I think volume does a few things and it depends on the board and where the volume is.

It can give you better stability because when the rail tips to a point it will stop where a thiner board will keep tipping.

A thicker rail can prevent water washing over the deck and tail and that can cause drag.. Most race and DW boards seem to be pretty thick for this reason imo.

Too much volume in a wave board can be a bad thing because it can make it hard to keep a rail in at speed and it does raise you off the water more.

DJ

Volume or volume distribution? You could have a 20 x 12 x 3 with the same volume as an 8'6 x 28 x 4 one will be clearly more stable than the other.

If you are referring to litreage(or something like that) as quoted for various boards then you should cease comparing boards in that way. As stated by CMC volume distribution is what is important and not just the amount of litres of volume. To give you an example I spent a bit of time on an 8.5 sup that had about 125 litres and I found that it was every bit as stable as some boards I have ridden that were up around the 180 litres. Many will disagree with me here but I have never been a supporter of matching up litres in a board to your weight to ascertain what is the perfect board for you. The only way to find the perfect board/sup is to try as many as you can and see what feels good for you. In sups you can generally (not always) be assured that width will give you stability.

Thanks.

Im asking as considering a narrower , higher volume , wave board, (from 9
*33" to 10*29.5" and 145-161 litres.)and am hoping that will still be able to have good balance in our crappy Prth conditions. Im 6'4 and 95 kg.

Thanks again . Answers very helpful. Will demo first.

Lou depends on the nose, the wider nose gives heaps of area and makes much more stable. More parallel rails help glide so 10 will be better than 9 for catching waves

Which 10

its a tricky subject too much volume is sometimes more unstable like for instance i found my 88 with super low rails more stable than my old 93 psh as i was too light for this board and with the big thick rails i was sitting to high up on top of the water and any ripple would send me in. So like as the guys above have stated its all about distribution pretty good question though.

I recon volume at the rail is the thing but my home made 10'10" x 32 x 5 is more unstable than a starboard drive. The thing is, as mentioned before is the water on top of the deck acts to stabilize the board . Step decks are even more unstable. My home made 8 by 27 x4 is almost unrideable . CMC said that the sort of foam makes a difference but I can't see how. The volume of the board is the volume of the board and the flotation would be the same (unless one weighed significantly more). my 2 cents.

log man said...

I recon volume at the rail is the thing but my home made 10'10" x 32 x 5 is more unstable than a starboard drive. The thing is, as mentioned before is the water on top of the deck acts to stabilize the board . Step decks are even more unstable. My home made 8 by 27 x4 is almost unrideable . CMC said that the sort of foam makes a difference but I can't see how. The volume of the board is the volume of the board and the flotation would be the same (unless one weighed significantly more). my 2 cents.

You hit the nail on the head.

Different foams have different weights. They are weighted in pounds per foot cube. Eg 1lb 2lb 3lb etc. They are vastly different in weight due to bead size, compaction and air content. PU is completely different and will float far less than EPS. So volume alone is only relevant to its flotation coefficients. You would presume one brand would use the same foam though so you only need to consider length, width, planshape, deckroll, rocker, rail shape, deck line, bottom contours etc etc etc to work out the volumes effect between designs.

Firstly let me clarify that I am not intending to push any brand with this post just my thoughts:
Certain brands are by nature very stable due to being fairly wide/fat and having a fuller outline. I would suggest that you get yourself a ride on a starboard that is 30" wide and the Coreban Icon because they are very stable boards.(I dont ride either or sell either) They aren't any better than other boards - they are just a good guide to what I would consider very stable without going over the top and getting a boat. Then you will have a starting point. Because both these boards have full shapes including nose and tail width and boxy rails you can then start eliminating parts from the puzzle as you try other boards - by that I mean you could then try something wide but with a more performance rail and feel the difference or go narrow but thick with boxy rails and by making small changes you may start to formulate a bit of an idea what you do and don't like in boards. Whatever you do though, do not discount any board that you have the chance to try no matter what the size, shape or label - at the end of the day you have to fork out the dollars and you have to live with it so make sure in your own mind that you have made your decision for the right reasons.

Love this forum. Always get good advice.

Totally different to the kite forum which has become an absolute waste of time.

Thanks again.