Wakesurf Board Buying Guide

With one of the largest selections of wakesurf boards of any retailer world-wide, we have earned a name as the premier source for enthusiasts and professionals around the world. Our staff is dedicated to to helping every customer find the perfect ride. Matching the right board to the right person, our highly skilled team takes every factor into account, including size, price, and personal preference. Give us a call with any and all questions and we will help you find what you are looking for. Don't forget that we offer our Performance Guarantee on all boards making us the only retailer that will let you return used gear if you don't love it. Our lowest price +5 guarantee and selection of top brands makes us the go-to source for professionals and amateurs across the globe.

If you are looking to drop the rope for the first time, or are getting ready to compete in the World Wakesurfing Championships, we have everything you need to take your riding to the next level!

Now with all that said, let's start off by saying that wakesurfing is different from other watersports when it comes to what is important in a board. What we mean by this is that the performance difference is instantly noticeable and the board technology makes a HUGE difference in the quality of your ride. Picking the right board can mean the difference between not being able to let go of the handle and pulling off your first 360. Luckily, we are here to help you make sure you get the right board for your needs.

Use the filtering options on the left side of the wakesurf boards page to narrow down the options to what you are looking for and, as always, you are welcome to contact us and we will do our best to make sure you get the best possible board. Here is a breakdown of the different options you have when choosing a wakesurf board:

Skill Level
Classifying your wakesurfing abilities is one of the most important things to consider when choosing a board. If you get a board that is too advanced, it might be difficult to ride; if you choose a board that is too basic, your ability to progress and improve will be hampered.

When narrowing down your options, this is how we classify each skill level:

Beginner: Just getting up to riding without the rope
Intermediate: Carving, and slashing without the rope to doing simple tricks
Advanced: Aggressive riding,airs, spins, shuvs and other maneuvers

Most intermediate to advanced boards may be more difficult to ride at first, however once you jet used to how they feel and respond they will be much more fun to ride.

Board Style
Some wakesurf boards will be better at doing specific things than other boards. Here are the details concerning each style of board and what it is good for:

Skim Style Boards: Skim style wakesurf boards are flatter on the bottom and typically have one or more shallow fins. They also typically have a sharper edge profile and have a somewhat "slippery" feeling to them. Skim style wakesurf boards are quick and responsive and will break free from the water easier than other board types. These boards can be a bit intimidating for beginner riders but can be figured out easily if you are experienced with boardsports. Skim style boards are best for doing spins such as 360s and 720s as well as shuv maneuvers (where you spin the board under your feet).

Surf Style Boards: Surf style wakesurf boards typically have multiple larger fins and sometimes feature bottom contours to direct the flow of water. Surf style boards move in more of a carving motion and typically have a more rounded edge profile that makes the board feel "floaty". Beginner level surf style boards are stable and easy to ride, where advanced level ones are quick and seek for an edge line. Surf style boards have more drive and power than others because of their fins and increased size / buoyancy. These boards are best for carve type maneuvers such as bottom turns and slashes as well as airs.

Hybrid Boards: Hybrid boards take some of the best features of both surf and skim style boards. These boards can be adapted to varying riding styles and are typically quite forgiving. If you are looking for one board to do it all then a hybird style board is a great way to go. We must note that while hybrid boards are awesome, they will not perform in each style as well as the more specific board designs. For this reason, many avid wakesurfers choose to have a full quiver of boards that ride and perform differently from each other.

Construction
There are lots of different shapes and designs of boards, but nearly all are built one of 3 different ways. There are benefits and downsides to each construction method, and we will go through each of them with you:

Fiberglass: There are some hand shaped fiberglass boards such as some lower end Phase 5 models, however, most fiberg lass boards are compression molded like most wakeboards and waterskis are. The primary benefit of compression molded boards is the cost, which is significantly less than other construction methods. These boards are also somewhat durable and resilient, but they do not have the speed, buoyancy or rigidity of other construction methods. These boards are best if you are just getting into surfing and don't want to break the bank.

Epoxy: Epoxy boards are built like most ocean surf boards. These boards are extremely buoyant, lightweight and have a unique feel on the water. These boards ride higher in the water and will give extra speed and power as opposed to fiberglass boards. All epoxy boards are hand shaped and some of the best wakesurf boards available use this process. Though they perform great, epoxy boards are somewhat fragile.

Carbon: Many high end skim, surf and hybrid style boards feature either a full carbon sheet or a carbon rail design. Carbon boards are all hand built and are the most rigid, which enhances their speed on the wave, making everything you do easier. Most carbon boards are extremely durable and can take a lot of abuse unlike standard epoxy boards. Carbon is available in most of the top level boards and is a great choice if you want to take your riding to the next level. The only downside to a carbon board is the additional price, but in most cases it is worth it.

Fin Configuration
Simply put, the more fins a board has the more stable it is and the more drive it will have on a wave; where the less fins it has, the easier it will be to maneuver in the water. Typically boards with 1 fin are skim style type boards where boards with more fins are either hybrid or surf style boards. Keep in mind that if a board is a 3 fin type, that board can typically be changed to a 2 fin or a single fin board by removing fins which can change the feel and even the style of the board. Additionally, most 4 and 6 fin boards can be changed to 2 fin setups and 5 fin boards can be changed to 4, 3, 2 and even 1 fin boards.

Size
The size of a wakesurf board can be somewhat deceiving as each shape and style of board will ride differently and the size of your wave will drastically impact what size board you need. That being said, a larger board will be more buoyant and make riding without the rope easier where a smaller one will be easier to move around. There are weight recommendations under each board description, but we can hopefully point you in the right direction.

When selecting a board you need to always make sure to accommodate the largest rider, and no, if you are 300 lbs and your daughter is 80, you will not be able to ride the same board. If your largest rider is over 220 you will need to look at the larger board sizes, where if your largest rider is under 160 then the smaller sizes will be best; with nearly everyone else falling somewhere in-between.

The other factor to consider is the size and power of your wakesurf wave. Here is a quick rundown of how to classify your wave:

Small - Direct drive boats with little to some additional ballast = Go with at least one size larger board than you normally would.

Medium - Direct drive w/ lots of ballast (800 lbs.+) and most V-Drive boats w/ factory ballast = Be sure not to go too small.

Large - Most V-Drive boats with factory ballast and significant additional surf ballast (1,000 lbs.+) = You should have a bit more to work with and your options become less limited.

X-Large - 2012 and Newer fully loaded V-Drive boats or older boats equipped with surf systems and LOTS of additional ballast = Lots of size options open up and you can ride boards smaller than you can on other wakes.

Extreme - Fully loaded and optimized new generation Centurion, Nautique, Malibu, Supra, Supreme or Tige = You're wave is big enough you could ride a refrigerator door back there.

Note: If you didn't see your boat in any classification above it is probably a stern drive. STOP wakesurfing behind it or we will come to your house and punch you in the kidney. Wakesurfing behind I/O or stern drive boats is dangerous and not condoned by BoardCo.

We hope we have been able to help you out. Please give us a call if you have any questions or just want to chat about wakesurfing. We love wakesurfing and know you either do or will soon. Cheers!