Starboard Go Does Double Duty
Written: Dec 07 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: good for beginners to advanced sailors
Cons: need for fin between trainer and stock 54 cm fin
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| ellenws's Full Review: Starboard Go |
As an experienced sailor, my first impression of the Starboard GO was quite a pleasant surprise. I was able to demo one in 20-25 mph winds, and 18" chop, with a 6.2 race sail. Looking at its width, and the 54 cm fin, I was fully expecting to have an uncomfortable ride given my lighter weight status as a windsurfer. On the contrary, I found the board to be a pleasure to ride in these conditions.
As a windsurfing instructor, I was curious how this wide board would be for teaching so I tried it out the next day with a small trainer sail and the optional "Starbilizer" package. This optional package consists of a large but shallow semicircular fin, and 2 triangular side fins which attach with 2 screws midway along the sides of the board for non-planing upwind tracking. Once again, I was very impressed with the way the board performed for me, and more so with how it performed for the total beginner who was recruited to try it out. The wind was still in the 20-25 mph range, but this "never-ever" was uphauling with no problem, and staying on board quite happily, executing basic turns and sailing around in short order. The soft yet grippy EVA deck was a big plus also. I immediately bought a GO for my freelance teaching business (US Sailing Certified Windsurfing Instructor).
It is clearly a board that a person can learn the basics on, and then continue learning with over a broad range of conditions. In addition to beginners, I use it to teach more experienced students some basic freestyle moves, as it acts like the shortboard that it is, but has a big margin of stability so that they aren't exhausting themselves falling off, and climbing back on. The beginners I have started on the GO have ranged in size from 45 lbs to 220 lbs, and in age from 7 years to 65 years, using sails from 2.0 to 4.5 training rigs. There seems to be very little that this board cannot accommodate, although a mid-size fin for mid-size sails would be a big help.
It was my plan to use the board exclusively for teaching as I already had a big board for light wind. That soon changed, as I found that it was much easier to simply change fins and go out on the 54 cm fin with my big sail and blast around. My students also told me that they felt a greater sense of accomplishment to find that they were going to learn, or had just learned on - a board that their instructor could be seen having such a great time on.
Previously, I had been using a HiFly Primo and a WindGlider as a teaching boards, but I have mothballed the Primo in favor of the GO. I teach out of my van, and space is therefore an issue. The GO is one board that I can teach with and sail myself - a spacesaver for sure. Not only that but at 23 pounds, it weighs 20 pounds less than the Primo! I teach mostly in shallow water conditions, and the GO with the training fin works very well there and does not have a big centerboard that gets caught on the bottom. The combination of the GO and the WindGlider has been a winning team for me this past season, and I have found that nearly all the GO students have almost immediately purchased new or used equipment to continue with this sport.
If space or budget is an issue, the GO is definitely the board to consider as it covers such a broad spectrum of uses. You may have to get a wider roof rack to accommodate its width, but in trade, you won't be carrying as many boards. Although it may be awfully easy to the whole family interested, so learning to "share" may be the bigger issue!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ellenws
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Member: Ellen Faller
Location: New Haven area, CT
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 15 members
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