10 Best Boogie Boards in 2025

Boogie boarding has brought family beach fun since Tom Morrey invented the sport in 1971. No matter your age or athletic ability, bodyboarding is thrilling! Whether you want to get pitted in the barrel or cruise on your belly in the whitewash, the choice is yours. The activity has grown from a beach hobby to a gnarly international sport.

In this guide, let’s dive into the best beginner boogie boards to the ultimate gnar-shredding bodyboards.

Boogie Board Buyer’s Guide

What to Consider when Buying a Boogie Board

When buying a boogie board (or bodyboard), it is important to consider how often you’ll be riding, your skill level, and what kind of surf is near you.

If you are entering the bodyboard world and don’t plan on dedicating your life to it, start with the affordable beginner board, South Bay’s Onda boogie board. Getting “too good” for this board will take a while.

Maybe you grew up surfing at Lower Trestles and want to mix it up. Try something that can make sick carving turns in big surf. We recommend the Morey Mach 7. This board will help you progress quickly without reaching the ceiling.

Whatever your position, having a boogie board in your stash will set you up for a good time, guaranteed. There are plenty of budget option boards. And if you want to break the bank and fulfill your gearhead dreams, there are also options, like the Hubboard Houston PE Deluxe or the NMD Ben Player Kinetic LTD Bodyboard.

Boogie Board Riding Styles Explained

There are three kinds of riding styles. But of course, that does not limit your creativity; do whatever you’d like!

Prone riding is when you lay flat on the board on your stomach. Beginner/amateur riders most often ride a bodyboard prone. Prone riding is the stereotypical boogie board style.

Drop-knee riding is an intermediate/advanced style of riding. The surf must be at least 3ft to perform at this level. Going down the line will also be necessary. It is possible to drop-knee bodyboard pretty early in your boogie board career.

Last but certainly not least, the most advanced riding style is stand-up. Riding a bodyboard like this is extremely impressive. The best bodyboarders in the world shred the surf this way. Stand-up is much harder, and surf with some power is required.

A Quality Boogie Board vs A Budget Boogie Board

It is possible to get a quality budget boogie board. However, the more you improve, the more you realize that budget impacts a board’s quality.

The least expensive boards will typically be made with EPS, the cheapest bodyboard material. EPS sacrifices board resiliency and recoil, which help bodyboards genuinely perform on the wave. Also, it is pretty easy to snap an EPS board in heavier surf conditions. So, with that being said, it might be worth spending an extra few dollars on a higher-quality board if you are serious about bodyboarding.

EPS boards are about $20 to $100 on the market. More advanced boards made with polyethylene or polypropylene will be around $60 and up (up to $300). You can get a high-quality board made with PE or PP for approximately $80 and up. If you want to advance but do not want to break the bank, the Morey Mach 7 is the board for you.

Boogie Board Cores

Bodyboards have three main core types: Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), and Extruded Polystyrene (EPS). Each has different perks. Excitingly, companies like Hubboard have released a patented Quad core. Be on the lookout for emerging new hybrid performative cores.

PE has been the bodyboard industry-standard core since the beginning of the 1970s, created by Tom Morey. This material has good flexibility and foam memory, which means a larger surf is ready to be tackled.

Advanced bodyboarders have loved PE boards for decades. PE cores are affordable and highly performative.

PP is the premier core material. It is dense, lightweight, and has the best foam memory and recoil. If you dream of competing on the International Bodyboarding World Tour, buy a Polypropylene core, like NMD’s Ben Player bodyboard.

Polypropylene core is more expensive, but getting barreled is priceless. The rigid nature of PP allows for cutting-edge new tricks to be performed. Holding an edge with this board will be done.

EPS is the cheapest and the best entry-level material. The buoyancy of the EPS is excellent for beginners to catch any wave. It is also stiff and water-resistant.  However, it lacks recoil and foam memory, which means it can easily crease or break under the stress of a larger wave.

Boards made with EPS can be improved by adding carbon or fiberglass stringer. If you are an intermediate bodyboarder and want to stay on a budget, EPS with these added features will do the job.

Boogie Board Decks

The deck of a boogie board refers to the top, where you ride. Decks are made of different kinds of materials.

Polyethylene (PE), the same material as the PE bodyboard core, is the most common and more affordable skin. It is a good product and does its job well.

The other skin is made of cross-linked polyethylene. It is more flexible with higher durability than its counterpart. The material produces a skin with a smooth finish. The downside of this material is it wrinkles more easily than PE.

Some bodyboards are made with an EPS deck. These boards are lightweight and buoyant, but not as flexible. They are usually for beginner or entry level riders.

Boogie Board Slicks (or Skins)

The slick is the part of the board that is in direct contact with the water. Most slicks are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). This material is smooth and hard. It allows for less friction while riding the wave, making picking up speed and catching waves easier. However, this board is prone to creasing in heavy surf.

The superior slick material is Surlyn. It isn’t easy to distinguish between HDPE and Surlyn just by looking and feeling it. But, performance-wise, it stands above HDPE. Surlyn is resilient and less prone to creasing. However, it is more expensive.

Boogie Board Length

Boards are typically between 36” and 46”. The length of the bodyboard depends on the height, weight, riding style, and level of the rider.

