Old Windsurfer converted to SUP

[Otto Rax]

Hello All, first-time poster here

I wanted to get into paddleboarding, but was working on a very tight income. I was lucky enough to come across an old 80's Hobie Alpha 230 windsurf board. It is 12' x 29", and has a replaceable fin. It isn't as stable as a "real" paddleboard, but I've only compared it to a Naish. For $42, I can't complain though. It is rotomolded and weighs about 38 lbs, but it is also a lot less fragile, and for my first board I can abuse it. It definitely give me more of a workout since I'm constantly adjusting my balance via legwork, but on the upside, it also has studs in it, so a few eyelets and bungee cord gave gives me a place to strap down a dry bag for excursions.

I do have some questions though...

1) It has a rubber nose guard that is screwed on, and is specific to this board. It is intact, but pretty gnarly and I would like to take it off and replace it with another nose guard. Obviously, the chances of finding this precise one are pretty much nill. Can anyone recommend a large/jumbo "stick-on" nose guard that I could use to cover this space and retain the sleek shape a bit, while still having the functionality of a nose guard?

2) What is a good option for a traction pad that will adhere to the resin surface?

3) Is it frowned upon to be a cheap bastard and go this route until I can afford a "real" board? I don't care if people laugh at me, but I deserve to know why 

4) it has a section through the middle that was originally for the daggerboard. and the bulk of it is covered with a screw-on plate top and bottom. Should I replace the plates with something solid, and fill the gap with expanding foam, or replace the plates with gasketed ones and use that small space as a "cubby" for throwing my keys, whistle, LED, etc?

[AirJunky]

Check out "SUP traction pad" on Ebay. Or check out the site sponsors that are listed here?
Heres an inexpensive one

I did the same thing for my first board. Bought a $75 Bic windsurfer. Stuck a traction pad on it (about $70). Bought a Carlisle Taboo adjustable paddle (about $90). And spent about 4 months on it learning how to paddle, working on balance, etc. At some point a local shop had a demo day. I was by far the most advanced paddler there. The regular SUPs were way more stable than the windsurfer, so it was very easy for me to progress quickly.


It may be frowned upon & make you look cheap if your surfing big breaks in Hawaii or SoCal, but on my little local lake, I was the only guy out there doin it. Now there are dozens, and many of them are doin the same thing.

BTW, I easily sold mine when I bought my new board. Got $300 for it & I see the guy out on the lake occasionally.

[surf monkey]

looks good,

I started out the same way and for the same reason cost, I would just paddle it make it functional, leave the nose as is looks fine and protects it, If you like the sport you will be looking for a newer lighter board so save your money.

Good job and have fun.

If you live in the Ventura area and need another windsurfer for a friend to paddle with I have one I'll give you.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Hey, I've done the same. My wife and I first tried SUP on a 1980s vintage F2 Strato. It had a concave deck but the surface was nice and rough to hold on to, provided you were wearing booties to protect the bottom of your feet. Even after we bought our first SUP, I did most of my paddling alongside my wife on an Exocet Kona One windsurfer. The only advantage of those old windsurfers for a beginner is that daggerboard. You can pop it down for extra stability. It does make you slower, though.

Were any of these boards ideal? No, but they got us started. My wife still uses that Mistral adjustable paddle (heavy!), but I'm sure glad I've graduated to a Kioloa paddle.

-Ian

[Otto Rax]

Ya, I opted to drop some coin on a decent paddle - went with a Werner Advantage 1 pc

[Muskoka SUP]

Go for it....

I started 5 years ago on my Mistral SST....25" wide, triple concave, very tippy unless you were paddling.....

I got wet a lot.   

But when I migrated to a purpose built SUP board, it was soooo easy.... all that balance training paid off...

David S.

[Dwight (DW)]

I loved this board. I owned it in 1981.

[jdmotes]

 The cool thing is "it already has a hand-hole". The bad thing is "the hand-hole goes all the way through the board"  ...   Paddle on bro; anyway you can,           JD

[RainWaves]

 Don't worry about it and get on the water! As long as you are out paddling, you'll be having more fun those who aren't. I started out this past winter on a derelict "Performance Sailcraft" old fiberglass windsurfer barge. I guess it was from the early '80's at best, hollow and weighs 74lbs. 28" X 12'4", with a tiny 6" skeg I stole off my Skurfer.  Unstable at best, wouldn't go straight, hardly any rocker and would pearl in 8" chop. But you know what? I had a blast on it, every time 

 As some have pointed out, (and I think) that the tippy, hard to paddle boards make the best trainers out there as you are getting the basics down, and when you do get a "real board", your skill level will reflect it.

[beaglebuddy]

That board is perfectly fine, It's so old I don't think anyone will notice it's not a real SUP, probably get people asking you about it not realizing it's an old windsurfer.
Try wearing some type of booties or footwear and maybe you don't need a deckpad.
You could fill up the daggerboard hole but it'll just make even heavier and it's already too heavy. I'd be looking for ways to strip bits off it to make it lighter.
Looks like you have a nice big fin on it, that'll help, some old windsurfers had tiny fins like the Mistral superlight hanging up behind me here in the garage.