The Best Surfboards of 2021 (Reviews & Buyer’s Guide)

Getting your hands on quality surfboards starts with understanding the basics behind these products. Choose the best by reading the criteria we’ve set for ranking the ones listed above. Our methodology took into account the most important factors and ranked the boards accordingly.

Type/Quality of Materials

When it comes to reliable boards that you can enjoy for years to come, the first thing you’ll want to assess is the type and the quality of the materials used. For instance, some brands that really want to stand out use fiberglass, or a mix of fiberglass and resin. In creating our list, we focused only on those manufacturers that use grade-A materials for their boards.

Special Design

Not all surfboards are created the same way and for exactly the same purposes. Beginner surfboards tend to have different characteristics from pro-level boards, which can make a world of a difference for those who want to grasp the basics as quickly as possible. With that in mind, we focused mostly on those designs that cater to beginners, or showcase features that will satisfy the needs of both experienced and inexperienced surfers.

Additional Features

While a good board doesn’t need to have all the fancy bells and whistles, it’s always a nice touch when the product you buy comes with that little extra something. So, whenever a certain board comes with something extra, we make sure to point it out, and it helps with its overall rating as well.

Value for Money

While not everyone’s looking for cheap surfboards, there are a lot of surfers (especially beginners) looking for a sensible deal with a great price-to-quality ratio. This doesn’t mean that a cheap board should be a bad one.

Value for money in our book means solid features, specific designs, and an affordable product. Those surfboards that managed to strike the perfect balance of these three ranked noticeably higher on our list. Although the list does also include a couple of more expensive products, they were chosen because their price was more than justified for the quality offered.

Reviews, Brand Reputation, and Customer Support

Top surfboard brands know that their products are only as good as surfers deem them to be. We also know that reviews should be one of the main sources of information for everybody who wants to buy a new board. Customer reviews available online can present a specific product in a far more objective light than just reading what the manufacturer has to say. With this list of surfboards, we’ve done all that work for you.

Brand reputation is another one of those factors that align closely with the efficiency of customer support. Top-notch manufacturers will also make sure they remain praised by their customers— not just by producing great boards but by taking customer feedback into account as well. Those companies that received the best overall feedback also managed to rank better on the list.

It’s hard to deny there’s something incredibly liberating about surfing. It’s really easy to get sucked into this world, and the experiences you get from it are truly amazing.

However, getting your hands on a good board and catching your first wave can get a bit complicated if you don’t know what to look for. We went ahead and created this section so you can learn as much as you can about boards before you commit to a specific one.

Shapes

Apart from the raw manufacturing materials, there’s also a lot to know about different board shapes. Here we’ve gathered the most popular ones you can come across.

The Foamie

Otherwise known as the soft top surfboard, this specific type comes in different sizes and shapes. Generally speaking, foam longboards are probably the best surfboards for beginners, as they catch waves pretty easily, they’re easy to control, stable, and won’t injure you while you’re still learning the basics. Although they’re one of the most popular options for beginners, seasoned surfers tend to enjoy them, too.

Ideal for: Everybody from beginners to pros

Benefits:

• User-friendly
• The soft top prevents painful falls on the board
• Lots of volume, making paddling easier
• Most of them don’t need to be waxed

Drawbacks:

• A bit slower than regular boards with less glide
• Lack the responsiveness of regular boards

Where to use:

• Knee to shoulder-deep water
• Reefs, beach breaks, points, mellow rollers

Longboard Surfboard

Those looking for a good beginner surfboard will find longboards a solid option as well. Usually, they’re around 9- to 12 feet long, around 20–24 inches wide, and have a full or round nose that makes it easy to differentiate from other boards. They’re also easy to paddle and ideal for learners even though they’re still often used by pro and intermediate surfers too.

They come in different shapes and designs to cater to various versatility and maneuverability needs. They’re also known as “malibu” and “log” surfboards.

Ideal for: Beginners to pros

Benefits:

• Stable
• Easy to catch waves and paddle
• Enables you to surf on the smallest waves

Drawbacks:

• Size makes it clumsy
• Can’t duck dive with it
• Can be harder to maneuver

Where to use:

• Knee- to shoulder-deep water
• Slower waves
• Reefs with a channel

The Mini Mal Surfboard

Another great surfboard for beginners, the mini-malibu, is a type of longboard. It has pretty much the same characteristics as true longboards but smaller, in the 7’0” to 8’10” range. It bridges the gap between shortboards and longboards, which makes it quite versatile. You can use this type of board to learn the basics, but you can pull off more advanced moves with ease too.

