Top 10 Groveler Surfboards

What is a groveler surfboard?

Before we dive into the fun stuff, we should probably explain exactly what a groveler is... A groveler surfboard is your go-to board for small, weak, and mushy days. The kind of conditions we see a lot of in the UK. Instead of sitting at home doom-scrolling Surfline waiting for a miracle swell, a groveler lets you actually have fun when the waves are knee to waist high and lacking in oomph. They’re shorter, wider, and flatter than your everyday shortboard, packing in extra volume and speed so you can generate momentum, catch more waves, and keep flying when everyone else is bogging.

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 board 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! Pay in installments with Klarna, 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.

Available here with our 30 Day Rideout Guarantee. You can even trade in your old board against it and pay in installments with Klarna.

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.

Available here with our 30 Day Rideout Guarantee or order a custom.

8. Channel Islands The Solution

One of 2026’s hottest new releases, the Channel Islands Solution is the answer to your small and weaker wave prayers.

It’s absolutely loaded with paddle power and glide, meaning you get into waves early, keep speed through dead sections, and generally have way more fun when the surf isn’t exactly firing.

The curved outline and round tail help carry momentum and make the board feel smooth and forgiving, while the single to double concave adds a surprising bit of spark under your feet. It feels fast, playful, and way more lively than you’d expect for a small-wave board.

If you’re after a proper groveler that still lets you surf properly, the Solution is a strong shout.

Get yours here, or head to our board builder to order a custom. Comes with out 30 Day Rideout Guarantee and you can trade in your old board against it!

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!

The Lazy Toy 2 is available here or order a custom on our board builder.

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.

Get your Gremlin here with our 30 Day Rideout Guarantee or order a custom here.

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.

Grab your RNF here or you can order a custom on our board builder. You can even trade in your old stick against it and split up the cost with Klarna.

4. Lost x Lib Tech Party Platter

Not to be confused with beige buffet food, the Party Platter is a small-wave joy machine. Once you’ve got one of these bad boys in the car, the longboard might start feeling a bit nervous.

Short, extra wide, and absolutely loaded with glide, this thing is built to make weak, wobbly surf ridiculously fun. The low rocker and parallel rail line mean it generates speed with zero effort, while the wide outline and flat deck give it a MASSIVE sweet spot, making it insanely stable and forgiving.

Set it up as a quad or twin for effortless speed, skatey flow, and a lot of curious looks in the lineup.

The Party Platter is available here with our free 30 Day Rideout Guarantee

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.

Sound like fun? The Machadocado is availble here.

2. Lost Original Puddle Jumper '25

The Original Puddle Jumper '25 is a digitally remastered version of the iconic original. Sounds a bit techy, but all you really need to know is… it still rips, and it’s rocking a fresh new logo too.

Easy wave catching, effortless speed, and heaps of down the line glide. The wide outline gives you stability, while the added concave boosts lift and responsiveness, making it super lively rail-to-rail. The straighter rail line and Vee tail help it hold speed and stay locked in through powerful turns.

You can grab your own Puddle Jumper here or order a custom on our board builder.

1. Pukas Balloon

The newest and maybe the most exciting model in the line up (launching March 2026), the Pukas Balloon is all about squeezing maximum fun out of average conditions without turning your surfing into a full-on cruise session.

The rounded outline and relaxed, “lazy” rocker get you up and running fast, delivering effortless speed and glide in weaker waves. Underneath, a single concave with V-entry blending into double concaves keeps things lively and responsive, so it still feels sharp and playful when you put it on rail. Clean, refined rails help smooth out transitions and carry speed through flatter sections where most boards start to feel a bit dead.

A proper small-wave weapon… pre-order your custom here.

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, Klarna Pay in 3, unique 30 day Ride Out Guarantee, and Trade In service mean you don’t need to go anywhere else.