River Surfing has risen in popularity in the last few years, and with spring fast approaching, new waves on the horizon, and supply chain issues popping up everywhere, if you’re looking to buy a river surfboard this season, finding one before the summer hits is going to be super important.
The following is a breakdown of our favorite river surfboards hand selected for different users and various wave conditions. These picks also reflect the wave conditions we generally see out in the West of Canada, and may not translate well to the larger more exposed features that we generally associate with Montreal or the Ottawa Valley.
Best River Surfboards 2022
Best Soft Top River Surfboards
Boardworks Froth River Surfboard
Boardworks Froth Shortboard
$299.00
The Boardworks Froth Shortboard was created for fun and versatility! These Froths can be used by beginners, rippers and wake surfers! The light, yet durable construction of the Boardworks Froth Shortboard makes it super user friendly for surfers of all… Read More
The Boardworks Froth River Shortboard has been around for a long time now. It started off under the Nerf! Brand – you may still see some of the Froth’s taller, older siblings lingering around many rental shops and surf schools.
That really speaks to the build quality of these soft top boards as they are probably a bit overbuilt for their intended use or cost would suggest.
The first generation of the Froth Shortboard was exclusively a beginner soft top board. It was easy to use but the volume was a bit over the top which had beginners growing out of it a bit too quickly.
When Boardworks redesigned the Froth, taking inspiration from some of the wakesurf boards hitting the market in 2020, they really nailed it.
The 2 sizes work great for both smaller and larger surfers. The 5’6” (large) is a great board for larger river surfers or those looking for a stable platform to learn on. The 5’0” (small) is great for smaller river surfers, though performs really well for midweight surfers looking for a relatively high performance, durable soft top board.
Softech Toledo Wildfire River Surfboard
As far as soft top river surf boards go, the Softech Toledo Wildfire River Surfboard is about as tough as they come. Built with ultra stiff stringers, foam and an EVA coating, it doesn't have any composite components that are prone to dings and damage in the unforgiving river surf environment.
Coming in at 5’3” in length, this is a great size for smaller Alberta river waves. If you are a dynamic surfer or need a little additional speed on a flatter wave the Toledo Wildfire is a great option.
This board really screams “performance soft top” and should not be considered a beginner board. However, smaller beginner river surfers such as teens will have plenty to help in the early learning stages and will be able to make use of the board’s edge-to-edge performance as they improve.
Best Inflatable River Surfboards
Badfish ISK8 Inflatable River Surfboard
We were first introduced to the ISK8 a couple of years ago and had a chance to try it out on a mix of slow and fast river waves in and around Calgary Alberta. The ISK8 has its shape and roots set in wakeboarding and the ride and feel of it reflects this.
The inflatable nature of the board lends itself to good stability. When learning it is easy to cruise and carve around on your knees whilst waiting for the perfect time to get to your feet. The build is also super bomber, stealing from Badfish’ heritage in building ‘bomb proof’ inflatable whitewater SUP boards.
If you try the ISK8 as a beginner you will find a great learning platform that is forgiving and fun to surf. For more advanced surfers we would recommend this to those looking for more skate/wakeboard inspired riding rather than traditional edge-to-edge surfing.
An additional bonus to the inflatable river surfboards is they are easy to deflate (and inflate), easy to store, easy to transport and you can likely get them on a plane for free, unlike their solid board counterparts.
Badfish WAVO Inflatable River Surfboard
The Badfish WAVO Inflatable River Surfboard is one of the better big volume boards on the market right now. Ideal for beginner and larger river surfers looking for an ultra stable board that will allow the best chance of success when getting on the wave.
Stable enough to easily ride on your knees and with loads of rocker which helps prevent the nose of the board ‘pearling’ under the green water. This feature alone helps it fall strongly into the category of one of the easier river surfboards to ride available on the market today.
This aggressive rocker also helps surf steeper waves and the generous volume makes it an ideal option if your main surf spot(s) are smaller waves that don’t have a lot of power. The volume helps the board float on the surface and stay on waves that smaller volume inflatables and composite boards have a hard time with.
Best Composite River Surfboards
Best All Round Composite River Surfboard
Lib Tech / Lost Puddle Jumper River Surfboard
Lib Tech Lost Puddle Jumper Surfboard
$1,099.99
Best River Surfboards | Complete Guide The Lib Tech Lost Puddle Jumper Surfboard started a revolution and remains the benchmark for small wave performance, the Lib Tech Lost Puddle Jumper has become one of the most sought after river surf… Read More
The Lib Tech / Lost Puddle Jumper River Surfboard has been making ‘waves’ in our river surf community for a few years now. The build quality for a full composite surfboard is as tough as they come which suits our fast moving shallow rivers to a T.
