Hey I'm in the Atlanta area and I've been gifted a Bic dufour wing. Board is original and there is a newer sail and mast and original mast base. All I need is a daggerboard but finding one is proving hard. Was hoping if anyone had any suggestions
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Hey I'm in the Atlanta area and I've been gifted a Bic dufour wing. Board is original and there is a newer sail and mast and original mast base. All I need is a daggerboard but finding one is proving hard. Was hoping if anyone had any suggestions
you could carve one - might be your only option. I assume that it has a fin.
I'm not sure what your skill level is so forgive me if you already know this but you can still use it until you find a dagger board by dipping the rail to get upwind.
Alan
This is a big gotcha with very old gear - the Dufour is close on to 40 yrs old or more. That one proprietary piece you need will cost in either cash or time as much as a newer board.
If you already are a competent windsurfer, it won't be a bad project for the warm months. If you are just starting out, a decent board from the last 20-25 years will be, imho, miles ahead in getting you on the water without frustration. Yes, people did learn on them but a lot never did and why so many are in good condition in basements and garages.
Depending on your woodworking skills and available tools, you can make a replacement. Cut, shape and seal/varnish. Just take a moment and consider if this is really the quickest and easiest way to get on the water.
Side note: your weight is also a factor in how easy this board is. A lot of the people who did well on it were sub-170. If you are bigger, seriously consider getting something significantly wider (80+cm)
I'm not trying to gatekeep or gear shame - I want you to have fun and frustration is definitely not fun.
My skill level is absolutely zero ha ha.
I'm watching YouTube videos on how to set everything up and it's hard to find info on how to rig it. Especially at the mass base, it seems like there should be a hook that grabs the bottom of the sail and pulls down but as of right now it's two strings, I can send pictures if needed. But are you saying I don't necessarily need the board to get started? Because that leaves me getting a life jacket and then I think I'm ready to go in the water once I rig the sail properly
Yeah the size is going to be an issue then, I'm 245 with absolutely no experience. I'm competent in skateboarding and longboarding, my watersports experience is some light river kayaking so balancing on a board and being on something in the water isn't necessarily foreign but it seems like it will be a challenge. I don't know how universal masts are to different bases so I can figure out the mast I have later. It says "topsail" on the bag and the mast seems like it fits properly. I'm on a shoestring budget for this but am open to suggestions
This board will not be your friend. Let us look around for something much more suitable. It doesn't have to be expensive but it might take a little patience. What you will want is something as wide and floaty as possible. They do exist.
Masts in the last 30 years really only come in two flavors (standard and reduced diameter) and it's a 95% chance you have a standard (sdm) Bits for it are cheap to pretty much free. I think you are good there.
I know you want to get on the water but it's like when I coached kids' sports. If they have a good time, they'll be back next week. If they don't, they never come back. We really want you to succeed. We'll keep an eye out and if you see something locally or on FB, CL etc we'll be glad to give you guidance. We've got no vested interest other than you having fun.
At your weight, it is possible to sail a traditional long board but it's just really, really hard. The good news is once you get some experience, you'll be really fast.
(The pros are around 200-230 lbs. )
Post here or message me as you have more questions etc. Super excited you starting your journey. We're happy you are here.
Yeah that's kind of the consensus from other sources online. I'll start looking around and maybe when I have some skill and my buddy finds the daggerboard I can run a retro set-up, some of the old school guys will get a kick out of it. I even have the old sail. Might earn me some street cred on the lake one day. I appreciate the advise.