Family Wakesurf Board Recommendation

We are new to wakesurfing but we have been wakeboarding for a few years. We just wakesurfed behind a friends boat and now I am looking at a wake surfboard for a family Xmas present.

I have 3 boys ages 10 to 16, plus my wife and I. So the weight range is about 90 to 170lbs.

Probably need to get something that would go to a higher weight to accommodate the growing boys and for friends that join us. But don't want to go over board on a big board.

I would definitely like to get a board that they will grow into, and not a beginner board.


Thanks

To be honest, its going to be hard to find a board that your kids can ride at 90lbs and you can ride at 170lbs. The board i like best for what you are describing is the IS Squirt Tri-fin (http://towanza.com/surf-shop/inland-...squirt-tri-fin). You can ride it like a surf board with 3-fins or ride it like a skim board with 1 fin.

Thanks for the reply...

Do they even make wakesurf boards for little kids? We have a big wakeskate board (45"), could he use that?

If we take the 10 year old out of the mix, my middle son is about 125 lbs. So I could make that the lower limit.

The 10 year old had a blast wakesurfing with my buddy...he can continue to do that until he is big to go on his own.

Originally Posted by ship_of_fools

Thanks for the reply...

Do they even make wakesurf boards for little kids? We have a big wakeskate board (45"), could he use that?

If we take the 10 year old out of the mix, my middle son is about 125 lbs. So I could make that the lower limit.

The 10 year old had a blast wakesurfing with my buddy...he can continue to do that until he is big to go on his own.

Phase 5 Scamp (http://towanza.com/surf-shop/phase-5/phase-5-scamp). It says max weight of 80lbs, but I have seen kids up to 120 ride it. I have one for my 5 yr old, but he has not ridden it yet. I looks like a great board.

Note: I am sure there are others. I just dont know of any.

heres the new shred stixx kids board.
http://slayshtank.com/2010/11/shred-...rfer-for-kids/

You might call them and talk to them. PM me and I can get you the email of the guy I talked to for my board. They have the "custom" series, Im pretty sure they can shape you something thatll work well for you.

Well, I am only going to be able to afford one board this year. So the little guy will just have to wait or figure out how to use a big board.

What other recommendations are there for a good family board?

I started off riding a Hyperlite coex, i think the board was a 4.4? its a fun board that I (being ~15 and about 130lbs) learned to ride on, and my dad (~170lbs) learned to ride on. I think my dad could free surf it, but it was tough, and he ended up getting a Liquid Force Venture that was a bit longer. This year I got a Shredstixx custom elevation because the Coex was more of a skim style board, while the elevation is a surf style board with the Quad fin set-up.

I think the coex 4'4" or the broadcast 4''9" those boards are high $2##'s. I think that will be your best bet untill you guys start progressing and figure out which direction you want to go, either surf style or skim style. I still like the feel of the coex and will ride it from time to time, its still a lot of fun.

What is the difference between the skim style and the surf style? What are the benefits / advantages of each?

I can see my kids progressing fairly quickly, they have a lot of wakeboarding, snowboarding and skateboarding already under their belts. I would like to get a board where they could do the jumps out of the wake and maybe even a 360. I don't know enough about wakesurfing to know if all the boards could do this or if you need a skim style board for it.

My wife and I might be a different story. I would try that stuff but probably not be too successful and wife would be content just trying to free ride behind the boat.

So the board would hopefully be a good fit for all of us.

Originally Posted by ship_of_fools

What is the difference between the skim style and the surf style? What are the benefits / advantages of each?

I can see my kids progressing fairly quickly, they have a lot of wakeboarding, snowboarding and skateboarding already under their belts. I would like to get a board where they could do the jumps out of the wake and maybe even a 360. I don't know enough about wakesurfing to know if all the boards could do this or if you need a skim style board for it.

My wife and I might be a different story. I would try that stuff but probably not be too successful and wife would be content just trying to free ride behind the boat.

So the board would hopefully be a good fit for all of us.

This is a video of surf style. This is chase hazen, he normally rides the shredstixx elevation, but hes riding one of the new boards the are making in this video I think. (it has the tail of an elevation, a thruster fin set up, carbon stringer ?, and looks like the step deck was blended so the nose looks smother and more like a thresher)

from slayshTank: The Riders Coalition on Vimeo.

Heres a skim style video. Dominic Lagace. Skim boards are flatter, have small fins (if any) and do better with shuvs, surface 360's and stuff like that.

from slayshTank: The Riders Coalition on Vimeo.

Basically, Surf style for airs and skim style for surface tricks and shuvs. There are exceptions, Ive seen vid of surface 3's on a surf style, shuvs on a surf style, and some small airs on skim style.
surf style boards will have more drive and control.

We have an Inland Surfer Moss that I ride, 5'10 165# and our kids ride, 4'7 90# with no problems.

I think the board is 52" long so it is easy for the kids to brake on. When they use longer boards they come at the boat with speed but can not brake due to the extra bouyancy.

I think you should get a long board for your first board. I have a longer board that I love and my 4 kids all use it and my wife. Any person that comes on my boat also gets this board to learn on. For us just works great. it is a 5'11" board Landlock

The board, Chase is riding in the first video, is an "Elevated Thresher". The overall dimensions are a bit different than the tradition Thresher, and of course it has a step deck confirguration as opposed to a more traditional domed deck. It is a thresher pushed to the limits of performance and It is available as a Shred Stixx custom. I first designed this board with input from our team riders Jack Oman and Chase Hazen. A step deck is nothing more than another way to add volume (thus increasing displacement) to a board. Aside from looking cool, with this added volume in the center, you can significantly reduce the rail thickness (make them more forgiving when dug hard into a wave), and you can make the deck truly flat or even concave as opposed to a tradition convex or domed deck. Some riders like the feel of a flat or concave deck under their feet, others prefer the more traditional approach.

As far as Kid's boards go. Yes, a few companies make kid/small rider specific boards. These board are not only designed to be more responsive to lighter weight riders, but also easier for them to sink under their feet and pop up with the tow rope. I personally like our Kid's board the best, and I make it in a couple different size ranges, largely tailored to the rider. Obviously, I could be biased.....

Frankly, you might really be looking at two boards for what you want, but it also largely depends on the size and quality of the wake you are producing. In simple terms, a bigger wake allows the average rider to ride a smaller board, all things considered equal.

In general, for your needs, I would suggest the 4'4" or 4'5" "minnow" (the Shred Stixx light wieght riders board). I don't like calling it a kid's board. It is a great board for young riders, lighter weight riders (particularly adult females), and a really great trick board for older more experienced riders.

For the larger rider in the family, I suggest the Shred Stixx Pirahna. It is a true behind the boat surfboard.