Good afternoon all , I have for a while now considered trying out windsurfing. I was earlier today given a board, mast and boom, now i know that i will need a couple of fins for stability and a sail but i cant for the life of me work out how the mast fastens into the the holder on the slide rail ! Not sure exactly what the board is or how old it is , says vinta on the side and seventy in large letters on the front.
Any info about sail size and how to fasten the mast to the board would be gratefully received along with anything else any of you think i may need.
If it helps i can get pictures and post them up to help

Oh boy do you have a steep learning curve ahead!
Vinta no longer make boards but used to be popular as they were less expensive and hard wearing (most of them...)
It should be something-70 i.e. 270 or 370 (i.e. centimetres so you can measure it to see)
does it have a dagger board? if so it'll be a 370 - OK for learning on
but I don't remember if they made one - I think it was a 365 in which case....
If its a 270 then I would highly recommend you think twice about using it to learn - a vinta 270 is NOT a beginners board and in my humble opinion was a very difficult board to sail even for a regular sailor.
To join the mast to the board you need a UJ (Universal Joint) try google images "vinta windsurfer universal joint" you'll see a rubber bendy bit with a bolt through to a plastic washer/ring which plugs into the board and a pin slots in to hold it in place.

Let us know which size it is before we go on.

also the type/length of mast and boom might be useful...

Regards
Bert

HI thanks for the quick reply its a 370cms board

Mast is 480 cms long and feels / sounds like fibre glass
Boom is 210 cms long ie from tip to tip again feel like fibre glass

You might have some success learning with that kit - I'd say you need a sail something like 5m2 and as you say an old style fin (still used in wave boards)
Sounds like you're missing the mast cup/extension and universal joint - some searching tinternet may yield results...
Can't say it'e the best time of year for learning ;(
I would strongly recommend a two day RYA course to get you started - you'd be amazed how much hard work and swimming you'll avoid if someone just starts you off on the right track - Look on the RYA site under training for "Start Windsurfing"