Volume ???

Volume's important but even more important is exactly where the extra volume is added to the board (for your issue, you probably need more under the chest). Best to chat to your local shaper about this, they'll sort you out pronto.

Yep the problem for most aging surfers and its on going as you start to lose it bit by bit but stay as fit as you can yoga and stretching and strength ,but also add a bit more volume to your boards keeping in mind that thickness will add more, more so than width or length , so even a 1/16 or an 1/8 will add a liter or 2 .Also maybe lower the nose entry a bit,improves boards ability to paddle better without pushing water,widen the board a 1/4 or so pull the nose out a touch etc.As Ben said above have an honest talk to your shaper but remember your on a well worn path that happens especially over 50 so start to explore.So your not alone Dingbat ,been there and still working it out.

32 ltrs at 86 kgs and 52 yrs your way under foamed pops
That literage at mid twenties thirties is fine
36 min even go 38 ltrs .easy to sneek an extra 5ltrs of foam in the deck on those dimensions....keep same performance rail profile
and you can buy 3 gd secondhand ones for the price of 1 custom which is good till you find best thickness/ dimemsions
Simon A site is gd info..Simon Says

Check out crustts ad /gumtree apollo bay/ 6'2 Kirk Bierke Quad- $ 280 with fins and a crustt boardbag

That board is a real wave catcher, it's 3/8 thinner than any of my other longer boards, the fullness in the nose helps with paddling into waves heap. I'm 58 now and 94kg my arms aren't strong enough for a board like that. I'm getting a slightly more beefed up one made. It's a good all round board, one of my all time favourites, . https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/apollo-bay/surfing/surfboard/1186254161

Fit surfers will always get more waves on bigger surfboards and longer boards are generally easier to paddle faster too. My theory is that you need just enough volume so you can paddle comfortably (and catch waves) and that varies with design, rocker, waves and your energy level. I surf most days, will be 57 soon, and weigh around 82kg. My go to shortboards are 5’8” and 5’11”, and step-ups to 6’6”. All are between 32 to 34.5 litres (shortest has the higher volume), however as Ben and others have said it depends where it is and the other design variables. I find that a shortboard can also have too much volume if badly designed. When I was in my early 40’s I thought keeping fit and flexible will let me surf forever, but when I got to my mid 50’s had to admit that aging is very real. Sometimes it even takes me a few seconds to get moving off the lounge these days and that has nothing to do with fitness or water temp LOL. Like many of the older crew who are honest enough to admit that they’ve lost that edge because they just don’t have the same explosive power or speed anymore, I’ve had to start to ride boards that help me have fun, rather than the latest pro models.

I suggest you find a shaper who’s old enough to appreciate where you’re coming from and what you need. It might take a few boards to get it right, but it’s a fun journey. I’ve also been following Simon Anderson’s thread on his quest to design shortboards for older surfers. After a ridiculous number of surfboards and discussions with old mates involving way too much beer, all we’ve been able to work out is that after that explosive strength starts to disappear we need enough volume to paddle comfortably, have a bit more area in the tail, a flatter entry rocker to help get the waves, and a flatter rocker on our small wave boards. I prefer quads on waves under 4 feet simply because I find them easier to get planning faster. Fortunately a good Shaper works all that stuff out, so all I have to do is work out what colour and tail shape I want.

Jeezus ....you had some work done
Toss that whole quiver...You need 37 -38 ltrs min.....40 prob be better
Webster Desert Storm for Indo or Sanbah surf have a high volume 7'4 round pin Simon Anderson cheap/ read the other thread where fellows talk highly of Grant Miller
Where are you located ? do you wear a steamer ? if so also add more foam a wet 4x3 weighs a bit..

Noel Salas and Volume / litres

Don't be afraid to go even higher in volume. My 6'2" is 46 litres. It surfs fast and loose. Lots of speed from a static forward trim and even more if you do a speed weave.

You can feel the volume during turns:
- the rail does not sink into the wave so much but this is not a bad thing just different. The extra volume in the rail on turns creates squirt out of a turn - which feels good.
- you can do good turns from a slightly forward position but if you step back the thinner tail the volume becomes even less noticeable and carves well.
- the flat rocker is great - you can feel it helping skim like a longer board but with a shortboard length allowing it to fit into the wave well.

You feel more on the surface than on a lower volume board but that is just a different feel and to me is a positive - just like the speed.
- no probs with steep take-offs.

In summary, the volume to me equates to easy speed. To make the most of it you need to move around on the board a bit to find the various sweet spots - trim speed spots, turn sweet spots.

I would be very happy to have had the board 30 years ago. It is not just an older person board.

Hi Frogg,great to hear someone talking up volume for older surfers,seems that a lot of guys struggle away on the old 6-2 x 19 x 23/8..........or go to the dark side and ride a mal.......anyway Wayne Websters doing his bit for the older dudes...
https://www.webstersurfboards.com.au/fish-surfboards/

Hey DB, I’m 56 years young with 4 boards in the quiver. 3 shortboards are all between 35 and 38 litres. Got a 7’0 fun board a year or so ago - single with 2 sides which is a lot of fun. So yep suggest add some foam.

My previous short board was not low volume and was 20.5 inches wide but compared to the modern short and wider boards had too much rocker and the volume was too much just under the chest. So a basic flat trim without any weave would tend to push water.

The flatter rocker and more volume in the tail in my current board gives much more "easy" speed.

I've got one of Wayne Webster's Rascals, quite a big board but heaps of fun whether you're cruising or pushing it a bit harder.

Interesting from Big Simon about an 8'0 @ 2/38 thick - Will help it to Surf down.

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I have been struggling with board volume/shape for about 2 years. I’m 6’1”, 80kg, fit for my 53 years and lanky. Seduced by YouTube clips of Rocket Wide’s and Kolohe Andino fishes, marketed as everyday riders/grovellers for the average guy, I was riding boards with way too much volume. 38L is too much for me at the length I like to ride - 6”1”.

Body shape and leverage from it are rarely, if ever, talked about in respect of board dims. Longer arms and how you hold them through a turn, for example, will affect how you set a rail, the arc of the board and it’s ultimate transition to the next turn. For me, the above-mentioned types of boards felt corky and lost drive through turns due to the rail being too soft and the tails too wide.

Frustrated, I rang Rod Dahlberg and had a chat about the above. I was going to just grab one of his Rocket Rod licenced Indo boards, but ordered a souped-up custom based off the original plan shape. The board takes me back to my most surf-frothy times. 6’1” x 21 x 2 1/2 swallow, shallow single to double concave, low-ish rails and low nose rocker with a slight lift in the tail, @33.5L.
There is something indefinably awesome about a board shaped for you by a master. The thing flies and is a ‘goldilocks’ sled.
Moral of the story - don’t always believe the hype from the big guys, talk to a respected craftsman and trust your gut.
Happy surfing.

Thanks Christian. that youtube clip weight / 6 has had me in an existential crisis all arvo.