Gday!

I'm after a bit of advice about board volume as I want to progress quickly and not be stuck with a log of a board, so any advice would be welcome as Im stuck as what to go for!

I can uphaul and get going with ease. I can get on the plane and blast confidently, and stay dry on about 50% of my tacks and gybes. Thing is I weigh in at a solid 90 kilos so Im guessing that a board with volume of 200 litres would be the go.

Im really tempted to cut the volume a bit tho and go for say a 160 litre BIC techno, but Im afraid that I'll sink like a brick when uphauling and do an impression of a german uboat when getting underway.

seeing Im not a total novice could a lower volume board be the go? or am i just kidding myself?

Many Thanks

Squidlips

Agree with Moby, depends what winds you sail in.

And what size board you have at the moment.
Will that do as your low wind board? Or are you thinking of replacing it?

If your keeping your current board for light winds, then you can go smaller with your new board, than you would if it's going to be your only board.

If you were here, (15kt to 25kt), I'd say go for something between 110 to 130 and learn to waterstart.
The 110 should be uphaulable but you may sink a bit in the process.
If you don't go out in anything much over 15kt to 18kt, then the 160 litre may be more appropriate.

If you weigh yourself holding board and rig, that weight in kilograms, is the volume in liters needed to just float you, with the whole board just submerged, If it's a wide style board, that should have enough stability to be uphaulable in calm water, but could be tricky in swell or chop, another 10 litres on top of that should make it a bit easier.
Think this is where the Moby's formula comes from, board and rig are probably about 15Kg-20Kg.
Once you can watersart you should be able to use a 90 to 110 litre board if it's over 18kt

louder the better... I said

the LOUDER the BETTER

If you have the time and the wind then

90 kg = 90 litres

Stay dry on 50% of gybes? Squidlips, you are way past being a novice. I ride a 78 litre, and am happy to make 50% of my gybes.

I would say this...plan to own at least 2 boards. Think of your first board as your "light wind" board. I think weight plus 40 is a good guide. (So, 130 litres) Then down the track, when you can waterstart, you then buy your "big wind" board, which will be somewhere around the sub 100 litre mark.

I started with a 105 litre, then bought the 78 later. I am 65kg.

Harrow said...

I think weight plus 40 is a good guide.

I'm 14 stones.

Squidlips said...

Gday!

I can uphaul and get going with ease. I can get on the plane and blast confidently, and stay dry on about 50% of my tacks and gybes. Thing is I weigh in at a solid 90 kilos so Im guessing that a board with volume of 200 litres would be the go.

Many Thanks

Squidlips

Yeah like someone else said, you're doing well if you can gybe and stay dry on 50% (assuming they are planing gybes). One of the first skills I ever learn was waterstarting about 13 years before a 10 year break and only learnt planing gybes in the last 2 years.

I'm 95kg and until recently had a 131 carve (just broke it). This is an excellent volume for you because it is comfortable to uphaul and is so much closer than your 200litre board to the feel of a short board. Like other said you will be able to uphaul maybe around 110 but it's is certainly not easy. Even on a 130 you will soon learn you can't put too much weight on the front foot during an uphaul or you sink the nose. A board around 130 will likely have a bigger fin too which will make learning the waterstart easier as the board will be less likely to turn upwind on you during take off. Until you learn to deal with it, small fin boards will drift sideways a lot during a waterstart until you get some forward motion into the fin.

In the end I think anything between 120-150 litres will feel extremely responsive and exciting to you after sailing a 200litre.

evlPanda said...

13 decilitres.

edit: ... hang on, I think that's wrong. Backfired.

Perhaps you meant to say 0.13 cubic metres, or 8791 table spoons