Best_Longboards_Cover_Photo
 

Best Longboard Surfboards of 2023

JUMP TO: THE HARRISON BY THOMAS SURFBOARDS  |  NAUSEA BY DEAD KOOKS  |  THE GEM BY FIREWIRE 2+1 IN TIMBERTEK  | BING PINTAIL LIGHTWEIGHT |  THE ANNIHILATOR BY MICHAEL SURFBOARDS  |  ALMOND SURFBOARDS R-SERIES SURF THUMP  |  THE CLASSIC PINTAIL BY ASHLEY LLYOD | BUYING ADVICE | COMMON QUESTIONS

Author: Julianne Greco | Updated: Oct 5, 2023
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The Short Version

The Long Version

Longboards are often associated with small-wave surfing since they are great for groveling thanks to their extra buoyancy with all that foam. But tiny swell is not the only reason to reach for one of these bigger sticks! 

Whether you want to smooth out your style, enjoy a chiller, more cruisy kind of ride, get into bigger waves faster, or even shred those turns, a longboard is a sweet magic carpet to have in your quiver.

There are so many types of longboards out there and some healthy debate in the community on what exactly constitutes a longboard, but most can agree that the category means nine feet-and-up and that there are two main style movements: classic and performance. In this guide, we’re keeping that 9’0 length minimum for both schools of longboarding.

Longboarding is one of the best ways to add versatility to your board collection and personal surf style, so you’re less limited by conditions. It’s also one of our favorite ways to get outside and play in nature.

The reality, however, is that longboards are one of the most expensive types of boards. It takes a lot of playing around in a range of conditions on different board shapes and sizes to find your perfect board. Plus, your surf level, the types of waves you surf, and surf goals (like style and maneuvers) factor in heavily.

To save you some of the legwork and hours of trial and error (read nosedives and washing machines), in this review, I cover the best longboards for your surfing needs, whether you’re a seasoned logger, just starting out, or transitioning from shortboarding.

If you love reading this review of the best longboard surfboards, then you'll likely love reading some of our other surfing content:

 

Need To Know What To Look Out For?

There are a whole lot of technical aspects to understand when looking at longboards. Why go with a square vs. a pintail? What size should you get? What kind of rails are best for you, what the heck is rocker, and why does it matter? Don’t miss our buying advice section at the bottom of this guide where we break down the answers to these questions and much more!

 

Best Overall Longboard: THE HARRISON BY THOMAS SURFBOARDS

WAVE SIZE: Waist to head high

LENGTH: 9’0-10’0

ABILITY: Intermediate to advanced 

RAILS: 60/40

TAIL: Rounded square

FIN SETUP: Single fin

ROCKER: Low entry, lift on tail 

CONCAVE: Rolled concave and soft bevel around narrower nose

CONSTRUCTION: PU

PRICE: $$$$

PROS: Versatile conditions, turns beautifully, long noserides

CONS: Difficult for beginners, technical skill required to noseride

If we were only allowed to have a single-log quiver, it would have to be The Harrison by Thomas Surfboards. This single fin holds up in a range of conditions from small surf to head high, is designed for maneuverability, and noserides like a dream. It tracks that some of the world’s top loggers ride this model that legendary Australian shaper Thomas Bexon designed for longboard icon and champ, Harrison Roach.

The silhouette features a rolled-in concave and drawn-in nose, plus a modest entry rocker and lift at the classic rounded square tail so you can maximize hang-ten time. The rails are 60/40, turned up for added ‘shredability’ so you can lean deep into those turns.

With its smaller front end and wide point further back, this board takes inspiration from Australian logs in the 60s. So, if you are into the cruisy, loose style of that era and want a board you can surf from nose to tail, this board could be a good fit for you. 

While we are frothing over the Harrison Roach Concept, we would not recommend this board for beginner surfers or even seasoned surfers who are just getting into longboarding. This model is best suited for intermediate to advanced longboarders because those same features that enhance its turning ability make it more challenging to noseride and less stable overall. This shape demands more technical skill to get the most out of and does best when staying critical in the pocket, which inexperienced longboarders may find challenging.

