Pick a skimboard by your weight first, then check that its length suits your body and where you ride. For an adult of 150 to 200 pounds, the charts below point to roughly 45 to 55 inches depending on the source, so use the chart for the exact board you buy.
WaterSportHQ editors have not ridden these boards. Every number below is from a chart the editors opened, named in the text. Anything else is labeled “Editors’ rule of thumb.”
Start with weight
Skimboard makers size by rider weight. BPS says on its Gator listing that skimboards “are sized by rider weight, not height” (see best skimboards for beginners). Zap Skimboards, a Florida maker, lists a “Suggested Weight Limit” for each board on its board size chart, and Exile Skimboards lists a “Weight Range” for each size in its board buyer’s guide. A UK shop, H2O Sports, gives a coarser chart.
Three weight charts side by side
Weights are in pounds. The Zap rows are lengths from its Core V2 and Ace V2 lines, which has many other models. Exile’s charts are images, one per shape, and the two shown are its Hybrid and Pro shapes.
| Source | Board | Length | Listed weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zap size chart (maker) | Core V2 | 40 in | 95 lb limit |
| Zap size chart (maker) | Core V2 | 45 in | 140 lb limit |
| Zap size chart (maker) | Core V2 | 49 in | 170 lb limit |
| Zap size chart (maker) | Ace V2 | 52 in | 200 lb limit |
| Zap size chart (maker) | Ace V2 | 54 in | 220 lb limit |
| Zap size chart (maker) | Ace V2 | 56 in | 240 lb limit |
| Exile buyer’s guide (maker) | Hybrid, Small | 51.30 in | 100 to 155 lb |
| Exile buyer’s guide (maker) | Hybrid, Medium | 52.00 in | 140 to 180 lb |
| Exile buyer’s guide (maker) | Hybrid, Extra Large | 53.38 in | 180 to 215 lb |
| Exile buyer’s guide (maker) | Pro, Small | 51.75 in | 105 to 155 lb |
| Exile buyer’s guide (maker) | Pro, Medium | 53.16 in | 135 to 185 lb |
| Exile buyer’s guide (maker) | Pro, Extra Large | 55.10 in | 190 lb and up |
| H2O Sports guide (UK retailer) | Any | 35 to 40 in | under 100 lb |
| H2O Sports guide (UK retailer) | Any | 40 to 45 in | 100 to 150 lb |
| H2O Sports guide (UK retailer) | Any | 45 to 50 in | 150 to 200 lb |
| H2O Sports guide (UK retailer) | Any | 50 in and up | over 200 lb |
Zap’s “weight limit” is a ceiling. Exile’s is a range with overlaps, so a 150 pound rider sits in four Hybrid sizes. H2O Sports does not name a brand, and it is a seller, not a maker.
Where the sources disagree
- A 150 pound rider: H2O Sports puts this rider at the top of the 40 to 45 inch band or the bottom of the 45 to 50 inch band. Zap’s 45 inch Core V2 has a 140 pound limit, so that rider is over it, and by Zap’s limits would look at the 49 inch Core V2. Exile’s Hybrid chart lists this rider in four Hybrid sizes, from 51.30 to 52.25 inches (the table shows only some of its sizes).
- Length for the same weight: H2O Sports says 150 to 200 pounds takes a 45 to 50 inch board. Zap lists 49 to 52 inches for the same weights, and Exile lists about 51 to 55 inches. The H2O Sports lengths run shorter. The page does not say which brand it means, so treat its chart as a rough guide.
- Exile’s own shapes differ: its Pro Medium (53.16 in) is listed for 135 to 185 pounds, while its Hybrid Medium (52.00 in) is listed for 140 to 180 pounds.
Editors’ rule of thumb: when a maker’s chart and a shop’s chart disagree, follow the maker’s chart for that exact model.
Check the length against your body
Zap says on its size chart that the nose of the board “should reach anywhere from the chest to chin for intermediate to experienced level wave riding.” It also says “The side of thumb [sic] is for the skimboard to reach to the middle of the sternum, however you may want the board to be closer to your nose and chin,” and that it is not recommended to ride a board “below the middle of your stomach.” For beginners, Zap says “you can sand slide on a much smaller board.” Slapfish, on its Amazon listing for a 48 inch board (see best skimboards for adults), gives a different check: the board should reach the top of the rider’s rib cage, within an inch or two. These two checks differ by several inches, so use the weight chart as the main guide and the body check as a second look.
When to go up or down a size
Zap says riders “that have more weight to throw around should choose a board at the top end of the spectrum,” and so should young riders who are growing fast. Exile says thicker boards “will have more float than thinner boards, and hence behave more like a larger board, even if the size is exactly the same,” and that its chart is “only our recommendation,” because “many accomplished skimboarders” ride outside the weight ranges.
On conditions, Zap says “BIG WAVES = SMALLER BOARD. SMALL WAVES = BIGGER BOARD.” H2O Sports says smaller boards are “easier to maneuver and perform tricks but less buoyant,” and larger boards are “more buoyant and faster on water but harder to control.” BPS says that between two sizes, the smaller board is easier to control while learning and the larger one is more stable (from its Gator listing). H2O Sports agrees that smaller boards maneuver more easily. The split is on beginners: Zap says beginners “may choose a board smaller than our recommended size range” for sand sliding, while BPS says the larger board is more stable. Editors’ rule of thumb: a beginner on flat sand who is between two sizes can take the larger board, and should check the maker’s chart before taking any board into waves.
What this page does not cover
The charts here are for adult and teen riders on boards of about 40 inches and up. For a child’s first board, see best skimboards for beginners, which lists BPS, Sandfish and iBoard charts. For wax and grip, see how to wax a skimboard.
Zap’s and Exile’s charts were opened on 2026-10-21 and makers change them. Check the current chart before you order.