Review: Badfish River Surfer 104

Summary: The Badfish River Surfer 104 is the ultimate small wave/hole trick SUP. Continue reading for the full review…

While we all love to surf Glenwood at 18,000+ CFS, we only get a few weeks of that on a good year. And while Boise and Bend have amazing adjustable waves, most of us don’t live near either of those cities. For most of the year and for most locations, the best way to scratch that surfing itch is to surf sub-par river waves.

Badfish has a good track record for making SUPs that work well on everyday river waves and holes. Tiny, foamy holes, and smaller, imperfect waves are where Badfish boards stand out. These are waves that most of us can find nearby, and are often surfable on Badfish boards most of the year. The Badfish River Surfer 104 is no exception. It is able to surf just about everything.

Where the River Surfer 104 truly shines is in the hands of an advanced/expert SUP river surfer. The board feels like it wants to pop itself out of the water when ollieing, or spin by itself when throwing a 360. It is light, responsive, and incredibly fun to surf.

Like any board, the River Surfer 104 isn’t perfect for all conditions. The light weight comes at the cost of durability. For shallow, low water, conditions where you are likely to hit rocks, I would not recommend using this board. Personally I would prefer that this board had some extra durability around the rails, nose, and tail at the cost of some additional weight.

When conditions are really good (large, glassy, green waves), I prefer ocean surf SUP boards over the River Surfer 104. The tall/thick rails and extra volume are not needed on good waves, and doesn’t feel as close to ocean surfing when compared to an ocean SUP shape.

As far as skill levels, the River Surfer 104 is best suited for advanced/expert SUP river surfers. It is too small/low volume for most beginner to intermediate SUP surfers.

The Badfish River Surfer 104 is a great board and is by far my favorite board from Badfish. If you are an advanced/expert SUP river surfer and enjoy tricks such as grinds, ollies, pop shuvits, and spins, the River Surfer 104 could be a game changer for you.