Just wondering if for the same volume a shorter board is more likely to be damaged or a longer? I've had a few stacks but hang onto the boom and have never damaged my Tabou Rockets..Does board length make any difference to likelihood of damage?

I too have catapulted on my Rockets a few times too and as yet have failed to damage the nose on them.

Most of my board damage happens in my garage at home

sboardcrazy said..

Just wondering if for the same volume a shorter board is more likely to be damaged or a longer? I've had a few stacks but hang onto the boom and have never damaged my Tabou Rockets..Does board length make any difference to likelihood of damage?

When I was learning I used to smack the nose of the board with the mast. It makes sense as that's where the force is going when you release the rig, and its less common to hit the sides of the board. Whether the board is short or long, it hits the same place.

Since then, I learned also, to keep a hold of the boom. That seems to push the board out from under you when you catapult, so as a result you don't smack the nose.

I've never damaged the nose of a board until recently In maui
Hired a Goya quad brand new out of the box
Had one catapult from nose first landing cracked the front not bad but still cracked
When looking at the older boards in the racks they all had nose repairs done
I think it's because the nose on them is so round

Assuming similar construction methods/materials, I don't think length or rocker have a lot of effect on nose damage, unless the board is so long the boom head hits the board instead of the nose.

Damage is affected by how much the board resists moving when the mast hits. A direct hit on a wide square nose is probably the worst, as there is a lot of area resisting sinking and the square nose doesn't defect the blow at all.
probably the least damage is on the old style "no nose" there isn't as much area/floatation to stop the nose sinking, and the blow will be at much more of an angle to the rail, deflecting the board and or rig sideways. (It's still possible to hit the nose square on but much less likely).

So to answer you original question, it depends how the same volume is achieved when length is decreased. If it's by making the nose wider, then you may get more damage.