The Future of Windsurfing
Every year the industry ponders the demise of windsurfing as a ubiquitously popular past time and the reduction in sales for their companies. the answers to why windsurfing has slowly died are not easy but many are looking into it and trying to resurrect a sports that was the number one activity for millions in the 80's. As part of this blog I would like to put the issue up for discussion and hope all who visit the site will comment and add to the collective knowledge of how we can make windsurfing popular again.
As a distributor I have a financial interest but also as a keen windsurfer I would like to see the lakes and bays full again.
My first comment is that windsurfing originally grew as a sailing sport and attracted people from sailing or those that felt it was a cheaper and less hassle option to a laser or hobie. Many companies are releasing a long board again this year, do you think this is what is needed to get people back? A board that will sail upwind in non planing conditions?
11 Comments:
I'm an older guy weighing 82kg. For me a high volume longboard is the only option. With a Mistral Equipe II and 1 8.5m sail I can sail in winds from 5 knots to 25 knots, go upwind, carve gybe or cruise and not worry about fading wind. Mistral made the perfect board, but you can't buy them or the parts for them any more. Jayjay
Yes that is true but the new breed of boards like the Tabou windstyler and the Excorcet Kona are much improved on the Mistral. I'd be interested in your feedback to demo one if your in Sydney!
I've been out of the sport for 15 years and now I live near the water again
I've thought about starting up again but you're right, the sport has died and I don't know why, jet ski became popular which took away potenial people but also the price of boards is really high, like $3,500, you could get hand laid epoxy/glass board for $1300 back then from companies like windaction. Does anyone know any clubs or sailboard shops on the Central Coast (north of Sydney)?
I've been out of the sport for 15 years and now I live near the water again
I've thought about starting up again but you're right, the sport has died and I don't know why, jet ski became popular which took away potenial people but also the price of boards is really high, like $3,500, you could get hand laid epoxy/glass board for $1300 back then from companies like windaction. Does anyone know any clubs or sailboard shops on the Central Coast (north of Sydney)?
Do you have a Sydney demo day or a Sydney store to view windsurfers and talk to a rep
I'm 49 and have lived thru the windsurfing era and often ponder why the sport has faded. To me the reason are kind of simple. 1. we moved from the plastic age into the high tech age, up cost increase 400% or more. 2. We moved from recreation use to elite athlete use, because the general public only saw the athletic wave sailors and experts who were prepared to pay for their high tech equipment. 3. Kite surfing is cheap and portable, with no storage issues. We need an ultra low cost entry point, back to plastic option, and some good marketing to ignite our sport again.
I've been out of the sport for 16 years and now I'm going back in. I'd like t see it popular like in the eighties. I think we need help from marketing experts and when I think how I got started it was when I stumbled accros a rental/school at the beach, tried it a few time then I knew I wanted a board. Some regular free publicity would help too.
Jonathan
Back when windsurfers were $1300 you could buy a porshe new for $30000 and an average 3 bedroom house in Sydney was about 100k to 150k. Prices go up. It's not the price or technology. I learnt on a windsurfer with a wooden boom in 1982 they were really hard to sail,but the new gear is lighter, more secure and mroe stable. All over it's easier and we are all more affluent now.
It's and image thing. Let's face it if you want to sail boats it/s 10k minimum.
Demo days we normally do at Botany Bay around November when the new season gear comes in and the wind starts to blow. Check back on our site for details.
Gybe, it's great to see you getting behind the return of longboarding, but the old boards are actually great in their way. As much as I like and respect the Kona, it's not "an improvement" on the Mistral Equipe II/IMCO type in some ways. The Raceboards are clearly faster most of the time, as has been demonstrated at Worlds and in Sydney - at the 2006 Worlds the top Kona was about 40th, the top hybrid about 25th or 30th.
A lot of the time I'd rather sail a Kona (the slow tacking of a Raceboard ticks me off) but they are both great in different ways.
The Kona may be quicker on a breezy reach. It's a great board, because it tacks quickly, gybes like a slalom board, is simple and fun to sail - but in testing in Sydney it's actually been slower naround a course in medium winds than a Windsurfer One Design (using Wally rigs on each board). Then again, the top Windsurfer ODs are often as quick or quicker than an RSX or FW board.
As to why the sport died, like others here I agree it's had a lot to do with the over-emphasis on strong wind sailing. High winds and short boards are great, but they just aren't accessible to the average sailor who can't schedule life to the winds.
In the UK, France and Germany the longboards are actually the most popular racing type. It's similar here - Dobroyd has 50 longboarders alone, with 20 Raceboards twice a week.
The Windsurfer One Design has a fleet in Tasmania again, a new fleet in Cronulla (Monday twilights), the Narrabeen and Parkdale fleets are still going, and the Dobroyd fleet is now close to 30 boards (including a dozen kids). The
The mention of boats is interesting. The simplest dinghy, the Laser, is getting slower (because of the introduction of the two small rigs) it is more popular than ever in Australia.
PS You're right about the cost - boards are much cheaper compared to income etc these days. Against other consumer durables they may be more expensive,perhaps.
Boats aren't that expensive - you'll get into the top 5 in Laser Masters (60 boats at state titles) with a $1000 boat, or in the top 5 in Tasars (50 boats at state titles) with a $3,500 boat. A brand-new Laser is about $7k.
The Laser is getting slower (because of the introduction of the two small rigs) but it is more popular than ever in Australia. Food for thought.
Chris
Yes I agree with all you have said, but what would capture the imagination of millions like the orginal windsurfer. Isn't it more about lifestyle etc - look at skiing and boarding, they provide and entire culture and a holiday event that windsurfing promised in the 80's but never delivered because here are not the resorts, resteraunts, bars etc connected with the activity here. I know it's different in europe but here it just hasn't happened.
Anyway having sailed boats and windsurfers etc all my life I think the excitement is a combo of tactics and performance. great boats to sail are those that are evenly matched. like laser, wally etc.
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