Unlike the hard-top board, a soft-top surfboard is just as its name describes — a board with a spongy and smooth, cushioned soft deck top that has become very popular among a wide range of surfers from beginners to intermediate and advanced.
This type of surfboard has seriously come a long way in design and shred-ability and it is also known as a foam surfboard, softboard, or simply foamie.
Beginners like it because it offers excellent stability, durability, and buoyancy for learning – the main factors in surfing involved in the process of standing up and riding the wave for the first time.
Softboards are thicker, wider, and have more volume than a more traditional epoxy hard-top surfboard, making it easier for any surfer to catch even the smallest fat wave.
Also, in case of a wipeout – and it happens regularly when someone is learning to surf – the board’s soft deck will certainly not be as harmful as a traditional polyurethane (PU) surfboard or standard epoxy hard-top surfboard.
Soft top surfboards are also very convenient to paddle and immensely forgiving.
Aside from that, foam surfboards are much cheaper than “classic” epoxy hard-top surfboards, do not require special care, and are easy to carry down the beach.
When it comes to the advanced and intermediate surfer, the soft top surfboards have increasingly become a must-have back-up stick for summer and other exciting fun sessions.
Experienced surfers are now riding soft tops during shore breaks and party wave events where surf etiquette has actually been put aside for a while. If you want to get inspired for your next surf trip, read our review as quickly as possible.
Cheap and Heavy-Duty
The soft top surfboard includes an expanded polystyrene (EPS) core and a hot-rolled polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) outer shell.
The bottom is built from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), surlyn, or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) to protect cracks and dings.
In a sense, these affordable wave-riding vehicles are constructed of the same materials as bodyboards. Nevertheless, when compared to standard PU surfboards, they’re less costly, heavy-duty, and won’t break easily.
Long and short soft top surfboards are available on the market.
Longer soft tops are the perfect choice for novice surfers, while shorter ones are perfect for having fun in ankle-length surf.
Make sure to rinse your soft-top surfboard after each session and remove old wax regularly.
The best foam surfboards on the market in 2020 – Our 15 Picks
1. South Bay Board Co. 9’6″ Tortuga
The 9’6″ long Tortuga is the ideal entry-level surfboard for beginners in the surf industry. This foam board is the best match for summer mushburgers and small waves.
This hybrid soft-top longboard has 84 liters of volume, an extra-wide rounded nose, and a wide chest area for easy paddling.
This CNC-shaped soft-top model features a special textured and wax-free foam top deck.
The board includes a leash and an FCS thruster fin setup. A board with a thruster setup is more nimble and better at turning, especially in smaller waves.
These boards support weights up to 300 pounds (136 kilos).
2. Wavestorm 8′ Classic
The Wavestorm 8′ long is one of the most best-selling of all-time and prominent soft top surfboards available on the surf market today.
It is a light and easy to handle soft-top board including an EPS core, three marine-ply stringers, and a durable bolt-thru fin system.
The textured deck skin provides all the grip you need, and the HDPE bottom slick will keep the board’s shape in a wide variety of conditions.
This 86-liter softboard features a thruster fin setup and a leash.
These boards support weights up to 200 extra pounds (90 kgs).
3. Wavestorm 7′ Original New Modern
The Wavestorm 7′ Original New Modern is an updated variation of the classic design.
This 70-liter all-rounded Malibu-style surfboard comes with a soft-foam deck equipped with ultraviolet protection and a wider texture for better grip.
This is one of the best soft top surfboards that will suit both light beginner and experienced surfers.
After purchase this soft-top board is ready to be paddled immediately – fins and leash are included and all this at a great price!
These boards support weights up to 165 extra pounds (75 kgs).
4. Giantex 6′
The Giantex 6′ board is a great soft-top version of a standard shortboard.
It is the ideal choice for kids wanting to find their balance on a surfboard, but it will certainly be a fun weapon for light-weight surfers and seasoned riders.
It includes a fishtail for more hold and traction and a broader surface area from rail-to-rail surfing for easy paddling.
These boards support weights up to 155 extra pounds (70 kgs) and can be ridden first by beginners. It also can be ridden by any surfer in general.
5. South Bay Board Co. 6′ Guppy
The South Bay Board Co. 6′ Guppy is a 40-liter entry-level soft-top surfboard in the surfing industry. It’s perfect for young and small beginner surfers.
It’s also the ideal softboard for easy pop-ups and stability for learning during the initial waves thanks to its rounded nose and 21-inch chest area.
The board includes a lightly textured soft foam deck for easy waxing, 2 stringers for additional tightness, and three safe, round edge fins that you would ever want.
Kids and pre-teens will certainly like to ride this board for the first in the whitewater and waves up to approximately 2 feet.
These boards support weights up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms).
6. Paragon 5’6″ Mini Simmons – Foamy
The Paragon 5’6″ Mini Simmons is an incredibly fun, 37-liter soft-top surfboard available on the surf market today. It’s created for all levels of surfing from beginners to intermediate and advanced and their designs getting better and better every day.
This board will provide you with a fast and loose ride thanks to its flat front third of the soft top surfboard and board transitions from single to double concave with vee out the tail.
