
Buying a new surfboard is totally righteous and not at all ridiculous. Like a first date… without the awkward small talk – it’s just you, the board, and pure wave-riding chemistry. So check out some of the finest sleds on offer in our latest guide, and treat yourself – you’re worth it.
CORD SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
Cord Surfboards
cordsurfboards.com • [email protected] • Unit 3, Wheal Kitty Workshops, St. Agnes TR5 ORD, Cornwall, UK • @cord_surfboards
Cord The Ark
5’8″ – 7’2”
Good in all wave ranges from small to kegs. It’s a great all rounder for the quiver. Finely tuned and tested by shaper Markie Lascelles and Aussie hell man Noah Lane. Goes great in anything from 3-6ft waves. A Twin Fin setup on a 4-channel pin tail maximises speed and turning ability to give this board a great feel surfing off the tail and through your turns. Extra volume under the chest helps you get you into all the waves you need. The Ark has been our best seller since it’s conception and we have been stoked on the amount of positive feedback we have had on it!
RRP: From £660
Cord Flying Vee
5’4″ – 6’2”
A twin fish for all conditions up to 5ft, but really fun in smaller waves. This board is great for critical turns, airs and going fast. The Flying Vee has a wider plan shape and flatter rocker meaning its a great paddler and has great acceleration and drive from the flatness through the wide swallow tail. The Flying Vee can be a great small wave summer cruiser or used as an advanced high performance shred machine. It’s a very versatile model and one of our favourites in a lot of different conditions.
RRP: From £660
Cord Humbucker
5’4″ – 6’2”
A fish style, snub nosed twin fin made for small to medium waves, critical turns, airs, barrels and getting into waves easier. A beaked nose maximises volume under your chest for paddle entry. A low nose and tail rocker combined with a wider, straighter outline means a lot of surface area in the water which is great for speed and planing across flatter sections of waves. The tail is a wide swallow, giving good surface area on the water and great turning response. Between the twin fin boxes is a short split channel to help give the board more lift under the back foot helping with speed from the off and through your turns.
RRP: From £660
Cord Long Fish
6’6” – 7’4”
The longfish is one of our fastest and funnest in the range. longer more parallel outline makes for amazing speed and flow, pulled down rails and extended tail rocker with V make for very tight fast turning. It still has a slightly wider nose profile to make sure your getting lots of waves. Will work in lots of conditions!
RRP: From £750
Cord The otter
5’10” – 6’8”
Head shaper Markie Lascelles pulled in the nose and tail of his Ark template to create a more performance outline for The Otter, but kept a similar bottom profile of a single concave running into four channels through the tail, releasing through a baby swallow tail for additional bite. This combines with the twin fin configuration to maximise speed and hold on a really manoeuvrable surfboard. The Otter features a pronounced performance rocker along its full length to fit into the pocket and to help with making those late drops. The pronounced rocker is balanced out by a beaked nose to keep some foam in the nose for efficient paddling and catching waves.
RRP: From £660
Cord Swordfish
5’4” – 6’4”
If it’s high performance surfing in a range of conditions that you are looking for, The Swordfish is the model for you. Developed with Noah Lane for a trip to the Maldives a few years back, we haven’t yet felt the need to tweak the design. From day one the thing has just worked! It has a wider nose outline and the wide point is forward which helps with paddling into waves. At the same time the drawn in back half and the square cut swallow tail allows the board to excel in performance and rail surfing. It has a pretty flat entry rocker to maintain speed and a flatter tail rocker to give you drive out of your bottom turn, then lifting slightly into the fluted channels for squirt out of the end of your turns also.
RRP: From £660
DHD SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
DHS Surfboards
downthelinesurf.co.uk • 01736 757025 • Down the Line Surf Company, Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4EA • @downthelinesurf
DHD Nexus
The Nexus has been designed to offer next level performance in beach breaks and modern wave pools. It features the rail-to-rail ease of the 3DV combined with the unbelievable speed of the Utopia, creating a dynamic high performance shortboard that excels in smaller waves.
RRP: £699
DHD Phoenix Flight
The Phoenix Flight is the new and improved evolution of the much-loved small wave performer, the DHD Phoenix. The Phoenix Flight takes the best of the Phoenix and adds even more speed and manoeuvrability thanks to a thinner profile, updated concave, refined nose and 5 fin set up.
