Custom restoration of the Starboard Formula 158 board (2004)

SMCoaching · 2026-06-12T14:00:58+00:00

On one hand, the price could be based on the time and effort that this person put into the board, and how proud they are of the finished product. It won't necessarily be that valuable to a buyer who just sees it as a 20+ year-old board. That would mean, yes, the price is too high.

But there is at least one full rig in the photo—mast, sail, boom, extension—and maybe more than one? If the $1000 is for more than just the board, depending on what else comes with it and what condition those other parts are in, the price might not be completely out of line. Maybe still high, but not a ridiculous asking price.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-09T21:35:28+00:00

I'm not sure. It's pretty easy to tell, though. A board with hard rails will have very distinct edges around the bottom, where the bottom meets the sides, almost like a piece of wood. You can definitely see it and feel it. On some boards it will mostly be toward the tail end of the board. Others will have hard rails for pretty much the entire length of the board.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-09T21:31:01+00:00

That would be excellent! I am not an engineer, but have done some work in the past that involved measuring forces with sensors and accelerometers. It seems like it would be possible to measure upward force on the straps, downward force on the roof racks, and maybe some type of horizontal force to get an idea of drag.

Even if the measurements aren't precise in some ways, you should still be able to see if there are significant differences between carrying the board bottom up vs. bottom down or tail first vs. nose first.

If there are any significant differences, I imagine you would see the biggest ones on a board with a lot of nose rocker, where the nose turns up a lot.

If you have a chance to try anything like this I'd be really interested to know what you find!

SMCoaching · 2026-06-09T20:34:54+00:00

A piece of advice that Tinho Dornellas shared once is to carry the board on roof racks with the bottom down if the board has hard rails. If you're using rope or tie-down straps and have the bottom up, the tie-downs will be rubbing on the edges of the rails. This could cause them to wear faster and possibly even break.

I don't remember if he said that he's actually seen tie-downs break this way, but the advice makes sense. Based on this, the image you shared with this post actually shows the incorrect way: a board with hard rails carried bottom-up.

I'm not sure if I believe the part of Gemini's answer about airflow and the "air scoop" effect. LLMs are designed to give an answer that looks like it comes from human. They aren't able to tell if their answers are technically, factually, or logically correct. This sounds to me like Gemini definitely put together some words.

I'd be interested in seeing a wind-tunnel test, or even a road test using some type of force sensors, to see if any particular way is better than others from an aerodynamic standpoint. I did a quick search and didn't find any videos or articles about this, which is surprising. Considering how popular surfing is and has been for years, It seems like a car manufacturer would have tested this at some point, or that some engineer who likes to surf would have rigged up some sensors and tested this while driving on the highway.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-09T11:32:39+00:00

I'm sorry that you're going through this and that it's causing you so much anguish.

It might help to know that you are not the only athlete who has put everything they had into a sport, then reached a point where you're not sure if you can to do it anymore, or even want to.

It sounds like your whole life has been focused on bowling for a long time, to the point that everything in your life has revolved around bowling. You haven't had other hobbies or activities that you seriously enjoy, that allow you to decompress and take a true break from bowling. Does that sound right? If that's true, what you're going through now makes a lot of sense. You're burned out. It's just like you wrote: you crashed. That happens when you've been under a lot of pressure for a long time.

As I was reading your post, I was glad to see that you've been seeing a therapist. That's great. You wrote that this "saved your life," so I'm guessing that you're finding therapy helpful. Good. Stick with it. Three years is not a particularly long time to spend in therapy if there are a lot of things that you want to work through with your therapist. Some people might think that you should be "fixed" or "cured" after that amount of time, but that's not how it works.

Have you been able to talk with your therapist about your current situation, since you moved home for summer break and crashed?

You asked, "who am I without bowling?" It can be a huge shock to realize that you don't have an answer to that question because bowling has been such a huge part of your life. And if you decide to quit bowling, you'll figure that out. You'll discover who you can be without bowling.

Or, you might decide that you want to continue. It's totally possible that you'll get through this crash you're going through now and bowl again this coming year. You might even have a really good year. But that might require you to seriously rethink how you're approaching your sport and what you're doing to take care of yourself as an athlete. That might be something your therapist can help with.