Best Beginner Longboard: NAUSEA BY DEAD KOOKS

WAVE SIZE: Knee to head high

LENGTH: 9’0-10’2

ABILITY: Beginner to advanced 

RAILS: Pinched out foiled rails

TAIL: Square

FIN SETUP: Single fin

ROCKER: Low entry, lift on tail

CONCAVE: Narrow through first third of board

CONSTRUCTION: PU

PRICE: $$$$

PROS: Handles a range of conditions, good for any level, a jack of all trades

CONS: Can be outperformed by other boards excelling at specific functions like turning and noseriding

The Nausea by Dead Kooks, the stylish, alternative brand of Australian founder and shaper Eden Saul, is another excellent all-rounder longboard.

But while The Harrison does not best suit novice longboarders, The Nausea can be a fun board for all levels, beginners included. We recommend it because it holds up so well in conditions ranging from mush to peeling.

Like the Harrison, the Nausea’s shape is heavily influenced by the logs with narrower noses and wider “hips” (low wide point) that dominated Australia’s lineups in the 1960s. On both boards you can see a low-entry rocker with that lift on the tail to help increase speed, keep you from pearling, and tighten hold in the pocket. 

However, you can spot some differences in the outlines, with the more exaggerated hips on the Harrison and the nose, while narrow on the Nausea, is less pointy than the Harrison’s, offering the Dead Kooks log a bit more foam and stability that beginners will benefit from. 

One of the other elements that stands out the most between the two is the tail shape, with the Nausea’s square showing much sharper lines, which balances the board out more yet forfeits some looseness in turns. Don’t get us wrong, more skilled surfers can still put the Nausea into some sweeping directional changes with those pinched-in, hard rails, but it will take more effort.

Best Performance Longboard: THE GEM BY FIREWIRE 2+1 IN TIMBERTEK

WAVE SIZE: Tiny to overhead

LENGTH: 8’3-9’8

ABILITY: Beginner to advanced 

RAILS: Full, rounded

TAIL: Diamond

FIN SETUP: 2+1

ROCKER: Mild entry, mild exit

CONCAVE: Single nose concave leading to lightly rolled under to double concave 

CONSTRUCTION: Firewire Timbertek

PRICE: $$$

PROS: Lightweight, easy to turn, handles big waves and critical sections, durable Timbertek construction, more eco-friendly option

CONS: Not optimized for noseriding, less paddle power than classic-style log

If you are looking for an all-rounder and are more interested in making turns and flying through critical sections than you are concerned with cruising and hanging ten, The Gem by Firewire in Timbertek in a 2+1 setup could be your single-board quiver. 

The board is typically available in three other stock sizes as a 2+1 (8’3, 8’8, 9’5) and one other size as a single fin (9’8), but we recommend the 9’0 with the 2+1 configuration for most surfers as the most versatile in the range that packs the strongest punch in terms of performance surfing in the 9’0-and-up club. 

Firewire’s special Timbertek construction uses a lightweight ESP core with a sustainably-grown Paulownia wood “skin” and bio-based epoxy resins. That epoxy means the board is not fully eco-friendly, but it is one of the most innovative, durable, lower-impact choices on the market, and weighs less than most boards its size.

The diamond-shaped end and the double concave under the tail on the Gem look more like something you would see on a shortboard than your typical log — we love this tail shape because it allows for more pivotal, sharper turns. 

With plenty of volume, increased stability from the full rails, and a single concave on the front end, you can still score some nose time on the Gem, but do not expect the long levitations you could experience on a classic single fin. 

It is worth noting that the mild entry rocker means you can fit into a tighter pocket without your nose catching, so this model is great for those seeking steeper, quicker waves and who need a more responsive stick that can better perform carving turns than a flatter-style board.

Best Single Fin for Shortboarders: BING PINTAIL LIGHTWEIGHT

WAVE SIZE: Knee to head high 

LENGTH: 9’0-11’0

ABILITY: Intermediate to advanced

RAILS: 60/40

TAIL: Rounded pintail

FIN SETUP: Single fin

ROCKER: Mild entry, extra lift in tail

CONCAVE: Blended concave

CONSTRUCTION: PU

PRICE: $$$$

PROS: Quick turns, speedy, handles bigger waves

CONS: Less stable than a fuller-bodied board, not as much paddle power as a more classic log

Transitioning from a smaller board to a longboard is not always as easy as it sounds, but shortboarders seeking to add on three to four feet of foam should check out the Bing Pintail Lightweight, an older design in the famous Encinitas, California board house’s line by shaper Matt Calvani.

