Forgive such a pedestrian question, but frankly, the search function on this forum leaves a lot to be desired.
Given two boards of equal volume, one thicker but shorter and narrower; and the second thinner but longer and wider - which one will have the advantage in planing/wave catching/straight ahead speed?
Seems to me that while added thickness and float can help make up for less planing area, there's no substitute for planing area.
Is this a fair characterization, or am I off base?
The greater the planing suface area, the greater the speed… to a point, I figure. Once you’re up and planing, particularly at higher speeds, rocker, bottom contours, tail shape, etc have a greater effect on speed/control than planing surface area alone. At lower speeds, less so. But a lot of other factors contribute to performance… like rocker, ect. In some cases, speed is a liability, if it’s speed without control. Wave catching is another matter, and suface area matters less, IMO. Here, volume, the distribution of that volume, and the entry rocker matter more. I’d like to hear some other theories.
My limited experience says that more planing area through width gets you planing earlier, over flat spots, and keeps you closer to terminal speed, all other things equal. But I don't think it makes your terminal speed higher.