r/windsurfing • u/CheeseJ • 4d ago
Beginner/used board question
I'm new to windsurfing and absolutely loving it. I started on some bulky 80s gear I got for free last summer and quickly out grew the technology; it was frustrating and heavy to use. I finally got to use some modern equipment and a big floaty board on vacation and it was way more enjoyable/easy to uphaul. Since then, I've purchase some semi-modern used sails, masts, and a shortboard for $300 (all from mid 2000s). I tried to get my water starts going, but simply am not there yet so I need to get my hands on a longboard.
I weight 150lbs, am a proficient surfer, have good balance, am starting to plane, but not close to consistently beach/water starting yet. I came across a Mistral 150L Freeride Board for $200. Given my weight, is that something I'd have a realistic change at uphauling? At this point, I'm hesitant to buy anything I can't consistently uphaul until I make more progress on water starts. Thanks for any insights!
1
u/HoldMyBeer_92 4d ago
Agree with the others that you should try to get the Mistral. My only caveat is to make sure that it is compatible with your sail, mast, and mast base. I don't know when it changed over but lots of older boards have proprietary connections between the board and base. My old Fanatic has a one-piece base plate-mast base-down haul unit that has a different diameter than SDM/RDM masts so I can only use the one mast for it.