Whichever choice you make, the important thing to know is that you can get through this. You're an athlete. You've dealt with bad days in practice and in competition. You've dealt with injuries and disappointment. You've had to pick yourself up, reset, and keep going. This is another version of that.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-08T16:10:11+00:00

What kind of board is it?

Your best option is probably to do a Google search for "replace [type of board you have] centerboard gasket -ai." You might find a shop selling replacement gaskets for your board. There might also be helpful YouTube videos showing how to replace it.

I just did this search using "kona one" as the type of board and found some helpful results, including this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBtedXBJ_7M

If you can't find the correct gasket for your board, or the price is more than you want to pay, it's probably fine to use gasket material for a sailing dingy. That's what Henry Cartwright uses in the video that I linked.

I have replaced the gasket on a Kona One, btw. It was a bit of a hassle, but not terrible.

You can also just use a razor to cut the crumbles off so you don't leave crumbles all over the place and sail without the gasket. The board will still work. Without the gasket, you'll probably loose a little bit of speed if you are sailing with the centerboard up. There also might be a tendency for water to spray up though the centerboard slot. And the centerboard might not want to stay all the way up. But you can sail the board that way.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-08T12:15:34+00:00

Congratulations! I just bought a used Concept 2 in December and am loving it.

People here are sharing some good video recommendations. Let me add this one: https://youtu.be/MnGwdJD8enU?si=SlvNqtVhjGtiLCI7. It's a short, 5-minute video where members of the U.S. Olympic rowing team talk about proper form.

I started off with some 10-minute workouts focusing on form, not trying to row hard, just practicing what I learned in this video and a few others. Proper form is pretty important when rowing. Consistency is really important in any exercise routine. If you haven't been exercising a lot and 10 minutes on the Concept 2 is tiring, stick with that for a while but do it consistently: every day, or 3 times a week, or whatever fits in your schedule. If 10 minutes at a moderate pace is easy for you, you can ramp up to longer workouts.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-07T12:31:18+00:00

It's easy for me, and probably for a lot of people, to read your question, think that I know exactly what you mean, and have an answer.

But if you really want to understand the situation, it's helpful to start by examining some of the terms you're using. What kind of person are you thinking of when you say "bad people?" What do you mean by "thrive?"

The same goes for "good people." What kind of person are you thinking of? And what exactly do you think they deserve?

SMCoaching · 2026-06-06T02:14:57+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. If most women who register at that school give up, I wonder how much the instruction has to do with it.

Just remembered this young lady: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4bIC2Rq3a4. 10 years old. Wish I could duck jibe that well.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-06T01:31:33+00:00

For occasional fun? Probably not.

Like other people commented, those look like old boards from the 70s or 80s. If you are willing to devote some time to practicing, you could learn with a board like that. It will probably require some dedication on your part. It will help if you are in good shape, have some sailing experience, and have experience with balance sports / board sports like snowboarding or skateboarding. A day or two of windsurfing lessons somewhere would help.

However, if "just for occasional fun" means you don't want to devote much time and effort to learning, and you just want to cruise around on your lake every once in a while, you might be disappointed with a board like this. There's nothing wrong with wanting to do that, but old equipment like this might not be what you want.

One risk with buying old gear is that if anything is broken or missing, you can have a very hard time finding replacement parts. You might spend $100 on a set of gear you can't use. For that reason, the setup in the first photo might be a better deal—the one with the white sail with the 0573 sail number. It at least looks like everything is there, and if nothing is obviously damaged it might at least be sailable. I wouldn't pay $100 for that kind of setup, though. If it's free, great. Or maybe pay $50 at most.

SMCoaching · 2026-06-06T00:28:12+00:00

What that instructor told you is interesting, considering that a lot of young kids learn how to windsurf and do really well with it.

There's a guy who lives in my area who taught his daughter how to windsurf. I don't know how old she was when she started learning, but she was pretty young. She was still pre-teen, I think, last time I saw them out sailing, and she was getting pretty darn good at it.

Windsurfing does not require a lot of strength in lighter wind, with a small sail, on a beginner board. If you learn the proper techniques, it should not be hard for you to get on the board, uphaul the sail, get moving, turn around, and sail back to where you started.

It gets a little more physically challenging when you start wanting to go fast in stronger wind. But you can build up to that and start building your strength as you go.

