Top 10 Groveler Surfboards

Top 10 Grovelers

Whether it’s groveler season or not (well it’s always groveler season for some!) the groveler category is always a monster seller. There is a huge amount of choice out there, almost every surfboard company on earth has a quiver of small/weak waves boards to choose from so we’ve sorted the wheat from the chafe and come up with our Top 10 grovelers to make choosing one a little easier.

We’ve put together a guide to highlight the differences between the boards, who they work best for and in what conditions.

No matter how good you are at surfing a 25 litre shortboard won’t go very well in small waves with no punch to them, get a bboard that works for the type of waves most of us surf 70%+ of the time.

Have a read through and hopefully this information will help you choose the right groveler for you. We help in other ways too! easy to set up 0% finance, our unique online trade in programme as well as custom options for almost all of these boards. Don’t forget our unique 30 Day Ride Out Guarantee, a world first to ensure you never get stuck with a board that doesn’t work for you.

10. Firewire Sweet Potato

When the original Sweet Potato became available over a decade ago now, there was a craze for this shorter, biscuit like, groveler and surfers all over the globe found a new favourite. It came as no surprise to us that when Firewire announced the re-release of the Sweet Potato in the amazing Helium construction, the demand for this board returned. The board has been refined, the huge tail has been pulled in and the rail line updated, its an absolute beauty!

The definition of a groveler is a board to take advantage of the weaker, smaller surf, without sacrificing the ability to perform. That is what the Firewire Sweet Potato will deliver for you.

Available in two excellent construction, Helium and Volcanic this board can be looked at like a mini longboard. It catches everything pretty much but you have to surf it short to get the most out of it, if that sounds like your thing it’s a great choice. The epoxy construction used by Firewire gives great speed and performance, just what you need in a high volume board like this.

9. Son of Cobra Classic Twin

At first glance I hear you cry ‘it’s a Fish’ well yes it is but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t grovel. Paul Lefevre’s incredible design skills mean this boards is loaded with glide which is just what you need in a groveler. Glide carries the speed through weaker sections and allows easier turns. The board develops the speed you’d expect from a twinny and all in all it’s a great small wave option.

It’s a beautiful thing to look at too!

Having a board that is shorter, but with well-proportioned width and thickness,  can ensure you make the most of smaller waves and still have a board that allows you to throw the tail around and turn with ease. Vertical turns would be a stretch but slide lip climbs and skater like turns are heaps of fun on the Classic Twin.

8. Channel Islands Febs Fish

Designed with Britt Merrick, this board reimagines the classic Fish. While it keeps the speed and glide of a twin Fish, refined bottom contours, rocker, and rail profiles add control and performance for punchier waves.

Tested in everything from barrels to mush, the Febs Fish is versatile enough for everyday surfing, offering all the Fish vibes without compromising on responsiveness. Whether you're chasing open points or tackling onshore slop, this board delivers.

7. Lost Lazy Toy 2

The Lost Lazy Toy 2 is a modern take on a classic, blending high volume, low rocker, and a diamond tail for speed, ease, and versatility. Perfect for transitioning to shorter boards or as an everyday ride, it handles anything from mushy thigh-high waves to overhead surf.

Its 5-fin setup lets you switch between quad and thruster for different conditions. A true all-rounder for UK waves!

6. Pyzel Gremlin

Everyone is more than familiar with the Pyzel brand, seeing John John rip the world tour apart, whether this be on his Ghost or Phantom, but what JJF doesn’t ride in the eye of the world is the Gremlin.

Jon Pyzel has created a board that epitomises fun.

The Gremlin has been created and designed using the Pyzel Ghost as a base, but they have packed the Gremlin full of extra volume, made the board wider and shorter and flattened the rocker, by doing this they have created a Groveler that will make you very excited about the long summer surfs in waves that you would usually not get out of bed for.

Took the Gremlin on a trip to North Devon and surfed Puts in windy waist high surf on the first day and head high on the second day and I am not sure I’ve ever had as much fun on a surfboard!

The board is designed to gain speed easily and have great paddle power and that is exactly what you get, but while giving these features, it still lets you turn it hard and throw the board up towards the lip of the wave.

Whenever encountering any flat or slower sections of the wave the board would just breeze over these with consummate ease.

Super stoked on how versatile this board was, paddling into a strong head high wave the board got into the wave incredibly, and then the board allowed me to surf the wave with ultimate fun, going rail to rail and snapping the tail out the top of the wave like a high performance shortboard.

The best thing about the Gremlin, is that when you make mistakes, like digging rails or not being in the correct part of the wave, the board will more than often get you out of trouble.

Pyzel have added to the Ghost family of boards with a perfect groveler that you’ll be keeping in your summer quiver for a long time to come.

5. Lost RNF ‘96

OMG as the kids say! This is a truly special board, maybe the most adaptable short board out there, maybe of all time. It does so many different things for so many different people its incredible.

