Looking for the Best Skim Style Wakesurf Boards?
It will always be a bit of a challenge to find the right equipment. This holds true when looking for skim style wakesurf boards.
In general skim style wakesurfers will be smaller and wider. These boards are also faster, which is better for performing tricks on the wake.
The Benefits of Skim Wakesurf Boards
Skim style wakesurfers get their name because they look like, and have a similar design philosophy to skim boards that you see people use on the beach.
These boards are going to be shorter, faster, and wider than the average wakesurf board. While skim style boards are still good for beginners to learn on, they are the ideal board for those that are more experienced and wanting to try more advanced maneuverers and tricks.
If you are want to air off the wake, you'll want to get a skim style board. Youths and more adventurous riders tend to love skim style wakesurf boards because they are so playful and super responsive.
Features:
The Liquid Force TC Skim is back in the lineup after an absence of a couple of seasons. A fan favorite (especially if you are a more experienced rider), the board has hard rail that goes all the way to the tail of the board, for more precise response when turning.
The TC Skim comes with a single fin box with a 1.5" fin. Built with a lightweight EPS core carbon tail wrap and LF carbon center tape for added strength and rigidity.
This board is light and playful and lets you air off the lip of the wave with ease. The squash tail makes landing airs switch relatively easy.
If you're an experienced wakesurfer and you want to really play on the wave, jump the wave, and to other tricks, the Liquid Force TC Skim will be a great choice to have on your boat.
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Features:
The Hyperlite Hi-Fi kicks it up a notch. With a pintail design and aggressive graphics, this board is for intermediate to advanced riders.
This is a fast board, made in the skim board style that results in fast, poppy and easy to spin shape. But don't worry about the durability of this board. It's built with Durashell Construction which is designed to handle serious abuse.
If you're more advanced, you'll love the pintail design because it allows the rider to effortless surf switch or regular stance.
The minimal height fins on the rear of the board are completely customizable allowing you to ride 2, 3 or even just one, whatever fits your style best. But if you're still learning how to wakesurf you'll likely want to use all three for optimum tracking.
The full EVA trac pad has an arch bar that runs down the center line of the board so you always know where the center point of the board is when you're surfing it.
If you're looking for a more advanced, playful skim style wakesurfer, the Hyperlite Hi-Fi is an excellent choice.
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If you want a skim style board that is built for tricks, airs, and taking your riding to the next level, then the Phase Five MVP is for you.
We love the full deck EVA foam traction pad. If you do air off the wake, no matter where your feet land you'll have instant traction because there is no bare fiberglass on the surface. The front and tail of the board also have a kickpad for expert level maneuvers and to help you not slip off the ends.
The MVP is the only board that Phase Five makes that has rail wrapped channels. These channels give the rider an easy place to grab when doing tricks and airs above the lip of the wake.
The generous outline has a thicker core than previous versions to give more float and forgiveness, which makes this board friendly to more novice riders as well.
If you're looking for the ultimate skim style board, that the rest of the family can use as well, you'll love the Phase Five MVP.
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The Lib Tech Manna Tee is a great choice if you are looking for a wakesurf board that can handle a big rider. Of course you'll want to buy the larger of the two sizes, the 5'4". The 5'4" Manna Tee will give you more volume, essentially more board, which equals more buoyancy.
If you get the 5'4", you want to be at least 160 lbs, otherwise you may have a hard time maneuvering the Manna Tee.
Lib Tech is a dedicated board company that's been making excellent boards of all types of sports from snowboards to surfboards to wakesurf boards.
The nose of the board has a concave design to provide a little extra lift. The softer rolled in edges of the board are designed so that the nose is catch free. The Manna Tee is user-friendly. It's nice and fast, easy to keep up on the wake and easy to learn how to let go of the rope.
The Manna Tee is also ideal if you don't have the "best" wake boat in the world and you boat only has a small pocket. This thing will float anyone, and not just big guys (although it's good at that too), and will sit in the sweet spot of the wake as long as you want.
If you need a wakesurf board that can handle big guys, and please just about everyone else, purchase the Lib Tech Manna Tee before it is Sold Out. (Not joking about the Sold Out part, the global supply chain disruptions have created inventory problems with wakesurf boards).
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The Hyperlite Landlock Wakesurfer is a great board to learn on for the whole family. But it's also sturdy enough and can still pump and slash for big guys.
Hyperlite is the company with three decades of experience building performance water sport products and is known for "everything wake". They put their experience into Landlock Wakesurfer to create a board that is soft and forgiving and lets the board smoothly transition from side to side.
This makes it easy to stay on top of the water, instead of sliding out. The Monocoque constructuion creates a more durable board on side impacts to prevent delamination.
If you are looking for the perfect board for an older boat or smaller wave that won’t break the bank, the Hyperlite Landlock is almost impossible to beat.
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Your gonna love the Connelly RIDE Heavy Duty!
Between the EPS foam core and large EVA deck pad this board is safe and bouyant enough for bigger riders. Whether you are completely new to wakesurfing or more advanced the RIDE is a great choice because it is fully customizable with 3 fins.
Beginner riders can use all 3 fins to pump water out the tail and create drive, while more advanced riders can use 2 side fins or a single center fin for an added challenge.
The ability to set this board up in a variety of ways that suits different skill levels makes this board a great choice for a whole family or riders from a 5 ft tall teenager to a 6'2 260lb man.
Connelly has been a leader in the waterski and wakeboard sports for decades and they have brought that expertise to their line of wakesurf boards and created on of the best all around boards in the RIDE.
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The Phase Five Doctor is a board specifically designed for big guys. This is achieved with a significant amount nose rocker to keep the board on top of the wave, and a clean single concave to charge down the line.
The gentle tail kick makes the Doctor fast, stable and forgiving with plenty of maneuverability. As of this writing, the Doctor was only available in 55", but it's often available in 57" and 59" which handle guys up to 275 lbs. and 325 lbs. So you'll want to check and see which sizes are in stock.
Phase Five hit a sweet spot with this board because you can surf smaller waves, yet also cut and carve without feeling sluggish. A nice combo.
We really like the quad fin setup because there is so much variability. You can move the fins forward or backward, and you can remove fins if you want to attempt more advanced tricks. This adjustability lets you change the board as your skill level improves.
If you're a bigger guy and looking for a wakesurf board that can handle more performance, this board is for you.
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The Phase Five Wahoo is a great board for the whole family, including bigger guys. The weight capacity if 200 lbs and 250 lbs for the 53" and 56" boards.
The Wahoo is wider towards the front, and the tail of the board, but the siderail tapers in the middle. This design makes the Wahoo extremely stable, but the slight tapper allows the board to be very smooth and flow through maneuvers efficiently.
Phase Five refers to this design as Peanut Rail Outline. The concept of the Peanut Rail Outline places the volume under your feet where pressure is actually exerted without rounding out the board so much that is loses speed or maneuverability.
This unique design also gives the Wahoo a bit more volume, that allows for riders of all sizes. The added width in the hips and tail of the board allow the board to be fast, and not bog down, which also helps maneuvers and transitions from heel side to toe side, for example.
The Wahoo starts out like most surfboards with an EPS core, but is then reinforced with carbon fiber and Tough Glass which strengthens the board, and makes it more durable. If you're looking for a great all around wakesurfer, you'll love the Wahoo.
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Final Thoughts
Wakesurfers are tons of fun. It's not too difficult to find boards that can handle bigger guys, but it's worth it to take the extra time and effort to find the right one.
The boards we listed are some of the best you can get, and it will enable you to get to a new level of fun on your next day at the lake.
