When it comes to high performance soft boards and next level surf crafts, no one has mastered the game quite like INT. Don’t be fooled by soft tops. They’re not just for beginners, and they’re not easy to perfect. So when you can mix innovation with precision, and add playfulness to radical design, you start to get why INT Surfboards are definitely OG.
Go Big and Go Foam
INT was born out of a collective dream to provide surfers of all levels with the highest quality, American-made soft surfboards, rescue boards, and other crafts made for having the most fun in the water. It is this passion matched with creativity and some powerful innovative thinking that turned the INT dream into reality.
Owned and operated by big-hearted and fun-loving surfers in Carlsbad, one of the most consistent surf regions in Southern California, INT sure has a lot to be proud of. The team is always at the forefront of discovering new methods and materials to give surfers of all skill levels the best tools in the water. When they’re not busy shaping the world’s best soft boards, they’re out surfing Carlsbad’s peaky beach breaks. It’s the perfect way to get fired up for more world-class work.
What makes an INT board? Deep beneath the vibrant colors and the soft skin lies a buoyant waterproof core that was masterfully engineered to be capable of riding waves of any form. That is what it means to be a high performance soft board and surf craft driven by precision and innovation.
All INT soft boards have a closed cell iFoam core. iFoam is a highly durable but lightweight and waterproof foam developed by the INT team in their Carlsbad headquarters. The boards are molded by Marko Foam, who is known to be the leading manufacturer and designer of the highest quality expanded polystyrene (EPS) products and packaging solutions available in the market today.
iFoam makes the best quality soft boards because of its tightly fused core made from closed cell material. With this material, water absorption is eliminated. Hence, boards made from iFoam can perform very well over a long period of time. These things hardly ever get old because they’re so well built!
Moreover, INT constantly performs testing on their iFoam cores in various surfing conditions. This ensures that they are able to produce the lightest, most durable, and most performance-packed soft boards in the world. That’s not just a brand promise; it’s a result of years of testing and performance. It’s a fact!
Want to know another superb fact? All boards made from iFoam are 100% recyclable. Not only will you be buying wisely, you’ll also be buying responsibly with INT.
Choosing The Right INT Board For You
Now that you know more about the passionate team behind INT, it’s time to get to know their masterpieces: the soft boards themselves. INT Surfboards come in two lines: the hard bottom boards and the soft bottom boards.
What is the difference between the soft bottom boards and the hard bottom boards?
The main difference between these boards lies in the material used for the bottom of the boards. Soft bottom boards have a high-density polyethylene bottom, which is softer than a traditional fiberglass surfboard. This type of material is beneficial for beginners and is favorable to use in crowded spots.
Hard bottom boards have a traditional epoxy and fiberglass bottom, which makes them hard like a traditional surfboard on the bottom. This innovative mix of soft and hard materials makes hard bottom boards perfect for intermediate to advanced surfers who want to ride a foam board that feels just like a traditional high performance surfboard.
Now that you know about that materials used for INT boards, and what their differences are, it’s time for you to choose the right board for you. We’ve listed the most popular models of INT soft boards below so make sure to read on about each one until you come across something that sounds like something you would ride.
Remember, all of these soft boards are masterfully made! You can’t go wrong with any which one.
INT Hard Bottom Boards
Are you a beginner surfer who wants to level up your game? An INT hard bottom board would be perfect for your skill transition. If you are an intermediate to advanced surfer who wants to experiment with board types and riding style in various surf conditions, a hard bottom board would be perfect for you.
4’10” Real Blackball Beater
This is the original board that started the blackball revolution. When the summertime sets in, we’re accustomed to seeing lifeguards putting up a yellow flag with a black circle in the middle to signal the spaces that are considered “blackball.” This means that anyone with a hard board should not cross the space, because hard boards don’t mix well with the soft bodies of swimmers and spongers. Blackball season doesn’t have to suck for surfers, not if you have a board like the Real Blackball Beater.
