Nice new tool Chris, just checked it out!

As is does only cater for intermed/advanced surfers, but not beginner to intermediates, could you throw some ballpark figures on the extra volume recommeded at the lower ends of the surfing ability spectrum, say if beginner add 10% more volume or if low intermed, one could benefit from this much more vol in ltrs, etc..?

Good stuff, the minimum seems very low though. I can't see me ever riding a 24.9l board! I guess in perfect headhigh indo waves in boardshorts it'd be do-able!

Very cool! For my waves id probably add 5-10 liters for each. Theres no such thing as me riding a 33 liter board at 215 lbs. Thats like 70lbs of displacement. Big beautiful perfect waves yea sure. You guys should have 2 calculators. Good hawaii/costa wave calc and florida the waves dont even break over sometimes mush calculator ha. The BEST ive ever seen waves here were like aaaalmost barrelling 6-8 footers at 8-12 seconds. Thats like <5 days a year.  And most times its big like that theyre big rollers, not an inch of barrel. TJ Pro waves lol. The best the old timers ever saw was 10ft back in the 70's. I dunno...I think people can probably make deductions like that themselves, just my 2 cents.

It doesn't work for me. Let's assume my 6'4" Dom is right for my 91kg weight (which the chart says it is) then by that measure I'm like 25% over volumed on my Alternator (6'8"). The volume range at my weight seems way too big to be honest. (The chart has me between around 31 litres and 41 litres). I suppose in Hawaian juice I coud ride a radically less foamed board, but I don't surf in Hawaii!

My hand shaped boards probably have (I think) similar overall volume but are foiled much differently based on purpose. Longer with thinner rails and tail with more rocker for bigger waves etc, chunkier and shorter with flatter rocker for smaller ones. I've never done a displacement test but I'd have though volume is around about the same for each board, just distributed differently.

I'd be curious to know the thoughts of my shaper dude but I think he's in Nepal at the moment.

1 liter of displacement holds up about 2.2lbs. So if you put a weight = 2.2lbs on a floating 1 liter board it will hold it I guess completely out of water. But that doesnt really mean much. Im sure theres a formula to figure speed vs displacement. I dont feel like googling that my brain is packed with Java crap right now, doing homework, and firewire maybe uses that to figure volumes. My step dad who surfed in hawaii says waves there are way faster than waves here. So youd have to figure out your wave speed vs board shape vs board volume vs wave speed. And thats assuming you know how to max your speed on the board. More volume would have to be added to a surfer who drags.

Im gonna write you guys up something.

Exactly what I was looking for - volume relation from shortboard to hybrid etc. Well done Firewire. The minimum does seem a little low, though understand it is for the very minimum that would take to float you.

These seem pretty spot on. I am currently 185 lbs (too much beer), and riding a ~27 liter board. I definitely need to lose some weight and get back to 170 lbs. I was riding a 26 liter board at that weight. Thanks so much for putting this together. One more tool in the knowledge arsenal.

Yeah, I guess viewing it as an absolute minimum and maximum then it's somewhat helpful. I reckon though the sizing charts offer better guidance. Maybe the chart could come with a notation something like;

* If you loved the Slater chip boards from the 90's then head 4 inches lower than the recommended lengths at a given ability level. 

** If you grew up surfing after 1998 go two inches shorter, or bang on recommended length.

** If you are a  relic from the 80's who likes your steaks raw and prefers their boards with generous amounts of foam go two inches longer or bang on recommended length..

*** If you're in the middle then just follow the charts.

Spot on for me, the medium figure is exactly what my 5'10 Futura is!

Guys,

This is pretty close for me too. At 205 lbs, I have been using the 34 liter mark as my barometer for purchasing surfboards for a few years. Cool online tool guys. Me likey.

The calculator tells me i should be riding 32.3 at minimum. I'm 6'1 200lbs, but I'm riding boards in the 28-29V, the most volume I've gone is 31V on the 5'8 spitfire & 30.5V on 6'0 Stealth. I find the buyers guide http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/quiver_buyersguide.php?boardid=buyersguide is pretty spot on for for me. If I put my weight in the 180-195 advance category.

The 6'2 Alternator at 31.2V is the only board that is suggested that might be too much board for me especially in the rails. I've never seen a 6'2  Alternator in person & the 6'0 Alt rode good for me.

