We’ve always enjoyed the WavePoolMag visits to Waco Surf. It’s a great wave and a great setup. Sprinkle on some Southern hospitality and it becomes an amazing surf trip all-around. We are in the habit of not traveling with a coffin bag of boards, as such, we will hit up the rental counter each visit. During our most recent trip we caught up with Surf Ops Manager Reef Ellison to drill down Waco’s board rental program for us.
Waco’s surfboard rental operation carries more than 50 performance boards, with a fleet designed to give visiting surfers access to equipment close to what they normally ride at their homebreak. Reef said the selection includes multiple sizes of individual models and, in some cases, duplicate boards.
“We try to have a model in every size possible, maybe even double, just so we have plenty of variety for every type of board option that you would want to ride,” Ellison said. “The idea is you don’t have to bring your board here because we’ll have something either the same or very similar to it.”
Among the more frequently rented boards are the Lost Mayhem RNF ’96, FireWire Dominator 2 and the Quiver Killer. Ellison said the Dominator 2 has been part of the rental fleet for five or six years because of continued demand. Quiver Killers by the team at Lost Surfboards are also rented frequently enough that keeping them in service can be difficult.
“The Dominator 2 from FireWire is really good. We’ve had those in here for about five, six years now just because everybody loves them,” Ellison said. “They’re always a favorite. Quiver Killers are hard to keep in here because people like those a lot, and they get damaged a lot because people are always riding them.”
Some boards at Waco Surf have earned back their purchase price several times over, Ellison said, with the more frequently rented models also helping cover the cost of other boards in the fleet.
Matching the Board to the Surfer
The rental process starts with staff asking customers about the size and shape of board they normally ride. Staff also consider the type of session the surfer has booked. For a first visit, Ellison said the general approach is to keep surfers on familiar equipment rather than immediately moving them to a smaller or lower-volume board.
“If you ride a six-six at home, we’re going to try to get you on a six-six or maybe a six-four,” Ellison said. “Generally, for people’s first time, we recommend going with what you usually are used to riding. Don’t go lower in volume or height. Go with what you’re used to in shape, feel, size.”
Beginner and Intermediate Surfers
Once a surfer becomes accustomed to catching and riding the wave, staff may recommend moving down in volume. The decision can be more complicated with beginner and intermediate surfers. Ellison said some customers want to move from a soft-top to a hard board, or from a larger hard board to a smaller board, before they are ready.
“It’s really just about trying to encourage them to stay on something that’s going to get them into waves,” Ellison said. “For intermediate to beginner-level surfers, they want to jump down very quickly in size and volume and stuff, and a lot of times that’s not the best option. It’s sometimes better for them to just hang out on the soft top.”
That can mean recommending a soft-top even after a surfer has progressed from beginner to intermediate sessions. The objective is to avoid introducing a new wave and a substantially lower-volume board at the same time.
“You do a couple beginner sessions and you feel confident. That first intermediate session, we’re going to tell you, we recommend you stay on the soft top because you don’t want to switch the wave, have to deal with trying to surf a new wave, and then also a new board that has less than half the volume of what you were used to,” Ellison said.
For Ellison and the crew at Waco Surf it becomes obvious that the priority is getting into waves at the surf park, adding it’s best for customers to catch the wave and not surf it as well than to not catch the wave at all.
Rental Rates
Board rentals cost $45 for the first hour of the day and $14 plus tax for each additional hour that day. The operation also offers a $45 insurance option covering board damage across all of a customer’s sessions for the day.
Damage Policy
Damage charges depend on the type and extent of damage. According to Ellison, a fin gash or small puncture measuring less than 3 inches carries a $45 charge. Larger damage increases the cost. A damaged fin box costs $75, a buckled board $100 and a snapped board $300. A board that is not returned carries a $700 charge.
Toward the close of our conversation, we asked if any boards had ever accidentally “disappeared” (meaning stolen.) Ellison said no customer has failed to return a board, although there have been instances of people attempting to take rental boards back to their cabins, which violates the policy of rental boards not being allowed to leave the pro shop or surf area.
5 Quick Takeaways
Waco Surf has more than 50 performance rental boards. The fleet includes multiple sizes of popular models—and sometimes duplicates—so visiting surfers have a good chance of finding something similar to their everyday board.
The FireWire Dominator 2 and Quiver Killer are rental favorites. The Dominator 2 has remained in the fleet for five or six years because of consistent demand, while Quiver Killers get ridden—and damaged—so frequently that they can be difficult to keep available.
First-time visitors are encouraged to stick with familiar dimensions. Rather than immediately downsizing for the pool, Waco Surf staff generally match surfers with a board close to the size, volume, shape and feel they normally ride.
Waco Surf recommends prioritizing board familiarity over experimentation. Staff generally don’t recommend using a first visit as an opportunity to try a dramatically smaller or lower-volume board. Once surfers are comfortable catching and riding the wave, they can start experimenting with lower-volume equipment.
Rentals start at $45, with optional $45 damage insurance. The first rental hour of the day costs $45, with additional hours at $14 plus tax. The $45 insurance covers board damage across all sessions that day; without it, stated damage charges range from $45 for minor damage to $300 for a snapped board, while an unreturned board carries a $700 charge.
