Someone, in a recent thread (might have been Red?) said they liked their KB's to be 40 litres - I'd never heard of describing surfboards/kneeboards in this way
Question: am I the only KBer on the forum who is clueless ?.....and, can all shapers work with volume in litres when shaping or is it just those who use shaping machines ?
I was thinking that when ordering a new board it would be great to be able to play around with dimensions, knowing for sure that your getting exactly the same volume as your favourite board
You will have to measure your favorite boards volume by checking its displacement in a water tank. Then you will need a 3D CAD program to model the boards. Most programs will calculate the total volume. On the better programs you can set a min-max for the volume based on some variable dimensions.
I think it was Swaylocks where I saw a discussion implying(or outright shouting) that the way the volume is shaped makes a difference in the feel of the board. For instance, if you took the 40 Litre board and made it wider but thinner thickness it would catch and ride waves differently. Similar for the length. Also, where in the board the volume is important. I hear people describing their boards as wide point forward or wide point back. Because of all this other variability, I think that the exact volume becomes less important and therefore not discussed.
Seeing as how I have been riding a 5'8" 20 1/2"wide kneeboard and just bought a 5'10" 24"wide board, volume has been something I've been thinking about. WillI be able to duck dive this thing?!! Is there a wave I WONT be able to catch with all this volume under me?
Will the wind back down long enough for me to take my new board out for a test run?
The volume of a surfboard is the bulk or mass. A board that is described as having "lots of volume" is generally wide and thick, while a "low volume" board is narrow and thin. Added volume creates more bouyancy and stability, its a design feature that is favored by heavier and beginning surfers. Defining the correct volume for you should be the single most important aspect when getting a board built for you._________ Mark R.
Hey James,
No, you are not the only one that is unfamiliar with measuring the volume of the board hull in litres. Unless you have a machine or computer that can translate this info for you then it doesn't mean squat to the average guy. I've been kneeboarding for 30 years and have never concerned myself with volume in litres. Mostly with combinations of thickness and width and how these dimensions affect the boards performance for me.
No, not all shapers work with volume in litres. In fact I think that the vast majority of shapers only concern themselves with the measurements of the dimensions.
I think that the average guy would have more difficulty understanding volume in litres of a board as opposed to thickness and width measurements.
Try as many different boards as you can, find out what works best for you, surf alot and refine your shapes........... Have fun, T Hall.
The volume has to change for every different type of foam used. The material density is the controlling factor in how much float a given volume will have.
The Swaylocks crowd will not touch volume because they do not know how to measure or control and maintain it in different designs.
Volume is very critical, find a perfect board for an experienced surfer, measure its Volume, add a tolerance of about +/- 10%, then control the dimensions and material densities to fall within the target displacement.
Please don't take what I'm saying the wrong way. I try not to disregard anything that can be applied to kneeboard technology. What I try to do is translate things that I'm having trouble understanding into things that I can easily understand.
I made and repaired boards for the better part of my life, and not once did I ever encounter needing to know volume in litres of a board. (pre KKL machine era) However I did play with countless dimention combos and found out what works and what doesn't work. This is the same as altering the litres/volume of the board except I can easily understand it. Didn't mean to come across as ignorant in any way, just trying to see things in a way that I can easily comprehend......enjoy, T Hall.
This is pretty simple stuff here, that said let me VERY loosely paraphrase Carl Von Clausewitz "Just because something is simple does not make it easy"
In stating that you never saw a need for knowing the volume while going thru countless dimension combos to find out what works or more importantly what does not work shows a great need for, or lack of information. This type of information was only easily applicable within the last ten years.
Do not get hung up on the litres, we would work in cubic inches here. Volume is Volume regardless of which unit of measurement is applied.
Yes, my lack of information fueled my need for more over the years. I have a crazy need for information regarding kneeboards. That's why I made so many different boards with varying widths and thicknesses to find out what works and what doesn't. And yes you are right just because it seems simple doesn't necessarily make it easy by any means. I found out by trial and error. But now you have gotten me interested. Is there a site or program that is accessable on line that can calculate volume by dimensions? I would love to play with it.
Oh and I hope that somewhere in here those questions that James asked have been answered............ Later, T Hall.
Thanks everyone for your thoughts & yes my questions have been answered.
But volume still seems to remain the unknown factor and often mistakes are made when buying so you end up selling a new board that is too low or high in volume, where as if volumes of all boards were provided on the sales ticket and you knew the volume of your favourite small/big wave boards, then you would be more likely to get what you want.
Off the rack boards could be checked for volume with a tank, but custom orders ??? - I guess unless shaping machines become widely used for kneeboards, there's little chance of getting an accurate idea of the volume....?
Most shapers have a good idea of how to shape their low vs high volume boards. One way is to have different rail thicknesses - thin for the light of spirit, thicker for those more staid types. I know (manual) shapers who have different rail templates (cut bits of wood) for each board model to ensure that they are consistent.
Don't get hung up on volume in liters. Having said that, it does allow me to take 1/4" out of the stinger thickness and see whether I still have the float I want, given that I know what rails I like. Experienced shapers more or less guess (expertly) at this - based on their years of experience. Experienced surfers can also do this pretty well.