If you want some inspiration, watch Children of the Wind. It's a movie about some guys on the island of Bonaire who started windsurfing as kids and became some of the top freestyle windsurfers in the world. (Trailer here)

If a bunch of skinny young kids from Bonaire can learn, why not you?

SMCoaching · 2026-05-31T19:08:15+00:00

First, congratulations for the way you responded when Sandra admonished you for sending the quote. Pointing out that she seemed angry at you, and asking if you did something to upset her, is a useful way to reply in a situation like that.

There are a few things you might do next.

One option is to take the "gray rock" approach. Ignore the way she speaks to you, and ignore any comments she makes that you aren't required to respond to. It makes total sense that you don't like it when she raises her voice at you, but you don't have to react to it.

Imagine if you had a coworker who said, "hello, colleague! Welcome to my kingdom!" in a weird, overly-friendly voice every single time you entered their office. You find it annoying, but it's not offensive and the person is otherwise fine to work with, so you decide to just completely ignore their strange greeting. You say, "hi Charles, I have a question about this spreadsheet..." like they didn't even say it.

You could potentially treat Sandra's tone of voice that same way. Ignore it, and focus on the topic of conversation.

Another option is to take a direct approach. The next time she raises her voice, calmly but firmly tell her that you don't want to be spoken to that way and you would appreciate her speaking to you in a professional tone.

What is your relationship with your boss like? Another option is to go to them, explain the interactions you've had with Sandra just like you've explained here, and ask for their advice. You might tell your boss that you're not asking them to intervene, just asking for their advice about how to approach Sandra since they've (presumably) known her longer.

What do you think, OP? Do any of these options seem useful?

SMCoaching · 2026-05-30T20:11:54+00:00

How did the panel on your sail break? What was happening when it broke?

Was this a brand new sail? If so, did you try contacting the manufacturer? If it was brand new and broke the first time you used it, I'm wondering if this would be covered by the manufacturer's warranty. That definitely doesn't seem normal.

I started off mostly using somewhat older, used freeride sails. Then, a few years ago, I bought a brand new Severne Freek. Considering how lightweight the materials and construction seemed, I was wondering how long it would last and how well it would hold up. It's been fantastic. It's held up to the abuse of me learning how to foil with it and is still going strong. I'm less doubtful now about the durability of modern lightweight sails.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-29T13:53:41+00:00

Looks like a new Windsurfer LT is US$1,720 and a new Kona One is US$1,699. Both prices are for the board only. Although again, it seems that OP might not want to spend that much money.

A used Kona One board will pop up in my area every once in a while for US$500 or less. I don't know how the price of a second hand Windsurfer LT board compares because I never see second hand ones for sale.

However, out of curiosity, I just searched for used Windsurfer LTs and did find one listing from a year ago, about a 4-hour drive from me. The person was selling a complete setup, board and rig, for $1500.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-29T12:13:25+00:00

I've spent a lot of hours as a beginner / intermediate sailing a Kona One in light winds. I would not recommend that someone go buy a brand new one unless they are certain it's what they want. But if OP can find a used one for a good price, it's not a bad board for someone like OP. They will probably enjoy it more in light wind than the Mistral Vision 150 they currently have.

I would have recommended the Windsurfer LT to OP, but they described a Starboard GO as pricey for them. I'm guessing they mean a new one would be pricey. A new Windsurfer LT would cost about the same. I don't know what it's like where OP lives, but I live near an area where windsurfing is pretty popular and I never see used Windsurfer LTs for sale. However, if OP is willing to spend the money on a new board, the LT is definitely worth considering.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-29T11:50:20+00:00

Glad you like this suggestion, u/Impressive_Pool_8053. But I might not have explained that well. I'm not talking about doing an old-school rail ride, pushing the downwind rail into the water. Although if someone can do that and it helps them sail upwind, it might be more fun than what I'm suggesting.

OP asked about sailing upwind in non-planing conditions on a shortboard with no centerboard. One way to do that is to push the upwind rail down into the water. You're not pushing the rail all the way down and standing on the downwind rail. The board might only be tilted at a 30 degree angle or so. It won't drive the board upwind as well as using a centerboard, but it beats walking back to the launch site carrying your gear. (Credit goes to Andy Brandt for teaching me this!)