The board includes a high-density wood stringer, a hand-shaped epoxy core, and Hexcel cloth and epoxy resin coating. The top deck and rails of these soft top surfboards are wrapped and vacuum-sealed with a texturized EVA foam.
These boards support weights up to 180 extra pounds (80 kilos).
7. Wavestorm 5’6″ Original New Modern Swallow Tail
As mentioned above Wavestorm has a variety of surfboard shapes and sizes to choose from. The Wavestorm 5’6″ Original New Modern Swallow Tail is one more scaled-down variation of the classic world’ best-selling template.
It’s a very light soft-top model with 42 liters of volume, and the perfect choice for small and light surfers.
This one of the best soft top board has reinforced fin-plug inserts to act as a water barrier.
These boards support weights up to 140 extra pounds (64 kilograms).
8. Boardworks 5′ Froth Shortboard
The Boardworks Froth! 5′ (short length) is a 30-liter flexible and fun foamie.
With an egg-like outline, these boards are one of the best soft top surfboards for kids and light/advanced riders surfing mellow, two-to-four-foot beach break waves.
Its EVA external skin wraps a totally glassed, closed-cell Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) core for maintaining its water-resistant.
These boards catch waves easily and support weights up to 130 pounds (59 kilos).
9. BZ Blackball 55″
Do you want something tiny? This is definitely for you. The BZ Blackball 55″ is one of the smallest high-performance short soft-top surfboards in the surfing industry available on the market.
It was created to beat the black ball flag during summer, thanks to its light-weight, yet tight EPS core.
The board includes a squash tail for additional stability in most conditions and dual stringers for additional toughness.
These boards support weights up to 180 extra pounds (80 kilograms).
10. Odysea Catch Surf Skipper Thruster Taj Pro 6’0″ Surfboard
Perhaps the second-most prolific performance foam board you’ll see in summer models is the Odysea Catch Surf Skipper. Unlike the great Wavestorm, the Taj Pro from Odysea Catch Surf is floaty, shorter, and fast.
While the original shape of 8-foot Wavestorm might be a little tight under the feet, the Skipper Taj Pro 6’0″ model with thruster (tri) fin setup slips and slides around on those summer days like a bar of soap, ideal for surfers with a little experience who don’t want to beat up their favorite stick on a summer day.
11. Formula Fun Shortboard Fish 5’3″
As you might have guessed from the name, these foam surfboards are designed for having as much fun as possible.
As someone who likes to surf in the natural environment, you would certainly be right if you were concerned with what surfboards are made of.
Foamboards frequently crack – as you’ve probably seen in the garbage cans near the coastline – and right stuff they’re made from damaged the setting. The foams frequently crack as you probably saw in the garbage cans near the beach, and the material they’re made from detriment the environment.
Formula Fun created their surfboards with a deep awareness of the role we play when it comes to protecting the natural world. Made entirely from recyclable stuff, these soft tops aren’t thrown in the garbage.
Just because they’re recyclable doesn’t mean they’re not fun, either. These short surfboards have, as the name indicates, the formula for fun.
12. Boardworks Froth! Soft Top Single Fin Longboard Surf Board 9 ′
Like many soft top surfboards, Boardworks made the Froth to help people catch more waves.
If you prefer the classic longboard, the single fin you see above may be your style, but if you don’t like it, Boardworks also makes a 7’0 size funboard and a 5’6 size shortboard.
13. Softech Flash – Best Foam Board for all-day, everyday surfing
The Softech Flash is a fantastic all-rounder offering shortboard performance and an ideal option for anyone who wants to sharpen their turning skills in no time. This hybrid shape has a larger nose and a lot of volume for simple paddling. The Softech Flash is developed with a slick soft deck and bottom that glides over the water, making it an extremely fast board that catches everything.
Specifications:
- Length: Medium (6′ 6 feet).
- Thickness: 2.66″.
- Support weights up to 200 pounds.
- 3 Fins included
- Fin Setup: Thruster (3-fin).
Features:
- Ankle Leash Plug Included.
- Wax-Free Soft Top Surfboard.
With the FCS II system, you’ll get a more enjoyable surfing experience because you won’t need any kind of tools or screws to secure the fins. You can easily insert and remove the fins based on the wave conditions or the surfer’s skill level.
14. Wavestorm 8′ Classic Pinline – the Original Soft Top Surfboard
Ridden initially by beginner surfers, after that later by absolute rippers, and currently by basically everyone, Costco’s renowned blue and white (and yes, Rasta colors, too) will certainly always be the Grandaddy of soft tops. So get the best of both worlds with Wavestorm Classic Pinline 8-foot board.
Wavestorm 8′ Classic Pinline may be one of the most durable soft-top surfboards in the world that we’ve come across. The extra durable construction of this surfboard also lends itself to providing an excellent platform for every level of surfer. All this at an affordable price.
While the 8-foot variation is likely the most popular, Costco has other board shapes and sizes to choose from.
15. ISLE Nugget 4’11 Soft Top Surf Board Package
This surfboard is best suited to small waves. At 4 ’11 and 34 liters, the Isle Nugget includes 2 parallel wood stringers that are wrapped in fiberglass that gives way more performance than a standard foam board.
It’s a twinny, which, if you’re into going fast, is excellent. And you are into going fast, right? The bottom skin is made from superslick high-density polyethylene and fin boxes are FCS compatible.
