Best Skateboard for Surfing

OUR TOP PICK

Every new surfer has to start at the beginning and master the basics, and even though you may be a thousand miles away from the ocean, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Rimable have provided the way, you just need the will to ride their Cruiser.

A twenty-two-inch cruiser (a skateboard that’s designed to be easy to control, highly maneuverable, and get you to wherever it is you’re going), this shorter than average Rimable skateboard will help you to learn all that you need to know about how to stand tall on a surfboard.

Easy to get to grips with, the Rimable’s pronounced kicktail will help you to learn to tack, spin and flip your board around, while the size of the skateboard will also enable you to find your natural stance and position. 

Made from highly durable, yet flexible, plastic, and fitted with aluminum trucks and solid polyurethane wheels, the Rimable Cruiser is also light, and small, enough to fit snugly in any backpack.

Plus, it’s retro looks and custom paint job wouldn’t be out of place on a dune buggy blasting through the sand of Venice beach in the decade when surfing discovered its mainstream appeal, the nineteen seventies. It’s like, one of the coolest ways to learn to surf in the city dude.

Pros

• If you’re looking to save your pennies to make that trip to the ocean with, then this well-within any budget board is the one you’ll want to perfect your chops on. At under sixty dollars, it isn’t just a bargain, it’s almost like Rimable are giving it away. 
• It’s a given that when you start to learn to “surf”, you’re going to fall. You’re going to fall a lot. But this board is tough enough to take any number of tumbles and accidents. It’s made to be hardy enough so that you can develop an entirely new approach to life with it. 
• Because it’s made from plastic and has that sharp, devastating seventies appeal, the Rimable Cruiser is light. You won’t throw your back out or give yourself a hernia carrying it around. And for those mid-lifers looking for a way to change their destiny, that’s not just appealing, it’s a deal maker.

Cons

• So, like all good things, the Rimable does have a few issues, namely the bearings it uses. After a while, the wheels probably won’t be fast enough for you and it won’t provide the kind of zip that you’ll be looking for when you get hooked on the speed and exhilaration of skating and surfing. That said, it is a board made for beginners so maybe by the time you’re looking for more acceleration, you’ll be ready to move on to the next deck. Or you might even be riding the big waves.  

EDITORS CHOICE

Moving on to one of the next best things to a surfboard that your hard-earned cash can buy, it’s the Slide Street Roller Derby.

It’s as close to a Carver branded board as you’re ever going to get at a fraction of the price that you’d pay for a high-end name. The Roller Derby is a surf skateboard that looks almost as good as it handles.

Slide use their own patented brand of surf skate trucks which allows the rider to carve and pump the board on concrete streets in exactly the same way that they would on a surfboard after catching a wave.

Determined to imbue a skateboard with all of the feel of a surfboard, Slide ensure that every single one of their surf skateboards “keep the stoke in the city”. If you can’t get to the ocean, Slide will bring the ocean to you.

Being made from seven-ply Canadian maple means that the Street Surf is not only tough and durable, it’s also light and thanks to the truck that we’ve already mentioned and the design of the board, the Street Surf is also highly maneuverable. In fact, it’s everything that you want a surf skateboard to be. 

Knowing that most skaters and surfers are never happy with their brand new boards, Slide also provides a tool that allows you to adjust the front truck to accommodate how you ride. You can customize your ride to suit you.

Talking about customization, this Street Surfboard also comes with a pack of stickers that you can use to tweak your boards look.

We think it looks just fine the way it is, but it’s your board and you’ll want it to look the way you want it to. After all, it’s always nice to have that extra option. 

Pros

• Unlike the Rimable, the bearings won’t slow you down. They’ll keep up with you and your board and travel at whatever speed and pace you’re comfortable with. 
• The Street Surf has its own purpose-built and designed surf skate front truck that lets you carve and pump to your heart’s content. It’s a skateboard that thinks it’s a surfboard, which is exactly what you want it to be. 
• The Canadian maple that it’s made out of isn’t just durable, its also shock absorbent, so this board rides as smoothly as if it was gliding across the water. Just like a surfboard does.
• It looks like a Carver, it rides like a Carver and it does everything a Carver does. It just does it for a lot less money. We like a bargain and we’re sure you like a bargain too. And this board really is a bargain.

Cons

• If you’re going to carve the streets day in and day out, which is almost certainly what you’re going to do with your board because how can you learn to surf if you can’t get out there and skate, then the board is going to take a beating. When it does, these boards have been known to pick up chip damage, so cosmetically, over time it’s going to lose its looks. Just like we all do.  

BEST VALUE

If you want to learn how to surf the streets and get ready for the big waves, you’re going to need to step out of your comfort zone.

Way outside of your comfort zone. The best way to do that? Forget everything you thought you knew about skateboards and skateboarding and go for something a little different.

And skateboards, even surf skateboards, don’t get more different than the Shark Attack Longboard from Street Surfing.

Abandoning the traditional four-wheel model, and opting instead for a three-wheel approach the Shark Attack is a true hybrid and inhabits the middle ground between longboards and surfboards.

Designed to bring the ocean to the city streets, the Shark Attack comes with its own set of rules and is unlike anything you’ve ever set foot on.

Unless you’ve been surfing for years, in which case you’ll know exactly what to expect and how to skate with the Shark Attack.

A demanding board, the Shark Attack was made for surfers to skate the streets. Relying on balance and a combination of lower body strength and movement to propel it, just like a surfboard, the Shark Attack is all about pumping and carving and learning how to surf so that you can skate.

As soon as you step aboard the Shark Attack, you’ll never have to put a foot on the floor again. You don’t need to push this board, you just need to pump it. 