The general rule is that the bodyboard should reach your belly button. However, the factors above (weight, riding style, and level) and personal preference can change this rule.

Too big of a bodyboard will result in difficult maneuverability in the surf. Too small of a bodyboard will not give you enough buoyancy, making it difficult to catch waves.

Boogie Board Weight

The weight of bodyboards depends on the core and other added performance material. Usually, boards weigh between 1lb and 7lbs.

If around 2 lbs, that board is typically made of EPS and will have either an HDPE or no base. These lighter boards will snap in bigger surf. So, this is usually a beginner board for small surf.

Boards around 3lbs and above are usually made of PE or PP core material and have a heavier Surlyn base. These boards thrive in gnarly big surf conditions.

Boogie Board Tail Shapes

There are a few tail shapes: Crescent (unclipped or clipped), Bat (unclipped or clipped), and Gullwing.

The most common tail shape is crescent. It bites into the blue wave and helps keep your body in a good position. Crescent tail shape performs well in every kind of surf and is comfortable for riders.

Bat and Gullwing tail shapes will have more buoyancy and surface area, which improves lift and speed. However, this shape provides a looser feeling, meaning edge control is not the best. These shapes suit beginners, heavier riders, or catching small waves.

Boogie Board Channels

Not all bodyboards have channels, as it is more of an advanced option. Channels are located on the base towards the tail. They help the board have a grip while riding the wave. This is because the channels are meant to redirect water to steer against the natural desire of the wave.

There are many kinds of channels: graduated, straight, double, concave, deep, shallow, narrow, etc. Companies design custom channels for their higher-end boards. The different channels coincide with riding style, skill level, and wave size.

Boogie Board Rails

The rails of a bodyboard refer to the sides that you steer the board with. The rail is the bottom of the board that glides through the water. The chine is the top section near the deck.

There are 50/50, 60/40, and 70/30 rails. The first number represents the rail and the second the chine. The better you get, the more you can tell a difference and then build a preference. 50/50 are more responsive and manuverable. 70/30 rails are more stable. 60/40 rails offer a sweet spot somewhere inbetween.

Fins for Boogie Boarding

Fins can be a game-changer if you are paddling out past the white water in fast big surf. Consider using a proper pair of fins in these gnar conditions to improve your performance.

However, if you push off the sandy floor with your feet to catch a wave, fins aren’t for you.

But, if you are trying to catch unbroken waves, put some fins on. Riding down the line with nothing but beautiful blue water in your sight is done a lot easier with fins.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, whether you use fins or not is a personal preference. If you are someone who likes to paddle a lot and stand up on your bodyboard, fins might not serve you.

Boogie Boarding vs. Bodyboarding

The classic bodyboarding versus boogie boarding debate. The conclusion- they are the same thing. 

Tom Morey invented the board in 1971, and it caught on like wildfire. You’ll hear just about anyone refer to their bodyboard as a boogie board.

The term bodyboarding is used in the competitive side of the sport. The International Bodyboarding World Tour is NOT The International Boogie Boarding World Tour. Be careful; some of the more rad bodyboarders might not be so happy if you refer to them as boogie boarders.

Boogie Board Features

Leashes are an additional feature of boogie boards. Not all boards come with a leash; however, most do. Leashes help riders stay safe by preventing their board from swimming away from them.

Other features include board contouring to make riding easier. Hand wells are depressions on the nose of the board to improve grip. Hip contours are depressions on the deck to provide better body hold. Elbow pads are contours to provide a place for your elbows to sit.  Hand/finger bulbs are raised bumps on the top corners of the board for enhanced gripping.

Another additional feature is bodyboard stringers. A board can have single, double, or even triple stringers; stringers give extra strength and recoil.

Boogie Board Maintenance/Longevity/Quality

After your beach adventures, rinse your bodyboard with fresh water to keep it in prime condition.

The longevity of bodyboards depends on how hard you’re shredding the boards, how often, and what transport is like. It is pretty easy to cut up the soft tops of the boards or crease the bottoms, so be careful while storing them.

The better the quality board, the more of a beating it can take. Upgraded tops and bases will be tougher to crease or rip. The core will also snap

How Do You Boogie Board?

There are several ways to boogie board. How you bodyboard depends on your skill level and the surf conditions.

You can choose to push off from the ground, kick, or paddle to catch waves. The goal is to match the speed of the wave with any of these methods to catch the wave.

There are two directions you can ride on the wave. The most basic is riding straight to the beach in the white water, which is more commonly called boogie boarding. The advanced way to ride a bodyboard is riding along the blue part of the wave “down the line.” While riding down the line, riders can make turns, air out, and spin to their liking.

The most common and easiest way to ride is “prone.” Prone is when you lay on your belly while riding the wave. Riding this way can be done in the white water or blue wave.

Riding drop-knee is another style of riding. This is for intermediate/advanced riders in medium to large surf. It is necessary to be riding on the blue part of the wave down the line to ride drop-knee. In this position, your front foot is planted while your back knee is dropped.

The most advanced riding style is stand-up. It is very difficult to fully stand up on a bodyboard, and is only done by expert riders. Riding in medium to large surf will make stand-up riding possible.