Hey guys, My daughter is really keen on learning to surf this summer and I'm just thrilled about that. I'm wondering what you guys would recommend to start her out on. She's 11 years old and about 60lbs. I have a 9'6" longboard, but I'm thinking that's a bit much for her. Suggestions? Thanks!
I'd get her one of the 'sushi' boards from costco. She can't hurt it, it can't hurt her. I have also seen a 200 pound man surf one so I know they work.
how is wayne not all over this thread yet? oh right, you said daughter... anyway, get this: mojo 6'4 soft top fish thruster. looks like this: saw a dude rip on one of those in nica. looked like a ton of fun.... also i think its like $100-200 range
my daughter is 11 and I paid $300 for Greco, 8' soft top and soft fins! stiff enough fins to ride but not gonna rip her face open! all fins are replaceable! I even bought some hard fins for it! good luck!
I built my daughter and her friend two 8'0s, EPS/Epoxy, thruster setup. Super light for them to carry and handle in the water, and super floaty... they paddle really easily with those skinny little arms.
Was gonna ask the same question. My son (11) is wanting to step up from his foamie and the only other boards I have are beyond his capabilities at this point. Was looking this past WE at what to get him. He caught a few on my old Lost thruster but it is really pointy,small and hard not to pearl for beginners. Was really cool to see him ride a wave and get stoked! Ain't gonna drop a lot of dollas but I got to find something for him. I was sick as a dog this weekend but seeing him having so much fun eased the pain.
Yeah man. No bs. Just get her something soft. Shes either going to actually love it or shes going to just put up with it because you want her to do it. Youll know immediately. Enjoy that and good luck.
True, she might try it and decide that it's not for her, but I'm happy that it's not something I've pushed her into. She's been doing the boogie board thing for a couple years now and really loves being in the water. It's something that she decided on her own that she wants to do, and I couldn't be more thrilled. I just want to make sure that I start her out with the best option possible on my budget. Her new wetsuite arrived last week and she was literally jumping up and down as she was trying to open the package. That was more fun to watch than any Christmas morning antics I've seen in quite a while.
[video=youtube;RwNYqugJFyU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwNYqugJFyU[/video] Get about 45 seconds in. Good song.
This was 6 years ago... her first time on the boogie board. I just towed her around a bit that day, but she's been in love with it ever since.
Having three kids that surf, my advice is to not put them on an oversized board. Get them on a shortboard that is the right size for them right away. Putting a youngster on a 7 or 8 foot board will ingrain bad technique that will be hard to break.