With surfing generating a larger and larger following every year, more and more people have also decided to take to the waves and try out their skill in surfing. Beginners and even intermediate surfers might not always have all the knowledge to immediately choose the best surfboards and therefore, we have created our list of the best surfboards to improve your wave riding experience.
Surfing is based on adrenaline and getting your adrenaline rushing, while also having some fun with the right skills, but with the wrong surfboard, life on the waves can be tough and you might struggle to get noticed and become a professional surfer. After much deliberation and research, we have chosen our selection of surfboards that should help you improve your surfing ability and also have more fun.
Top Surfboard Comparison Chart
Surfboard Buying Guide
Before we dive into the top surfboards, you will need to know how to select the best surfboards and sometimes this can be a daunting task. Talking to professional surfers will certainly help and in shop advisers will also help to get you that perfect board, but sometimes they might try and sell you the most expensive board as well. With these features in the back of your mind, you should be able to make the best choice for yourself and never end up paying more than you should.
With that being said, let’s look at the essential features that you should consider when purchasing a new surfboard:
Key Features
As surfing is becoming more and more popular and boards are also taking more time and research to develop, it should come as no surprise that the top features will command a higher price, but since you might not be a top surfer yet, you can look into some of the cheaper boards with fewer features to help you save money and still enjoy surfing. Let’s look at the most important of these features:
Type
The first and most important aspect of picking a surfboard is getting the right type needed for your style. There are various types of surfboards that you will be able to choose from and we will look a little deeper into each type of board and who will benefit from each type.
Tail Design
The tail design will also go with your style and you will need to incorporate the correct tail design or your board. There are various different tail designs for you to choose from and each of these designs will make a difference in the way you surf and the amount of control that you have over the board.
Rail Design
The rail design is important when it comes to the mobility and the flotation of the surfboard. Picking the correct rail design will ensure that you have more maneuverability and you will also be able to move much more elegantly between the waves.
Skill Level
It is important, to be honest about the skill level you are currently surfing at. The general rule of thumb is that the higher skill level you are, the smaller the board you can use while surfing. But, you need to ensure that you are honest about your skill level to ensure that you get the best board for your abilities. The skill level will dictate most of the other features you need to take into account.
Weight
The weight you are will also determine the size and the shape of the board that you will be using. Children might not have the best skillset when it comes to surfing, but a smaller board might feel like a longboard to these children and therefore, they might feel comfortable on some of the smaller boards.
By understanding these five things, you should be able to find the best board, which should allow you to ride the waves to the best of your capabilities. Another important thing that you should also consider is the size of the quality of the waves you are riding. The size and the quality of the waves will also dictate your decision in which board you are going to pick. You should also note that not all waves are the same.
Now that you understand what you should consider when buying a new board, you should also be aware of the types of surfboards available and how each board will influence your surfing abilities. There are a lot of different types and we have decided to show you how they will influence your surfing skills and capabilities:
Board Types
Shortboard
The shortboard has been designed for more professional surfers and it definitely allows you the most maneuverability on the waves. These boards are generally lighter as well and they are easier to control on the waves if you have the right skills. These boards are highly recommended for more professional surfers.
Fish Surfboard
The fish surfboard is characterized by its shorter tail and they are also a little thicker than the traditional shortboard. The fish surfboards are also more commonly used by top surfers, but they will also be the board of choice for lighter or smaller surfers. These boards will also offer you great mobility, but they are also used for stronger currents where more paddle strength is required to get deeper into the water.
Fun Shaped Boards
Fun shapes are the ideal boards for intermediate surfers and they perfectly bridge the gap between long and shortboards. These boards will also give you adequate mobility, but they also allow for easier paddling to get to those deeper waves. These boards are also commonly used to transition from longboards to shortboards by beginners.
Longboards
Longboards are the ideal surfboards for beginners and they excel tremendously in helping you to learn the ropes when it comes to surfing. These boards are a little harder to paddle with and they are also more commonly used to ride weaker waves, thus making them the number one choice for beginners and even some intermediate surfers. The carrying and transporting process might be tricky, though.
Soft Top Surfboards
If you have never surfed before, the soft top surfboard will be the ideal surfboard for you to start out with. These surfboards feature a softer deck to make it more comfortable to paddle with and resist any dinks and dents that you could take. These boards are also around the same size as the longboards and transporting them is a little harder.
Now that you fully understand the types of surfboards that you will be finding, you will also be able to choose the best one for your needs. Your skill level and the waves that you will be riding will greatly influence the types of board you will be picking and it is really important, to be honest with yourself when answering those two questions to ensure that you get the best value for your money.
