Published on Sep 28, 2024
The objective:
My hypothesis for this project was that if different size surfboards were ridden then the longer surfboards would have a longer duration of ride verses a shorter board.
To test this hypothesis I obtained three different size surfboards including a 7'0 board, an 8'0 board, and a 9'6 board. I selected four beaches in southern California and one beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu to perform my experiment. I ride each board for a total of three waves a peice and the times were recorded with a stopwatch. I then went on to assemble my data formally.
The results I gathered showed that the 8'0 board and the 9'6 definitely had a longer ride than the 7'0. At times it was really hard for me stand up and keep my balance on the shorter boards. Up to two full seconds gaped between the different sized boards.
I have concluded that the different boards can tell a person just how long a wave can be ridden just by the size, shape, and dimensions of the board itself. The size of the wave also somes into play when concluding my results. It is found that shorter boards are easily ridden on larger, more powerful waves than longer boards. It is just the opposite on smaller, weaker waves.
This project is about how the length of a surfboard affects the duration of the ride.