Ideal for: Beginners to pros

Benefits:

• Easy paddling
• Stable and maneuverable
• Easy to catch waves with

Drawbacks:

• Sometimes hard to duck dive with
• More difficult to catch waves with than with longboards

Where to use:

• Knee- to head-deep water
• Slower waves
• Reefs with a channel

Funboard

This category’s pretty broad and can include everything from a beginner foam surfboard to a mini longboard, oversized fish board, egg-shape board, hybrid, etc.

To give it a more precise definition, most pros will say this type has a wider outline, lots of volume (or buoyancy), and falls in the 7’ to 8’ length range. Generally, it’s a great transitional option if you’re a learner making a shift from longboards to shortboards.

Ideal for: Beginners to pros

Benefits:

• Easy to catch waves with
• Stable thanks to the wider outline
• Maneuvers better than a longboard
• Can work in many weather/water conditions
• Easy handling

Drawbacks:

• Hard to duck dive because of the foam
• Harder to catch waves with than with a mini mal or longboard
• Harder to turn than a hybrid or groveler

Where to use:

• Knee- to head-deep water
• Works best in cruisey mellow waves
• Points, reefs, beaches

Mid-Length Surfboard

A typical surfboard size chart will place these boards somewhere within the 6’8” to 8’8” range, give or take a few inches. They come in 70s-inspired retro shapes, or in egg-shaped variants, making them hard to differentiate from funboards or minies.

One of the key characteristics of these boards is the fin setup. Namely, they either come in a single fin or 2+1 (1 large single fin and 2 side bites) package instead of the standard 3- or 4-fin setup you see on most funboards. Apart from that, you also have bottom rails and contours on this particular type.

Ideal for: Beginners to pros

Benefits:

• Easy to catch waves with
• Foamy
• Easily maneuvered
• Good transition option between a groveler and a longboard
• Has a great glide

Drawbacks:

• Harder to catch waves with than other surfboards (longboards) of a similar price

• Hard to duck dive

Where to use:

• Ideal for a variety of wave types
• Knee- to head-deep water
• Ideal for cruisey points, beach breaks, or reefs

Shortboard Surfboard

Also known as the Thruster, this is probably the most common type of board you’ll see surfers use. In most cases, they range from about 17” to 19” in width and 5’5” to 6’5” in length, and have a distinct pointy nose and a narrower tail.

Generally, professional surfers wouldn’t recommend the Thruster as a surfboard for beginners. It’s intended for more high-performance and aggressive style surfing.

These boards are among professional contestants’ favorites since they can be pushed the hardest. Beginners should avoid them as they won’t make the learning curve easier. They can come in 3-fin versions, however, you can get boards with 5 fin boxes to set up your board the way you like.

Ideal for: Intermediates to pros

Benefits:

• Ideal for high-performance surfing
• Fast boards with lots of drive
• Responsive, easy to maneuver
• Good for hard-to-ride waves
• Great for duck-diving larger waves

Drawbacks:

• Harder to paddle
• Hard to surf on smaller waves
• Not for beginners

Where to use:

• Chest-deep and deeper
• More difficult waves
• Reefs, points, beach breaks

Small Wave Surfboard (Groveler)

These boards are generally thicker, wider, smaller, flatter, and fuller. They come in different shapes and sizes, making it harder to differentiate them from other shortboards, but they most often feature a stumpy look that you can’t miss.

Ideal for: Advanced beginners to pros

Benefits:

• Can work in mushier waves
• Stable and maneuverable
• Easy duck-diving

Drawbacks:

• Not the best shortboard for beginners (some experience required)

When to use:

• Waist- to head-deep water
• Suitable for most surf conditions

Fish Surfboard

If you’re looking for a super-fun, speedy, and stylish board, then a Fish will suit you perfectly. It’s among the most versatile boards that can be used anywhere from shallow waters to huge overhead barrels.

They have short wide outlines, fishy swallow tail shapes, and a flat rocker. Typically, they’re around 9” to 23” in width and 5’2” to 6’2” in length, but they can be longer as well.