That being said, let’s look at the top surfboards you will be able to choose from this year:
Best Surfboard Reviews
1. Catch Surf Beater – Finless
Board Type : Soft Top
Dimensions: 54 x 20 x 2.5 inches
The Catch surf Beater Original surfboard is one of the top surfboards for riding smaller waves and the board is also great for beginners. If you have never surfed before in your life, you will be looking at this type of surfboard to get you going and to ensure that you are able to learn the art of surfing better. We ranked it at the top of our list not because it’s the BEST surfboard in the world for big waves, but because of its versatility and usefulness in all sorts of conditions from body-boarding to all-out big wave surfing.
The board is also quite large, thus making transport a little trickier, but it will definitely be great for people living close by and surfing regularly. It features a strong, light-weight and water-resistant core with dual (X2) maple-ply wood Stringers and high-density bottom to make it the stiffest most durable beater ever made. The dual composite core center will ensure that you have the much-needed stability needed for starting out in this sport.
The added HDPE slick skin will help you reduce the impact and ensure that you remain in control on these smaller waves. The board will allow you to learn all the basics and fundamentals of becoming a top surfboarder and with this board, you should be progressing to the intermediate level in no time.
We highly recommend this board for beginners. The board might be a little expensive, but you will get multiple years’ worth of use out of the board. The design of the board is also sleek and will be great for casual surfer as well. You will need to add surf wax to the board to improve the grip and to ensure that you stay upright, but luckily this is not that expensive.
This model requires surf wax for grip and it’s designed in California. Oh, by the way, it comes with a free puck of wax to get you started!
Pros:
- Stylish design
- Great for beginners
- Improves stability
- Impact-resistant
- Versatile for a wider variety of activities on the water
Cons:
- Expensive
- Only made for smaller waves
2. South Bay 4’10” Huego Shortboard
Board type: longboard
Dimensions: 58” x 21” x 2.85”
The South Bay Huego ranks at the top of Amazon’s satisfaction scale and recommendation list. This is with good reason as the Huego offers quite a portfolio of features for the price! It’s tough to know where to start, so I’ll jump right in!
First off, this is a HYBRID board. What is a “Hybrid” Surfboard? – A Hybrid Surfboard (from South Bay anyway!) is the ONLY Soft-Top + Hard Fiberglassed Bottom Surfboard on the market – The crafting of the board is the same as traditional high performance fiberglassed board with a Wax-Free Foam deck resined to the top deck. Every shape is custom designed and tested to ensure the maximum number of performance shapes that South Bay can make.
The top deck is covered with a fingerprint-textured ISPE foam while the bottom deck is a bamboo fiberglass material. With 37L of volume and FCS fins, you have plenty of control. The construction of the board itself is EPS closed-cell foam core which supports up to 200 pounds! At the front of the top deck there is a heat release valve to deal with hotter temps. That’s the same location that a plug sits to allow for a go pro camera mount. Included also, is a 5′ Pro-series leash so you don’t lose your investment!
Pros
- Provides great traction
- Is the only board of its kind (hybrid)
- No surfboard wax needed
- Impact-resistant
- Reasonably priced
Cons
- Some verified purchasers (5%) reported a less-than-awesome performance rating, saying that buoyancy could be better
3. Giantex 6′ Surfboard Surf Foamie Boards Surfing Beach Ocean Body Boarding
Board type: Longboard
Dimensions: 72 x 20 x 3 inches
The Giantex 6” surf Foamie boards surfboard is another great surfboard for beginners to choose from. The board is quite stylishly designed when you look at the graffiti that has been incorporated and the thickness of the board will make it the perfect type of board for beginners to help decrease the chances of being knocked off by those stray waves.
The board also features a slick HDPE bottom which will also help contribute to the impact resistance feature of the board and allow you to glide elegantly on those smaller waves. The enormous size does help you to make the paddling process easier and get to those deeper and bigger waves.
With this board you will have the opportunity to add your very own tail design, thus allowing you to customize the board in the best way to meet your needs and style. The weight capacity on the board is also a huge 200lbs and this should be great for larger surfers, but casual surfer that might not always stay in shape will also find great use for the surfboard.
The board is also really cheap and we do recommend the board for entry level surfers as well as some of the casual surfers, but you might easily outgrow the board if you plan on surfing a lot and getting better at a rapid rate.
Pros
- Really cheap
- Impact resistance
- Makes paddling easier
- Large maximum weight of 200lbs
Cons
- You might outgrow the board easily
- Design will rub off over time
Board type: Soft top
Dimensions: 8′ x 22 1/2 x 3 1/4
Weight: 11.5 lbs
Wavestorm is (arguably) the most recognizable brand of soft surfboards in America. That’s not an accident. This particular board is one of the best-selling surfboards in all of world history!! Yes, that’s not an overstatement! It’s light, soft and easy to handle.
