What is "old school" gear?

Windsurfing shapes — the things that really change how gear performs — were essentially set by 2003 for boards and 2010 for sails. After those points, year-on-year design is incremental. So a 2012 board or a 2014 sail performs close to a new one for most riders, at a fraction of the price.

We use "old school" as a friendly label for this category: not vintage (that's much older), not current, but the value sweet spot.

Boards: the wide-tail revolution around 2003 was the big shape break. Sails evolve faster — modern profiles really established by 2010.

• Modern shapes, half the price. A 2012 board has the same shape principles as a 2024 one. For most riders, the difference is imperceptible.
• Perfect for beginners. Why pay €1,500 for a new freerider when €350 gets you a 2013 model that planes the same?
• Tried and tested. If it's been used for ten years and still working, you know the build quality.
• Lower stakes. Less worry about that first impact with a sandbar.

In good condition, old school boards typically sell for €300–400 across EU markets. Sails of the same era are usually €100–250 depending on size and brand. That's roughly the price floor for gear that's still actively wanted — below that you're usually looking at gear that needs repairs or is too old to be useful.

On the sell flow and inventory, you can tick "Don't know the year — this is old school" when you have older gear but can't pin down the exact year. This:

• Makes the year field optional
• Tags your listing with the old school filter so buyers actively looking for value deals can find it
• Avoids forcing you to guess a year (or pretend it's newer than it is — buyers can tell)

For truly vintage gear (longboards, dacron sails, pre-2000 stuff), please write that in the description — we curate those separately.