Hey Im about 70 kilos and was just wondering If there was a general rule that relates to your weight and the litres of volume for a stand up? what would the smallest I could go be?
Thanks
andy
Hey Andy,
I'm a similar weight to you at about 70kgs, probably a few more after Xmas 
I ride the 8"0 Naish Hokua LE which comes in at 80 litres. This is the best SUP board I have ridden, thin rails and narrow tail which really allow you to throw it around and hold the rail.
Could I go lower in literage ? maybe down to 75 litres, but you start to question what benefit there is as you still need to get around and paddle into waves.http://naishsurfing.com/hokua-le-series-pro-performance-wave/
Ratio of 1.15 Volume:Weight is the lowest I've yet tried, and its more stable than similar boards at higher volume, to me.
Select to expand quoteJeanG said..
Ratio of 1.15 Volume:Weight is the lowest I've yet tried, and its more stable than similar boards at higher volume, to me.
I'm with Jean on this . The less volume the less corky the feeling . You just need to put in the time .
Hi, you have your info there: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Looking-for-something-smaller
Basically there is the baseline that is the minimal volume to float you: Archimedes says that it is your weight + weight of board + extra weight (paddle, wetsuit,...) (ignoring the details of salt water density, etc...).
This means the minimal weight to float you is about 80 liters.
- a 80l board will be doable with technique, but will be very tiring. Some more volume will act as a buffer to help correct mistakes. This is your 1.15 ratio. The shape is critical at these volumes, the difference is stability between shapes will be magnified by the low volume. more length and/or width will make the board stabler.
- a 90l begins to be fun in many conditions, with technique
- a 100l board can be a good compromise for all conditions, especially if you come from high volume boards
- a 110l board can give extra glide for weak waves, or feel more secure when tired. more volume will be less stable, too corky. Some water sloshing on the deck is good, seems to "anchor" the board in the water.
Note that riding a less than 80l board should be doable, if you are young, by always paddling a bit, or... (booooh! hiss!) paddling prone or kneeling. but no real SUPer would do that :-)
Select to expand quoteJeanG said..
Ratio of 1.15 Volume:Weight is the lowest I've yet tried, and its more stable than similar boards at higher volume, to me.
Look this is interesting this comment. I have the 8'2 PRO JP ( 28 wide) which is about 100 litres. I rode the 8'0 and found that to be just as easy to ride given that I am about 72kg. I was recently out in the water with a friend of mine who has the latest Fanatic 9'6 whereupon we swapped boards as he wanted to try my board out. He couldnt stand on it no matter how much he tried given that it was rather rough in the water and at 92kg it was always going to be problematic. Now he is the funny thing. I jumped on his board and I just kept falling off! It just felt so so corky under my feet and I had zero stability. We swapped boards again and I immediately jumped back onto my board and stood up with no issues at all. Go figure!!
Yesterday I picked up my new JP 8' Surf Pro- 95 Ltrs. I weigh 78kg in the buff. As you can see from the picture below, when I took it for a flat water paddle (to test out the buoyancy) it floats me but sits very low in the water. I found that the longer I stayed out there the more I got used to it and I fell in less. I am coming down from a 135 Ltrs board. I can't wait to get this thing in the waves!
(Sorry they came out upside down on seabreeze)
I have noticed that the tail of my board is constantly under water, still easy to paddle but is that good or bad? My last board was well above water. Based upon the formula above my volume is still 20 litres above.
Select to expand quoteDynymor said..
Yesterday I picked up mythe longer I stayed out there the more I got used to it and I fell in less.
That's the trick!
Forget the boring 12'6", and do your flat paddling "fitness" sessions on your low-volume board... each hour on it will pay off in the waves!
This is great to paddle with the familly & kids, as it gives you a disadvantage... and a good workout!.
jonbro, yes, this is normal. Tail above water means you can spare some volume to get more performance.
