man wakesurfing with hat on

The Best Wakesurf Boards

Looking for the Best Wakesurf Boards you can buy?

It will always be a bit of a challenge to find the right equipment and this holds true when looking for wakesurf boards.

There are a ton of different companies, brands, and styles of boards to choose from, we'll tell you the boards we like the best. 


Our Favorite Wakesurf Boards 

We've tried a ton of boards.  Most are pretty good, some are great, and some are terrible (but we'll leave out their names). 

If you're already familiar with the watersports world, you'll already know some of these brands.  They are the premium brands in watersports, names like Connelly, Phase 5, and Hyperlite.  These brands have been around for decades and have learned how to build quality into everyone of their products.

The ideal wakesurf board  will be wide enough, and thick enough to provide ample stability for your frame.  

All boards are different but in general, you'll want to stick to a board that is at least 5 feet long and up.  Now, you won't need to go far bigger than 5 ft, because the bigger you go, the slower the board, but generally somewhere in the range of 5" plus or minus 4 inches is where you find some great rides.

front and back image of the Connelly Ride board


Features:

  • Beginner friendly
  • Removable fins
  • Increased grip from double edged rails
  • Width: 20.5"
  • Length: 5'2"

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.

Pros of this Board

  • Anyone can use this wakesurf board
  • Tow rope included with purchase
  • Compression construction

Cons of this option

  • Advanced riders will still have fun on this board, but this is not a "pro" level model
top and bottom picture of the hyperlite landlock wakesurfer


Features:

  • Great beginner wakesurf board for the whole family
  • Excellent Big Guy board yet it's also suitable for smaller riders
  • Length: 5'9'
  • Weight capacity: up to 300 pounds

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.

Pros of this Board

  • Durable construction can handle years of abuse
  • Cuts on top, down the face, into the curl of the wave creating a super fun ride
  • Laid Back Soul Turns

Cons of this option

  • Fins sold separately
top and bottom view of the hyperlite hifi board


Features:

  • This is the Noah Flegel Signature Wakesurf Board
  • Lengths: 53” or 56"
  • Width: 20.76″ or 21.5" 
  • Minimal amount of rocker w/ flat base 
  • Weight Capacity: up to 220 Pounds

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.

Pros of this Board

  • Designed to carry a lot of speed
  • Sharper wakeboard style rail allowing the Hi-Fi to sit higher in the water
  • Full fiberglass construction for light weight

Cons of this option

  • Maybe not the best choice for absolute beginners
top and bottom image of the phase five doctor


Features:

  • Quad fins 
  • Skill level: Intermediate to Advanced
  • Board Stability: High
  • Length: 55″
  • Weight Capacity: 225 lbs.

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.

Pros of this Board

  • A lot of adjustability with the quad fin setup
  • Easy to balance which conserves energy
  • Ability to move side to side with performance compared to the competition

Cons of this option

  • Expensive 
Top view of the Phase Five Wahoo with orange blue deckpad


Features:

  • Sizes: 53", 56"
  • Design shaped for maximum stability
  • very agile board
  • Quad fin FCS surf fin setup
  • Side cut stays a little bit wider towards the tail of the board

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.

Pros of this Board

  • High stability
  • Turning power comes from the quad fins and not the side rails of the board, which makes for quick turns
  • Extra volume and speed, without sluggishness

Cons of this option

  • Doesn't have the highest weight capacity (max 250 lbs.)

Final Thoughts

Wakesurfers are tons of fun.  It is a popular and growing sport.  There are a ton of new boards coming out all the time.  The boards we listed here are just a few of our favorites.


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.