The EPS foam core is the guts under the soft foam top deck which features a textured traction pad. This board also features a 3 stringer design and it has an HDPE slick bottom skin which aids in maintaining stiffness. The components of the board are assembled very securely using Bolt-Thru componentry and process and the graphics technology is gorgeous and very high quality.
200 pounds is the weight capacity suggested upper limit so if you’re a really big guy or girl, there are other options! Oh, and don’t forget there’s a removable ankle leash included with the whole deal.
Pros
- Extremely durable
- Lightweight
- Includes 3 stringers and an ankle leash
- Great stability
Cons
- One complainer said it was too thick and hard to turn the board.
5. Liquid Shredder 70 FSE EPS/PE Soft Surf Board
Board type: Soft top
Dimensions: 84 x 20 x 2.75 inches
The Liquid Shredder 70 FSE EPS/PE soft surfboard is another soft-top surfboard designed for beginners to start out with. Compared to other soft top surfboards, this foamy giant is a little cheaper and will allow you to save some extra cash, but this will be spent on the ideal fins required for your skill level and style.
The board has been heat-laminated and this will help to protect the EPS core and also promote better stability for you while riding. The added polypropylene white bottom will ensure that board holds up in tougher and bigger waves, while also providing you with some added stability to ensure that you cannot easily crash and fall.
Furthermore, the board is available in three neutral colors to choose from and does not feature any wild graffiti to impress the crowd. An added anti-slip texture has also been added to ensure that you have optimal grip when surfing and to keep you upright for longer.
When it comes to price, this board perfectly fits in the middle. Since it does not come with a fin, you might need to dole out a few bucks to ensure that you get the right fin for your style and skill level. We do recommend this surfboard for beginners, but intermediate surfers will also enjoy the lightweight and they will be able to get used to the mobility of the better boards.
Pros
- Reasonably priced
- Great durability
- Provides excellent stability
- Lightweight
- Impact-resistant
Cons
- Low weight limit of 140lbs
6. Rock It 7′ SHORTBUS Soft Top Surfboard
Board type: soft top
Dimensions: 84″ x 22″ x 3″
This Rock It Shortbus Soft Top board was released in 2020 and it’s one of the best all-around mid-sized soft tops we’ve seen. It’s meant to have all the right qualities of not being too big to carry easily, but big enough to float and move most humans! The construction of the board was done in such a way as to take into account the environmental impact and to minimize it!
It features 3 wooden stringers with nano-coating which resists water absorption and then surrounded with an EPS foam and UV resistant soft top layer. The soft top does not require wax, but wax will improve grip, so it’s not a bad idea.
The board is heat-laminated with no harmful materials and it’s even made in a warehouse/factory that uses collected rainwater! Wow, that sounds like a tree-hugging, California surfer-dude culture, and in this case, that is not a bad thing at all!
Here’s one of the best features of the board! In 2013, a University of Western Australia neurobiologist along with an entrepreneur colleague, conducted research that showed how a zebra-stripe pattern deterred sharks (visually). You can see their results in a TED TALK.
From this science, comes the bottom graphic design on the Rock It Shortbus board. It’s a striped (and confusing) assortment of lines, which is just what you want when a shark attacks!
Pros
- Offers great mobility
- Durable foam core
- Offers great stability
- Offers shark deterring features
Cons
- Low weight limit (under 200 lbs)
- $$$$ (yes, you know what those symbols mean!!)
7. 6’ Razzo Pro Series Surfboard
Board type: Longboard
Dimensions: 72.25 x 22 x 2.2 inches
Last but certainly not least, we have the Razzo 6′ hybrid high-performance surfboard. This longboard is not as thick as many of the other longboards, but it still features a durable foam core that will keep you stable and rigid while surfing. The board also comes with three thruster fins to help save you money and add to the rigidness of the board, thus also allowing you get more glide from the board on smaller waves.
The board has been predominantly constructed from bamboo and the added hand stringer will ensure that you have the optimal amount of durability when facing some of the larger and stray waves in the deeper ocean. The board also allows beginners to paddle through some of the stronger currents to get deeper as well.
We highly recommend the board for the value it provides and the affordability. The added fiberglass does bring down the weight while the epoxy cover has been added to help preserve the art on the board. The board also features an anti-slip coating and this will ensure that you cannot simply slide off. The board will be great for novice to intermediate surfers.
Pros
- Extremely durable
- Slip-resistant
- Improves paddling
- Includes thruster fins
Cons
- Quite large to transport
- Doesn’t really resist impact as well
Final Thoughts & Conclusion
We would like to thank you for reading this article and we hope that you are now able to make the best choice and not make common mistakes when it comes to selecting your next surfboard. Most of the surfboards on this list have been chosen for beginners to get into surfing and to learn the basics of surfing.
We would like to encourage you to share your thoughts on these surfboards and to let us know if you think we might have missed any of your favorite beginner surfboards.
