Author Topic: Board weight reality check  (Read 22501 times)

nalu-sup

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Board weight reality check
« on: July 26, 2019, 03:24:01 PM »
Hi all. I am looking at a decision regarding board weights, and would love any insights you guys want to offer.
I bought a new Blue Planet All Good 8'8" a couple of weeks ago, and am loving the board. Since it was a total unknown to me before I bought it, and demoing was not an easy option, I was reluctant to pay the extra $500 for carbon construction, and the bamboo construction that I got saved me $500, but came in at around 22 pounds. I am liking the board enough that I am considering selling this current board, and paying the extra to get the same board in carbon, which is supposed to come in at around 18.4 lbs, almost 4 pounds lighter than my current board.
So here is my question; how much difference is there really going to be in performance. We all know that light is cool, and picking up and carrying a superlight board just feels good. But, how about performance on a wave. I have never had the chance to surf two identical shapes, of different weights; how about anyone else out there? For example, in windsurfing, a lightweight board is great for getting planing in light winds, and feels so much better in the air, but sometimes in high winds and chop, a heavier board can smooth things out a little, and can be easier to bury the rail at high speeds in choppy water. One of my goals with this board has been stability in chop; will a heavier board get knocked around less by chop?
My surfing style tends to be pretty active; I am either pumping the board down the line if the wave is fast, linking tight turns whenever there is time, and roundhouses whenever the wave gives me room, never really just trimming down the line. This is what makes me think that the weight difference might be a big deal for me, but on the other hand, I am loving the way the current board surfs.
The lightest board I ever owned was an 8'8" Starboard in their lightest construction, and it was also my least favorite board ever, and was sold after just a couple of months. One reason was that the board tended to be really bouncy in anything over shoulder high, but it was also a very wide board with a very wide tail. With my weight of 163 lbs, it did not feel like I could keep the rails of that wide, light board, buried in the water. My other current boards are Sunvovas that are between 19 and 20 pounds, which feels fine.
So before I sell a perfectly good board, and plop down an extra $500 to loose 4 pounds in board weight, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks.
8'7" Sunova Flow 
8'8" Sunova SP25
9'0" Elua Makani
9'0" Tabou SupaSurf 
14' SIC Bullet 2020

Califoilia

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Re: Board weight reality check
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2019, 04:18:00 PM »
We all know that light is cool, and picking up and carrying a superlight board just feels good.
I personally think this has as much (if not more) to do with it than some incredible difference performance wise. I know I'll also catch some flack for this....but I also have similar thoughts when if comes to fins as well.  :o I never really saw that big of a difference in the expensive honeycomb, fiberglass, precious expenium fins...than I did in the cheapo plastic ones I used.

It got to the point that I'd just use whatever the shaper thought would work best (and came with the board), and found they usually seemed to work better than any of the fancy Futures or some other custom fin brand I'd over spend for.

Quote
My surfing style tends to be pretty active; I am either pumping the board down the line if the wave is fast, linking tight turns whenever there is time, and roundhouses whenever the wave gives me room, never really just trimming down the line. This is what makes me think that the weight difference might be a big deal for me, but on the other hand, I am loving the way the current board surfs.
I'm one of those "function over form" kind of folks (Bill's "fugly" is beautiful to my "blown up boogie board" foil board as I've had folks call it), so if you're "loving" riding what you have now...why chance that going lighter because someone else tells you they like lighter...when you found in the past that might not necessarily be the case for you?

Quote
The lightest board I ever owned was an 8'8" Starboard in their lightest construction, and it was also my least favorite board ever, and was sold after just a couple of months. One reason was that the board tended to be really bouncy in anything over shoulder high, but it was also a very wide board with a very wide tail. With my weight of 163 lbs, it did not feel like I could keep the rails of that wide, light board, buried in the water. My other current boards are Sunvovas that are between 19 and 20 pounds, which feels fine.
Hmmm, maybe you already have your answer. Lengths, widths, thicknesses, volumes, weights...we all have different styles, and talent levels that play into all of these factors, and while I too was on the cut the board weight kick for years also...I can't say that I ever found that much of a performance difference in the very similar boards I surfed from one shaper, other than they became more and more fragile as the weight became less and less.

I guess what I'm getting at at least for myself is that...."It's The Indian, Not The Arrow"....that's the big difference in a lot of all this. But that's JMHO...OMMV.  :)

Me: 6'1"/185...(2) 5'1" Kings Foil/Wing Boards...7'10 Kings DW Board...9'6" Bob Pearson "Laird Noserider"...14' Lahui Kai "Manta"...8'0" WaveStorm if/when the proning urges still hit.

Area 10

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Re: Board weight reality check
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2019, 05:09:30 PM »
It sounds like you already know the answers to your questions. Heavier boards tend to be easier in chop and messy conditions, and for getting into a wave in offshore winds, and perhaps also for punching through waves on your way out. The rest of the time they aren’t as good. So whether it is worth it will probably depend on the conditions you paddle in, and how far you need to carry your board to do it. Also of course, the size of your wallet: depreciation when you sell a top-spec board is substantially more than for a lower-spec one. And some top-spec boards are less durable too.

Dusk Patrol

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Re: Board weight reality check
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2019, 06:13:30 PM »
My two cents or $400: I've surfed a variety of bamboo and carbon Blue Planet boards.  I don't think you'll find Blue Planet's carbon construction to be TOO light. It brings the boards down to the appropriate lightness weights achieved by non-carbon JLs and non-carbon Sunovas. And I confess the deal maker for me is the carrying for distances.  And I like the more rapid acceleration achievable by a light-ish board. I have a carbon Fun Stick, but I also bought it at a sale price.
You're in Hawaii, right? Can you demo a carbon All Good? I think you can demo a board that is not otherwise in their rental fleet for a fee of around $75, which is then applicable to your purchase.
Also keep your eye on Craigslist Oahu, there was a carbon All Good advertised a month ago. Maybe it will pop back on.         
RS 14x26; JL Destroyers 9'8 & 8'10; BluePlanet 9'4; JL Super Frank 8'6

 


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