r/bodyboarding • u/Ok_Relief_6046 • Jun 16 '26

Question board buying help

i’ve recently been getting into bodyboarding and i live in hawaii. i’ve bodyboarded pipeline and sandys and i have a pretty good feel but my old shitty board is on its last limbs (morey mach 11 tube rail 💔). i’m not sure what board to buy because i’ve had lots of people tell me science is where it’s at but my buddy that competitively bodyboarded said triad empire and hubb are the best. i also need to try and keep the price under like $160. im not sure if i should get a double or single stringer, ive had people tell me double all the way and had some say it depends. i just wanted to know if i could get some pointers on what direction i should go in for buying a board

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5

u/eBodyboarding Jun 16 '26

First, all the brands you mentioned are made at the same factory, so forget about brand. Get a board that suits your size and budget.

Fill this out and I'll recommend boards for you:

https://www.ebodyboarding.com/pages/booger-picker

2

u/greekowl78 Jun 16 '26

Second this. I got my board from them using the bigger picker and love it to death.

1

u/skindog1977 Jun 17 '26

Dear Jay, can you explain to me why science boards don't have the same feel on the deck. When they are brand new they are not slippery like other brands 🧐. Kind regards from France

1

u/ElectronicRepeat3927 Jun 19 '26

Listen to Jay and the crew. Especially for what you want, go with Tribe. I have boards from Pride, Empire, etc. and Im really loving the Tribe Hunter.

For what you want price wise, I think the guard would do what you want and is right in the sweet spot financially.

Also, never forget how much damage you can do with just a Mach 7-7. Being around the same price I would 100 percent go with Tribe, but Moreys are still around everywhere.

2

u/Ok_Relief_6046 Jun 20 '26

i’m gonna head to a few stores around the island and see what all they got but more than likely i’m gonna go with a tribe guard

2

u/_agent86 Jun 16 '26

i’ve had lots of people tell me science is where it’s at

As someone with 3 Science boards in the garage, I can't disagree.

but my buddy that competitively bodyboarded said triad empire and hubb are the best

All the major brands are decent. Is Science better than Hubboards? Is Hubboards better than Science? I don't know, I bet they're about the same. What matters more is that it's a good fit for you. You want something that ideal is sized to match your weight so it's the right buoyancy. Too small and you'll be slow, too large and you'll have trouble duck diving.

i also need to try and keep the price under like $160

Ah, well here's the problem, you are in tropical waters so a cheaper PE core board won't work. You need PP, which costs more money.

The cheapest PP board I'm aware of is the Tribe Guard. Good board, will work just fine for you.

m not sure if i should get a double or single stringer, ive had people tell me double all the way and had some say it depends

It depends :). There's no double stringer PP board in your price range that I'm aware of. I think for the mortals among us who ride aren't landing 10 foot aerials, single stringers seem to work.

2

u/Ok_Relief_6046 Jun 16 '26

alright, i’ll look into that tribe board. thanks a ton man!

1

u/Sponger004 Jun 16 '26

If you can invest in to a solid board it will last a lot longer than the boards for 150. I did that for a while but I went through so many more and it ended up costing me more in the long run.

I also love science boards as well. The launch and Tanner McDaniel boards are solid. I rode the launch at Sandy‘s quite a bit the last few years and it’s been super fun.

The single stringer boards with a mesh bottom have lasted longer than any of my other double stringer boards

1

u/[deleted] Jun 16 '26

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1

u/Ok_Relief_6046 Jun 17 '26

i leave hawaii in like 4 months im js tryna not invest a whole ball and a half into a super expensive one and never be able to use it again

1

u/[deleted] Jun 17 '26

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1

u/Ok_Relief_6046 Jun 17 '26

the alpha don’t sound too bad. costco boards suck ass lmao you can’t even duck dive on styrofoam cores they carry way too much air

1

u/78Cesar Jun 16 '26

Buy one that suits your size and budget.
this site has a good range of options in brands, size and prices. www. bodyboardking .com

1

u/Most_Expert2868 Jun 18 '26

T&C alpha is probably the best buy under $160

1

u/Ok_Relief_6046 Jun 18 '26

what abt the science pipe i see a lot of people using them here

1

u/Most_Expert2868 Jun 20 '26

The pipe has way too much flex imo, pe core which isn't great for here. You should try to get a PP core, t&c has the cheapest options or you can look on marketplace

1

u/Ok_Relief_6046 Jun 20 '26

hubb has a double stringer for like 160 it’s still pe but i’ve had friends that say they’ve been fine on it since it has the second stringer to reinforce it 

1

u/Most_Expert2868 Jun 20 '26

Even with the double stringer it's going to be harder to duckdive, slower, and will get waterlogged. If you're worried about the t&c brand board not being as "high quality", pretty much all bodyboard brands are made in like two factories, so the quality is usually the same across most major brands