Do you want to know the best bodyboard brands in the world before making your next purchase?
You know they’ll manufacture the most advanced equipment money can buy, plus they’re obviously extremely trustworthy.
Let’s look at the top brands you should focus on when looking for your next board or bodyboard fins.
6 Best Bodyboard Brands
- Morey
- Churchill
- Custom X
- DaFin
- Science Bodyboards
- Stealth
1 – Morey (Bodyboards)
Morey is definitely the biggest bodyboard company on the planet. Thomas Hugh Morey is actually the father of bodyboarding because he manufactured the very first board. In the beginning, foam boards were shaped using a hot iron (covered in newspapers) in the backyard.
The very first model was actually called the Morey Boogie thanks to his love for boogie woogie jazz. It was meant to be called the S.N.A.K.E until a few women in his life warned him against it. That is where the boogie board comes from and it’s still used regularly today.
S.N.A.K.E = side, navel, arm, knee, and elbow.
Morey had to sell his board to a toy company because he couldn’t keep up with demand. By 1977, around 80,000 boogie boards had already been sold. The company trademarked the name ‘boogie board’ and attacked anyone who used it in their marketing campaigns.
It’s how the board would eventually come to be known as a bodyboard, which I’m sure you’ll agree sounds much more professional. Although Morey has been around for almost 50 years they’re still manufacturing a wide range of fantastic bodyboards.
The Morey Mach 7SS is one of the best bodyboards for big guys, so if you’re heavier and taller than most you should check it out.
2 – Churchill (Bodyboard Fins)
Owen Churchill designed and patented the first Churchill swim fins back in 1940, which predates bodyboarding becoming an extreme sport. Thanks to their unique shape things really began to take off in the 70s when bodyboarding burst onto the scene.
The best bodyboard fins aren’t like normal swim fins. Even the earliest Churchill fins were short and fat, which is essential when you’re riding waves. Do you know why you shouldn’t use snorkeling fins? Let’s look at some of the features you’ll see on bodyboard flippers:
- Higher blend lines to help improve kicking power.
- Stiff blades for increased thrust and performance.
- Side rails stiff enough to kick at maximum power.
- Wider blades to give you more control in the waves.
Churchill bodyboard fins actually became popular with the US navy too. They were one of the first to turn towards the flippers for underwater missions, but don’t tell anyone because it’s classified. These days even the top professionals love wearing them.
Modern Churchill boogie board fins might look similar to the originals, but they’ve come on leaps and bounds. The unbeatable shape and perfect rubber have helped the company become number one in the flippers industry. They’ll handle any waves or tricks you throw at them.
You should definitely check out the Churchill Makapuu Pro bodyboard fins, because they’re the most popular among riders.
3 – Custom X (Bodyboards)
Custom X has some of the best beginner bodyboards you’ll come across, which shouldn’t come as any surprise. Debbie Colwell, owner of the brand used to work with Tom Morey during the 70s. She spent time learning from the best when it comes to manufacturing quality boards.
Debbie started the company in the late 80s before going on to form partnerships with other skilled pros. These days she runs Custom X with the help of experienced staff, including a superior board shaper. The company hasn’t stopped innovating since their inception.
Custom X has a team of excellent riders competing while using the boards every day. If the top pros in the industry can perform flips and tricks on the bodyboards you’ll be able to follow suit. The company started to expand into other areas a few years ago.
In 2012, they bought even bigger facilities to start manufacturing more kinds of water sport equipment. They’re getting into things like surfboards, SUP paddleboards, and fishing. But bodyboards will always be an area where they reign supreme.
The Custom X Titan is one of the best beginner boards on the market. It’s perfect for prone, drop knee, and stand up bodyboarding.
4 – DaFin (Bodyboard Fins)
Andy Cochran used to work as a lifeguard on Bondi Beach back in the day. It’s the most popular beach in Australia and visited by millions of tourists every year. He was also one of the early Aussie surfing pioneers and has been living in Hawaii for over 35 years.
In the mid-90s, Cochran took his vast amount of experience and came up with the initial design for DaFin fins. Two renowned watermen from Hawaii helped him work on the design until it was beyond amazing. The fins were meant to be used by lifeguards + staying safe in the water.
The brand is now one of the top choices when riders are choosing the perfect bodyboard fins. DaFin flippers are packed full of every feature you’d want when riding big waves. Here are a few particular areas where the boogie board fins excel:
- Total power
- Total comfort
- Total control
Even though they pack a huge punch when it comes to kicking power they’re one of the lightest bodyboard fins on the market. This helps tremendously when it comes to avoiding injuries if you like to spend hours and hours in the water each day.
If you plan on performing cool tricks and riding big waves you should check out the DaFin flippers before hitting the water.
5 – Science Bodyboards (Bodyboards)
Not only is Mike Stewart one of the early bodyboarding pioneers, but he’s a nine-time world champion in the sport. He is a champion bodysurfer and big wave tow-in surfer too. I think it’s fair to say Science Bodyboards was always going to be a raging success.
Mike Stewart = Bodyboard GOAT?
Some of the best bodyboards in the world are quite expensive, but they manufacture lots of affordable models too. It seems like they have boards to suit any conditions you’ll come up against. It’s not just the experience in the water that makes Mike Stewart such a great board manufacturer.
Stewart has had a close friendship with the father of bodyboarding, Tom Morey, since he was a small child. I’m sure Morey had his brain picked a million times before Science Bodyboards burst onto the scene in 1998. No wonder it’s now a hugely recognized brand.
Science Bodyboards spends years and years testing thousands of shape and material combinations before bringing boards to market. They have finally found a few combinations they love and you’ll fall in love with the brand instantly too.
The Mike Stewart Hybrid XL bodyboard is packed with all the best features and will allow you to achieve all your goals.
6 – Stealth (Bodyboard Fins)
Stealth likes to portray itself as a chilled brand focused on enjoying life as much as possible, but don’t let the relaxed attitude fool you. It’s definitely not all fun and games, which you’ll realize as soon as you take a look at the amazing bodyboarding equipment in their collection.
But they do have a superb team of professionals and ambassadors to help promote the brand through cool and inspiring videos. Once you can see what’s possible when using a stealth bodyboard or wearing stealth flippers you’ll need to consider the brand.
I like how they use their team to come up with new innovations nobody else has attempted. Sometimes it feels like we’ve reached the end of the line and bodyboards/fins can’t be improved upon. Maybe Stealth will overtake a few bigger companies in years to come.
Even though the company is based in Australia you’ll still be able to order their bodyboarding equipment all over the world. Their latest and greatest fins are packed full of quality features. They can easily compete with any other brands we’ve talked about today.
The Stealth Pro bodyboard flippers look extremely cool and very basic at the same time. Do you think the plain design makes them stand out?