Choosing Your Next River Surfing Boards

Picking out river surfing boards can feel a bit overwhelming if you're used to the ocean or just starting out on a standing wave. It's a totally different beast than catching a rolling swell in the Pacific. In the river, the water is coming at you, not carrying you, which means the physics of how your board interacts with the wave changes completely. You can't just grab your old dusty shortboard from the garage and expect it to perform perfectly on a local river wave. ...

February 21, 2026 · 7 min · Toby Herrmann