Sinker/ uphaul question

[picard]

Hello,

Im 200lbs. What is the smallest board I can stand on before it becomes a sinker or impossible to uphaul?

Im looking into a second higher performance board to complement my behomouth lightwind 190L Go (almost always lightwinds here, but every now and then...), and Im slowly working my way up to a waterstart, but I dont know if Id want a board that I couldnt uphaul....

Any feedback from other heavyweights out there?

[spyder]

I think the conversion factor is 2.2. Meaning, 2.2 lbs can be supported by 1 liter volume.

So, assuming the rig is 20lbs, the total weight is 120lbs. This is equivalent to a 100 ltr board.

I would think something a bit bigger would be better, say a 115+ ltr board.

[kencarp]

You might want to try the F2 Air 265.It has a volumeof 115l and is quite up-haulable yet jumps and jibes really well. Its a really forgiving board which makes it good for free style tricks. I have both the Air 265 and the Air 260 and these boards have definetly put the fun back into sailing.Good luck on wiring your waterstart.K.P.

[carl]

Im 200 lbs and neutral boyancy seems to be about 110 liters with full wetsuit harness and pfd. (Remember everything adds weight) Uphaul comfort is dependant on how choppy the water is too. I would say 120- 130 liters is better. Look for a board with a narrower tail also, it will be more forgiving in highwind.

[isobars]

You need to define
sinker and uphaul first. Both are a matter of degrees. The smaller they get, the tougher they get to uphaul and the deeper/quicker they sink when not planing. Ive seen guys uphaul boards while knee-deep, and what sinks at 0 mph will surface at 4, or 6, or 8 mph.

The REAL question I always ask before buying/replacing my second-largest board is, Can I slog it upwind? If not, Id better be capable of SWIMMING it a long ways or save it for places with friendly and adquately near downwind shores. Whether it sinks or can be uphauled are secondary issues to whether I can get it to a friendly shore before Jay Leno comes on after the wind drops suddenly.

That, in turn, depends even more on the venue than on the board. In a given amount of wind Ill sail a tiny sinker in some circumstances (e.g., warm water, onshore winds, a body of water I dont mind swimming across) or insist on a much larger board if drifing downwind is a serious issue.

A boards upwind ability is very dependent on more than its volume. Whatever volume it may have, I want my second board to have soft rails for greater maneuverability, which reduces its upwind ability, especially when underpowered.

Mike \m/

[picard]

Thanks for the insights!