Thickness or Width?

If you needed more volume in a surfboard, which would be more preferable? Adding more width and keeping the rails thin, or keeping the width narrower and the rails thicker? SteveA

If you needed more volume in a surfboard, which would be more preferable? > Adding more width and keeping the rails thin, or keeping the width > narrower and the rails thicker? SteveA Steve this is a loaded question preferable to what ? Surfing 10 foot pipe bombs, Skating over the flats at the local mush longboard spot, Both of these are the right answer depending on whre you surf and how you surf . Be more specific and I’m sure there will be plenty of guys ready to answer down to the last fraction of a inch. Peace bys

Mostly thinking about typical Huntington Beach break, up to head high. Steve

Mostly thinking about typical Huntington Beach break, up to head high. > Steve…Steve, for HB i’m thinkin a little bit of both. That way you may end up with a board not to unlike what you are used to.

I’d go easy on the width – you add more drag. Increasing thickness will have little effect on drag. Down side of thickness is more in the feal and responsiveness – not hard to accomidate for this. http://users.leading.net/~shine

If you needed more volume in a surfboard, which would be more preferable? > Adding more width and keeping the rails thin, or keeping the width > narrower and the rails thicker? SteveA What are you riding right now? Depending on where you are at today with your equipment, there are any number of options. The most important consideration is how you surf and what you want from the board. Every one has a personal preference for the way they want a board to feel. Changes in width (tail/wide point/nose)and/or rail thickness and shape radically change the way a board rides.

If you needed more volume in a surfboard, which would be more preferable? > Adding more width and keeping the rails thin, or keeping the width > narrower and the rails thicker? SteveA Good comments above. 21.5" to 23.5" widths are what I would consider maxed out for their intended clients. This width range covers the widest board an adult can carry under his/her arm. Thinning the rails allows a person to carry up to an inch wider board, but a whole inch wider requires a very thin rail. If a shaper can’t see the intended rider of a proposed full board shape he should ask the rider’s height to know how wide he can make the board. I believe the maximum width part of board formulas comes from carrying ability, not from any riding characteristic. Conversly, maxing board widths in proportion to rider heights gives us the range of riding characteristics we’ve come to expect. Surfers tend to choose shapes for convenience and personality.

If you needed more volume in a surfboard, which would be more preferable? > Adding more width and keeping the rails thin, or keeping the width > narrower and the rails thicker? SteveA how about putting the vlome in the deck,keeping the same width, then thin the rails a bit.Basically, you would end up with a slightly crowned deck(or even a full-blown s-deck)but you would gain the volume needed without much change overall to the board.