Made from nine plies (that’s right, we said NINE plies) of Canadian maple, the Shark Attack isn’t just as tough and durable as it’s ocean-bound namesake, it’s also as strong as a Great White in a feeding frenzy.

Couple all of that with an alloy front truck and an aluminum rear truck and you’ve got a board that’s light, fast, incredibly flexible, and has jaw-dropping maneuvrability.

You’ve just got to learn how to control and master it, but as soon as you do, there isn’t a wave that you won’t be able to ride.

Pros

• The Shark Attack is a proper hybrid that’s been specifically designed and engineered to bring surfing to the street. It isn’t a skateboard, it’s a surf skate that’s closer in spirit to the ocean than the pavement.
• It is, if we may quote an old adage, as tough as nails. This board is made for you to get out there and learn how to, and master, the art of surfing without ever having to step foot in the sea. 
• You don’t push the Shark Attack, you pump it. Just by riding it, you’ll learn everything you need to know to catch the waves like a grizzled old veteran board beater. 
• Then there’s the price. At under a hundred dollars, we like the price. We like it a lot. All that street surfing for eighty bucks? Sign us up, we’ll take two.
• With all the grip tape on its deck, there’s no way you’re ever going to come unstuck, Unless you want to.

Cons

• We’re not going to lie, the Shark Attack isn’t an easy board to conquer.  If you’ve never set foot on a surfboard, you’re going to end up facing a steep learning curve in order to get to the point where you can ride it with confidence and make the most of all of the inbuilt potential that the Shark Attack has to offer.   If you want to surf, it’s worth every second of the time that you’ll put into it, but if you just want to skate, then think twice.

RUNNER UP

We’re back in more familiar territory with our fourth choice, the Krown City Longboard. The original street surfers, longboards are designed to cruise, carve and pump their way around the concrete ocean and that’s exactly what this leviathan from Krown City does.

A seriously long longboard, the Krown City Surf was made with the surfing skater on a budget in mind.

A relatively new brand, Krown City made their name by delivering maximum bang for your buck with all of their boards, and at way, under one hundred dollars this monstrously long cruising board gives you a lot for your money.

This gorgeous, made from seven-ply Candian maple, longboard has the sort of looks that’ll kill and if you didn’t know better, thanks to its classic shape, you’d think that you were staring at a surfboard.

It’s strong, long, and has enough flex to absorb whatever bumps the street throws at it with relative ease. And with all that space, you’ll soon be able to find the stance that works best for you and throw yourself wholeheartedly into surfing the streets.

The surfboard good looks of the Krown City Surf aren’t just cosmetic. The taper at the front and rear of the board, and built-in wheel arches, means that the Surf doesn’t suffer from wheel rub and so you can carve, carve and carve some more, safe in the knowledge that your board won’t let you down.

Pros

• Given its size, the Krown City Surf is incredibly responsive and maneuverable, which is due in no small part to clever design and engineering. This is a board that someone at Krown City put a lot of thought, time, and effort into making a reality. And it shows. 
• A formidable carving and freestyle board, it’s also great when it comes to going downhill. It’s not too shabby at going up the same hills either. But it’s a lot more fun when it gets to go down them. 
• Then there’s that price. What you get for the cash you’ll put down, is frankly staggering. It’s a whole lot of board for not a whole lot of money. 
• Its sheer size makes it perfect for beginners and experienced longboarders alike. If you’re looking for an entry-level longboard that’ll teach you how to surf the streets in style, then look no further.

Cons

• Have you ever seen a Cadillac trying to do a three-point turn? It can’t be done. Caddy’s are way too big to get around in less than seventeen points. Well, the Krown City Surf is the Cadillac of the Surf Skate world. Its size has a massively detrimental effect on it’s turning circle.
• The amount of flex that the Krown City Surf’s size generates is more than touch off-putting for some riders. You’ll either love it or hate it and it’s all dependent on whether you’re a flex fan or not.

RUNNER UP

Our final choice is the big kahuna of longboards and the alpha dog of the surf skate scene, the Hamboards Logger.

When it comes to longboards, Hamboards know what they’re doing. They’re the kings of the scene and the reason they sit so comfortably on their throne is because of the boards they build.

The Logger is made to last from the cradle to the grave and keep rolling well into your grandchildren’s dotage. 

Lovingly put together with nine-ply Candian maple, it’s a tough hard-wearing, long-lasting board that’s fitted with HST carving trucks that’ll take a beating and keep on carving. 

The tapered board design and wheel arches also minimize and effectively reduce the chances of wheel rub.  And with enough room on the board to accommodate anyone and everyone, it’s suited to all ability levels of skaters and surfers and an incredible vessel to perfect your style on, and with.

Made to carve, pump, and cruise alongside the very best the surf skate scene has to offer and then leave them in its wake when it comes to longboards, the Hamboards Logger is in a league of its own.

If you want a classic surf skate experience, you don’t need to look any further.

Pros

• The Hamboards Logger is a one for all and all for one longboard. Suitable for the rawest of newcomers and the most experienced, too long in the tooth surfers and skaters alike, this board is simply stunning. It outperforms, out carves and out shreds just about every other longboard out there. 
• Those HST trucks. They are exquisite and made to give you the ride of a lifetime every single time you step foot on the board. 
• Somebody at Hamboards cared enough to make the Logger. The quality of this board is sublime. The design, the materials used, the engineering, and the construction, they’re all absolutely flawless and faultless.

Cons

• All of that precision engineering, quality, and passion come at a price. A staggering, eye-watering price.  The Logger is by far the most expensive board on our list and at four hundred dollars we can almost hear that sharp intake of breath and see that not so subtle shake of your head as you start running the numbers through your brain in an attempt to justify buying it.  It’s a high price to pay for a longboard, but at least you know it’ll last forever.