Surfboard width & thickness.
Interesting question Patrick. I've noticed as boards get wider they plane easier (as a generalisatiation) however there seems to be a point that they stop being as manoverable and are hard to get rails to dig in. So I'm curious how wide is too wide.
Thickness wise I've found shortboards seem to loose flex over around 2.5"
This is my understanding.
Yes wider boards plane better due to more surface area.
Wider boards are slower to go from rail to rail (less responsive) hence bottom shape needs to be changed to compensate for this like a deep double concave. (like a Sweet Potatoe type board)
A wider board generally means more curve in the shape, especially when shorter
Narrower boards generally more responsive faster rail to rail with a straight rail line = faster.
Thickness measurement IMO can be a little misleading as the point it is measured at can be a very small area a 2 1/4 board with a flat deck is very different to a 2 1/4 board with a rolled deck.
Thanks Indo. Had never really thought about the deck shape relative to flex, but obviously its very influential.
G'day
How does width and thickness affect surfboard performance?
I know each affects stability and float, but what else? How and why does width affect turning? Thinner guns, wider fish...
I know they're affected by other factors and dimensions, but if anyone can give me more info so I can grow my board knowledge that'd be great.