In this article:
A new addition to the family can be a turning point in windsurfing life. When the children are small, a large chunk of the already limited time account is nibbled away and anyone who is worn out in the first few years between job, family and the desire for water time is in good company. However, when the children get older, this is not only a good opportunity to make surfing appealing to the next generation, but also the chance to revitalise a passion that may have become rusty.
Hard school: Are children's boards useful or can you also use an adult board?
When children and teenagers learn to windsurf, it's hard school - at least for the parents. Holding back and handing over responsibility is difficult for some, but it certainly makes sense. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to try and teach your children to windsurf yourself. This often happens on holiday, in unsuitable conditions and with the wrong equipment - frustration and tears are inevitable. In a professional surf school, on the other hand, children are not only provided with the right equipment, it is also simply much more fun in the presence of their peers.
Once the fire has been kindled and your children have got a taste for windsurfing, the question of the right board inevitably arises. Generally speaking, boards for adults can be used from a height of around 1.40 to 1.50 metres. However, to support smaller children on their way from their first surf course to their first planing manoeuvres, there are three options that we present in this buying guide:
- An adapted adult board is the most favourable option,
- a suitable WindSUP board
- or special children's boards.
There are good reasons for all three variants, but also limitations. You can find out what these are below. We also give recommendations for suitable board models - we have included both current and older boards. This is because children's boards in particular are often readily available on the second-hand market, as a growth spurt or learning progress means that different material is required after a short time.
1. adapted adult boards
Not everyone can or wants to buy a new children's board, especially if it is unclear how long the new passion will last. However, simply slipping your own board under the kids' feet can go very wrong - as Christian Winderlich from the Norderney surf school, where several hundred children and young people are taught every year, knows: "Children who can't glide yet definitely need a board with a daggerboard or centre fin as a drift inhibitor in light winds. In our experience, the old, stretched shapes are particularly suitable for learning on, as they run fast even in light winds, cross well with their long edges and also plane easily. In this way, the first gliding experience is possible very early on in gusts," Christian Winderlich continues.
With children, it doesn't matter if the equipment is new. It just has to suit their stature and riding ability" (Christian Winderlich, Surf School Norderney)
Well-suited old-timers include boards such as an F2 Comet or an F2 Phoenix or even the Hifly Magnum - boards that sometimes change hands for less than 100 euros on ebay. The only problem: the longer a board is, the greater the steering impulse must be in order to be able to turn it in manoeuvres. "For this reason," says Winderlich, "we saw off the tail fins of our children's boards significantly and push the base plate all the way back. A fin with three to five centimetres is enough for kids aged seven, then the boards even turn with a 1.0 or 1.5 sail. For youngsters who ride a sail with 3.0 to 3.5 square metres, we then equip the boards with fin lengths of around 20 centimetres."
Depending on their constitution and riding level, youngsters from the age of eleven or twelve can also continue practising on modern freeride boards with 120 to 150 litres. Although modern freeride boards with their compact and wide dimensions are not ideal for very light winds, freeride boards can be a good choice for gaining initial gliding experience. Here too, a smaller fin (20 to 25 centimetres) should be installed for sail sizes under 4 square metres. The base plate is also mounted in the rear third and the loop spacing can be adjusted to the crotch and foot widths of young people by using plugs that do not belong together.
Board recommendations:
Finally, here are a few examples of adaptable adult boards that are well suited for children and teenagers with the adaptations described. This makes it possible to practise in light winds through to first gliding and looping:
- F2 Comet & Phoenix
- Fanatic Bat & Viper 75
- Hifly Matrix & Mambo
- Klepper S 306
- Naish Kailua
- Starboard Go
- STX IWindsurf Board 280
- Tabou Bullit
- Unifibre Rookie 160
Important note: For older models, make sure to purchase the board with a base plate, as some of the current base plates are not compatible.
