Hi, am looking at upgrading my Starboard Carve 144L to 2015 Carve 121L. The old board is 78cm and the new one is 72cm, both at the same length. Given the new one is smaller, will the boards plan at the same time, thereabouts or will I notice a big difference?

Given that the 144 can carry a much bigger rig (a 9.5) it should plane earlier. But with the same size rigs and a rider who is a mid range weight there might not be much in it as the wider board should have more drag initially. Once planning the bigger board will probably still plane through the lulls more easily.

I've got a 2015 121 litre Tufskn AST Carve, I'm 78 kgs, can get it planing in 12-13 knots with a 2 cam 7.7m sail with the 42cm factory fin. I haven't tried a bigger fin, the 7.7 is my biggest sail. Hope this helps.