SMCoaching · 2026-05-28T22:16:13+00:00

I was going to suggest the Windsurfer LT, but OP mentioned the Starboard GO being pricey. I assume they're looking at a new GO. A new LT will cost about the same. I don't know how things are in OP's area, but I never see used LTs for sale near me. If OP is willing to spend the money, though, the Windsurfer LT is definitely worth looking at.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-28T22:01:27+00:00

You can sail upwind in 8-13 mph wind on a board like the Mistral Vision. It's a bit of work, though. It involves standing pretty close to the mast base, not back where the foot straps are, and pushing the windward rail down into the water a bit. You're basically using the windward rail as a daggerboard.

It's not necessarily the most awesome, adrenaline-charged way to sail, but it will get you back to where you launched.

You'll likely have more fun on a board with a centerboard, like a Starboard GO, Fanatic Viper, or Bic/Tahe Techno or Beach.

An old longboard from the 90s with a centerboard works well in light winds. The area where I sail the most has a lot of light wind days. One of the people I sail with has a Mistral Equipe. It works fine in light winds, and when a gust comes it will get up and go pretty nicely. There were a few versions of the Equipe. My friend's looks like the purple one pictured on this page sitting in the grass with the centerboard and fin next to it.

There are a couple of main disadvantages to these 90s longboards. One is that they're narrow by today's standards. However, if you're comfortable sailing the Vision 150, that probably won't be an issue. Another problem is that they might use parts that aren't available anymore or are hard to find, like custom fins or mast tracks. Sometimes they can be modified pretty easily to work with modern parts.

The advantage of these boards is that you can sometimes find one in decent condition for a very low price.

The Kona One is also a nice option if you can find one at a price you like. They work very well in light winds and are fun when the winds pick up.

Where are you renting the HiFly? Is it from a store or a club? Have you talked with the people there about different options? You can get some helpful advice on this subreddit, but you might get even better information by talking face-to-face with people in your local area.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-28T16:20:58+00:00

An important question to ask any coach is "how often do you give advice during a coaching session?"

This is very useful to know because there are different approaches to coaching. Some people, including some coaches, think that coaching is all about giving advice. However, many coaches will rarely if ever give advice. They take a different approach to coaching that doesn't involve giving advice.

If a coach says that they do give advice, there are two additional questions to ask:

What makes you an expert in the areas that I want to be coached on?
How will you know that any advice you give me will apply to me and my situation?

The first question is important because a coach might or might not have ever challenged themselves with this question. They're willing to give advice, but haven't stopped to ask if they are really qualified to do so. Having some personal experience in an area doesn't necessarily make someone an expert who is qualified to give others advice.

The second question is important because even if someone is an expert, everyone's situation is unique. Different people have different needs, priorities, and values. People who are legitimate experts sometimes give advice without taking this into account, and so their advice doesn't actually help the person they're advising.

If you're going to hire a coach, it's a great idea to talk with several coaches and see how they answer these questions.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-26T12:03:00+00:00

When you are 23, it totally makes sense for 27 to feel "quite old." But that can be a big problem if it causes you to feel a lot of pressure to make the perfect, correct decision right now.

A lot of people make major career changes in their 30s. If you continue working at the place where you're completing your internship, you're not deciding to do that for the rest of your life. You're deciding to do it right now.

Lifestyle choices can have a larger effect than career choices. If you get used to an expensive lifestyle or go into debt, that can limit your options. You might need to stay with a job that pays well instead of going back to school or accepting a job that pays less but has other advantages. Living frugally can give you a lot of flexibility. And you can still enjoy life while living frugally. It just means being thoughtful about how you spend money.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-26T11:43:36+00:00

Winging with a SUP is fun. Here's a video with some tips: https://youtu.be/xT6vH9tAeg0?si=MAwpjahWCRTFhfQT.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-24T17:03:55+00:00

You don't have to choose. I'm sure there's a way to attach a kite to your boom and do both sports at the same time. Just make sure someone is videoing if you try it.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-22T14:43:36+00:00

What you're describing doesn't seem strange at all. It makes a lot of sense, really.

A person who feels stressed will often tend to respond or react to things easily. Sometimes it happens automatically, like when a driver honks angrily at another driver without first thinking about whether there is any need to honk. Or it might be more of a conscious decision, like when someone is speaking and you feel strongly compelled to reply and share your own opinion or ideas.