This board is certainly not designed with the beginner river surfer in mind, though for intermediates who are able to catch waves and stand with relative consistency it is a great next step board even though the learning curve will at times be a bit frustrating. This frustration will be rewarded with amazing looseness and awesome edge-to-edge surfing capabilities.
For advanced river surfers the Puddle Jumper provides fast edge-to-edge surfing and the ability to really put the board on rail. The 5 fin box setup allows for countless fin arrangements. This allows for a bunch of experimentation and dialing in a fin setup for different conditions and styles of surfing (skate inspired or more traditional on edge surfing).
Best High Volume Composite River Surfboard
Lib Tech / Lost Hydra River Surfboard
Lib Tech Lost Hydra Surfboard
$1,099.99
Best River Surfboards | Complete Guide The Matt Biolos designed Lib Tech Lost Hydra Surfboard is built to be the most advanced small wave board in the Mayhem lineup. This short, wide board has the highest volume to length ratio of… Read More
The Lib Tech / Lost Hydra River Surfboard is a radically designed, higher volume swallow tail shortboard that is built with the Lib Tech / Lost ultra bomber durability which is unreal for the trashy and hard on gear river environment.
The Hydra has a much higher volume to length ratio than the other boards in the Mayhem lineup. This lends the board to being a better platform for less experienced surfers, and allows larger river surfers to get on a shorter board.
This is particularly ideal for those surfing flatter, slower waves. The additional volume brings more buoyancy and in turn, it is easier to stay on and surf slower/flatter river surf waves.
Far from a ‘pig’ of a board, the rail and tail shape provide advanced river surfers a ride that allows quick rail to rail transfer and super snappy turns. Pop some of the fins out or use some smaller knubster style fins on this board for a super loose, slidey, rad ride.
For more beginner surfers, with a more traditional fin setup, the Hydra will prove to be a great transition board from a beginner rig to a more high performance, true surf style feeling board.
Larger river surfers of all abilities will likely love the stability and performance of the Hydra River Surfboard.
Best High Performance Composite River Surfboard
Lib Tech / Lost Puddle Jumper HP River Surfboard
Lib Tech Lost Puddle Jumper HP Surfboard
$1,159.99
Best River Surfboards | Complete Guide The Lib Tech Lost Puddle Jumper HP Surfboard is a souped up, slimmed down, refined version of the Puddle Jumper. A great option for advanced river surfers on powerful waves, The Lib Tech Lost… Read More
The Lib Tech / Lost Puddle Jumper HP is definitely geared towards the advanced river surfer looking to have a super high performance board in their quiver. It is essentially a souped up and slimmed down version of the traditional Puddle Jumper.
Built with the same ‘bomb proof’ materials and construction as the other boards in the Mayhem lineup, the Puddle Jumper HP is super well suited to the hard on gear river environment. The board design lends itself to super fast rail to rail surfing and you can really get this board on edge and throw a load of spray when ripping turns.
The 5 fin box setup allows for a bunch of different fin setup combinations and this helps advanced surfers mix up the fin setup whether they are looking to gouge huge hacks or throw a bunch of skate inspired moves.
If you are a strong intermediate river surfer then a step up to the Puddle Jumper HP will not be without frustration. Your ‘get to your feet’ success rate will almost certainly drop, however, once you get to your feet, you will immediately notice how rippable and fun this board is to ride. For many a well worthwhile payoff.
Best River Surfboards Summary
OK, so that is our summary of the best river surf boards for 2022. This is by no means an exhaustive list but a concentration of some of our favorites that we have been fortunate enough to ride over the years.
AQ Outdoors ships River Surfboards across Canada and our river surf staff are always stoked to chat river surfing gear.
If you are new to the sport, make sure to check out the other resources below, especially the info on River Surfing Safety. Even if you are an experienced ocean surfer, the river poses a bunch of different hazards that can quickly catch the un-initiated unawares.
If you have any questions about gear or river surfing in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us using the methods below.
Shop AQ Outdoors River Surfboard Collection
Other River Surfing Articles
River Surfing Safety | Complete Guide
Other Resources
Alberta River Surfing Association
River Surfing Safety Article (Alberta River Surfing Association)
Authors
Simon Coward: Grew up on the SE coast of Australia and has been surfing since he can remember. The last few years has been a humbling experience transitioning strong ocean surfing skills from youthful times to the river environment. Made even more humbling by the fact that he has been teaching whitewater kayaking for 25 years.
Tom Stewart: You will see Tom out on his Lib Tech, Boardworks and Soft Tech boards on the Kan throughout the year. An inlander who has learned to surf on numerous trips to Hawaii, Nicaragua and more. This has translated to a smooth and dynamic surf style on the Kananaskis Mountain wave and other river surf spots.
AQ Outdoors Contact
Edmonton: (p) 780 463-4892 (e) info@aquabaticsedmonton.com
Calgary: (p) 403 288-9283 (e) info@aqoutdoors.com
