Recommendations & size guides

Size, weight and style guides - review the best wakesurf boards

We're all different shapes and sizes, we all have our own style. That's why working out which board to buy can be almost as much of a challenge as landing that new trick!

We've written a general guide to choosing a wakesurf board but  once you know the principles, which Phase 5 board is right for you?

If you're average height and weight then there's lots of choice so start with style and budget and go from there. We'll be adding to this guide during the season so let us know your questions and quandries.

If you're a smaller or heavier rider, this guide will point you to some of the best recommendations.

Smaller riders

Up to 5’6” and 160lbs

There’s plenty of choice here. In the sweet spot are:

Diamond Luv – designed with female riders in mind this Premium carbon board looks fantastic with a bit of shimmer and bold pink and yellow but, don’t worry if you’re not a girlie girl, this is a board with attitude! Or the Diamond for guys or girls with stunning graphics. Good for intermediate to advanced but a board you can progress on.

48”: Height 4’8” – 5’7” upto 135 lbs (or check out the 51” or 54” if you’re a bit taller or heavier)

Matrix – a very thin, light, highly responsive Premium board in various sizes. Like the Diamond, the 48” caters for riders 4’8” – 5’7” and up to 135 lbs – or the 51” if you’re a little heavier

Super Fish: 49” Skim style wake surf board that’s great for teens and smaller adults- and with a wide height range growing teens won’t grow out of it too quickly!

It’s from the Performance range so a good choice if you’re on a budget. It’s also a good board for learning on but with plenty of performance to keep progressing riders entertained and challenged. Up to 165lbs and 4’9” – 6’

Fish: 47” Skim style board for kids and smaller adults up to 140lbs and 4’8” – 5’6”. Also a Performance range board.

Our top pick for surf style is the Race – a fast, agile surf board with eye catching looks in various sizes. The 50.5” is a compact looking board that’s good for 5’ to 5’11” and up to 165lbs

Also consider the Prop 54”, Hammerhead 50” or Ahi 48”

Bigger and heavier riders

Over 200lbs and over 6’

Plenty of choice for big guys so we’ve picked the ones where biggest is best!

Trident: a Premium skim board that’s great for learning on but will keep you progressing. For riders over 190lbs and a great choice for the 250lb+ guy or girl. Height 5’7” – 6’5” and over 250lbs

Hammerhead LTD Premium skim wakesurfer. Its chopped nose design means a big guy can ride a smaller board. The 55” caters for riders 5’7” – 6’4” and 225 lbs.

Want a unique looking board? The 54” Hypsta is a unique shape with unique resin art for surf guys and girls 5’8” – 6’5” and up to 250 lbs. Or the 50” for up to 200lb weight

Race: the big guys and the little guys can all have a Race! A fast, agile surf style board, the 56.5” is good for riders 5’6” – 6’4” and up to 215lbs

Fang – the top rated board in Alliance Wake’s 2017 guide, the 57” is a great surf style choice for wake riders 5’7” – 6’5” and up to 250lbs

The Rio is another good choice of surf style board for heavier riders. The 54” is for you if you’re 5’7” – 6’4” and up to 220lbs or go large with the 58” for riders 5’8” – 6’5” and up to 250lbs.

And the biggest of them all – the Kong. A surf style wakesurfer designed for the heavy riders, the Kong s available in 2 sizes – 59” for riders of 5’7” – 6’5” up to 275 lbs and the biggest of them all the 63” for riders 5’8” – 6’8” and up to 350lbs

If you’re on a budget, there are some great options in the Performance range:

The XB based on the Model X, a fast stable board for riders 5’8” – 6’5” and up to 250lbs

Diamond CL – a lower cost version of the premium Diamond, the CL 57” is designed for riders 5’7” – 6’4” and upto to 225lbs

Oogle – a great board for beginners and intermediates – and it’s good stable board for lighter riders to learn on too so this is a good option if you’re a heavier rider that needs to share a board with the lighter or less confident beginners in your crew. 58” board for rider 5’8” – 6’5” and up to 210 lbs.

Kids

So, the little kids have got the bug and it’s time to buy them a board.

Scamp: 46” Skim style board for kids up to 120lbs and 4’5” – 5’5”

Also check the Fish and Super Fish in the smaller riders section - and the good news is they are all in the Performance range so they must be worth a lot of good behaviour and jobs around the house but they won’t break the bank!

Great sharing boards

Of course, we all like to have our own board but if you’re planning to share a board, we’ve picked out a few that can accommodate a wide range of heights and weights. The Performance range is a good place to start your search as some of these are lower price boards that are designed to be versatile yet still exciting to ride the wave.

Oogle: 58” for 5’8” – 6’5” riders up to 210 lb but smaller lighter beginners appreciate its forgiving floatiness whilst still being fun for the bigger guys.

Super Fish: Accommodating a height range of 4’9” – 6’ and up to 165lbs this is one of the most versatile boards in the range

Prop: a great choice if you have some lighter members of your gang but still need to accommodate some heavier riders. It’s designed for a height range of 5’4” – 6’2” and up to 190lbs. The Prop has been a staple of the Phase Five range since the start and is the board Drew Danielo won his first two world championships on so it’s no slouch!

The mid-sized Diamond boards are a good option for intermediate to advanced riders – the 54” caters for riders 5’4” – 6’2” and up to 195lbs

For surf style, the Race is a good choice with 3 sizes all with a good range (we’ve profiled the largest and smallest here already)

Hope these help your search but let us know your questions and we'll guide you to the right board for your style and price range.


Not sure where to start looking for the right board for you?

Check out these 12 board recommendations that span the style, budget, skill and size range

If you need more help check out our guide to choosing the right board or get in touch and we'll help you choose