RRP: £699
JS SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
JS Surfboards
downthelinesurf.co.uk • 01736 757025 • Down the Line Surf Company, Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4EA • @downthelinesurf
JS Big Baron Carbotune
An instant classic, the Big Baron is a twin fin mid-length inspired by the old school mids that dominated the Gold Coast pointbreaks. It’s one of the most loved and most requested boards we have ever had and it’s now available in JS’ cutting-edge lightweight Carbotune construction.
RRP: From £975
CHANNEL ISLANDS SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
Channel Islands Surfboards
downthelinesurf.co.uk • 01736 757025 • Down the Line Surf Company, Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4EA • @downthelinesurf
CI Better Everyday
The Better Everyday keeps all the characteristics that made the Happy Everyday an excellent stepdown performance board. It features a few clever design tweaks to enhance overall performance in better waves. The biggest improvement is the ability to ride it as a quad for even more speed and flow.
RRP: £710
CHRISTENSON SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
Christenson Surfboards
downthelinesurf.co.uk • 01736 757025 • Down the Line Surf Company, Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4EA • @downthelinesurf
Christenson Acid Phish
The Acid Phish is Chris Christenson’s new super sport version of the traditional fish he’s been perfecting for over 30 years. The Acid Phish is much more refined for tighter in the pocket surfing in bigger waves and is designed for a more critical rail-engaged style of surfing than the traditional fish.
RRP: From £805
JIM BANKS SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
Jim Banks Surfboards
downthelinesurf.co.uk • 01736 757025 • Down the Line Surf Company, Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4EA • @downthelinesurf
JB Pan Fried
Inspired by the classic 70’s plan shapes of the original Steve Lis Fishes, The Pan Fried by Jim Banks excels at ripping up smaller, weaker waves. The Pan Fried glides effortlessly over flat, weak sections thanks to its low rocker but the Pan Fried can still turn on a dime when needed. Now available in flax natural fibre construction.
RRP: £775
FIREWIRE SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
Firewire Surfboards
uk.firewiresurfboards.com • [email protected] • @firewiresurfboards
The Groove
The Groove is Rob Machado’s most responsive, high-performance shape, blending a hybrid with speed control, power, and versatile fin setups.
RRP: £730 to £750
Machadocado
Meet your new favourite summertime shape, the most versatile hybrid in Rob Machado’s quiver.
RRP:£730 to £750
TJ Pro Mid
The TJ Mid offers fast paddling, hidden volume, and versatile fin setups, excelling in all conditions for smooth, stable performance
RRP: £995 to £1,015
SLATER DESIGNS SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
Slater Designs Surfboards
uk.firewiresurfboards.com • [email protected] • @firewiresurfboards
FRK Swallow
The FRK Swallow enhances performance in smaller waves with refined volume, rocker curves, and a swallow tail for speed and control.
RRP: £730
S Boss
The S Boss blends high-performance design with user-friendly features, offering versatility, progression, and control for all conditions and skill levels.
RRP: £730
Boss Up
The Boss Up is a versatile, high-performance midlength designed for all conditions, combining power, control, and smooth wave handling.
RRP: £750 to £915
JP SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
JP SURFBOARDS
jpsurfboards.co.uk • [email protected] • 07775853137 • The Forge Oldwalls, Llanridian, Swansea SA3 1HA • @jpsurfboards
HellCat
Round tail clear. 5’11’’ x 18.4’’ x 2.4’’
26.7 litres
A refined version of the Wildcat, with the wide point just forward of centre. Great for tube riding. High performance attack board.
RRP: £635
JP WildCat
Round tail with rail patches 6’0’’ x 20.25 x 2.8’’
35.2 litres
Full template with generous rocker line and deep single concave, for drive and control in critical situations. Wide point behind centre, allowing tighter acute turns in the pocket and rail to rail carves.
RRP: £635
JP Drophead
Red Rail swallow tail 5’11’’ x 19.5’’ x 2.7”
31.5 litres
A full template with medium rocker, wide point centre. Hip wing for pivot point at the leading edge of fins, helping rail to rail transitions. Slight single concave throughout.
RRP: £735
SURFTECH SURFBOARDS
SURFBOARD GUIDE
Surftech Surfboards
surfcom.co.uk • 01205 722745 • @surftechuk
Aipa Big Boy Sting
Proven to perform by Ben Aipa on the South Shore on Oahu, The Big Boy Sting was designed by Ben in the late ‘90s and underwent heavy testing through the 2000s. The Big Boy Sting is now considered the most iconic Aipa design. Thickness where it counts, tapered rails combined with a pulled-in nose and tail allow it to turn tight and fast in the pocket. A swallow tail for extra control through powerful sections and decreased drag when driving off the bottom. Comes with 4+1 fin setup (7’0″and above) and a 5-Fin Setup (6’8″ and below) so you can go with a quad fin setup to skate across flat sections or a 2 + 1 when you need extra control.