However, tail under water have 2 drawbacks:
- it is slower when paddling
- you will be thown off balance brutally if you ever move backwards in the water (after going over whitewater, waiting against the wind), so be sure to always paddle just enough to always be moving fowards a bit.
Simpler - beginner volume litres = 2 times your weight in kilos
intermed = 1.7
advanced = 1.3
pro/semi? = 1.o
these are generalisations, by the time you get to advanced level you may have a different take on it
- I am at beginner/intermed level and this info I have found on a couple of different sites on the net
Steve
I weigh 100kgs+, I tried the Naish X32 8' 3" and the JP 8' 8" Wide Body, and personally found the Naish just easy if not easier to paddle than the JP. The only thing the wide body had was it was slightly lighter. But in saying that I could have gone down to 7' 10" Naish and paddled it because these boards have a lot of vol.
I ride the 8"0 Naish Hokua LE which comes in at 80 litres. This is the best SUP board I have ridden, thin rails and narrow tail which really allow you to throw it around and hold the rail.
Select to expand quotestehar said..
Simpler - beginner volume litres = 2 times your weight in kilos
intermed = 1.7
advanced = 1.3
pro/semi? = 1.o
these are generalisations, by the time you get to advanced level you may have a different take on it
- I am at beginner/intermed level and this info I have found on a couple of different sites on the net
Steve
i agree, but the semi /pro formula is super hardcore.
problem with really low volume boards is it all goes out the window when it gets rough , windy or both. see it all the time at currumbin. makes for a big job too if you have a lot of paddling to do.
i think it is wise to also consider the typical conditions you expect to surf in.
also, a well designed board by a shaper for you can give you a few more litres and lose bugger all in performance.
Select to expand quotelaceys lane said..
problem with really low volume boards is it all goes out the window when it gets rough , windy or both. see it all the time at currumbin. makes for a big job too if you have a lot of paddling to do.
i think it is wise to also consider the typical conditions you expect to surf in.
also, a well designed board by a shaper for you can give you a few more litres and lose bugger all in performance.
Then in crappy condition I better go fishing than paddling on a tanker.
So Andy to reply to your question: you can go on a board of same volume than your weight plus the weight of your board . Be care of the center of mass which is good to get a bit back the max width. Do like Dynymor keep on paddling on that kind of board you will get use to it and Colas said do some fitness paddling on that kind of board .
It's soooo good to feel like a shortboard with an earlier take off and powered surf even on weak waves . Just need to get clean waves as usually when you like to go surfing on your shortboard.
To know where is the center of mass, ask your shaper to balance the shaped blank on a edge . This position is where you stand both feet prone. I reckon this position is better when settled rear of the max width.
Select to expand quoteKami said..laceys lane said..
problem with really low volume boards is it all goes out the window when it gets rough , windy or both. see it all the time at currumbin. makes for a big job too if you have a lot of paddling to do.
i think it is wise to also consider the typical conditions you expect to surf in.
also, a well designed board by a shaper for you can give you a few more litres and lose bugger all in performance.
Then in crappy condition I better go fishing than paddling on a tanker.
So Andy to reply to your question: you can go on a board of same volume than your weight plus the weight of your board . Be care of the center of mass which is good to get a bit back the max width. Do like Dynymor keep on paddling on that kind of board you will get use to it and Colas said do some fitness paddling on that kind of board .
It's soooo good to feel like a shortboard with an earlier take off and powered surf even on weak waves . Just need to get clean waves as usually when you like to go surfing on your shortboard.
To know where is the center of mass, ask your shaper to balance the shaped blank on a edge . This position is where you stand both feet prone. I reckon this position is better when settled rear of the max width.
where did you get tanker from mate- i said a few litres.
geez, i didn't start surfing sups last week you know. as i said i've seen lots of guys unable to get a wave on tiny volume boards where as the crew with a 'few' more litres are picking off waves at will. with crowds, rough conditions, the ability to get the waves comes into play just the same as short boards
as i said take in consideration the conditions where you surf or you might be doing a lot of fishing
Hi Lacey, I did learn few things reading Breeze and still keep hears and eyes open here, this is why I join you Aussies from your great surfing Island to learn about surfing with a paddle but I still reckon about volume that around 1.3 your weight would be board for beginner. And yes I think anything else is a tanker, that kind of floating thing that make people hangry when it comes paddling trought or allows the first one to come picking up waves from outside like others do it sneaking on a sponge. I think you will agree with me...->see SUPS in the surf attack?