As its name suggests, this board is on the lighter end for a longboard — it takes lighter than standard glassing at 6 oz deck + 6 oz bottom. And because it’s not a noserider model, you can even size down a few inches. That makes this a solid contender for surfers entering longboarding who are still adapting to controlling a bigger board but want to learn basic classic longboard skills like walking up and down the deck and getting acquainted with the nose. It is a great board for learning how to cross-step. We recommend the model for its stability and paddle power in spite of its slimmer physique compared to fuller, more classic longboard styles. 

Intermediate longboarders can probably cheat their way to the nose on this board or manage some playful toe-taps rather than seconds-long noserides, but there’s a reason the Pintail Lightweight is not our pick for best noserider! This model dazzles when you take it full throttle.

The Pintail Lightweight just flies around sections and glides beautifully down the line, which makes it great for punchy beach breaks. This board is incredibly fast and super responsive thanks to the more turned down 60/40 rails, rolled vee concave under the pulled-in tail, and single-fin setup.

WAVE SIZE: Ankle to head high

LENGTH: Custom, usually 9’0-10'0 

ABILITY: Beginner to advanced 

RAILS: 50/50

TAIL: Wide square-tailed

FIN SETUP: Single fin 

ROCKER: Super low entry

CONCAVE: Gradual and slight concave nose

PRICE: $$$$$

PROS: Buoyant and designed to maximize nose-time, hand-shaped like a work of art, user-friendly

CONS: Long wait time, requires more skill to make sharper turns, expensive, struggles in steeper waves

The Annihilator by Michael Takayama of Michael Surfboards is the Cadillac of noserider longboards. It’s gorgeous, it’s luxurious, it’s expensive, the quality is premium, and its performance is outstanding. 

To take the analogy one step further, like the luxury vehicles, “they are made and not manufactured,” meaning in the context of longboards here, they are hand-shaped by Michael Takayama in his Oceanside, California shaping bay where he is fully involved in at least 15 steps from sanding to glassing. And yes, he is “that" Takayama — nephew of the iconic Hawaiian shaper Donald and father to competitive WSL-ranked longboarder Kaimana. 

Like all his models carrying his very recognizable spear-shaped diamond logo, the Annihilator is by custom order only and you should be prepared to wait at least a year (maybe two). 

Designed for riders to camp out on the tip, The Annihilator’s an extremely flat board with only the slightest of rocker on both ends, and a gradual, slight concave under the nose. Takayama has a star-studded team of riders, including many WSL-ranked longboarders who can easily swing their boards around in between hanging ten for what feels like forever, but the average surfer may find it harder to maneuver and control the Annihilator with its full rails and wide tail. This is a board that will naturally want to trim along with the wave. 

If your surf goals are purely about spending more time on the nose and you surf softer conditions, the Annihilator is one to think about.

WAVE SIZE: Waist high and down

LENGTH: 9’2 

ABILITY: Beginner to advanced 

RAILS: Soft, rounded

TAIL: Thumb-shaped

FIN SETUP: Single fin (included)

ROCKER: Flat nose rocker, slight lifted tail rocker

CONCAVE: Slight at nose

CONSTRUCTION: Almond R-Series Foam

PRICE: $$

PROS: Difficult to damage, less dangerous for beginners, fin included, no wax needed, recyclable, travels easily

CONS: Can get abrasive, lower performance compared to PU, harder to turn than PU

What we love about the eco-conscious Almond Surfboards R-Series Surf Thump is that it’s a board that anyone can use.

Since they are difficult to damage and are a lot less dangerous to get hit by, foamie longboards are awesome for beginners who want to get the feeling of a board bigger than 9’0. On the other hand, even for the most experienced loggers, sometimes it’s nice to take the pressure off, keep the focus on wave count, and grab a foamie for a low-stakes session. 