This board is shaped to be wide in the middle, to make wave catching as easy peasy for you. It’s short height makes it extremely quick and agile, so expect optimum responsiveness on your feet with your every trim and turn. This was carefully designed to be the perfect board for fast, hollow and dumping waves such as beach breaks, shore breaks and wedges.
The best part is– because it’s a still a soft board, it can definitely be brought in the blackball zone.
Paired with a traditional fiberglass bottom and some swift Futures tri-fins, expect this board to take you faster and higher! This is the perfect radical board for anyone wanting to bust out airs and heavy punts during the blackball season, and well, throughout the rest of the year.
5’10” Fish
Old school design meets new school materials. This is the heart and soul of the 5’10” hard bottom Fish.
The Fish is the perfect transition board for anyone who wants to maintain a high wave count without sacrificing maneuverability and performance. This model is 5’10” in height with a generous width of 21”, giving the surfer enough space to catch waves early and paddle with ease. The 2.75” thickness gives the board enough volume to glide even in small waves. It’s a surfboard fit for surfers of any age, size and skill level. It is also considered to be the best all around board of choice because it can be enjoyed by surfers with little experience, intermediate surfers who want to transition to a shorter board from a longboard or advanced surfers who want to get the maximum power out of their carves even on small days.
The hard fiberglass bottom and Futures tri-fins adds to speed, stability and maneuverability, making it one very fast and very responsive board for all types of riders.
7’0” Fun Board
Have you ever wanted a board that would paddle like a longboard but ride like a shortboard? Well, that ultimate stoke machine comes in the form of this 7’0” hard bottom soft board!
The fun board design was meticulously created to strike that impeccable balance between longboarding and shortboarding techniques. At 7 feet in length, this board is able to paddle with the same ease and stability as a longboard, but with 2 feet less in total width, it becomes easier to turn, just like a shortboard. This type of board is very good for learning. It doesn’t matter if you’re coming from absolutely no surfing experience, or if you’re a beginner surfer thinking of ways to increase your wave count.
This board is something anyone in the family can ride at any given surf break. Trust us when we say that no quiver is complete without it.
8’0” Semi-Longboard
It’s a longboard, but shorter. The 8’0” semi-longboard paddles and ride just like the traditional 9-footer, so what’s the point of cutting a foot from its length? The semi-longboard was made shorter so it could drop into steeper and faster waves with more ease and stability. The typical 9’0” will have trouble making it down the peak of a steep wave, and the surfer will most likely nosedive. However, cutting a foot short from the traditional longboard increases the chances of you making it down that steep wave.
Another benefit from this nifty trim is that you are able to make sharper turns. Paired with the fiberglass bottom, this board will surely teach you the joy of having a board that’s just the best of both worlds.
At this size, the semi-longboard is long enough to be practiced on by beginners. At the same time, it responds well enough to those who want to charge steeper and faster waves.
9’0” Longboard
Have you ever wanted to just cruise along a nice and crumbly wave and wait for a nice noseride section so you can cross-step toward the front of your board and hang your toes over the nose?
If you answered yes, then owning this board will bring you pure delight. It rides just like any traditional noserider, but it’s a soft top, and you can ride this baby even on blackball.
This is the longest and most stable surfboard in their lineup of high quality soft boards. Surfers of any weight or height can ride this board, but it can particularly accommodate even the tallest and heaviest surfer.
Is it too small to take out a shortboard? Not a problem, if you have this board in your quiver.
5’10” Cuipo Catfish
INT is not just about radically reinventing how surfers think about soft boards; they’re also about helping the environment. As you know, they use 100% recyclable foam. Aside from that, they love working with like-minded people who do their part in saving the planet. This is why they collaborated with Cuipo to create the Catfish.
Cuipo is a lifestyle brand determined to save and preserve rainforests all around the world. They made the board from closed-cell foam, which makes it recyclable and durable. The material they used is the most lightweight in the market, making it the best performing and longest lasting soft board perfect for any wave condition.
