Choosing the right SUP for a river wave

Surfing any river wave or hole is best done with the right choice of boards. While you can surf any sticky hole on any object that will float you, with the correct board you’ll rip instead of barely standing.

Here’s a list of common waves you’ll find on the river, and my recommended boards (or board types) for each wave.

The sticky river hole
These river waves are characterized by lots of white water, usually after the river drops down into a hole. The foam pile is what keeps you on the wave.

Bodhi at Boulder Creek on a 6’11” RS

These waves will surf anything that’ll fit in them. Usually a board 7′ or shorter with lots of rocker and a wider tail will work best. The ideal boards for these waves are from Badfish. Their 6’11” Riversurfer, 7’6″ MVP-S, or (new for next season) Cobra will work best. These boards were designed to fit into small holes and harness the force of the foam pile pushing upstream.

The flushy small river wave
This river wave has a defined high point in the middle of the river. The wave will form a V shape with the bottom point being furthest down river and creating the high spot. It will look easily surfable, but you’ll find you get spit out the back immediately after catching it.

Scoping out Library Hole on Clear Creek

Fast boards work best on these waves. If the wave is small enough, a longer board can be fun and allows you to walk the nose. The best boards for these waves are short Starboards like the Squirt or Impossible. Or if the wave isn’t very steep and a longer board will fit, any ocean surfing sup will work well; the Surftech B1 Bomber is a good choice here.

The gnarly shallow wave
Any small wave/hole at low water, or a wave that is completely unknown to you requires a special board: one that won’t ding easily. It goes without saying, that surfing waves in shallow water means you’re going to hit rocks. You will want to avoid using most hard boards for these waves.

Rodeo Hole on Clear Creek at 300 CFS on the Glide Sesh

Inflatables work great when it’s shallow. The Hala Peno and the new Badfish IRS are the best river surfing inflatables. For hard boards, the only board I use at low water is the Glide Sesh.

The big green roller
This wave often has little or no white water. It’s often a clear, smooth looking wave that is hard to catch and or stay on. They look similar to an ocean wave before it breaks.

3rd Wave at Pueblo Play Park on the Arkansas on the 9’2″ Riveria Nugg

These waves can be super fun with the right board and nothing but frustration with the wrong board. Length/speed is your friend here. Longer boards with very little rocker will often surf these waves well. The Surftech B1 Bomber works great on most of these waves, and can handle taking rock hits in the river. Many traditional ocean shapes should work as well; I’ll often surf my 9’2″ Riveria Nugg on these waves.

The huge river wave
These are the waves that you only find in big rivers at high water. They look like a super sized version of the other waves I’ve described. These waves get to be waist to head high.

Glenwood Springs at 20k CFS on a Starboard Impossible

On these waves you find all kinds of water craft surfing: SUPs, kayaks, canoes, short boards, boogie boards, inner tubes, rafts, etc. My recommendation is to choose your favorite board and have at it! Anything should be able to surf these large river waves. As the wave gets bigger, and has a less white water and more green to it, boards shaped for ocean waves will work better and better. I personally like to use my 6’6″ Starboard Impossible when I surf waves like these.

What boards to you find work best on a particular river wave?