days, cruising around or you can sell and recover what you paid, they will keep their value. Main problem is that they are long and bulky. BUT DO NOT buy them with the original sails, mast and booms. You want newer stuff for this, including a two piece mast (preferably carbon) a clamp on boom and a decent monofilm sail. For windsurf you are more likely to get good deals on used equipemnt PROVIDED YOU BUY THE RIGHT STUFF.. A windsurf sales person will tell you that new boards are better, wider, etc. etc. It is partially true. It si also true that that is the expensive path and once you learn with those wide monster boards you will not know what to do with them. Most of current windsurfers learned with longboards much tougher than what I am suggesting, and we are still alive :-).** Powered by Yahoo Answers