I have had this thought in my head for a while now and can't seem to solve it.
So as a bigger guy now 92kg (thank you Australia and the abundance of Smiths salt and vinegar chips and all that other stuff that I can't get my hands on. Otherwise I would be 88kg) my light wind board is a 105L. I see that some of the lighter blokes say 60 to 65kg, are also going out on 105l boards in light wind.
Just doing some quick maths for the 65kg rider there is 40L of buoyancy for his wetsuit and rig. But for me, there would only be 13L. Does that mean that I should be on a 132L board(my weight + 40L)? Cause I can float around on a 105L, I do need a little bit of wind and I would be working a little bit. I can't really float and ride but anything above 15 to 18knts and I think I could go out.
Just pondering how the whole buoyancy thing works. For you lighter blokes, in lighter winds what do you go out on? Would a 105l be too large?
Thanks for letting me ramble.

I was using 75lt as my only wave board (+13lt over my weight in kg) and 4.8 sail as biggest, it was good enough for float and ride. Now i have a 82lt (+20lt) as my light wind board to have better planing to catch more waves and to be less stressed when the wind dies, but i didn't try it on waves yet so can't comment of there is any significant difference.
As SurferKris mentioned about sail-board combo, i don't like 4.8 sail with 75lt when powered up, another reason for me to get the 82lt.
I olso have a 94lt (+32lt) freeride board with 4 footstraps to use with 5.5 sail as light wind freeride.

When you think in percentages of excess buoyancy, heavier riders are at disadvantage with current "go to" calculation, can that be the reason why heavier riders plane harder?
For ex: +32lt is +%50 excess buoyancy of a 64kg rider but it is +32% of a 100kg rider, so lighter rider has 18% more buoyancy compared to heavier rider.

hello,I,m 68 kg... modern boards have a much more floaty and surfer shape that can withstand a lot of wind. Being a light weight surfer always gives you more advantage in destinations with little wind, where we usually have 5 boards and sometimes more...in my case...I get bored carrying so much volume +20 liters( small wave sailing)...with time, you You realize that you jump worse and, above all, your surfing improves by adjusting the liters more, early planing sacrificing.
I think that if you can, and you weigh + 90 kg, custom boards are always a winning bet.

Another difference is that commercial boards tend to change in their design criteria with different volumes too, and seem to be aimed at someone at around 75-80kg in weight (irrespective of board volume). I once tested the whole Starboard Acid range in one day on the same sail (a 5.3), it was a good learning experience. The larger volumes seem more designed to work well i slower waves, while the smaller ones are more and more speed oriented. So for us lightweights the are few low volume options for mushy waves, and we end up using "too large" boards compared to our weight, in order to have a suitable shape. I guess custom is the only way to go for those that are on either extreme of weight scale (either the low or the high end).

One exception to the above has been the 62 liter Evo, I tested it on the same day as the Acid range, and the turning ability was amazing in comparison to the smaller volume acid boards. So the Evo came home with me on that day. :)

Thanks, everyone.
Some very interesting information on what people feel comfortable with.
From a big guy's perspective, my main pains are getting the board going (time, experience, and better footwork would also be an advantage) and then keeping the board going. I end up bearing away a lot to keep the board going which limits the amount of fun that I can have in the waves. But the positive is that shore breaks never seem to be an issue (192cm really helps).
From a lighter rider, what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Great topic. Now, If you guys are heavy at 90-95kg I must be an elephant in a tutu, weighing in 100kg. I ride a Patrik 113 litre wave board which does the job in majority of the winds - float and ride 15 -20 knots, 20 to 25 knots it comes alive. Have only ridden it a few times over 25 knts in Sydney thanks to the crappy winds we have, but the board performed well for my weight and size. The magic for this board is fins, have played around with fin set ups on the board which has made a big difference depending on conditions. If was in 20 knts plus more often I would probably drop back to around 105 litres, if I could afford another board and sneak it into the shed.

heypressgo said..
Great topic. Now, If you guys are heavy at 90-95kg I must be an elephant in a tutu, weighing in 100kg. I ride a Patrik 113 litre wave board which does the job in majority of the winds - float and ride 15 -20 knots, 20 to 25 knots it comes alive. Have only ridden it a few times over 25 knts in Sydney thanks to the crappy winds we have, but the board performed well for my weight and size. The magic for this board is fins, have played around with fin set ups on the board which has made a big difference depending on conditions. If was in 20 knts plus more often I would probably drop back to around 105 litres, if I could afford another board and sneak it into the shed.

What are you running for fins? I'm similar weight once you look at how thick a wetsuit I need and I think my current 104L might be under finned.

Grantmac said..
What are you running for fins? I'm similar weight once you look at how thick a wetsuit I need and I think my current 104L might be under finned.

