Windsurfer OD Specifications

Most windsurfers are only designed for planing, so they either need strong winds or big sails so they can generate enough power to get onto the plane. The Wally is different.

The Windsurfer One Design is a long, skinny, and heavy low-volume board with a small “soft” sail.

The 'Windsurfer' One Design

Length - 3.66m
Width - 66cm
Volume - approx. 175 litres
Weight - approx. 20kg
Construction - Polyethelene
Design - Schweitzer and Drake 1969?
Modified 1983?

Most windsurfers are only designed for planing, so they either need strong winds or big sails so they can generate enough power to get onto the plane. The Wally is different. While it’s got a flat planing hull, it’s so long and skinny that in light air if can carve efficiently through the water, and build up planing speed without the power of a massive rig. That allows the One Design to perform with a small and very light “soft” sail. It’s made of tough Mylar/dacron, and it can last for 14 years or more in regular use. Where most boards rely on their big fins for upwind performance, the Wally uses a big centreboard and a small fin. That allows it to tack and gybe almost instantly and makes the One Design the ideal board for fluky conditions. The One Design doesn’t have the same top speed as a modern board, but in light winds (up to about 6-8 knots) it can often beat today’s most modern boards. In a real blow it can even scare Raceboards, because the small sail allows it to sail when many big rigs have been blasted off the water.

The One Design isn’t for everyone. If you’re into high-end speed running, carving high-speed gybes or blasting back and forth in a breeze, you’d be better off with another type of board. Just remember to pack a Wally for those light-wind days.

ARE THE ALL THE SAME?

The original version of the Windsurfer One Design had a bendier mast, a stretchier lower-aspect dacron sail, and a daggerboard that dropped through a hole in the deck. The original version is still great for light-air fun, and you’ll find many you can get for free. But in strong winds the old rig can get hard to control, and to go downwind in a big breeze you have to pull the daggerboard out of the slot and sling it under an arm. In the ’80s, the One Design was modified, with a stiffer mast, a higher-aspect sail in more stable Mylar, and a centreboard that rotated up inside the board (right). It’s much more convenient to beach, and much easier and more fun to sail.