One of the most popular surfboard sizes, 8 ft surfboards, are often considered the “in-between” boards. They are halfway between the longboard and the fish surfboard. Also known as midsize surfboards or funboards, they are the best “next step” stick for the beginner surfer ready who’s had enough time practicing.
Their popularity made the market saturated with 8ft surfboards. Understanding what you need to consider in getting an 8ft surfboard and what you need them for will make it easy. Our list of the best 8ft surfboards should be able to narrow down your choices, along with the other things you need to know:
- Who should ride the 8ft surfboard
- Strengths and weaknesses of 8ft boards
- Is 8ft surfboard a good board for beginners
Table of Contents
Who Should Be Riding An 8ft Surfboard?
The confusion about whether 8ft surfboards are longboards or funboards sometimes calls for a debate. To put it simply, longboards are any boards over 8ft long and 20in wide at their most basic level. Funboards, on the other hand, are surfboards 6 to 8ft long.
Having said that, it is but fair to say that 8ft surfboards can be considered as both. They may not go beyond the 8ft length, but they do not come short of a longboard’s key size, either. 8ft surfboards also do not go beyond 8ft nor below 6ft for a funboard. So, who should be riding these boards, then?
8ft surfboards are ideal for beginner to intermediate levels who have already learned the basics on a longboard or soft tops and are now equipped to advance their surfing skills. Its dimensions – volume, length, width, and thickness offer an enjoyable surfing experience.
Top 5 Best 8ft Surfboards Reviewed
Transitioning into funboards or mid-length surfboards makes the surfing experience more exciting. It lets you take the skills you’ve gained from longboards and add the perks of a more maneuverable surfboard for a more thrilling ride. Here are 5 of the best 8ft surfboards you may consider.
- South Bay Board Co. 8’ Verve Surfboard
- Rock-It 8’ Big Softy Surfboard
- Wavestorm 8’ Sunburst Graphic Surfboard
- Wave Bandit 8’ Easy Rider (Tri Fin)
- Boardworks Froth 8’ Surfboard
1. South Bay Board Co. 8’ Verve Surfboard
- Size: 8ft x 1.89ft x 1.91ft / 80 Liters
- Colors: Aqua, black, blue, white
Built to get beginners up onto their feet, the Verve from South Bay Board Co. is a monster 8ft surfboard with a broader and thicker profile that allows you to paddle the board with ease, getting you locked into a swell as early as possible.
This is why most surf coaches and surfing schools prefer the Verve to use for teaching since it makes their jobs a lot easier. Its improved performance comes from getting rid of the screw in fins and going with an extra-durable plastic screw through its fins.
The upgraded fins and fin boxes bring a whole new echelon of speed, control, and overall performance. Moreover, the 3-fin thruster setup gives the surfboard the additional boost it needs.
All of these are incorporated in their lightweight EPS closed-cell foam construction. Its triple stringer system is composed of two wooden stringers and one fiberglass rod stringer. Plus, its bamboo body armor on top and bottom improves its durability and resistance to heat damage.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Three stringers give the maximum stiffness | The mechanism that secures the leash to the board sometimes fails |
| Well-textured foam material | |
| Beginner-friendly | |
2. Rock-It 8’ Big Softy Surfboard
- Size: 8ft x 1.89ft x 0.27ft / 81 Liters
- Colors: blue, white, yellow, pink, green, orange, red, teal. All with sea camo stripes on the bottom
The Rock-It Surf’s 8’ Big Softy Surfboard design aims to make it the most straightforward board to surf on. Big, but not too big, buoyant, easy to maneuver, and stable. This 8ft surfboard is ideal for beginners or simple summer cruisers.
This 8ft surfboard is constructed with quality materials and environmentally sensitive methods. Its three marine wooden stringers are layered with epoxy nano-coating to repel water absorption. This coating is wrapped with a patented EPS foam and a color-fast and UV-resistant soft top layer.
Its entire body is heat laminated but with no harmful dyes, glues, resins, nor toxins during the production process. Every Rock-It 8’ Big Softy Surfboard is manufactured in a facility that utilizes collected rainwater and recyclable materials.
The broad texture of this board does not require wax, although a bit of application here and there can improve grip. As with most Rock-It surfboards, this comes with a one-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Made from a sustainable facility and with efficient production | Color may not appear to be as vivid as advertised |
| Perfect and safe for beginners and kids | |
| High-quality construction | |
3. Wavestorm 8’ Sunburst Graphic Surfboard
- Size: 8ft x 1.89ft x 1.87ft / 86 Liters
- Colors: Sunburst graphic design
If you haven’t heard of Wavestorm, you aren’t surf shopping that much. Wavestorm is one of the widely recognized surfboard brands, particularly in the US, mainly because they are highly accessible. You can find them in almost any retail store and surf shop.
The Wavestorm 8’ Sunburst Graphic Surfboard is one of the brand’s best-selling and performing learn-to-surf boards. It is as if fun is built into its virtue because of its lightness, softness, and maneuverability. All thanks to its years of extensive research and manufacturing experience.
