Author Topic: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?  (Read 22866 times)

Cardiff Sweeper

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #15 on: July 07, 2012, 04:30:22 PM »
^
Sounds about right.

What we should take from this discussion is that ability and a higher skill level makes up for lower buoyancy.
How many threads are there about, "Will this board float me?"

:)

This SW swell is kind of a bust.
(sitting in my car at Seaside)

sup_surf_giant

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #16 on: July 07, 2012, 04:42:16 PM »


This SW swell is kind of a bust.
(sitting in my car at Seaside)

We got some head high slabs this AM. Pretty inconsistent though.

Did you get any?
Taller than most, shorter than others.

StuBro

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #17 on: July 07, 2012, 06:46:44 PM »
Colas,

For us people still stuck with the Imperial System math and conversion is just a way of life.  I wish we would get with the metric system already.  Last time we tried it was in the late '70s and it was a bust.  Too many stubborn people.

The easiest way for us to to just convert our lbs to Kilos by dividing by 2.26 (adjusted for salt water).  Then the math is easy.  200 lb/ 2.26 you get 88.5 Kilos.  So if a board, wetsuit and paddle weigh 10 Kilos then you would need a 98.5 liter board for neutral or 1:1 buoyancy.

This sounds about right for me since I like a 150 liter board currently which is around 1.5 times neutral buoyancy which I've often heard is good for intermediates.  I'm not sure I could ever get to 1:1 or would even want to sacrifice that much glide for it.

newton333

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2012, 06:15:35 AM »
ok lets try this i weigh 190 lbs  no wetsuit. what vol. board should i ride to be comfortable? in all ocean conditions and for rip and tear surfing....  i won't to know what u guys think.

Cardiff Sweeper

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #19 on: July 08, 2012, 12:29:26 PM »
Newton, that's a trick question.

What's your skill level?  

I've seen tubby guys on low volume boards (relative to their weight), but they looked comfortable because of their ability. Some of the hand shaped boards float lower in the water and will bob less than higher volumed pop-outs.
Less volume can make it more stable in some cases.

The more boards I get to try, the more I focus on the shape and less on volume.

Read further up the thread. Shorter boards can have more volume that bigger ones.

PaddleCrazy

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #20 on: July 08, 2012, 01:18:03 PM »
Some of the hand shaped boards float lower in the water and will bob less than higher volumed pop-outs.
Less volume can make it more stable in some cases.

The more boards I get to try, the more I focus on the shape and less on volume.
I think that Cardiff just hit it on the head....

I like the feel of being lower in the water (rather than bobbing like a cork) for the feel of greater stability, and why on the hand-shaped boards I'm getting to ride, I'm finding that I can go to a much lower volume than I did before, and find them to be more stable than the higher volume production boards I'd been on.

So I too, "focus on the shape and less on volume"....IOWs, I think you gotta ride 'em before you buy 'em, if you can....as volume does not necessarily equate to stability or rideability (is that even a word? ??? ;D).


newton333

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #21 on: July 08, 2012, 04:52:07 PM »
high skill level

Strand Leper

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #22 on: July 08, 2012, 05:52:36 PM »
high skill level

I got my volume wrong... It's 87 liters... Newton, an 87 liter Corran Addison designs Mach 1...
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Ucycle

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #23 on: July 09, 2012, 10:43:38 PM »
Is Corran doing any demo day for Mach1? i would like to try the production model.  I think the custom model might be too narrow for me. Im just starting to get more comfortable with Corran's old Imagine board that is 27" wide, i don't think i can do 26".
"Surfing is not fashion, it is passion... F*CK YOU surf industry!!!!" -SL

uglysupper

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #24 on: August 13, 2012, 12:16:03 PM »
While I doubt anyone cares much other than myself, some followup:

Bought 110-liter board. Was slightly worried about volume, as I'm about 225-230, add wetsuit and paddle and we're getting close to the theoretical floatation provided by the 110 liter board (242 lbs.)

On board, paddling quickly or slowly (OK, the thing is never that quick...) - totally fine. Water around ankles, sometimes.

Paddling very slowly or still - sinkage begins to occur. Levels out with tail under, nose up. Other SUP'ers look at me with incredulity.

Since I often do three hour+ surf seshes, I definitely sit down between sets. However, found that my endurance for paddling the thing definitely increased significantly over a week.

On the wave: YEEHAW!

It's really incredible how small a board you can paddle with some practice. If I can drop thirty pounds, I'd be looking at an even smaller board!


NoSaltSuper

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #25 on: September 19, 2012, 08:33:02 AM »
Wow, I can't wait to try a smaller board in some lake surf. I checked and the smallest liter board I have is about 170l. I only weigh about 150lbs, so I can go a lot smaller.

I've certainly noticed moving these larger boards around in waves is a frigging challenge, especially since I was a short board prone surfer, not long-board.

I would also think less buoyant makes it easier to get out through the shore-break.

Geat, just what I needed, an excuse to buy yet another board!  ;D
Semper Fi!

It's simple, either you get the wave or the wave gets you.

JimK

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #26 on: September 19, 2012, 09:25:40 AM »
I DO ALL the time very few boards float me at my weight

JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

uglysupper

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #27 on: September 19, 2012, 07:30:45 PM »
After a few more uses, including some days in significant chop, I'm more stoked on the small board.

More time you put on a board, the easier it is. This is simply how it is.

I think, eventually, one reaches a point of diminishing returns, however. I could see myself going 5-7 liters smaller at most, with definitely no more than 1.5 inches in width reduction (That's at my current size.)

To go smaller than that, I think I'd need to shed minimum 15 pounds. (Let's be honest - I should do that anyway!)


tautologies

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #28 on: September 19, 2012, 09:12:02 PM »

But, I can paddle straight at a wave, go half way up the face, pivot around with a couple digs, and take off.  

VIDEO!! I want to learn this :-)

SURFnTURF

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Re: Does anyone paddle a board with less volume than their body weight?
« Reply #29 on: September 20, 2012, 04:52:21 AM »
I've only been SUP surfing a couple of years.  This spring after an epic session I decided that I wanted something that would really rip!   Corran had just parted with Imagine and had just introduced the Mach 1 line.     So I bought my 1st custom board, the  8'7" Mach 1, but with a thickness of 4 3/8" vs stock 4 1/4 at the time.   Claimed volume is 116 L for my 195 lbs.   My balance is fair, I do a lot of my gym work on a bosu ball, and just learned to balance on 2 with the blue areas in contact with each other (ala a video that I saw on this sight).   
      Being so thin at each end, the deck pad is at water level when I'm standing still on it, but not submerged.     In calm conditions, I'm fine on it, but get some cross chop, or swell with 2 different directions to it, and I must keep paddling to avoid falling in,  exactly what I wanted to press my abilities.   However, once on the wave, I can only say that it is simply amazing!!!   I'm still having trouble paddling out over foam piles; I'm getting better, I can handle about a 3' pile, but am told I should be able to go over a 6' one.    I've got a lot of work to do!
     When I bought my board there was an additional model available, an 8'2", I think, and that is what Corran rides, and he told me that his board is completely submerged while he is not moving.   F-er!
     
Beer is good for you!

 


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