120 litre windsurf board. Can I uphaul?

Question

I am an intermediate windsurfer and just purchased a windsurf board that was ‘said’ to be 120 litres, 270cm x 55cm. I am not sure if it can be 120 litres as I think I have a board that looks roughly the same size and am sure that must be a lot less than 100 litres as it is a sinker (I am 75kg - 167 pounds). I have not had the opportunity to use this new board but I really want a board that I can uphaul on as I am still learning to waterstart . Also want to know 1) Is it possible that this is in fact 120 litres given its dimensions and the fact that it looks the same size as my other board which is a sinker. If it is 120 litres, can I uphaul on it

2) how do litres correlate to body weight. I thought that a board of 120 litres would only just start to sink if there are 120kgs of weight on it, or is this pounds?

Any help would be great.

Answer 1

You're right with the 120litres will just start to sink with 120kilos of weight but don't forget to include the weight of the rig. A bigger sail will make it less floaty. It could indeed be 120litres with these dimensions, the difference in size will not be massive with 20 litres if the board shapes are similar. I'd say that the biggest factor with uphauling on this board is the width. Intermediate boards made after 2000(ish) tend to be much wider, therefore much more stable and much easier to get planing. Around 65 - 70cm wide. You should be able to uphaul on your board without sinking but the width will make it wobbly and unstable. A shorter, wider board with the same litres would put more volume under your feet and make it more floaty and stable.  A 120l board 250x65cm would be much easier to uphaul on (and earlier to plane)