so I know there are tons of volume charts out there and it's totally up the surfer but I've been finding that my 5'8" hypto is hard to duckdive in big surf. It's 31 liters which to me sounds like a boat. I'm 5'9" and 175lbs what is the sweet spot regarding volume? I was thinking of going to 28-29 liters
Learn to duckdive, for real. I'm 5'9" 165 lbs and I can shove a 7'4" CI BBT right through the bottom of a macking wave. It's all timing, and of course the distribution of volume, not total volume per se. If you have too much volume in the nose, or course it will be hard to penetrate and punch through and out the back. So maybe the hypto with its rounded nose is the problem, not the total volume of the board.
volume calculators just give a starting point...you'll probably need to try at last one board before dialing in the right volume. Unless you can find a demo, this means actually buying a board, hoping it's within acceptable limits...and, if it isn't, selling it to finance one that is. Volume calculators can vary between shapers, so it's best to use their particular calculator, if possible. Hayden shapes doesn't have their own volume calculator, so you'll have to guess using someone else's (lessening the chances of getting the right volume on the first go).
If you tried a Kechele sprocket or pugfish,(or an Orion or Natural Art or WRV hybrid), same length and volume as your hypto, I'll bet you could duckdive it lots easier, due to their advanced performance foiling and such.
If you're deciding on a board based on your ability to duckdive it, your priorities are in the wrong place. How much do you bench press? Get your upper body strength up and do a handstand on the nose a couple of times until you feel the board sink.
@175 lbs, 31 liters is over 5 & 1/2 lbs per liter. Shouldn't have any trouble with duckdiving that. If you go with less volume you may be able to duck dive a little easier but you'll lose something in paddling and wave catching ability.
I choose my boards according to how they fit on my car rack. Sometimes I choose them according to which car wash I go to. Or if there are a lot of butterflies in the area I drive through. But, then again.....bathrobe.
Is that board epoxy? I had a similiar experience with a Santa Cruz tufflite but a bit more volume than that. It was a complete cork though. I use a 33.5 cl modern fish as my daily driver in better surf and I'm 170. It's a poly and is no problem to push deep under a wave. I'd definitely work on technique. I more often than not use my knee to push low. I feel more stable that way. Give it a shot and really try to push that nose under. The rest should follow.
As said, volume is only a starting point. Volume distribution also matters... how volume flows as you go from nose to tail. The volume on the Hypto is pushed forward, rather than back, like on most performance shortboards. This will make it inherently more difficult to duckdive. In addition, the nose is wider than the tail, again... putting much more foam forward. Keep at it... figure it out... and you'll be fine without getting all hung up on "X Liters." Barry... you crack me up, brother!
I weigh a good 30 pounds less than you and have no trouble duck diving a 35L board with a very similar outline to a hypto. Almost identical. The boards not the problem. Not trying to be a jerk, just being honest. And I'm just your average Joe
reminds me of when I moved from the east coast to Los Angeles, back in the 80s. Most of the surfers I first met there were punks...not cool punks but druggy, sadistic criminal punks. I was somehow able to duck dive EC waves, but couldn't duck dive the larger pacific waves. So they thought it would be fun to teach me the wrong way...which was to stick my knee into my board (didn't occur to me to see if they were doing it that way). I delamed the crap out of three boards with my knee before I figured out to always use my foot.
Yeah I use both ways but use my knee more often in our Jerz waves. Never had an issue with delam or gnarly pressure dents. Perhaps I should abandone' it all together. I'm no expert that's for sure.