This 8ft surfboard features a strong EPS core with three marine-ply stringers and a robust EBS IXL (Elastomer Barrier Skin) soft crosslink top deck with a solid textured grip. Its bottom is an HDPE (High-density polyethylene) slick that lets quick snapbacks and keeps the core rocker.
Best for beginners and experienced surfers, this funboard comes with a pre-installed leash plug with a removable ankle leash, removable bolt-thru thruster fin set, and traction pad board.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Can accommodate up to 200 lbs | Poor handling and shipping process |
| Comes with fins and a leash | |
| Suitable size and thickness | |
4. Wave Bandit 8’ Easy Rider (Tri Fin)
- Size: 8ft x 1.89ft x 0.28ft / 86 Liters
- Colors: black and white, orange and pink, hot pink and pink, turquoise and white
The Easy Rider is Wave Bandit’s longboard in their lineup of surfboards. And, following the customary with longboards, there isn’t a size to person ratio for this surfboard. Shortboards have limitations due to weight capacity and maneuverability. Longboards, on the other hand, rely more on the kind of ride you feel.
This 8ft surfboard lets you paddle and ride faster, allowing you to ride even the smaller waves. An egg-shaped longboard, Easy Rider is ideal for beginners looking for a surfboard that is a little light and easy to maneuver.
Its longer shape, round noses, and broad squared tails paired with an increased surface area bring the most stability out of the surfboards we’ve mentioned so far. Advanced riders who love the longboard style may also expansive deck and stable shape.
Wave Bandit’s surfboards are constructed with EPS foam core designed to be waterproof and resist waterlog. They are made solid and resistant to breakage, thanks to their two maple wood stringers inside the foam and its scratch and puncture-proof slick HDPE bottom.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Incredibly buoyant for easier wave catching | Does not duck dive well in bigger surf |
| Shaped for perfect balance and stability | |
| Lightweight but voluminous | |
5. Boardworks Froth 8’ Surfboard
- Size: 8ft x 1.89ft x 0.28ft / 71 Liters
- Colors: mint, papaya, sky
Boardworks are well known for their high-quality SUPs. Their slow evolution to being more than a SUP company made them more popular with surfers. The Froth series of Boardworks surfboards are fun, highly featured, and appropriate for all ages.
The Froth surfboard is characterized by its high-density EVA outer skin and fully glassed EPS foam core. This combination makes up a safe and durable surfboard. It comes with fin boxes and fins to help accelerate with preparing for the closely approaching wave.
In addition, the Boardworks Froth 8’ is one of the better-looking soft tops in the market. It is covered with all the necessary fundamentals plus some more points – one that some of the surfboards in the market today hardly achieve.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Minimalistic design | More expensive than the rest of the boards on the list |
| Sturdy construction | |
| Reputable brand | |
Is 8ft Surfboard A Good Board For Beginners
Generally, beginner surfboards should be longboards that are about 3ft longer than the rider’s height. So, if you are 5ft tall, your beginner board should be anything within 8 to 9ft lengths. Having said that, 8ft surfboards are perfect for beginners.
Pros and Cons of 8ft Surfboards
8ft surfboards’ shape and size make them best to use in small to medium surfing conditions and beginner to intermediate levels. As with most surfboards, these mid-sized boards have their share of strengths and weaknesses.
Pros
- Allows faster and easier paddling than on a shortboard
- Easier to maneuver than a longboard
- Can work in various surfing conditions from poor to good and tiny to head high
- Perfect for practicing turns and tricks
- Responses quicker than longboards
Cons
- May not be as fast as longboards
- Not as easily maneuverable as shortboards
Slightly harder to balance
Conclusion
Losing a foot or two from a longboard gets you prepared for a higher-performing surfboard. They are perfect for small, weak swells and novice surfers transitioning from longboards to more manueverable fun-sized boards.
Whether pulling screaming turns down the line or staying tight into the pocket you are trying to pull off, Rock-It 8’ Big Softy Surfboard and its sturdy construction covered with excellent grip is a considerable 8ft surfboard choice.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: Is an 8ft board a longboard?
A: According to Wikipedia.com, “longboards are primarily single-finned surfboard with significantly rounded noise and length of 9 to 12ft). Some may consider 8ft boards as longboards due to the height and board size ratio. But, by and large, they are midsized or within funboard sizes.
Related Resources
- Guide to Surfboard Shapes
- Best Mid-Length Surfboards
- Best Surfboards for Beginners
- What Surfboard Size Should I Get?
- Best Funboard Surfboards
G’day, my name is Luke and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former xxx athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at many of xxx’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which also rubbed off on my two young sons! I am also lucky to spend a lot of ocean-time in my favorite second home,xxx. In addition to SurfHungry I have founded several other websites in my areas of passion, namely xxx and am also a regular xxx.