I think necessary fin size is almost as much influenced by rocker and rails as by volume. With the Severne Pyro I find I have to over size the fins relative to the standard fins, and the stiffer the better. With the Quatro Cube I liked about the same size as the board comes with, and with a Flikka that I tried I ended up liking slightly smaller and softer fins (I ended up liking K4 fins the most on that board ) than either of the other two brands. All boards were similar volumes and sailed in mostly cross onshore conditions.

AlexF said..
I once had a Starboard Aero 127, one of the first big freewave attempts, but being 235 x 72 cm this board was akward on wave. With all that width it felt more like wrestling than waveriding, so it left my quiver fast.
I guess a big Kode etc. doesn't feel any better nowadys.

I had the Aero 117. I think mine was the last year before it was merged into the Kombat line.
I hated that board. Would not plane and even on a wave felt terrible.

I've now got a 2021 Kode 125 L. I use it with a 7.0 in cross onshore and it's great for those conditions. Planes easily, holds its speed really well when riding DTL holding the clew open, and comes off the top really nicely. Took me a couple of sessions to adjust my sailing to such a big board but definitely better in light cross onshore than the 2014 Goya Custom Quad 118 or the 2016 Goya Custom Quad 116 or the 2018 Goya One 116 that I had previously (actually still have the 2016 116 as it's really good in cross shore conditions with a 6.5).

SurferKris said..
For me it is more related to the sail-size in combination with board volume.
I'm about 62-64kg and I have enough volume in a 77 litre quad board to comfortably slog, but a 5.3 sail feels a little too large for that board. So in lightwind I prefer something around 87-90 liters, mostly because they can carry a 5.3 sail with ease.

I have larger boards too, even a Formula board, but in waves I go more by the largest sail size that I want to use (5.0 - 5.3), and then find a suitable board for it. My smallest board (in waves) is a 62liter Evo, it works well for me in steady winds and around 4.7 sails and down.

Even though I'm 90 kg, I have similar findings. My board and sail combos are:
Cube 87 L max sail 5.0
Cube 98 L max sail 5.5
Cube 106 L max sail 6.0
Goya 116 L custom quad max size 6.7
Kode 125 L max size 7.0

If I was lucky enough to have a cross shore spot with a channel then I probably wouldn't need bigger than the Cube 106 and a 6.0.

I only use the Kode if it's cross on. If it's cross shore then I can comfortably slog out with the 116 and 6.7 in about 10-12 knots if the waves aren't too big.

The Kode will comfortably take a 7.5 with a big single fin on flat water but I did it once and haven't bothered since.

59kg. 100L freeride (RRD Firemove)is my largest windsurfing board. 6.5M sail and 11kt sustained is the lowest wind I can be constantly planing without having to work. Below 11kts I foil. Sustained 15kts the 86L and 5.2/5.8M kit is used. Bummer being a flyweight is +30kt sustained winds. Down to hook in and hang on and jibe in the "lulls" with a 76 or 78L board and 3.7/4.0/4.2 M. Realistically I'm beached for winds greater than F7. Getting too old. Really content with F5-6 wind.

Back to the original posters question I'd say a lot depends on your skill level. The rules for 70-80kg riders don't apply to heavier guys. First with the extra weight usually comes also extra height and a wider stance. This gives you more leverage compared to the lighter and generally shorter guys.

My go to for wave riding at the moment is the Severne Pyro 113. It's actually the only board I use in anything from 15-35. In the past I have used Dyno 115, Goya Custom Quad 118, JP Thruster 115.

The JP board is too far back and different as a shape compared to the newer boards. The Goya was incredible on a wave but had a defined top speed which wasn't that fast to begin with. Probably would define it as a float and ride wave board. The Dyno is great for early planing and does turn ok on waves but starts having it's draw backs once the waves get bigger. The Pyro feels like a refined version of the Dyno. Refined for wave riding. It need more work get planing but the acceleration and top speed beats all the other boards. I actually would say this is not just the fastest wave board I have ever owned but actually the fastest board overall. Add to that insane turning capabilities and it makes it a great choice for heavier weight riders in my opinion.

My weight is 115 @ 6'4". At my preferred weight of 100 I would use the 105 Pyro. As for your original question yes 105 is too large for a 65 kg rider. At that weight they'd probably be in the 5'4" and wouldn't have the leverage to or stance to adequately turn a board with 63+ cm width and a relatively wide tail. For wavesailing I'd say 80 liters is probably the top end they should use.

For slalom and race foiling things become a bit more complicated and what I said above doesn't apply.

stehsegler said..
My go to for wave riding at the moment is the Severne Pyro 113.

Is that a custom? I thought 105 L was the biggest Pyro?

Thanks. How long is the 113?