Riverboards

Riverboards come in four basic styles: rescue board, hydrospeed, hard shell and inflatable. Variations are as many as individuals are willing to experiment.

Rescue Style

Carlson

Solid board, tends to have a bit of bend in it, makes it easy to catch surf and play in holes. Hard bottom, hard plastic grips, variable lengths. Buy

This board is modeled after the bodyboard, made with mini-cell foam, astro-deck and slick bottom. Flexible grips. Surfs waves well, a little more work to punch through holes. Takes some practice to stay on. Personal favorite. Less rocker (potato-chip bend) than the other models. New design for surfing coming soon. Buy

RMR

Rocky Mountain Riverboards come in a few different sizes. They are wide at the tail and have a hyperbolic shape. Foam will retain water after time, which does not affect its bouyancy but will weigh more. If you're strong and burly, this shouldn't make much difference to you. I am curious about the benefit to the shape of this board. Buy

Recommended for
	Comfort	Protection	Racing	Class IV+	Surfing	Travel	Price
Carlson	+++	++	+++	+++	+++	++	++
Kern	+++	++	+++	+++	+++	++	+++
Hydrospeed	+++	+++	++	+++	+++	++	?
RMR	+++	++	+++	+++	+++	++	++
Rip	++	+++	++	+++	++	++	++
Inflatable	++	+	+	+	++	+++	+++

Need help deciding which board is right for you?

Hydrospeed

Hand-made crafts that are ultra light-weight (no metal parts), durable. Mini cell foam. Watched one fly off a moving car on a highway, bounce off the car behind and neither was worse for the experience. A commercial model will soon be available from Mean Monkey. In the meantime you can make one yourself if you can find instructions. But please use prettier foam.

Hard Shell or Sledge

Rip Boards

I rode one of these on the American river and it felt like driving a Cadillac compared to a Porshe. Stable, heavy, easy to punch through waves & holes. At 15-22 lbs, carrying it will build your muscles. I would want to use a full-face helmet, just in case. Notice how all the other boards have more vertically oriented handles, which feel more natural.

Inflatables

Check out this full comparison and the dangers. Can't beat them for travel, but you can on every other level. Rode a Mean Monkey at the New river at Fayette Station. Felt a little hard to control. Handles are at an angle on production models. Buy