Does it go in small waves, the answer is yes but it’ll also work in bigger punchier waves which is a bonus, its got a massive wave range for what is a curvy swallow tail shorty.

A little like the Son of Cobra Classic Twin which also appears in this list it has a really easy feeling of glide which is essential in small waves but get on the tail and it turns like a performance shortboard even in weak waves. For a decent surfer still wanting to throw moves this is an excellent grovel option.

4. Lost x Lib Tech Freak Flag Bean Bag

Can a surfboard look more suited for small wave surfing? The Lost Bean Bag is incredible to surf in waves from knee high to chest high.

An outline that can be described as “disk like” , when you surf the Lost Bean Bag you feel like you have all the great attributes of a longboard, with tremendous paddle power and wave catching ability, but the shorter length gives a reduced swing weight, allowing you to pivot and turn the board.

Very little rocker and a low entry rocker means you pick up speed very easily and you can style your way down the face of the smallest of waves.

This is a user friendly groveler that would suit surfers from an intermediate standard, up to experts!

This absolute dream of a board comes in the standard PU construction and the amazing Libtech tech too!

Endorsed by the ambassador of fun himself, Mr Mason Ho, this collaboration between Lost and Lib Tech is the small wave fun board that you need in your quiver!

With the Freak Flag Bean Bag, the basics of the board has been taken for the original Lost Bean Bag, but they have tweaked certain boards, to, in my opinion, improve the boards performance. The outline and rocker have been kept the same and the biggest change made is the step in wing on the tail, and the more pulled in round tail.

Get one to light up the smaller weaker waves you may encounter!

3. Firewire Machadocado

The Firewire Machadocado in Helium tech is Rob Machado’s latest creation—a groveler with serious performance chops.

Designed for small to medium waves (knee to head high), it’s wider through the center with a full nose and a thinned-out squash tail. The flat rocker and deep double concave provide paddle power and speed, while the pulled-down rails and refined tail let you carve hard.

Set up as a thruster, it’s versatile enough for a twin or twin + trailer. Agile, fast, and fun in both weak waves and wave pools, the MachadoCado is a hybrid that truly delivers.

2. Lost Puddle Jumper

The Lost Puddle Jumper is one of our best-selling boards for a reason and is the benchmark for all grovellers!

Based on the basic outline of the Bottom Feeder, but with reversed bottom and rocker curves the board’s wide template makes wave catching simple and maintain down the line glide and stability.

Shaping the board as a groveler and giving it a short wide design ensures that you get maximum stability when riding the Puddle Jumper, and this also is a key contributor in how the board can accelerate like not many others.

"This is the best small wave board I have ever ridden. I have never made a claim like that about any board before,” said Matt Biolos.

The Puddle Jumper is available in a variety of constructions – Lost PU, Lost Carbon Wrap and Lib Tech x Lost constructions.

The Lost carbon wrap is designed to increase drive and allow positive tail flex providing a lively, next level performance-based board that will propel your surfing into the next level, adding speed without stiffening up the performance.

The Lib Tech construction has improved of the last couple of years, no question but the speed, and flex of the Carbon Wrap is better for the seasoned surfer.

The Lost x Libtech Puddle Jumpers are high performance surfboards with all the positive attributes of a traditional PU board but with none of the inherent fragility that comes with this construction.

The Libtech construction is great if you plan on travelling with this board!

Nearly all the team here at Boardshop have ridden the Puddle Jumper at least once, and we all share a common opinion that when we are looking for a groveler to surf, the Puddle Jumper is always a serious contender.

1. Tomo x Dark Arts EVO Remastered

The Dark Arts x Tomo Evo Remastered is our king of the grovelers this year, and it’s a must-have for any Evo fan!

The original Evo was already a game-changer, but Firewire’s no longer making it. Enter the Remastered version, now in Dark Arts’ ultra-light, responsive construction. This is the most versatile of Tomo’s Modern Planing Hull designs, excelling in weaker waves yet dynamic enough for a wide range of conditions. Its QISC bottom contours deliver lift and speed, while the parallel outline ensures stability and drive through turns.

Ride it as short as possible for maximum fun. Thruster setups work best, but it handles quads or twins too. Game. Changed.

So that hopefully has given you a strong insight into the grovelers and why we have rated these in the Top 10.

All of the team here have at least one of these in our quivers, Roger has all of these along with 25 others!

These boards are changing the groveler game and are making people open their eyes to looking away from their trusted board and changing over and re-inventing the possibilities they have when jumping into the waist high mush or shoulder high clean lines.

Don’t forget why you buy your boards at Boardshop, we surf these boards, we don’t stock the boards we don’t feel work (there are a few believe us!) we offer the boards we would buy and surf.

Our online custom board builder, 0% finance option, unique 30 day Ride Out Guarantee, and Trade In service mean you don’t need to go anywhere else.