Noir Surfboards 2026 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Surfboards 2026 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Noir
Interviewee: Hugo Almeida Designer Mkt. Director

The latest market studies show a 25% growth in worldwide participation between 2018 and 2024? Does this translate in your sales pattern?
No since the brand is really new and still in launch/development stage.

Can you share the sales ratio between stock boards, custom orders, online D2C vs brick and mortar shops?
50% // 30% // 20%

How can we lure back the newcomers into hardboards while softboards are their go-to choice?
I don’t think we should. Softboards are the perfect solution for their problem.

Which are the most sought after designs in 2026? (Mids, fish, grovelers, hi-perf, logs…)
In our brand twin performance boards

In comparison, which designs tend to fall back?
We still very young but midlenghts are not our best selling boards.

Construction wise, EPS/Epoxy+carbon is gaining momentum. Do you think the fancy tech constructions are all smoke and mirrors, and PU boards won’t disappear shortly?
I think it’s alot of testing and marketing for sure but i feel they don’t work good everywhere so PU it’s still the best overall option and they won’t disappear shortly for sure.

Organic grown and eco-blanks are available for mass production nowadays: what is your take on those?
We’ve tried a few and they are great but in my opinion the customer is not ready yet since theres not many pros/good surfers using them. I feel like another factor is that the brands that are doing those blanks are focusing their marketing in alternative boards and surfers so it’s hard to the normal surfers relate with those solutions.

Any tips for retailers trying to sort out their order sheets with more designs available than they can actually stock?
I feel like these alternative boards are a really good option since their not so strict with measures and they are made to be friendly and will work well for the same surfer with alot of margin in dimensions. It’s a boards to use 2 or 3L above your normal shortboards so you will easily offer a solution without having to stock all the dims of a board.

Key Products:

SINISTER:
Blends twin-fin speed and looseness with modern shortboard control and performance. Fast, responsive, and easy to paddle, it gets you into waves early and drives effortlessly down the line. Its concave-to-vee bottom and dual rocker setup add speed, control, and tighter pocket turns. Configurable as twin, twin+1, or quad, it delivers versatile, high-performance surfing in one board.

SINISTER

ALLURE:
Developed with Maud Lecar, is a versatile performance board designed for speed, flow, and style across a wide range of conditions. It features a single concave to V/double concave bottom for smooth acceleration and control. The fuller nose and beak shape improve paddle power and stability, while flat rocker enhances glide. With twin or quad fin setups, it balances playful looseness and locked-in performance.

ALLURE

CIPHER:
Is a high-performance, versatile surfboard designed for early wave entry, speed, and adaptability across varied conditions. Its beaked nose adds hidden volume for improved paddle power, while a single to V/double concave bottom ensures lift, drive, and control. Flat rocker boosts speed, and its flat deck with low rails enhances responsiveness and stability. Surf it as a twin or quad for flow, control, and powerful performance.

CIPHER