Best Skimboard For Beginners In 2024 (+ Best Cheap Board)

Choosing a first board isn’t easy.

There’s a tonne of brands, boards in all different shapes and sizes.

Some are made from foam, and some out of wood.

This gets even more complex when you consider some boards are designed for flatland (i.e. mainly shallow waters), whereas others are specifically designed for wave riding.

Where do you start?

Here. This guide covers everything you need to know when buying your first skimboard.

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This Year’s Best Skimboards For Beginners

Right, so let’s get into it. This is what we consider to be the best skimboard for beginners.

But, if you’re looking for the best cheap beginner skimboard, we’ve offered one alternative at the end of the article.

Update (January 2021)

Due to the current situation with Covid-19 our top 2 recommendations (below) are currently unavailable. We don’t currently have information on when they will be restocked, so for now we would recommend the DB Skimboards Flex Proto (best overall skimboard) and the Wavestorm 45″ skimboard (best cheap skimboard). If you’ve got a decent size budget to play with, we’d also recommend checking out the Liquid Force TC Skim (best overall skimboard this year).

Liquid Force TC Skim – best overall skimboard

DB Skimboards Flex Proto – best for beginners

Wavestorm 45″ skimboard – best affordable

1. Fedmax – Carbon Fibre Avac by Apex

Our pick for: the best skimboard for beginners in 2021

The Fedmax is for beginner skimboarders that don’t wanna’ mess around.

If you want to get serious about skimboarding, the Fedmax is the board for you.

Tricks

Progressing from flat land to wave riding is one thing, doing tricks is another.

But, for when you get there, Fedmax has included a tricks guide that’s designed to go hand and hand with their board.

And, whilst that might seem like it means nothing. It does.

What that means is that this isn’t just a board for beginners. It’s a board that will take you to being an intermediate skimboarder, and beyond.

Traction

If you’re a complete beginner, and I mean complete, you won’t believe how little grip the surface of the deck has on a skimboard.

That’s why Fedmax have included a set of top notch traction pads. Get into stance on the board so you know exactly which foot position feels comfortable, then fit the pads there.

Be warned, these aren’t cheap pads that fall off after one session. They’re made up from an EVA foam with 3M glue.

Once you stick them on, they’re not coming off without a fight; so get positioning right, first time round.

Deck Quality

There are cheaper beginner skimboards out there, but the deck quality is nowhere near what’s on offer from Fedmax.

They’ve used carbon fiber on the nose and tail. In between, it’s connected with a durable fiberglass body. Finally, they’ve dropped a gloss coating, which means minimal water damage; if any!

The body technology comes from Avac; the lightest boards on the market. So, once you progress, you’ll have the manuverabiliuty to do some tricks too.

Reviews

Skimboarding isn’t as popular as you might think. Why? I have no clue. Everyone that’s been on my board has hurt themselves. My cousin broke his leg. Maybe that’s why.

Either way, there are some online reviews out there. I find reviews (especially if you actually read them) give a great indication of how good a product really is.

Go check out the reviews for the Fedmax.

Who Should Buy The Fedmax Skimboard?

Due to it’s price, it’s suited to beginner riders that want to get serious about skimboarding.

If you’re just looking at skimboarding as being a hobby you’ll do “every now and then”, there are boards under $100 that should do the trick.

So, if everything below sounds like you, you and the Fedmax are about to be best friends:

GoPro at the ready, set to go carve up some waves
Want to progress to intermediate quickly, so need something lightweight, and durable
Need a board that’s suited to both flatland and wave riding

Check Price on Amazon

2. Victoria Woody

Our pick for: the best cheap skimboard for beginners in 2021

OK, so you haven’t got cash to burn, and you just want a board that you can pull out every now and then.

Maybe you’re a surfer, and once a month the surf is flat; you’d rather not waste that journey, and choose to skim instead.

The name itself, might give a hint as to why this board is cheap; it’s made out of wood.

But, don’t let that fool you into thinking this is junk. Far from it.

The Victoria Brand

Victoria have been building skimboards in the USA for over 30 years, and the Woody is one of their most popular products.

Weight

You’ll notice a weight difference (it’s heavier) compared with fiberglass boards. And, that’s going to mean less precision.

This is a skimboard that’s aimed entirely at beginners. Once you develop to an intermediate level, you’ll be itching to pick out a new board.

Online Reviews

Given it’s a cheap skimboard, the reviews online are still fairly-positive.

Who Should Buy It?

So, as a beginner, you have two options.

This one is perfect is you have:

A budget of under $100
No desire to carve waves intensely
Are happy to stay at a novice level, or be prepared to upgrade the Woody when you hit intermediate
Mostly want to flatland rather than ride waves

Check Price on Amazon

What Size Skimboard Do I Need?

First up, you need to choose the right size skimboard.

Skimboard sizing works like this; the faster you can run and heavier you are, the bigger board you’ll be able to ride.

So, there is some crossover when it comes to choosing the perfect sized board.

Skimboard Sizing

If you are towards the higher end of a weight category, or you’d consider yourself faster than the average person, going a size up won’t be a problem.

And vice-versa. So, if you’re at the low end of a weight category, and your running speed is only slow-moderate, you’ll want to be picking a smaller skimboard.

With all that in mind, there’s one more thing to consider. A bigger skimboard is easier to manoeuvre for beginners. So, I’d almost always aim for the high end in terms of length.

Smaller boards are designed for skimboarders that are experienced and can already carve waves – you’ve got to learn how to get out to the surf first!