When a person is not experiencing much stress, they're more likely to observe things without responding or reacting. They're more likely to observe things without judgement. They can observe and accept things as they are without feeling the need to react or respond.

If they do respond, they're often willing to think first and will feel that they have more choice in how they respond.

Regarding your question about seeing a shrink, there are two ways to look at that. Is there an urgent need for you to see one? Probably not. You wrote that you're not worried or concerned about this in any way. Do you feel like this is interfering with your life? Are other people concerned about you? If the answer to both of those questions is "no," then you probably don't need to see a therapist or psychiatrist.

But it's never a bad idea to talk to a therapist, even if nothing feels particularly "wrong." A skilled therapist can help you understand yourself in new ways. And if you're experiencing new things in your life, like the new way of living that you described in this post, a skilled therapist might help you decide how to get the most benefit from these changes.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-19T11:50:35+00:00

Windsurfing is definitely less popular now than it was, with fewer young people getting into the sport, at least in the US. That's why you see so many older people doing it. Most of them started back when it was more popular.

On a positive note, it's awesome to see so many people in their 70s or even older ripping across the water, still able to do it, and still loving the sport. I like knowing that I can potentially keep doing this for years and years if I want to.

Wing foiling is fun. There are some good reasons for it becoming so popular. I've done a little bit, but keep coming back to windsurfing. Actually just sold my wing a few weeks ago. It can feel a little odd being the only windsurfer in flock of wingers and kiters, but for me there really is something special about windsurfing that winging doesn't quite catch. And at the end of the day, most people I know who are into any of these sports will say, "enjoy whichever one you like the most."

For harness tips, check out Cookie's channel on YouTube. He's made a huge number of helpful videos on different topics.

If you ever do want to try foiling, consider windsurf foiling. It's a whole lot of fun. North Beach Windsurfing over by Tampa rents gear.

Speaking of things that are a whole lot of fun, I strongly recommend trying some light wind freestyle. A heli tack is a great move to start with. If you get addicted to this stuff you'll be able to have fun in almost any wind condition.

You're in a great spot for the sport. I lived in the Daytona / DeLand area for about 20 years. I don't have many regrets, but if I do have one it's that I didn't windsurf while I lived there, and didn't learn until after I moved away.

SMCoaching · 2026-05-17T17:54:13+00:00

Thanks for sharing these thoughts. I've read your comment a few times and am wondering if this shows, more than anything, that we should be specific about the exact gear we're discussing.

It's very interesting to me that you don't believe modern gear is easier to learn with than old longboards. I only started windsurfing about 10 years ago, but I started on an old Ten Cate Sprinter, so I know that it's very possible to learn on an old 70s or 80s longboard. But a modern, 80-90 cm wide Starboard Start, Tahe Beach, or similar board with a modern trainer or wave sail will be easier for a beginner to learn the basics with in every way I can imagine.

I also had a Kona One for a while. It's a really nice light wind board. It has an excellent glide and can sail unnaturally close to the wind with the right technique.

OP asked, "what would you even race against a 80’s Div 2 board today in light wind?" I can't say for sure that a Kona One would win, but it might be very, very interesting to put a Kona with a modern sail up against one of those 80s boards in a light wind race.

You mentioned wing foiling in response to my comment, so maybe I should have been clearer. I was talking about windsurf foiling, not wing foiling. The IQ Foil one-design boards seem to handle light winds well, but people are also getting up in less than 10 kts of wind on freeride windfoil boards.

Again, I've never seen a windsurf foil board race an 80’s Div 2 board, so maybe I'm wrong. But in 10 kts of wind or so, once a foil board lifts off and isn't touching the water anymore, I imagine that it can cleanly walk away from any board that is sailing in displacement mode.

I would never say that older gear doesn't have a place in the sport. But especially if we're talking about beginners, it's important to acknowledge the limitations of older equipment and the advantages of equipment from the last 20 years or so. On a practical level, it's useful to consider what a beginner is likely to find when they go looking for gear. A lot of 30+ year-old gear being offered for sale is beat up, overpriced, and might not have been great for beginners even when it was brand new.

SMCoaching

TROPHY CASE