We tested these nine waveboards:
Click to go to the individual rating
In this article:
The waveboards at a glance
The test trips for this year's wave board test took us to Rømø, Hanstholm and Agger. 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.
To enable us to describe the test boards in more detail, we have decided to give the individual products more space in the magazine. Individual models often run unchanged in the brands. Instead of producing duplicates, we therefore test the second model in the group for many brands and, where possible, offer you a cross-comparison with the boards tested and unchanged in the previous year.
Shapes & Outlines
The test models have a volume of 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's interesting to look at the underwater hull: while boards like a Quatro Pyramid or the Starboard Ultra have a visibly rounded underwater hull in the tail area, a JP Ultimate is almost straight. However, the fact that you can't theoretically predict the turning ability with the measuring stick is due to the rocker curve in the edge area - the boards often have much more flex here than on the longitudinal axis.
Equipment
The rear straps on 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 particularly thick screws with Torx heads to prevent them from wearing out during frequent assembly, while We One and Severne use Allen screws for the same reason. The comfort of the straps is consistently at a good level, 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 crotch width: if you mount the straps in the matching holes, the stance of the We One is over five centimetres narrower than the average. Starboard's crotch width is slightly wider than average. However, the stance can still be varied by using plugs that do not belong together.
Finns
The time when many waveboards 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 are equipped with centre fins between 14.5 and 15.5 and side fins with a length of ten to eleven centimetres. The box installed by Starboard is still a speciality: Sidefins for US boxes and slot box fins, which are slightly notched at the front of the base, can be used here.
Riding characteristics: How the 2024 waveboards ride
A direct comparison is the best way to highlight the differences in individual assessment points. 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. The bottom line is that 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 to you and categorise yourself into 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 about making the wrong purchase.
The surf type recommendation
Occasional waver" type
Not everyone has the opportunity to go surfing regularly. So does your board also have to serve at least 50 per cent of the time as a strong wind board in flat water or in bump & jump conditions? Of course you want a wave board with appealing turning characteristics for days with surf 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 be your priority:
- Sliding properties:Describes how smoothly a board gets up to speed. Boards that glide harmoniously and accelerate powerfully even with a passive riding style get full marks here.
- Control: If a board glides like on rails in rough chop and with a soft water position, it scores particularly well here.
- Maintain speed in the turn:Especially in moderate waves without maximum thrust, the wave ride sometimes ends earlier than hoped because the board parks in the bottom turn. Boards with wider tails and flat rocker take the speed through the turn better on average than wave bananas, allow powerful cutbacks - and therefore score particularly well here.
The top choices for this surf type are as follows (in alphabetical order):
Ambitious wave surfer" type
Do you mainly use your waveboard in real surf and ride waves frontside to leeward? You don't disdain rare flat water sessions, but you surf with your waveboard mainly in European wave areas and expect your board to work at (almost) all wave spots worldwide? Then you should also pay attention to the "glide characteristics" and "control" criteria already explained and also take the following aspects into account:
- Rotational properties rear foot:Describes how radically and playfully a board can be turned in small waves, in front of which you naturally tend to make short hooks with your back foot.
- Rotational properties front foot:Anyone who surfs in larger surf waves (> 1.5 metres) and carves turns over the front foot expects to be able to adjust the radius 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 also have a clear advantage for wave moves such as 360s and takas.
If you categorise yourself as an "ambitious wave surfer", this is your alphabetically sorted hit list:
Wave Crack" type
Are frontside rides no problem for you, even in big waves? Do you loop around and know moves like wave 360 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, in addition to the two criteria for turning characteristics, also pay attention to the following aspect"Control on the edge": This describes whether a board still offers enough grip and guidance on the edge even at high speeds and on large, fast waves to pull full throttle through the bottom turn up to the wave lip. If a board carves through the butter like the proverbial hot knife, it scores higher here than boards that start to hop in the turn.
The top boards for all wave cracks are listed in alphabetical order:
The scores of the test boards at a glance
This is how we tested
During testing, each tester keeps their own sail, only the boards are swapped. The impressions are recorded immediately after each session. Each board is surfed in different wind and wave conditions in order to get a comprehensive picture of the products at the end.
