This question was asked in my exile board review, “hey man, i enjoyed your review. im looking to by a MS pro shape exile, but i cant decide what thickness i want. is there a big difference in float and maneuverability between the 3/4″ and 5/8″ foam?”

Thanks bro, glad you enjoyed the review. And I’m glad you asked about foam thickness, it’s one of my favorite things to talk about with skimboards ironically enough haha. I have owned four exiles of varying shapes and sizes to date:

• ¾” ML traditional s-glass
• 5/8” ML hybrid s-glass
• ¾” MS hybrid s-glass
• ¾” MS pro-shape carbon (my current ride)

As you can probably guess by looking at the list, I really prefer ¾” foam. The primary reason for this being that I live in Florida. Most of the waves I skim are fairly weak, and every extra bit of push helps. The 5/8” board that I had was a great board. It turned really quickly, and felt great on the face of the wave, but I just really preferred having that little extra bit of speed. It honestly makes a BIG difference. Talking to Steve at Exile one day, he mentioned that even he rides a ¾” board on most California waves, unless it’s a day where Aliso is firing or something like that.

The thicker foam makes the board more buyout, obviously, but it also theoretically makes it harder to turn. In my experience, I prefer the extra speed of ¾” over a little bit of “help” turning the board from 5/8” foam. The difference in speed feels a lot greater than the difference in maneuverability to me. To quote Mr. Peluso “Guys like Paulo and Domke could turn a door.” As you get better, you will be able to maneuver the board quicker and turn better, but you will eventually get to a point where you won’t be able to make yourself go any faster.

All that being said, people still have their own personal preferences. I have friends who skim nothing but south florida ankle-biters, and swear by 5/8”. So, go out there, try different boards, and see what feels right to you. My personal recommendation is for ¾” foam, unless you’re skimming big waves often.

-Jesse