2. windSUPs
There are also boards in the SUP segment that can make sense for children and teenagers - especially in the light wind range. However, the idea of buying a SUP board that adults can use for leisurely paddling tours and that is also suitable as a windsurfing board for children should be put to bed straight away. Why?
For a board to be suitable for paddling tours and have good directional stability, it needs to be as long as possible - SUPs with a length of 10'6'' to 12'6'' (this corresponds to 320 to 380 centimetres; SUPs are traditionally measured in feet and inches) are ideal. On the other hand, compact dimensions are required for windsurfing boards for children; 8'0'' to 10'0'' (240 to 310 centimetres) are ideal. The lowest common denominator is therefore a board with a length of around 10'0'' to a maximum of 10'6'' - this allows you to paddle at least shorter tours without having to change sides every other paddle stroke. On the other hand, SUP boards with such a length can at least be turned passably with sail sizes over 2.5 to 3.0 square metres.
To be able to use SUPs for windsurfing at all, they need a thread into which the base plate can be screwed - such boards are often marketed as "WindSUPs". When windsurfing on SUPs, the range of use is usually limited to light winds, real planing, power jibes or even jumps are hardly possible, especially not when it comes to inflatable SUPs, so-called "inflatables".
The presence of a centre fin is also essential for light wind use, as this is the only way to minimise lateral drift. Many WindSUPs have a fin box built into the centre area. If this is not the case, you also have the option of using additional fins such as the "Add on Drift Stopper" or the "Ezywing Fin Kit" to provide a remedy. The fins are attached to the board using a tensioning strap system.
An alternative to the inflatable WindSUPs are the concepts marketed as "multi" or "crossover boards", such as the Ensis Twist or the Indiana All in One. These fixed boards are quite short at 210 to 240 centimetres in length and, thanks to the centre fin(s), are also suitable for use with small children's rigs. In addition, these boards can also be used for SUPing in the waves or as entry-level boards for wingfoiling - so there is hardly a wider range of use.
Board recommendations:
The list of possible WindSUPs is long. In the all-rounder segment with lengths of around 10'6'', almost every brand has a model with a centre fin in its range. Typical 10'6'' models are easy to turn with sails from 3.5 square metres and can just about be used for touring paddling. If smaller sails are to be used, the following shorter and therefore more manoeuvrable boards should be considered.
- Ensis Twist 125 & 145
- F2 Peak WS 10'3''
- Fanatic Ripper Air WS 9'0''
- Indiana All in One 135
- JP Young Gun Air 270
- Mistral Kid Junior 8'6''
- Naish Grom Crossover Inflatable 8'0''
- RRD Air Evo Kid Conv 8'4''
- Starboard Wingboard 4 in 1
- Starboard ASAP WS Whopper 10'0''
- STX IWindsurf Board 250 & 280
- STX iFoil
- STX Hybrid Junior 8'0'' & Crossover 7'8''
3. special children's boards
As soon as children and teenagers have the appropriate riding ability and want to surf in the straps in a gliding wind and hone their manoeuvres or even jumps, neither inflatable wind SUPs nor the long "old-timers" are a sensible option. Depending on the area of use, modern boards for adults should be used and the crotch and strap width adjusted by screwing the straps more tightly into non-matching plugs.
The best way is certainly to buy a special children's board. With boards such as the JP Young Gun Magic Ride or the RRD Easy Joy, not only have the distances between the straps and mast track been adjusted, but a soft deck has also been glued on to minimise the risk of abrasions. Thanks to the optional centre fin, these boards can be used for practising in light winds, but also for sporty planing and manoeuvres. There are also a few products for small freestyle and wave cracks - these are essentially tried and tested shapes for adults, in which the strap and mast track position have been adapted to the smaller distances.
Board recommendations:
- Fanatic Grip XS (Wave; 60 litres)
- F2 Rodeo Jr. (Freestyle; 60/70 litres)
- JP Young Gun Magic Ride (upright/freeride; 112 litres)
- RRD Easy Joy (step-through/freeride; 100-110 litres)
- Patrik Micro Ride 115
