buying advice

Best River Surfboards 2024 | Complete Guide


Author: Simon Coward & Tom Stewart

Whether you've been ocean surfing on the Australian coast since childhood, like Simon, or you grew up inland and learned to surf abroad, like Tom, or even if you're just starting out, we have an awesome breakdown of our favorite river surfboards. This guide will help you find the perfect board for your style and the wave conditions you plan to surf.

Keep in mind that our top picks reflect the wave conditions generally found in Western Canada and may not translate well to the larger, more exposed features typically seen around Montreal or the Ottawa Valley.

The Best River Surfboards 2024

Boardworks Froth River Surfboard

Best Soft Top River Surfboard

The Boardworks Froth River Shortboard has been around for quite a while. It originally launched under the Nerf! brand, and you might still see some of its taller, older siblings in rental shops and surf schools.

This durability speaks to the build quality of these soft top boards, which are likely a bit overbuilt for their intended use or cost.

The first generation of the Froth Shortboard was designed exclusively for beginners. It was easy to use, but the volume was a bit excessive, causing many beginners to outgrow it too quickly.

When Boardworks redesigned the Froth, taking inspiration from the Wakesurf boards emerging in 2020, they really nailed it.

The 2 sizes work well 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 ideal for smaller river surfers but also performs well for midweight surfers looking for a high-performance, durable soft top board.


[Also Watch: Meet the 2019 Froth Surfboard From Boardworks Surf]

Badfish ISK8 Inflatable River Surfboard

Best Inflatable River Surfboard

We were first introduced to the Badfish 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’s shape and roots are deeply influenced by wakeboarding, and this is reflected in its ride and feel.

The board’s inflatable nature provides excellent stability. As a beginner, it’s easy to cruise and carve around on your knees while waiting for the right moment to get to your feet. Its build is also incredibly durable, drawing from Badfish’s heritage in creating ‘bomb-proof’ inflatable whitewater SUP boards.

For beginners, the ISK8 offers a great learning platform that is both forgiving and fun. More advanced surfers might find it ideal for a skate/wakeboard-inspired ride rather than traditional edge-to-edge surfing.

An additional bonus of inflatable river surfboards is their convenience: they’re easy to deflate and inflate, store, and transport. Plus, you can likely bring them on a plane for free, unlike their solid board counterparts.

[Also Read: What is river surfing?]

LIB TECH LOST PUDDLE JUMPER RIVER SURFBOARD

BEST ALL ROUND COMPOSITE RIVER SURFBOARD

The Lib Tech Lost Puddle Jumper River Surfboard has been making ‘waves’ in our river surf community for a few years now. Its build quality is top-notch for a full composite surfboard, making it well-suited for our fast-moving, shallow rivers.

This board is certainly not designed with the beginner river surfer in mind. However, for intermediates who can catch waves and stand with relative consistent, it is a great next step board. Though the learning curve can be a bit frustrating at times, it’s rewarded with amazing looseness and exceptional edge-to-edge surfing capabilities.

For advanced river surfers, the Puddle Jumper offers fast edge-to-edge performance and the ability to really put the board on rail. The 5-fin box setup allows for numerous fin arrangements, providing plenty of room for experimentation and fine-tuning to match different conditions and surfing styles, whether skate-inspired or more traditional edge surfing.

LIB TECH LOST HYDRA RIVER SURFBOARD

BEST HIGH VOLUME COMPOSITE RIVER SURFBOARD

The Lib Tech Lost Hydra River Surfboard features a radically designed, higher volume swallow tail shortboard build Lib Tech's renowned Ultra Bomber durability, making it unreal for the trashy and hard on gear river environment.

With a higher volume-to-length ratio than other boards in the Mayhem lineup, the Hydra provides a better platform for less experienced surfers and allows larger river surfers to enjoy a shorter board. Larger river surfers of all skill levels will likely appreciate the stability and performance of the Hydra River Surfboard.

This design is particularly suited for flatter, slower waves. The added volume increases buoyancy, making it easier to stay on and ride those 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.

Lib Tech Whirlpool River Surfboard

Best High Performance Composite River Surfboard

The Lib Tech Whirlpool is our highest performance board and the only one specifically designed for river use.

Beyond Lib Tech's bombproof construction, the Whirlpool features a tightly pulled-in tail, making it feel super engaged in the wave rather than riding on top of it. The double rail design enhances quick snaps from one rail to the other. Often in river waves, the nose can start to bog down, but with the Whirlpool, you get a bit of uplift when it catches that secondary edge.

When comparing the 5’2” and 5’4” versions, you'll notice some key differences. The 5’2” requires constant rail-to-rail action and doesn't quite have the speed to stick in one position on a moderately powerful wave. In contrast, the 5’4” is lightning fast and more stable than expected, despite its low volume and narrow characteristics. It’s definitely an expert or high-intermediate level board, but it’s more stable than it appears, possibly due to the unique drop deck feature that directs your toes or heels toward the center, enhancing stability when up on the rail.

This board requires a relatively powerful wave to surf effectively. Like all Lib Tech boards, the Whirlpool is built with their eco impact construction, one of the toughest surfboard constructions available, making it a great choice for river surfing. Plus, as Lib Tech says, they're environmentally nicer.

LIB TECH LOST MICKS TAPE SURFBOARD

Best High Performance Multi-purpose River Surfboard

The Lib Tech Lost Micks Tape is a board I haven’t personally ridden, but it has garnered quite a reputation. Designed to be ridden as small as possible, it stands out as an ideal all-purpose board.

It’s short enough to fit into tight river wave pockets but with enough volume, speed, and paddle power to handle progressive surfing in small to medium-sized waves. This makes it a versatile choice for river surfers who want a board that can adapt to various conditions while still delivering a high level of performance.

Final Takeaways

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, it highlights some of our favorite boards that we’ve been lucky enough to ride over the years.

If you're interested in purchasing a board, our river surf staff are always excited to chat about gear. And don't forget, AQ Outdoors ships river surfboards across Canada!

If you’re new to the sport, be sure to check out the additional resources below, especially our info on River Surfing Safety. Even experienced ocean surfers need to be aware of the unique hazards of river surfing, which can catch the uninitiated off guard.

[River Surfing Safety | Complete Guide]

Additional Resources

[Alberta River Surfing Association]

[River Break Magazine]

[River Surfing Safety Article - Alberta River Surfing Association]