Children's first attempts on a windsurfing board are best done with their peers in a children's course at a surf school equipped for this purpose. The biggest mistake parents can make is to simply put their children on their own equipment on holiday and coach them themselves without any didactic training. Once the spark has been ignited, the question of the right equipment inevitably arises. The fact is: In many cases, unsuitable material for adults is an absolute fun killer. We'll now tell you what's important:
What makes a good children's board?
For a board to be suitable for children and teenagers, a number of criteria must be met:
The right board size
Just like adults, children need a certain amount of excess volume to learn. Beginner boards for children and teenagers usually have a volume of 110-160 litres.
As a rule of thumb for beginners/slightly advanced children & teenagers:Body weight + 100 litres = recommended board volume
If you can already water start and practise harness riding and gliding, you can of course also do this with less excess volume.(Rough rule of thumb: body weight + 60/70 litres) get along.
Windsurfing for kids: board tips
Children's boards are in high demand on the market, and the second-hand market is correspondingly empty, especially in summer. This means that you sometimes have to be patient when searching. However, if you buy new, you can also sell children's boards, which keeps the investment within limits.
Below we have put together some models that fulfil the above criteria (reduced length/centre fin or daggerboard). Some of them are older models (e.g. Hifly, RRD), others are current boards. These are
- Hifly Matrix (Children & Family)
- Hifly Mambo (teenagers & family)
- RRD Easyjoy Softskin (children)
- Fanatic Ripper (children)
- JP Young Gun Magic Ride (children)
- Starboard Go & Go Duet (Kids & Family)
- F2 Ride Softdeck (teens & adults)
Many inflatable stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) of a suitable length can also potentially be used for children and families. You can find all the tips about wind SUPs in our great YouTube tutorial. Take a look!
Can material for adults also be used by children?
Quite clearly: Yes and no! Ideally, it should be suitable children's equipment for the youngest 6-12 year olds - this is especially true when it comes to the sail. You can also find tips on sails and recommended sail sizes HERE
Tuning adult boards for children - this is how it's done!
- Little Finns: If you have to use an adult board, you should use a small fin, as the turning momentum of small sails (<3.5 square metres) is often not sufficient to turn long boards properly. For light winds, you can also saw off an old fin to a length of 15-20 centimetres
- mast base back: This also improves the turning characteristics in light winds with small sails, especially when tacking
- Small loop spacing: The distances between the foot straps on special children's boards are adapted to the small dimensions in terms of crotch width and strap size. On adult boards, if the children already want to practise loop surfing, the straps should be mounted in non-matching plugs to achieve a small stance
Do you have further questions about the right children's board or specific models? Then send us an e-mail to redaktion@surf-magazin.de our editors will be happy to help you!
