Wave boards tested:
Click to go to the reviews of each board
The topics in this test:
Wave boards 2024 at a glance
The test trips for this year's wave board test took us to Rømø, Hanstholm and Agger - famour spots on the Danish west coast. From light sideoffshore wind for pure wave riding to tough North Sea chaos with the 3.7 sail, everything was on offer - so each board had plenty of opportunities to show off its strengths.
Shapes & Outlines
The test models have a volumes between 83 and 89 litres. The fact that the nominally smallest board, the We Wave 83, doesn't necessarily feel like the chick of the bunch is mainly due to the width - and this varies greatly. At just 57 centimetres wide, a Naish Global is almost two centimetres narrower than a JP Ultimate. As always, it is interesting to look at the bottom shape: while boards like a Quatro Pyramid or the Starboard Ultra have a visibly rounded bottom in the tail area, the JP Ultimate is almost straight. However, the fact that you can't theoretically predict the ease of turning with the measuring stick is due to the rocker curve in the edge area - the boards often have much more curve here than on centre line.
Features
The rear straps of all boards are now double-bolted to prevent them from twisting or tearing off. JP-Australia, Naish and Duotone also offer this extra feature on the front straps. Starboard uses thicker screws with torx heads to prevent them from wearing out, while We One and Severne use Allen screws for the same reason. The comfort of the straps is generally at a good level throuhout the group, only the straps from Starboard and Tabou don't quite come close to the best in terms of comfort. There are also differences in the width of the stance: if you mount the straps in the matching inserts, the stance of the We One is over five centimetres narrower than the average. Starboard's stance width is slightly wider than average. However, the stance can still be varied by using plugs that do not belong together.
Fins
The time when many wave boards had five fin boxes is over - whether for cost reasons or in the course of weight optimisation. Only the Severne Pyro and the JP Ultimate still offer all options from single fin to quad. Duotone, Quatro, Starboard and Tabou come as thrusters, all other models are designed as quads. The JP Ultimate and the We One We Wave are sold completely without fins. Both boards can be equipped with centre fins between 14.5 and 15.5 and side fins with a length of ten to eleven centimetres. A special feature is still the box used by Starboard: Sidefins for US boxes as well as slot box fins, that are slightly notched at the front of the base, can be used here.
Tested: How the 2024 wave boards ride
A direct comparison is the best way to highlight the differences. Because not every aspect is equally important for every type of rider, we advise against simply adding up the scores to determine a supposed "test winner". Why? Just because two completely different boards can have the same number of points - which is another reason why we don't think much of lurid test winner labels. Instead, think about which criteria are important for you and assign yourself to one of the following rider types. Within the preselection provided by us, you won't go wrong and can make the final decision based on personal taste, looks and, last but not least, the purchase price, without having to worry.
Surfer type
The occasional waverider
Not everyone has the opportunity to go surfing in the waves regularly. So does your board have to serve as a strong wind toy in flat water or bump & jump conditions at least 50 per cent of the time? Of course you want a wave board with appealing turning characteristics for the days with waves, but easy planing, good control and easy crossing of the surf are more important to you than the theoretical potential for radical wave manoeuvres? If this is the case, then the following criteria should have priority:
- Planning abilities: Describes how drag-free a board gets up to speed. Boards that plane smoothly and accelerate powerfully even when ridden passively get full points here.
- Control (chop/high wind)If a board planes like on rails in rough chop and with a soft water position, it scores particularly well here.
- Keeping speed while turning: Especially in mushy waves, the wave ride sometimes ends earlier than hoped because the board loses speed in the bottom turn. Boards with wider tails and flat rocker usually carry the speed through the turn better than "wave bananas", allow powerful cutbacks - and therefore score particularly well here.
The top choices for the occasional waverider are as follows (in alphabetical order):
The ambitious wave surfer
Do you mainly use your waveboard in real surf and ride waves frontside? You don't disdain rare flat water sessions, but you surf with your wave board mainly at European wave spots and expect your board to work at (almost) all wave spots worldwide? Then you should pay attention to the "planning abilities" and "control" criteria already explained and also take the following aspects into account:
- Back foot turning:Describes how radically and playfully a board can be turned in small waves, where waves are usually ridden over the back foot, doing short, agressive snaps
- Front foot turning: If you surf larger surf waves (> 1.5 metres) and carve turns over the front foot, you can expect that the radius can be adjusted from wide to tight in order to hit the lip of the wave at the perfect moment. Boards that turn variably over the front foot are also perfect for wave moves such as 360s and Takas.
If you classify yourself as an "ambitious wave surfer", this is your alphabetically sorted hit list:
The wave expert
Frontside rides are no problem for you, even in big waves? Do you loop around and know moves like wave 360s and lipslides from more than just surf videos? Are maximum turning characteristics more important to you than bump & jump suitability and that last bit of planing power? Then pay attention to the criteria"back foot turning", "front foot turning" and "control/grip on the rail"The latter criteria describes whether a board still offers enough grip and control on the rail, even at high speeds and on big, fast waves, to pull full throttle through the bottom turn up to the lip of the wave. If a board carves like a hot knife through butter, it scores higher here than boards that start to bounce in the turn.
The top boards for all wave experts are, in alphabetical order:
Test scores at a glance
This is how we tested
During testing, each tester keeps his own sail, only the boards are swapped. The impressions are recorded immediately after each session by each tester. After the session we sit together and discuss, where we agree (and sometimes disagree). Each board is tested in different wind and wave conditions in order to get a full picture of the products at the end.
