by dtc » Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:50 pm
I think volume is just a 'check sum' - its a function of L x W x T, so if you have those right then the volume will be right; its just a shorthand way of knowing that one 2 3/4 thick board might have less volume than another 2 3/4 thick board because the thickness goes all the way out to the rails for one and not the other. Perfectly obvious if you see the board in the flesh but perhaps not online
But two 40L board can surf very differently; once rocker and rails and nose and tail etc are taken into account
And there are times when volume is irrelevant - for example, if you take the view that a beginner should have (say) 0.8 - 1L volume for each kg of the surfers weight, my beginner board should be 64L - 80L. But a 45kg female would be 36L - 45L, and think a 6'8 hybrid is suitable just based on volume. Except that volume here is irrelevant, you want stability and ease of paddling etc and still want a funboard shape of over 7ft. That might be 55L
It does annoy me when people say 'should I surf a 40L board'? Well, who knows. Yes if its a 6ft8 board and no if its a 5ft5 board, possibly. Or the other way around.
Look at volume at about point 9 of reviewing the board (length, width, thickness, rocker, nose, tail, rails, fin system - then check volume to make sure its all fitting together). Just like knowing the width of a board tells you something but not much, knowing the volume tells you something but not much. Very useful in the context of all the other factors, completely pointless on its own
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