Volume for kiting

When comparing boards and guesstimating what my next acquisition should be I love Firewire's clear listings of board length, width, thickness, volume, and pictures of top and bottom profiles AND THE SIDE PROFILE TOO (this is huge).

I also find my self wishing the specs would include
1) bare board weight (no fins, no pad, no straps)
2) surface area.

In kiting volume is almost a non-player. Volume is nice in that first 1 or 2 seconds as you step on to the and take off from the shallows, or for surviving a really bad lull in the wind, or when I totally screw up on a jibe.

Weight and surface area (effective planing surface area) would sure be nice.

In the compare boards feature it gives you surface area. Weight would vary a little board to board

Correct. And weight does vary slightly each board so it's not easy to post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Barry P

In kiting volume is almost a non-player. Volume is nice in that first 1 or 2 seconds as you step on to the and take off from the shallows, or for surviving a really bad lull in the wind, or when I totally screw up on a jibe.

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I don't know what your style is, but volume make a difference for me, especially when surfing waves in light wind.

I agree with Barry and Effisk. I enjoy kiting most when I don't have to rely on volume to get me around but I often find myself just wanting to kite so bad even when the winds are marginal that I utilize that extra float quite a bit. After a long cold winter with fewer kitable days, I'm thankful for the volume as I get back into the swing of things and refresh my tack techniques.

Volume is a key item that many overlook when selecting a board. I rarely look at length now and know that 24.5L to 28L is my personal sweet spot for volume regardless of length and depending on the need for more float (light wind) or more wind. Also that amount of volume works for my paddling ability so it's truly a one board solution to kite/surf.

-Brian