Pyzel Surfboards 2026 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Surfboards 2026 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Pyzel
Interviewee: Rémi Chaussemiche Marketing Director

The latest market studies show a 25% growth in worldwide participation between 2018 and 2024? Does this translate in your sales pattern?
If we compare 2018 to 2024 Pyzel Europe has been growing a lot. Like any other surfboards and outdoor brands. A significant growth in term of sales has been observed in 2020 and 2021, then the sales went back to normal slightly above what was done before covid. Since then, we have a steady growth of 10% per year which is pretty positive.

Can you share the sales ratio between stock boards, custom orders, online D2C vs brick and mortar shops?
Our Business is approximately 80% Wholesale (BtoB) and vs 20% D2C. Stock boards represents represent 90% to 95% of the business.

How can we lure back the newcomers into hardboards while softboards are their go-to choice?
I think the key is to offer some easy paddling boards. Pyzel Surfboards are mainly designed with this element in minds, wide point forward and most of the foam under the chest for good paddling power. The wave catching element is key for any surfer even more important for beginners and intermediate surfers. For this matter we are Launching this year the Score Lord, our latest Daily Driver, a sleek beast of a board that has the perfect blend of Width, Thickness and Rocker designed to maximize your wave count, improve your surfing and never sacrifice the performance we are all chasing after. Meant to be ridden in all types of waves, anywhere from 2 to 10 feet (yes, it is THAT versatile!) and designed to give you maximum paddle power, stability and glide, the Score Lord allows you to surf up to your potential or improve rapidly! Better surfers will be able to ride it smaller, more around their own height or choose to cruise on a bit longer version for the fun of it. Intermediate surfers will want to ride it a bit longer than their height or even add an extra 6 or more inches above that to maximise their paddle power, stability and glide. If your paddling conditioning is a bit on the weak side, the Score Lord will help give you all the advantages possible while still allowing quicker progression and fun sessions!

Which are the most sought-after designs in 2026? (Mids, fish, grovelers, hi-perf, logs…)
At Pyzel our best-selling boards remain hi-performance boards, also because they are very user friendly. Whether it is the Red Tiger, the Ghost, the Power Tiger, The Pyzalien 2 or the phantom most of our Hi perf boards and daily drivers can be surfed by intermediate surfers or pros. We recently launch a squash tail version of the Ghost, keeping all the paddling power, the hold and the speed of the ghost and providing a bit more pivot with the squash tail which is perfect for European beach breaks. Fishs, twins, grovelers and semi mid length have also been very popular the last few seasons, boards like the White Tiger, the Tiger Twin and the Crisis Twin have been doing very well so has the Gremlin for the pas 5 to 6 years

In comparison, which designs tend to fall back?
The very long mid-length (above 7ft) has fade back a bit it looks like customers are looking for a touch more versatility. Shorther and stubbier version of them seem to fit our market better. That is why we think the Score Lord can be a perfect alternative to this.

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 don’t see PU boards disappearing shortly, it remains the most economical solution for a performant board and the most versatile as well. EPS and Carbon construction are good and very performant for certain type of waves but but can be tough to handle in some windy conditions, it is also way more expansive to produce. Therefore, I don’t think it matches every consumer’s need.

Organic grown and eco-blanks are available for mass production nowadays: what is your take on those?
We have been trying different material, but for the moment we feel we have to keep on experimenting to find out the perfect mix between eco-friendly construction and performance. On a price point those solution is also a bit more expensive and its seems that the end consumers are fully ready to pay more for a partially eco-friendly board.

Any tips for retailers trying to sort out their order sheets with more designs available than they can actually stock?
Usually retailers know what they need, they know their local waves, their consumers and the needs. I think when trying new models, it is important to propose different sizes so consumer can really see what the board looks like in a volume close to what they surf. It is also good to work with boards that are produced in Europe so if they need to order special sizes or customs for their clients, they can do it in a decent timing. At Pyzel we are able to produce a board and deliver it in 6 to 8 weeks. It can be also strategic to preorder boards and models and schedule delivery windows in advance. So, it eases cashflow, stock rotation and constantly brings freshness in the racks.

Key Products:

Score Lord:
Built to score, every session! Who doesn’t want to score every time they surf? Our latest Daily Driver, The Score Lord, is a sleek beast of a board that has the perfect blend of Width, Thickness and Rocker designed to maximize your wave count, improve your surfing and never sacrifice the performance we are all chasing after. Score every session!

ScoreLord_Shopify

Ghost Squash:
The Ghost Squash Is a version of the Ghost that came from JJFs constant desire to experiment with new tweaks on his favorite boards. This small change adds a bit more versatility to the Ghost In the lower wave ranges that you might want to ride It in, while still keeping that Classie feeling of Ghost magic in good/bigger waves.

GHOST_SQUASH

Tiger Twin:
The Tiger Twin is fast, responsive and user friendly, but also easy to paddle and good in weaker surf. Like the White Tiger, it will give you a good reason to get out in the water on those marginal days of surf, but still being able handle a variety of waves on their better days. Designed as a twin + trailer, the Tiger Twin will suit those not quite yet ready to commit to a full-on twin, but excited to feel that speed and looseness.

Tiger_Twin