The R-Series Surf Thump catches waves like it’s nobody’s business and if you want to pull some tricks while you are at it, the design allows for it. Almond designed their original Surf Thump template as an all-rounder longboard with a rounded squash tail (or what they refer to as thumb-shaped) for smooth turning without giving up too much foam, a slight wide point further down, and a subtle point to the nose.

This board is the “eco” foamie version of Almond’s stock PU log model in their special R-Series construction, so the shape is essentially the same, but the foam adds even more volume making it easier to catch waves earlier, as well as getting onto soft ankle-biters that would otherwise be uncatchable for most. Something to be prepared for, though, is having a harder time turning the board with those extra full rails — this board is another one that will want to go along with the wave, but that’s not always a bad thing, especially for beginners!

The special R-Series does not require wax, but can get abrasive on sensitive skin, so we recommend testing this board out with leggings and a rash guard if you’re not riding in a wetsuit. The foam is closed-cell meaning it won’t take on water and is super durable. Additionally, dings aren’t hard to fix, just refer to Almond’s care and repair guide.

R-Series boards are fully recyclable and can be returned to Almond when the time comes. At a much lower price point than many PU boards out there, the R-Series Surf Thump offers an affordable entry into longboarding for beginners wanting to experience an actual log shape or intermediate to advanced surfers looking to add some playfulness to their quiver.

WAVE SIZE: Ankle to shoulder

LENGTH: 9’0-10’0

ABILITY: Beginner to advanced 

RAILS: 50/50 with transition to 60/40 at tail

TAIL: Pintail

FIN SETUP: Single fin 

ROCKER: Moderate

CONCAVE: Slight nose concave, slight rolled vee through back of board

CONSTRUCTION: ECO Board

PRICE: $$$$

PROS: Eco-friendly, great for groveling in poor conditions, easy to turn, woman-owned business

CONS: Longer wait time with custom order, harder to noseride, more expensive

The Classic Pintail by Ashley Lloyd is a cool, earth-conscious alternative longboard for a number of needs. It’s an attractive option for beginners looking for something that will keep them balanced, but also for any surfer looking to mix up their quiver with something that can handle mushy conditions. This model also makes catching waves easy peasy. 

There is a growing movement towards developing more sustainable surfboard materials and production methods, and rockstar shaper Ashley Lloyd is at the forefront of it. Lloyd used to shape at Bing, where she developed a couple of her own models, but she now has an independent shaping business with an eco ethos. She uses recyclable EPS foam and ditches the more environmentally harmful polyester resins in favor of bio-based epoxy. 

The nose on Lloyd’s Classic Pintail model curves into a point over a moderate rocker to prevent pearling. Moving towards the fin, the side rails are 50/50 for stability, and 60/40 over the drawn-in tail rail, with a mild vee concave through the back for turning control.

BUYING ADVICE FOR LONGBOARD SURFBOARDS

CLASSIC VS. PERFORMANCE: When we say classic in this guide, we mean a single fin set-up on a plank of at least nine feet. Commonly referred to as a log, this is usually the equipment of choice for surfers who travel the whole board to keep it balanced, cross-stepping to the back over the fin to turn, to the middle to trim, and to the tip for the ultimate goal in this school of surf: noseriding. 

The feeling of noseriding is an incredible high and can be akin to levitation. But it’s also a functional technique. Hanging five, when you have five toes over the nose of your longboard will help create drive, bringing the board through, while hanging ten with all toes on the nose is a stalling method to slow you down to match the speed of the wave and hold you in the pocket.

As for performance longboarding, this school of surf can be characterized by a similar style to what you would see in modern shortboarding. To be considered a performance longboard, we still require a minimum of nine feet in this guide, but the fin setup is typically 2+1, meaning a single fin with side bites. This gives riders more drive and control and betters their ability to make carving turns, riding waves from top to bottom.

 

Sometimes the best way to reach the nose is to cheat your way there.

 

LEG ROPES: Traditionalists go sans leash because leg ropes can get in the way and literally trip surfers up while they dance the board, but we strongly advise against riding unattached unless you’re highly skilled in the art of logging and have full control of your board, it’s not busy out, and it’s in line with local regulations. Not losing your loose board takes major skill. Plus, getting smacked or, even worse, hitting someone else with a nine-foot board is a surefire way to kill the vibes — and send someone to the hospital.

