Nanostructured Co-Ni-B catalysts were prepared on the Cu sheet by electroless plating for catalytic hydrogen evolution from alkaline NaBH4 solution. Depositional pH values were adjusted to enhance catalytic activity. The result revealed that the increase of pH value from 9.5 to 10.0 leaded to obvious improvement in catalytic activity because of the formation of a furrow-like Co-Ni-B catalyst. The novel architecture provided high surface roughness and lots of active sites on the catalyst surface. The fastest hydrogen evolution rate for NaBH4 hydrolysis was 14778.1 mL min(-1) g(cat)(-1) and the activation energy was calculated to be 42.8 kJ mol(-1). More importantly, the hydrogen generation rate maintained about 87.9% of its initial value after 5 cycles. It can be concluded that the catalytic performance and stability of the furrow-like Co-Ni-B catalyst was favorably comparable to those of recently reported catalysts. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.