What has volume done for you?

[ciscojaws]

Has the use of volume as a 4th (or as a substitute 3rd) unit of measurement been better or worse for you?

Was ignorance bliss before volume, or are you shredding harder then ever now from big data?

 

[need 4 speed]

I think it's helps me in a general sense
of flotation, Shape3d and scrubbing has helped me understand the "volume" numbers I like better
(from Shape3d perspective) I think length, wide and thickness are still slightly more telling (for me)

 

[jkb]

Helped.

Stubby hpsb's and alt shapes made So Cal surfing so much more fun for me. I would have made a lot of ordering mistakes on those types of boards without volume numbers.

But if you're on old man with a beer belly who rides a 7'2 big guy tri on the regular, I can see why fine tuning volume numbers would seem ridiculous to you.

 

[gbg]

Moved from 34 litres last summer to near 40.

Really stoked I made this jump. At 200 lbs, the 34 litres was a struggle to get into waves unless I was surfing all the time. I don't surf all the time. I get more waves now. Paddles easier. I get so much more speed. Surfed this 40 litre board in 8-10 foot (faces) right points in Mexico last summer. Really heavy on the takeoff. It was nice to get in early.

 

[Ivanmeister]

Other than fine tuning, nothing.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

good only as a starting point or baseline.

I also like it cause when Im checking out boards online I can get a general sense of the foil based on the given dimensions

 

[Duffy LaCoronilla]

I find it very helpful.

Where people get fuckked up is thinking that they have a specific magic number that works best for every board and that step ups always need “more volume” and that small wave boards always need “more volume”.

My daily driver has 4 more liters of volume that my small wave board.

It’s an informational tool that is extremely helpful if you know how to use it.

If you use a hammer to drive a nail and make the assumption that a hammer will also work great for driving a screw you’re doing it wrong.

 

[GWS_2]

It's a good number if used intelligently with all the other numbers. Information is always good. Math is real. The people who have a hard time with it are the people who want to use it as a one-trick pony. All the other numbers are still relevant. Volume numbers are an added tool.

 

[Drumsurf]

Keeps me from chasing boards on Craigslist that I now know are too small.

 

[Havoc]

helps me shed tiger

 

[SharkBoy]

helps in catching waves when i let myself go up in weight, but not proportionally to how much it helps to surf my optimal volume by keeping my weight down to my fighting weight

 

[Maz]

Saved me from ordering board that are totally wrong for me. There's a huge difference between 6 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/2 with fine rails and a domed deck and same dims with a flatter deck.

 

[LifeOnMars]

Float and predictably, cut my board choice down substantially. All must be within .01L or they won't work, have had arguments with the shaper over this. I suspect he's been fudging the numbers on a few customs, might have to look elsewhere.

 

[teeroi]

Volume is probably the last thing we talk about when I order a board, but we talk about volume. I give them dims, what spot and how big the waves it’s meant for. We’ll talk about the last board I ordered that fills this place in the quiver and any adjustments I would like. Last couple boards Wade texted me a screenshot of the design and the volume number. I always tell him and Kerry just do your magic if you have to fudge the dims I’m ok just write down the numbers from the order form I’m never going to measure it anyway. Boards have been coming out great for a long time.

 

[retodd]

Volume is just another number I can blame when I don't like a boar

 

[enframed]

I think it's helped me, but I also have only really dealt with volume with a shaper who truly understands, Stretch. With the three or four customs I have gotten from him volume has been discussed and adjusted, always to positive effect. I think there are shapers out there who don't really understand it the way Stretch does though, so YMMV. Of course he also understands the waves in and around Santa Cruz VERY well, and I'm sure that helps, too.

 

[waxfoot]

It helped me understand the difference between dims that are to skinny for me, and weight-age appropriate dims, without actually noticing any detrimental effects going up, and up.

 

[GDaddy]

If you start with a board a surfer likes and can even roughly estimate the volume you can either repeat or adjust from there. Even if/when the design is different.

Surfers who only surf one shape and only surf in one way can defer to the formulas of adding or subtracting 1/8ths per inch of length. But if a surfer uses multiple types of boards then knowing their sweet spot for float gets them that much closer to tweaking a design to fit their preferences.

Since I started using volumes I've never once had anyone complain about too big or too small. That doesn't mean they all paddle the same because they don't, but as far as handling the variable of float goes knowing your number is a good piece of info to have.

Too much volume can be a problem for a lot of people, too; so knowing to go thinner or narrower when necessary is just as useful as knowing when to add width or thickness. The guy who wants to "swim" their board into a wave doesn't want the board to float them any higher than about chest deep when they're sitting, so giving them too much float is bad news.

 

[20W-50 and blood]

know it....know what i typically ride...hasn't informed a decision in the slightest. i know my rough dims...i know a needle nose when i see it...and i don't tell my shapers that im in sh!t kicker shape and weigh 185

 

[Havoc]

know it....know what i typically ride...hasn't informed a decision in the slightest. i know my rough dims...i know a needle nose when i see it...and i don't tell my shapers that im in sh!t kicker shape and weigh 185

how da fk r we like 20kbs apart??