Harley Ingleby HI4 Surfboard Reviews

Hawaii surfers — different sizes, different home breaks, different fin preferences — share what they actually think about the Harley Ingleby HI4 after riding it.

What the HI4 Is — And Why People Buy It

The Harley Ingleby HI4 is a performance longboard designed to do everything in one board. It is based on Harley's championship HIHP design, with a wider nose to support traditional noseriding and a wide point set back from center so progressive performance is not sacrificed. The 4+1 fin setup gives the board real range — ride it as a single fin for old-school style, a 2+1 for traditional drive, or a thruster or quad for high-performance surfing.

The board is built in Thunderbolt Technology, which keeps it light and lively in the water. That is a recurring theme in the customer reviews below: surfers who came from heavier traditional longboards noticed the difference immediately.

Shop the Harley Ingleby HI4 at Hawaiian South Shore →

Charlie: Found the Board's Speed After Switching Fins

Charlie's first sessions on the HI4 were not what he expected. He started with the Harley quad fin setup and found it twitchy and challenging to ride. Rather than give up on the board, he reached out to Dave at Hawaiian South Shore for advice.

Dave suggested switching to a twin fin setup — specifically MRs with a small trailer. That single change turned the board around for him.

Charlie describes the new setup as a game-changer. The board feels twice as fast in the water, and it now performs in both small and larger waves, including overhead conditions. At his home break in Long Beach, which gets crowded when it gets bigger, the HI4 lets him excel and even get covered up a couple of times. The speed matters even more in the fast beach break conditions of South Shore, Long Island, where you have to surf quickly down the line to make sections.

Charlie also has a TJ Pro in red and got his HI4 in black. He does not feel a major difference between the two boards, even though he had considered the carbon TJ Pro for smaller waves. Both ride similarly for him. Paddling on the HI4 is manageable.

What surfers can take from Charlie's review: if your first fin setup feels off, do not assume the board is wrong for you. The HI4 responds noticeably to fin changes, and a conversation with the shop can save you weeks of guessing.

Derek (5'8", 165 lbs, 9'3"): A First Thunderbolt That Won Him Over

Derek had never ridden a Thunderbolt board before the HI4. At 5'8" and 165 lbs, he picked up the 9'3" model with Harley FCS thruster fins and has spent a few months riding it at various spots.

What surprised him first was how the board sits in the water. Compared to traditional longboards, the HI4 felt light, and that lightness translated into a high-performance feel he had not experienced in a longboard before.

Derek typically rides the HI4 in smaller surf, but he has confidence in the board's ability to handle overhead days when they come. The volume and width are there for it. For his size, he runs a medium fin in the center box — sometimes dead center, sometimes pulled slightly back depending on conditions.

The construction makes the board easy to paddle and easy to get into waves, even at long point breaks where you need to cover ground. Derek says he is still experimenting with different fin configurations to fine-tune the drive and maneuverability he wants.

After a few months of regular sessions, Derek's verdict is that the HI4 is versatile and well-balanced — a board that does what a high-performance longboard should do without losing the easy ride that drew him to longboarding in the first place.

What surfers can take from Derek's review: if you have only ridden traditional poly longboards, expect the Thunderbolt construction to feel different — lighter, more responsive, quicker to react. Plan to spend a few sessions adjusting your fin position before you decide what works.

Joe (6'3", 240 lbs, 9'3"): A Big Guy Finds the Right Volume

Joe is a bigger surfer at 6'3" and 240 lbs, and finding the right longboard volume is not always easy at his size. He took the 9'3" HI4 out for a morning session and reported back.

For Joe, the 9'3" hits the mark. The volume is there, and the paddling ability matches what he needs to get into waves at his size. He had ridden a Thunderbolt before, but this was his first time on an HI4 specifically.

Joe has been riding the board as a thruster so far. He plans to swap the quads out for something new as he keeps testing the board.

What surfers can take from Joe's review: the 9'3" HI4 has the volume to carry larger surfers without feeling sluggish. If you are over 6 feet and looking for a high-performance longboard that still paddles well, the bigger of the two HI4 sizes is worth a serious look.

Brad: Paddle Power and Spring Out of Turns

Brad has been riding the HI4 most recently as a thruster with Harley Ingleby fins. The first thing he calls out is paddle power. He can catch waves easily — even just a foot back from the nose — thanks to the float the wide-point-forward design gives the board.

He also addresses something that comes up a lot when surfers see the HI4 for the first time: the nose looks narrower than a traditional longboard. Brad says the board has no issues with nose diving despite that, and he credits the lightweight construction for keeping it buoyant.

Where the HI4 really shines for Brad is what happens between turns. He can feel the board flex and spring out of turns, which generates speed and drive he does not get from heavier longboards. The combination of flex and rocker gives him excellent stability and glide for his size, while still letting the board feel fast, loose, and maneuverable.

His summary: the HI4 delivers high performance without compromising paddle strength.

What surfers can take from Brad's review: the HI4's flex pattern is a real performance feature, not marketing language. If you are coming from a stiffer board and you want something that gives energy back to you in turns, this is one of the boards that delivers it.

If you are local to Oahu, come into the shop at 320 Ward Avenue and talk to the team about which size and fin setup matches the way you actually surf. Charlie's review is a good reminder of why that conversation matters — the right board with the wrong fins is not the right board.