Ideal for: Advanced beginners to pro

Benefits:

• Shorter boards that can be used on average days
• Easy to duck dive
• Easy paddling

Drawbacks:

• Steeper waves might be harder to surf for average surfers
• Some might find them too loose

Where to use:

• Waist- to head-deep water
• Very versatile
• Reefs, beach breaks, points

Hybrid Surfboards

These are usually blends or “hybrids” of different board types. For example, you’ll most often see a fish blended with a standard shortboard. Honestly, there’s a lot of overlap in this category, so it’s no wonder that sometimes even experienced surfers get them confused.

Ideal for: Advanced beginners to pros

Benefits:

• Shortboard for smaller waves
• Stable yet maneuverable
• Experienced surfers can duck-dive easily with it
• Catches waves easily

Drawbacks:

• Not as easy to paddle as with a funboard

Where to use:

• Waist- to head-deep water
• Works great in different conditions

Mini Simmons Surfboard

These boards look more like longboards cut in half. A mini simmons might be the best surfboard for intermediate surfers who want to bring their game to a whole new level because it’s insanely fast and handles flat sections with incredible ease. Most often, it comes with a twin fin or quad layout for better control.

Size-wise, these boards range from about 4’10” to 5’10” in length, and 21” to 23” in width.

Ideal for: Intermediates to pros.

Benefits:

• Fast down the line
• Good paddling
• Fast through flat sections
• Awesome fun factor

Drawbacks:

• Not ideal for beginners
• Can be a bit unstable

Where to use:

• Knee- to shoulder-deep water
• Works well in several conditions
• Mellow reefs, beach breaks, points

Semi-Gun Surfboard

Semi-gun boards are used in waves too big for ordinary shortboards. Not necessarily a pro surfboard, a semi-gun or step up board is basically a stretched out shortboard, and as such, ranges from 6’6’’ to around 8’.

These boards also have pulled-in tails and more narrow outlines to handle steeper waves and larger drops. The length facilitates catching huge waves that are moving fast.

Ideal for: Advanced surfers to pros

Benefits:

• Easier to handle steep waves
• Ideal for large waves
• Stable yet maneuverable

Drawbacks:

• The volume and length make duck-diving almost impossible

Where to use:

• Deep water
• Large waves

Gun Surfboard

Undeniably the best surfboard for huge waves, and when we say huge, we really mean it. Guns are most often custom-ordered and tailored to the requirements of the surfer and their region, and meant for a specific break or wave type.

Typically, their length can vary greatly, ranging from  6’6” to 11’ in length, and 18” to 22” in width. These boards are mostly narrow, thick, long, and pointy with a lot more rocker or flip in the nose, for more demanding drops. The shape is designed for speed and momentum so it’s definitely not an ideal board for beginners.

Ideal for: Pros

Benefits:

• Length helps with paddling
• The sleek design helps with critical drops on large waves

Drawacks:

• Specialty boards only for giant waves

Where to use:

• Top surfboard for huge waves

Surfboard Volume

By volume, surfers mean the amount of space contained in a board, and this measurement is expressed in liters. Total length, thickness, and width all go into calculating the volume of the board, and typically, you’ll have two different types of boards based on these metrics.

Low-volume boards: Generally speaking, they offer a more sensitive experience, as the board has a lower volume than the suggested value of your weight and height. These boards are more suitable for advanced surfers, since they tend to sit lower and will have a harder time gaining speed.

High-volume boards: These are better for beginners because they offer better balance and control. They’re not the best for intermediate surfers, nor are they among professionals’ top choices as the better stability and safety can impair overall performance.

Fin Setup

The layout of the fins can also have a huge impact on the overall experience, performance, and response, especially after you’ve managed to master the basics. Fins are essential since they give you control and stability. They help in maintaining speed and cutting through water.

There are a lot of different fin layouts. The following 4 are the most popular ones:

Single fin – Associated with traditional surfboard designs, single fins offer great speed but less control. They’re great for smooth slow turns but can feel unstable.

Twin fin – This layout is more stable than the single fin layout without sacrificing speed thanks to the fins on both sides of the underbelly of the board. On the other hand, it still can feel a bit loose when turning fast.

Thruster fin – Think of a double fin layout with an extra fin in the middle. It’s great for high-performance tricks but it does slow you down a bit.

Quad fin – 2+2 fins on each side create less drag than a thruster layout would, making it faster, but it can take a while to get used to.

Wrapping Up

These are our top 10 picks of the highest-quality surfboards on the market that will suit beginners, but also most intermediate and even pro-level surfers. Hopefully, this review will be helpful to you when making your purchase and allow you to enjoy your board for years to come.