My ideal board is 6'2"-3" x 18 3/4 x 2 3/8 and probably closer to 30VL, but not a lot of the high performance boards fall in the 30VL that are under 6'4. Everything is 28VL and 29VL in the high performance 6'3 & 6'2 short boards. And the 6'4 models are all over 31VL. The 6'3 F1 is the closest board at 29.7.

Maybe Firewire can make a note of the gap in volume on the high performance line.

I'm just putting in an order for stock boards and this was what i ended up with after weighing the buyers guide, my normal boards size, and trying to get close to that 30V mark. The Taj might be a little small but i'll save it for days with juice. Also i know that sometimes the boards don't come out as the stated volume on the website as I've compared in my local shop the Taj below being 27.7.

- LOST F1 - FST Future Fins
6' 3" 19" 2 1/2" squash 29.7V

- Flexfire - FST Future Fins
6' 2" 18 3/4" 2 1/2" squash 28.5V

-Taj - FST Future Fins
6' 2" 18 1/2" 2 3/8" squash 28.3V

Anyway thank you Firewire for giving us options and helping to dial in our ideal dimensions and volume. A lot of great knowledge and commitment on here from Chris, Price, and Chuy.

Mahalo, Noah

I think the calculator just reinforces the buyers guide. The bew updated buyers guide seems spot on and fits into that middle area of the calculator. For anyone buying a new fw board be honest about your size and ability level and stick with the guide. It won't let u down. Very accurate in my opinion. Owner of many fw boards all of which have worked out well. Could I have gone up or down two inches here and there yes but the guide was very Very accurate The calc just gives Me an idea what i shouldn't ride.

I think people 'especially in the UK' need to add in the rubber factor, we're just about to go into winter and although i may weight 68-70kg/150-155lb my 5/3 wetsuit, gloves, boots, hood 'when wet' will add another 6kg/14lb to me. When i got my Dom 5'6 at nearlt 29l i really wanted the 5'4 but you have to be realistic and fit it to when you will surf the most, there's more swell in the winter here so thats what i accomodated to, any extra float will get me more waves in the summer when its samll, if i were in Indo 11 months a year i'd be riding Taj 5'11's all day long!

just an FYI there are a few adjustments being made to the formula right now that is why a few conversions are off....

I think there may be a few gremlins in your new calculator.

The volumes you get recommended are totally different depending on whether you input metric kilo's or imperial pounds for a given weight.

For example if I input 103kg's the recommended volumes are 36.7,  38.6, and  48.3 litres respectively.

Now if I convert that to pounds 103kg x 2.2lbs that equates to roughly 226.6lbs.

If you input 226.6lbs, you will now get recommended volumes of 40.9,  43.1 and 53.8 litres...go figure?  Unless those in the world still using pounds need extra float..no offence American dudes :)

Now I'm waiting for my first firewire, a 6'4'' Dom with 41.5 litre's volume to get delivered,  and I'm thinking maybe I shoulda dropped the dime on the 6'6'' or 6'8
even,  so as to get back at my mate whose been hogging all the waves on
his lousy 6'8'' 7s Super Fish.

 P.S. I'm 49 yrs 6'2'' and my ''fighting weight'' generally goes between 92 and 98kg and I intend to drop down to somewhere in that range over the next two months.

P.S.S. As a side note maybe the ability to get up on plane and into waves has more to do with a boards surface area area than the total displacement volume of the board.

Bigger, thicker boards credited with being good paddlers, generally have a larger bottom surface  . Maybe we are focusing too much on thickness and displacement when the trick is bottom surface area?

I guess I'm always off the charts on stuff like this. Suggested 46 L as minimum for me, I ride the 6'4" HF which has like 36? I love how much FW boards float!!!!!!!! Then again, I'm riding in powerful beach break, so this has a lot to do with it. 

Canadianboy said:

I guess I'm always off the charts on stuff like this. Suggested 46 L as minimum for me, I ride the 6'4" HF which has like 36? I love how much FW boards float!!!!!!!! Then again, I'm riding in powerful beach break, so this has a lot to do with it. 

Great concept though guys, keep it up!

Yeah, you inspired me to take a punt on the 6'4'' with your tales on how well they float your behemoth mass..lol. But then again your a young fella getting plenty of surf. Time will tell how my old bones go.

I just wanted to let people know of the difference in results depending on whether you input your weight as kilo's or pounds.

GOOD TO KNOW Ironbuddha, keep us posted! I guess I am pretty heavy for a surfer. Most people think I play rugby or am a defensive linebacker. 35 inch thighs help nothing but my power hacks!