RRP: £819
Gerry Lopez Glider
Gerry Lopez calls this glider the “secret weapon”, a fast paddling, quick gliding, lightning bolt of a board. Very subtle bottom contours allow Gerry’s Glider to move over flat water with ease, giving this board a feel of magical momentum. A flat deck hides extra volume under the chest when paddling and creates stability when gliding from section to section. A pulled-down rail allows the board to change direction without having to muscle it and also cuts nicely across steep sections of the wave face. The Gerry Glider will make 1ft waves a blast but could potentially be ridden in large surf as well if the surfer is capable of handling the speed the board generates.
RRP: £1299
Roger Hinds Nomad
The Nomad has a shortboard high-performance rocker combined with a larger planing surface and a thinner overall foil – which creates a more responsive, versatile surfboard. The added fullness and width of the outline allows you catch waves like a longboard, turn like a shortboard, surfing fast and loose. Can be ridden as a thruster, twin fin or quad depending on the fin setup you choose. Run it as a quad and it really loosens up, as a twin fin it’s a speed demon that will fly down the line, as a thruster it will allow you to carve tight arcs in the pocket and under the lip. The Nomad will improve your surfing while giving you the versatile options of thruster, twin fin or quad.
RRP: £739
Wayne Rich Wildcard 3
Turn a losing hand into a winning hand with the Wildcard. A great nose rider, proficient turner with a full template and a wide nose and wide crescent tail. The crescent tail allows water to flow over it and out pushing the tail down and creating lift on the board’s nose and with a concave nose making noseriding a dream. If you are looking for a longboard to make you surf more and better the Wildcard 3 is for you. The Wildcard is a true tip-to-tail classic style longboard that allows for a traditional approach to wave riding.
RRP: £1299
Walden Mega Magic
A magic wand for casting spells on waves. The Mega Magic/Fusion HD is wide with condensed volume. We take volume from the length and redistribute it to the width and thickness while maintaining the famous Magic performance. The Mega has the classic Magic elements: hard rails, concave bottom, and lots of rocker. The Mega Magic will float like a board that is 12″-18” longer, a kind of shorter longboard, for those that want more fun.
RRP: £899
Takayama – Humu Fish
This is a fish template that simply works and surfs amazingly smoothly. This fish is a re-worked classic of Donald’s designs. With more angle on the fins and a thinner blady tail, it makes this board go faster and turn tighter than you ever thought possible on a fish. This board can definitely compete with the best and must be tried to fully appreciate. It’s the fastest fish you will ever set foot on, quick, great vertical snaps, cutbacks in small and mushy to big and barreling.
RRP: £979
How to Dial In Your Next Board
We’re still seeing too many used boards for sale after just a few surfs — a sign of both the overwhelming number of board choices out there, and the tendency to jump too far between designs. So here are a few tips to help you dial in your next board:
Knowledge is key. Understand what you like in a board and why. From there, try out different models or speak with people who really know board design. With the endless variations in rails, rockers, plan-shapes, and fin setups, it can get overwhelming – but talking to the right people helps cut through the noise.
Be clear on your goals. What kind of waves are you surfing? What’s their shape, power, and how do you want to surf them? What do you want to improve on from your last board – paddle power, wave catching, turning, speed? Use that as your baseline. Think of the process as fine-tuning your equipment to suit how and where you surf.
Know your style. Are you cruising, gliding, or ripping? Do you surf more from your front foot or your back foot? And just as importantly – how do you want to surf?
Build a relationship with a knowledgeable shaper or salesperson. Take your current board (with your regular fins) into a shop or shaper and talk through what you like and don’t like about it. These people have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of boards. With that context, they can usually recommend a shape, rocker, rail, size, and volume that will help you move forward.
Whenever possible, get it under your arm. Pick up the board – or a similar model – and feel the balance. Note how the volume is distributed, and pay close attention to the rails. Even if you’re buying online or you’re hundreds of miles from the nearest decent surf shop, don’t skip the conversation.
Pick up the phone and ask questions. The more information you share, the more you reduce your chances of ending up with the wrong board.