When you purchase a Cuipo Catfish, part of your money goes to restoring 10 square meters of rainforest somewhere in the world. Think of how much ground we’d cover if we all got a Cuipo Catfish!
INT Soft Bottom Boards
If you are more interested in a board with a soft bottom, you can choose from their range of high performance, fun-driven soft bottom boards. These boards are made of high-density polyethylene bottoms, which are softer than traditional fiberglass surfboards. These soft boards are perfect for beginners or anyone about to surf a crowded spot.
4’10” Real Blackball Beater
If you are a surfer looking for a board that will you put you back in the blackball zone, look no further because this is your board right here.
Are you being banned from surfing your favorite wedge because it’s blackball season? No one’s going to stop you from surfing beach break barrels, wedges and shore breaks with this radical soft board. It is wide enough to give paddling ease, and short enough to be extremely quick and agile. These boards were meant to be super responsive, so expect to finish doing maneuvers even before you think of them!
The best part is, you don’t sacrifice your safety even when you’re pulling off the most twisted tricks. The all-soft material makes this board safe to use in crowded spots. You can count on this board to be ultra durable too.
5’10” Fish
When you combine old school design with new school materials, you get the absolute best of both worlds. This 5’10” Fish is the product of that nirvana.
There is virtually nothing you cannot do with this board. Whether you’re a seasoned surfer or a first timer, you can take this board out and have the time of your life. Whether it’s pumping head high or it’s peeling waist high, you’ll be sure to catch the best sets out there with this quiver favorite.
Because it’s 100% made of recyclable soft foam, this board is also the environmentalist’s dream.
7’0” Fun Board
Why is it called a fun board? Because it paddles like a longboard and rides like a shortboard! The 7’0” is the ultimate balance between longboards and shortboards. It gives you enough to room to paddle and pop-up with stability, and it gives you just enough responsiveness to execute tighter turns or make it down steeper waves.
This is a board that anyone can have fun on, whether you’re a first-timer still eager to learn or if you’re an intermediate surfer looking to refine form and technique. This fun board can be ridden on all types of waves and we believe every surfer should have this board in the quiver.
8’0” Semi-Longboard
Don’t let the length fool you—this board still paddles and feels like a traditional longboard. It’s a foot shorter than a 9’0” so intermediate surfers will be happy to know that this board can drop into steeper and faster waves without nose diving. Beginner surfers will adore this board too because it’s just like a traditional longboard.
It’s 100% recyclable foam material makes the board safer to use in crowded spots. Made of closed-cell foam, this board might also turn out to be the most durable board you’ll ever own.
9’0” Longboard
If you think the longboard couldn’t get any better, think again. When you get a high performance noserider made of recyclable and ultra durable foam, you know you’ve got something worth investing in.
This soft bottom 9’0” longboard is the ultimate board for cruising fun waves at your favorite spots. You can take this baby out even when it gets too crowded. You wouldn’t have to worry about dinging this board and you’ll never have to miss out on a surf session just because of repairs.
These boards are fast sellers. If you want the ultimate soft top, you have to order one of these masterpieces today.
10’0” Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP)
Here comes the most stable and durable ride out of the INT soft boards line.
This soft bottom SUP is 10 feet in length, 32 inches in width, and 4 inches in thickness. It’s a pretty hefty board that provides the best kind of stability when you’re paddling across flat surfaces such as rivers, lakes, bay, or your beach break when there is no swell.
The possibilities are endless. With this SUP, you can surf, go fishing, and even do yoga. Like all INT Boards, this SUP is made out of lightweight but durable iFoam that’s also 100% recyclable. This model can withstands years of usage so you’ll be passing this on to the next generation of water lovers in your family.
There you have it, we covered the whole line of INT Softboards. One of these boards should definitely be about to suite you, these are just about all the different types of boards there are out there! INT has everything you need, although, there are a few competitors and we always recommend looking around and taking a gander at your different brand options. One of the closest companies in this case is Catch Surf, check them all out and either way you can’t go wrong!