IMO , Less volume as floatable is a proof that you can stand up even if you fall down and tricky to stay on , this is proof you pay your due and so can stay near the take off zone waitting your turn .
So I agree with you, slight gap of volume can be a difference as I did know between my 5'10" and 5'11" in the 80' and I' m used to go fishing when it's choppy because it's much better to fish then and it's time to let the spot for beginner's timing.
Back to the response to Andy , as well of the minimum flottation who allows you to carve board in the surf, take care of the center of this flotation which is an important parameter in balance of SUPboard.
This buoyancy center would be written on any production board as it does for the volume
I need a coach! You know where i'm tripping TOO, soon I will attempt ducking on my new 6'4" 29" 80liters
, with my paddle under my chest and shaft proned in front of me, so, Lacey don't think you can stand front of me safely on your tanker 
i don't own a surf sup atm
hope thats a piss take about the duck dive prone paddle style because that would be real silly for a stand up paddle board surfer ie stand up
a hp board 29" wide
. i would have thought max 27" wide for a hardcore short sup carving ripper. those boards in your photo's are more fish style board imo
ps not suggesting you can surf. you know they have boards already you can duck dive- prone short boards
btw here is a photo of a 7'2 x 29 'tanker' was i was surfing 4 years ago. no big cheater wide tail either
Just picked up the new custom "laguna bay" - 9'1" by 31" and about 135 litres (a guess because my previous board was 145 and this one has less bouyancy) I am currently 90 kilos, so the ratio is 1 to 1.5.
I do not want to go shorter or narrower as this will make it much harder to paddle along the beach - carpark at sth end and 90% surfers hang there - so I can paddle 200-400m or a kilometre if I want to and find little clean uncrowded peaks. This relaxing ,surf your way along the beach breaks would be very hard to do on a low volume board and probably restrict you to the carpark end of the beach where you can prone paddle out in the rip -
if you have such a low literage board that you need to prone paddle out why not just surf a shortboard?
Steve
Nice board Steve, good choice as Lacey does too, it's good to relax paddling away from the crowd but I d'ont like these big board with single fin and side rail because it's hard to make them working even with your weight , it's bit like a longboard single fin , I 'been doing lb: nose, tri, modern. In this kind of board I would prefer my 10' laird, I got full option with that kind of single longboard SUP.
I paddle laying on my shortSUP and stand up when it's my turn to go. I carry my ShortSUP on my pushbike, I walk far and easily on the way to the spot trough the sand dunes at home. I'm flying some where in Carribean island to morrow, I send you some picture the way I paddle to some remote spots , I promise you Steve and Lacey, you must be stocked!
see that's the point a few of us around the place make- if you have to prone paddle your board its too small. but each to there own and every body has the right to an opinion.
for the record in the early days i did heaps of r and d with dc on short surfing sups. spent a lot of money on them too- nearly a board every couple of months for a while
one day after surfing a 8'6 that was narrow ish, very pulled and thin in tail and nose in some pretty good waves, but lots of water moving around with only two of us out - jm and myself, i just decided i was jack of it.always sore in the hips, lower back etc from having to man handle the board paddling. knocking back surfs because it was too rough or too much water moving around
the board surfed unbelievably good- got barrels and the board truly ripped( mate of mine who owned a sup shop said its the closed thing to a sb he's every been on), but after that day i didn't surf a short sup for 4 months after nearly surfing shorts sup twice a day for two years.
