just punched in my stats and the output seems way too high. A 40 liter volume board feels right to me...but firewire is suggesting closer to 50 liters! (that would be one corky mofo). Anyone else getting suspiciously high results with firewire's volume calculator? Is there a difference in volume between firewire and other brands? Is there a difference in volume between poly and eps?
Take what you normally ride/like in a poly board. If the estimator for epoxy comes in equal or higher, you know it's not accurate. Also when it comes to epoxy boards, pay attention to if it's hand shaped or a punch out, or chinese garbage, etc. Many epoxies have basically no edges on the rails. This adds to the feeling of corkiness or planing too high that people don't like. Surfboards need edges and I see more epoxy boards out there that have none on them.
There has been and probably never will be an agreement in the shaping industry on how to calculate board volume. The numbers and the formulas vary.
You're right and volume only means something if you are comparing exact same materials. Two boards of same volume, but made of different materials will have much different hydrodynamic characteristics. Epoxy boards have many different manufacturing techniques used these days depending on who is making them. You can't take a 35 liter Firewire and compare it to all other 35 liter epoxies. Density would be a much better guage between makers and easy enough to figure provided they give you an exact finished weight of the product (along with the volume). Hard to get a hold of a graduated cylinder big enough to fully submerge a surfboard I'd think, but that would be the best way to get the volume. The only way I would trust anyways.
i actually think the opposite. CI is a bit low, firewire's is fairly on the mark, IMO. i attribute that to the fact that they ask for more info...if you're honest about your ability level & weight, of course. of course, i also think that most average surfers ride less volume than they realistically should be for their ability level & paddling strength. edit: i also find the idea that most surfers can tell the difference in buoyancy between poly & eps laughable. it's such a negligible amount. pros most likely can, or really small people, but not your average 150-200lb human.
I normally rode a 6'2"-6'6" hpsb. I was worried about going shorter when I ordered my firewire, I asked questions on their forums and used the volume calculator. I ended up getting a 5'10" Spitfire, bottom of the suggested volume range for me, and I absolutely love it! I probably could've gone lower to a 5'8" but wearing a 4/3 into the summer is tiring. Use their forums and take the advice given, can't go wrong there.
I think the problem with firewire's calculator is they factored the riders age in way too much (that and they don't factor in what type of waves you're going to be riding: summer mush, winter barrels, etc). for instance, I have way more paddle power now than I did at age 20, yet, all the other factors being the same, firewire's calc exponentially adds liters of volume per year of age. IMO, unless someone is over 50, age shouldn't be factored in at all...if surfing on a somewhat regular basis, a person just gets a stronger/better built chest and shoulders the older they get (up to a certain age, of course). If they're going to factor in age, they need to add some sort of bell curve/algorithm.
you're probably right...they definitely don't factor in wave type, but i think it's not really the norm for people to get stronger/better w/ age. most surfers, once they get married, have kids, etc...lose water time & their skills suffer, so a bit more volume benefits them, IMO.
Im not a pro but I can tell the difference .I dunno , its like with poly your in the wave and eps is more like your on top of it. Some people swear by firewire but if I dont get mine dailed in soon its goin on craigslist.
telling the difference between poly & eps/epoxy in terms of the ride is one thing, telling the difference between poly & eps/epoxy in terms of buoyancy is another thing entirely. i totally can feel the difference when riding an eps/epoxy...i hate it, it feels dead under my feet. difference in buoyancy? not so much...
I hear ya, dont mean to be downing firewires but I hate the way eps rides. different strokes. my next board wont be epoxy.