For more tips on leashes, check out our leash-buying guide here.

SIZE: While sizing is certainly important for longboards, the shape and style of the board will have a bigger impact on how you surf it. A nine-foot board will be floatier and have a lot more volume than anything mid-sized and down, so by nature, these sticks have paddle power. But even if it’s got heaps of volume, a flatter longboard with less foam in the nose may have inexperienced surfers nosediving, especially in steeper, quicker waves. So shape and foam distribution matter!

You will rarely see volume calculations posted for a model when you go to buy a longboard. We strongly advise getting in touch with the shaper you want to order a board from because they can help break specifications down for a given model and how they match up with you and your surfing! The shaper is the best person who can recommend whether they think you should customize certain features to optimize the board for your ability and goals. 

That said, you can use this series of size charts for a rough idea of what to look for based on surf level and body weight. Just remember, at the end of the day, it will take more time in the surf and possibly some board-hopping to find your magic carpet!

CUSTOM ORDER VS. STOCK TEMPLATE VS. SECONDHAND: Should you custom shape or order off the rack? Or ‘thrift’ it? Budget, experience level, and goals need to be considered for this decision. 

A custom board will take longer to make and will probably skew more expensive, but the board will be designed just for your needs. Stock templates, on the other hand, can be great because they are tried and tested and the way the board will surf is going to be more predictable. 

If you’re just starting your longboarding journey, it could be better to order a stock template because you can save some coin and may find better luck reselling when you eventually progress and require a different board. 

It’s also worth looking at secondhand surfboards as a more budget-friendly, sustainable choice, but buyer beware.Practice due diligence when shopping secondhand and make sure you know what to look for. Here’s a handy guide on getting pre-owned surfboards.

HAND-SHAPED VS. MACHINE-CUT: There is plenty of debate in the community about whether hand-shaped or machine-cut is superior. A lot of old-school shapers are all about the craft of hand-shaping and hold that it’s about the heart and soul of the art. But doing it all by hand, of course, leads to longer waiting times. Proponents of machine-cutting argue that laser-cut templates allow for standardization and are a way for you to ensure you’re getting the tried and tested model they designed.

 

A wide scooped out nose like this one is designed to make tip time easier and longer.

 

ROCKER: The curvature of the board is called rocker and this greatly affects how your board surfs. 

A more classic longboard generally has a low-entry rocker, meaning the nose is quite flat but curves up a bit to help stabilize you and to prevent nosediving. Slight rockers are good for beginners who need the paddle-power boost from the extra foam that comes with the increased surface area of a low rocker. Working the way down a classic board, you’ll usually find a flatter belly leading up to a lift in the tail. A kick at the back end helps hold the fin in the wave and slow you down in the pocket, which is gold in noseriding. 

On the flip side, a performance longboard is still going to have paddle power but not as much as a classic style log. Performance boards have a bit more nose rocker which will slow you down in comparison but will facilitate more critical takeoffs and fit better into steeper waves. Tails on performance boards have greater lift relative to their classic counterparts. That shape is like what you would spot on a shortboard, for stronger maneuverability so you can have greater control, speed, and precision through turns. 

CONCAVE: The inward curve of a surfboard is called concave. Beginners likely will not pick up on varying curvatures as much, but it can make a major impact on noseriding and speed. 

Noserider boards often have a “scooped out” or spoon-like curvature under the nose to aid with lift and drive speed. This shape is sometimes complemented with either a flat bottom or double concave, a.k.a. vee at the back end, where the stringer is the lowest point in the water. The parallel concave splits the water channeling under the board for looser turning and more flexibility in maneuvers. 

You may sometimes see some under-nose scoop, but also an even more dramatic vee concave in performance longboards!

RAILS: The shape of your board’s rails is another big factor in how your board will surf. 50/50 rails are big, round, full rails and offer higher stability which can benefit the less experienced surfer. You’ll see these on more classic boards. 60/40 rails have more of an “edge” and are more pinched in. These are referred to as hard or tucked rails that will cut into the wave. These appear more commonly on performance longboards because the upside is they make turning easier. But note that they make noseriding harder because they sacrifice stability.

 

These 50/50 rails are big, round, and full, offering greater stability.

