salt vs. fresh water buoyancy, feel

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

A 4/3 wetsuit makes more difference.
Wet, a sized M would weigh around 19 lbs. Dry, maybe 5.

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

Moist air in denser. Try to hit a golf ball in the fog. As for the going bigger in fresh water. If your at the float sink level in salt water than maybe. Most likely you would be good to go with the board you used......

pete1111 · Joined: 16 Apr 2005 Posts: 193 Location: The Dude

NOVAAN · Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1551

Well then. I guess I should play more golf in the fog

whitevan01 · Joined: 29 Jun 2007 Posts: 607

depends how salty the water is.

this gentleman is floating in the dead sea, can't do this in fresh water or in "normal" ocean water:

bred2shred · Joined: 02 May 2000 Posts: 989 Location: Jersey Shore

scottwerden · Joined: 11 Jul 1999 Posts: 302

GURGLETROUSERS · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Posts: 2643

And hence offers more resistance (inertial ?) to being barged through.

Would that mean rigging bigger for more power, to attain top speed, or smaller to offer less surface area, and drag? Do we need a power to weight (or size) formula?

Should we fill in and smoothe over the dimples on our wetsuits in foggy conditions to try and obtain laminar air (and water vapour) flow, or is 30m.p.h. just too slow a speed nowadays, to worry about reaching anyway? Laughing

ramps · Joined: 07 May 2000 Posts: 94

Another difference between salt and fresh water, which I found out the hard way is its abrasiveness. My first time in salt water got me some serious harness rash. For day 2 I got a rash guard but the damage was done.

spennie · Joined: 13 Oct 1995 Posts: 975 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

My 2 cents:

You'll feel it most in your fin choice, you'll be able to use a smaller fin. Salt water is "thicker", but it is a subtle thing.

As for the air density discussion above, there's a layer of air close to the surface of the ocean that's about 3-4 feet deep, and much denser, I would guess from the extra water vapor. I saw a special on TV several years ago about a high-speed boat with small wings on the sides that would fly out of the water, but not above that denser layer, so they were trying to get it classified as a boat & not a plane. The video was indisputable proof of that layer's existence. So the lowest 3-4 feet of your sail is going to be in that layer, and my GUESS would be generate a little more power. Sure has felt like it to me, and I've sailed both types (fresh & salt) extensively, for many years.