When picking the boards for your upcoming paddle board tours, you might wonder what the best volume for the stability and acceleration is. When it comes to the volume of the board, that will depend on how you are going to use the SUP boards. For instance, you will want to have the board for the stability or to train; then the more prominent and more full board is a great option. If you are striving for acceleration, the narrower boards will come as the best option for you.
For the surfing performance, for instance, you will want to have lover volume and weight ratios. Many professional paddlers chose negative ratios, which focuses on less float than weight. The professional surfers are using the 1:3 ratio. For example, the 150lbs surfer would use the board under 88L. If your weight is 180lbs, you will probably need to use 107L.
Most of these surfers believe that their goals will be achieved by using the negative ratios. After all, they chase the high level on SUP. So, they can target into the 1:3 or lower range. But anyway, each person can have a different way to determine the volume. If you are a beginner, using negative ratios is not a wise thing to do.
The size of the board can be justifying the volume of the board. However, using the negative ratios can be risky for many surfers. It will affect your style significantly when you push your limits in one area. For instance, when you are facing more massive waves, you will shift to the waves, and positioning. Since the volume is negative, the balance will become an issue. Even professional surfers can sometimes slip when facing the waves.
Believe us, when you are planning on paddle board tours, and it involves surfing, it is not recommended to use negative ratios. If your group has members who are beginners, the negative ratios of board volume and the weight will not be suitable for their learning process.
Volume is a critical aspect since it has things to do with your ability, tolerance for pain, endurance, and your goals. Each board has different volume weight ratios policy. You will want to read them well in the description or ask your rental owners if you are not sure.
As mentioned, finding the right volume for you can be a bit tricky. You will want to balance everything, but in fact, a thing or two needs to be sacrificed so that you can achieve other things. The great tips are to find the intersection between the surfing and the performance. Plus, add more wave count or fun for higher volume. By seeing your proportion, you will then have no problem in finding the right volume.