 

TAIL SHAPE: The back end of your board can really play with how it surfs. Noserider models have wider, squarer or “squash” tails to maximize the foam’s surface area, which lends extra stability. All-rounder logs commonly have squash or rounded squash tails to bring in the foam and allow easier turning. And either diamond or pulled-in pintails are seen more in performance longboards to amp up the maneuverability.

PU VS. EPOXY VS. ALTERNATIVE MATERIAL CONSTRUCTION: The two most common construction types you’ll find when longboard shopping are PU and epoxy, but there is a growing market in alternative materials as shapers innovate on durability, as well as eco-friendly designs that use more sustainable materials and methods. 

PU boards are polyurethane foam blanks wrapped in fiberglass and finished off with polyester resin. They are characteristically heavier and easier to ding. 

Epoxy boards are expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam blanks sealed off with epoxy resin. They are lighter but stronger and more difficult to ding. 

What construction surfers go with often just boils down to feel. Since PU boards weigh more, longboarders often like them because they sit deeper in the water for better stability, which is helpful when you’re moving up and down your board. 

 

All-rounder logs commonly have wide squash tails like this one with a little bit of lift to balance turning and stability needs.

 

Many performance-oriented surfers like to have epoxy boards in their quiver because the lighter boards are zippier and more responsive. But we’ve found bigger and windier conditions can be a struggle with epoxy because they are harder to maintain balance in bumpy surf, you can get a “jittery” feeling when picking up speed, and you can get blown out of the wave more easily. 

FINS: The factors you want to look at when picking a longboard fin are base length, height, rake, and set-up. 

The bigger the fin, the more hold you have in the water, which decreases speed but increases balance. And a wider base will add drive down the line. 

Rake is how far back the tip of a fin goes away from the base. Old school longboards often had D-fins, or pivot fins, which had very little rake or “sweep.” This is groovy for getting to the nose with all that amped-up stability but their shape also means a tighter turning radius and limits the longboard’s ability to get put “on edge” or rail.

All-rounder fins are thinner and more curved than D-fins but still wide at the base. These fins strike a balance between holding down into the wave and permitting greater sweep through turns, so they are a good place to start for beginner longboarders!

The industry standard for longboard single fin boxes is 10.5”. The base width of most fins isn’t this wide, meaning you have control over how far up to the nose or back to the tail you want to screw your fin in. The rule is the further up, the more stable the board is, but you have less control over turns. The further back the fin is, the closer it is to the tail edges, giving you more flexibility and control through turns, but the less grip you’ll have in the wave when noseriding. We recommend experimenting by moving your fin up and down the box and marking the placement for different sessions so you can see what feels the best.

Fin selection is another topic we recommend talking to your shaper about. They usually have a preferred fin shape, size, and set-up they’ve determined after trial and error for a given model.

 

All-rounder fins like this strike a balance between holding down into the wave and permitting greater sweep through turns, so they are a good place to start for beginner longboarders.

 

GLASSING: The standard glassing for a longboard is 8 oz. on the top and 8 oz. on the bottom. With glassing, the thicker you go, the stronger and more durable your board will be and the more it will sit in the water.

For those wanting to take an even deeper dive into understanding the design of longboard shapes, former champ, and logging master Sam Bleakley breaks it down beautifully in Longboarder Magazine. And for those wanting more on hanging five and ten, we recommend checking out The Physics of Noseriding as a quick, entertaining, and educational watch.

COMMON QUESTIONS

What size longboard should I get? Most longboards will be in the 9’0 range. However, the best board size will vary based on your ability, surf goals, and body size. 

What materials are the best longboards made from? It depends on whom you ask, but the two most popular longboard constructions are polyurethane (PU) foam blanks wrapped in fiberglass, finished off with polyester resin, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam blanks sealed off with epoxy resin.

What kind of features should I look for in a longboard? There are many features you should consider when longboard shopping. Size, rocker, concave, rails, tail shape, and fin set-up are some of the most important ones. 

How much does a good longboard cost? The price tag on longboards can vary greatly, but you’ll find some of the best shapers charging from $1,000 up to $2,000. Also, be prepared to pay a premium on shipping since longboards are large, heavy, and fragile!

MORE INFORMATION

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