WA
50 posts
Weight and Volume....Current weight is 75kgs..looking for downwinder..like the NSP DC 14 x 28..but ..the volume is 326 litres..seems too much...currently have NSP DC 12.6 x 29..256 litres...any input welcome.Looking for the 2nd Santa present.
NSW
526 posts
Hey mate,
In my humble opinion I think people get too hung up on volume vs weight being the deciding factor in board choice.
You should be buying based on personal feel after demoing. You may be surprised by what you find.
People of similar body weights but differing levels of skill, balance, fitness etc will often have very different opinions on the exact same board.
Many boards of similar volume have very very different characteristics due to volume distribution, bottom shape, rail shape, deck shape...............
Best advice any of us keyboard warriors can give you is to demo as much as you can and buy what feels best and most comfortable to you!!! (And have fun in the process!!)
VIC
17570 posts
IMO for DW boards the more the better (up to a point).
More volume usually means less water flowing over the rails and tail.. Quicker recovery from pearling.. and a stiffer and stronger board..
VIC
627 posts
Hey Ian
Kieran and DJ both make very good and valid points.
Typically, with the trade off on volume also is a loss of stability. Boards are pretty much either 12'6" or 14' and the primary thing that changes is width and hence stability to a similar extent, as well as a reduction in volume. We all know narrow is fast, but there is a consideration in that if you have a wider board, it's more forgiving and you can push harder in a given wind/sea condition.
It's easy to lose 30 seconds if you have a fall. Fall 3 times, that's 90 seconds. The question becomes is a 28" board that is more stable and forgiving more than 90 seconds slower over a given downwind run than a narrower board you've fallen off 3 times? Only you can answer that, but I think lots of stability and volume on a downwind board can only be a good thing for the fun factor to be through the charts....
2 posts
I am 75kg. Went from a 12'6 x 30 220l board to a 14 x 25 300l DC nsp somewhat nervously having paddled a fat 300l board in the past which was too floaty or at least it felt like I was standing way up in the air. But i love the DC nsp the volume is all up the nose it seems to me, the deck in the standing area is nice and low. I do find it a bit of a handful in a cross wind with the nose getting blown off but downwind and in surf it is great. For down winding I would prefer the 28 wide if I could find one within my meagre budget.
