Adding 1" or 2" in width - What effect on Performance?

[bts]

Dude,
You tried a 29", and own 30.5/31/31.5 and 32" boards?  Kinda seems like you are the equipment expert.

Have you played around with a bunch of different fin setups on the prowave?

[lunchbox]

Dude,
You tried a 29", and own 30.5/31/31.5 and 32" boards?  Kinda seems like you are the equipment expert.

Have you played around with a bunch of different fin setups on the prowave?

Haha....I wish. I got a serious buying problem 

I think I've learned a few things along the way and I'm at least starting to realize what boards and board sizes work best for me and my conditions. I just wish I would have found all this out without having to buy so many boards first. Should have done what everyone else recommends....and just demo. But it's been a fun  and entertaining journey....that journey never seems to end though 

Regarding the Prowave, I haven't tried different fins or setups on it yet. I'm still riding it as a Thruster with the fins that came with the board. I was seriously thinking about buying some GL2's for it and trying it as a Quad. Maybe I'lll bite the bullet today and order some.

[beached]

i'm about your size/weight, and i bought my share of boards that i ultimately ended up selling...at quite a loss each time. the adage that you'll eventually get used to a board that doesn't initially feel stable has held no truth for me. When I've owned a board that i fell off a lot, i fell off it a lot every time i was out there. it never got better. of course, in glassy conditions all boards feel more stable than they do in chop. but if you tried a board in your normal conditions and it felt unstable, it may well be unstable a year from now, too. And the width isn't the ultimate determining factor. look at the Ozzie thread (seabreeze forum) about the Minion boards and clearly those boards yield greater stability while being extremely narrow.   

[Zooport]

29" wide? At your weight it'll prob be a step up performance wise. Sounds like a keeper to me. I have a 29er but I'm lighter than you(180 lbs). It's my "Gunnier" board, 9'3" Isle Performance at 124 ltrs. Thing is fast but at 9'3" it's gotten to be a bit lengthy to really turn quickly.

Wow SurferCook, that vid had a really high wave count.  I'm jealous.  Here in OC, waves like that would have 45 guys all battling for them. 

[SUP Sports ®]

ummm...adding width doesn't necessarily slow a board down...;-)
You shouldn't focus on one parameter without taking the whole design into account...including fin selection...
I explain to riders that my shorter, wide tail designs are like side by side twin fins...with accentuated vee and concave, only one rail or the other is normally in contact with the water...these aren't Egyptian statue surf implements...;-)

Rusty explains why wide boards are fast and narrow boards are slow:

"It's a common misconception that wide boards are slow. In most cases, inch for inch, they are actually faster. Shorter, wider boards, once planning, are far more efficient and ultimately capable of achieving higher speeds than longer, sleeker looking foils.

Once up and planing, wetted surface becomes a big variable influencing the speed of a board. The more board that is in contact with the water, proportionately more drag is incurred. The entire surface area of a board isn't so much an issue as the rail length and tail width. Narrow shapes, especially with narrow ends, cause drag and suction, and are inherently unstable and interfere with complete planing process. So a wider board, even though it may have relatively more area, allows the rider to go shorter. Usually one rail is committed at a time. A shorter rail line will have less drag, less wetted area, and accelerate more quickly."

[lunchbox]

i'm about your size/weight, and i bought my share of boards that i ultimately ended up selling...at quite a loss each time. the adage that you'll eventually get used to a board that doesn't initially feel stable has held no truth for me.

I've wondered about this as well and this is one reason why I've had such a hard time making a decision. I think eventually everyone hits that number where it's the lowest they can go no matter how many months they've been at it. And for me, I wonder if that number is 29". Granted, I think I need to at least try it a few more times to make that decision, however I know for a fact I would have no problems at 31".

@SUPSports - Interesting read on the Rusty quote. I remember reading that somewhere but had forgotten all about it. If I decide to go to 30 or 31 I was thinking about dropping the length down to 8'11" or 9'...from what I inferred from reading Rusty's comment, maybe that is the way to go....

[Sup44]

29" wide? At your weight it'll prob be a step up performance wise. Sounds like a keeper to me. I have a 29er but I'm lighter than you(180 lbs). It's my "Gunnier" board, 9'3" Isle Performance at 124 ltrs. Thing is fast but at 9'3" it's gotten to be a bit lengthy to really turn quickly.

Hey was this filmed with soloshot? If so, 1 or 2? What do you think of 2?