kami, i'm not the only who has gone too far and lost interest- just saying
maybe on reflection i should have had a ten footer as a back up for crappy days, maybe i should have gone wider in the nose and tail like boards seem to be these days. but i was really chasing a short board outline and getting the nose, tails and rail really thin.
mine you, last year i did get a 7'4 wide jp for a bit of fun, but it paddled hopeless, a bit too thick and i really don't like fish shapes- no good for carving, more for sliding dish panning type turns- still it was fun in beachies and small point surf
ps if i was getting waves as clean as your avatar i would be on the lowest volume board i could stand on too
My green 6'9" got a wide tail would be hard to sink turning or releasing making trouble BUT NOT because I stick bodyboard crescent tail that make the rail bend during turn. With combination of lift , I avoid the trouble of extra width of SUP tail which is a main problem on many SUP design. I got buyoncy in the tail too because the tail thickness don't bother me cause of the FLEXtail.
To come back to the post , I emphase that center of flottation has same importance than volume so you can push the limit of buoyancy with confort when you get proper balance of flotation.
Select to expand quoteKami said..
My green 6'9" got a wide tail would be hard to sink turning or releasing making trouble BUT NOT because I stick bodyboard crescent tail that make the rail bend during turn. With combination of lift , I avoid the trouble of extra width of SUP tail which is a main problem on many SUP design. I got buyoncy in the tail too because the tail thickness don't bother me cause of the FLEXtail.
To come back to the post , I emphase that center of flottation has same importance than volume so you can push the limit of buoyancy with confort when you get proper balance of flotation.
now thats interesting. i though there was something going on in that photo
I'm not shy Lacey, just packing my fishing and SUP gears , i will flight on monday morning to Guadeloupe in French Caribbean, 3 weeks fishing barracuda, trivally, etc laying back with local friends listen the good music waiting for rare but perfect ground swell. Not bad.
I bring this green 6'9" with K2 Fins +bonzer inlet, allready test this summer on my home spot and i want to test it over coral reef to know how far can I push it. I bring a second board 7'11" channel bottom with AB2 fins if it get powerful, swells use to pass around the offshore point during winter northern hemisphere.
About this 6'4" 29 " shows on isometric views up here, I agree this is radical shortsup but on my 59' don't want to miss some of my last hand full
This 6'4" is already shape; Has been shaped with the tail which will be cut off later, before laminating and replaces with bodyboard crescent tail parts. Not too much complicated building process. I weight the blank, shows 1630 grammes doing 81.15 liters, Yes! this is a minimum volume even for my 75 kg 
Anyway this board is made for 1 or 2 foot mellow face home beach break, glassy day... definitively not an all around SUP If you have some interest www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/FLEXTAIL/
I prone these boards under 7' because this is a body rest after standing up forcefully and it's very confortable to lay down my head my chin on the shaft , pointing the nose, relaxing my neck, training my shoulder and as well shows some humble respect meeting the pack...
i looked at that topic. i love the idea of it, but construction looks a bit tricky ad maybe costly if you don't build them yourself. the green board seems to have quite a thick rail. any reason for that
Select to expand quotelaceys lane said..a 8'6 that was narrow ish, very pulled and thin in tail and nose
Arg, seems hell to me :-)
But 8'6" is quite long, why do you call it a "short SUP"?
Select to expand quotecolas said..laceys lane said..a 8'6 that was narrow ish, very pulled and thin in tail and nose
Arg, seems hell to me :-)
But 8'6" is quite long, why do you call it a "short SUP"?
It's all relative.
In a calmer ocean it's nice to ride short boards around 7' or less. But once the ocean gets sloppy and crazy and heavy, an 8' board can be very very short. The leeway you get with the longer board is quite handy.
Select to expand quotecolas said..laceys lane said..a 8'6 that was narrow ish, very pulled and thin in tail and nose
Arg, seems hell to me :-)
But 8'6" is quite long, why do you call it a "short SUP"?
three years ago it was short. and i didn't want a wide nosed tailed dish pan
i'm not convinced going really short and wide leads to carving surfing.
