Board size

[jkl1]

what size boards should i look at for an 8yr old 60 pound boy? we are beginers. I was thinking a bic 120 any input thanks by the way i need two of this size i have twins we are dien to get started thanks

[jingebritsen]

Two Kona Surfs for the twins, and a Kona One for you. Check on website:

http://www.kona-windsurfing.com/products/konasurf.asp

http://www.kona-windsurfing.com/products/konaone.asp

Life long applications for these boards. You'll get tons of use out of all.

[sailingjoe]

Beware the shills pushing their expensive, new product here. All you need is a large board (160 liters would be o.k. for the child, but for you a bigger board would be necessary.)

[jingebritsen]

Daggers may be required, or at least center fins for learning. Tinho's summer camp kids would argue as to who would get to use the Kona Ones first, when he had them. Must have been some reason for that? Why not get some life long useful boards? Why am I automatically a shill? Got better LT solutions? I don't make a dime off of Kona sales, happen to be a big fan of them though. Tried one?

[DanWeiss]

[jingebritsen]

Dan brings up some good points. The Kona Surf would be similar to the Bic in performance fore the beginner app's. Again, this may be a life long sport, so the Konas end up being more useful once past the beginner stage. The Konas have use in my world, and I've been windsurfing since 1982. I mainly sail waves now, so for me the Kona 11'5 is my work horse.

[Aranel]

I would vote for the Kona. Here's why, and I'm saying this from only limited experience with the 293:

The Kona has a full EVA deck, which is nice for just mucking around with. It can be an SUP board or a great platform to just play on in the water. I've SUPed an adult and a kid on it simultaneously, and I'll bet you could fit three eight year-olds on it. The 293, at least the model I had, had the non-skid, sandpaper surface over much of the surface, which limits some of the fun factor.

The Kona One isn't an awesome wave board, but considering the width of the 293 it is at least "better" in those conditions.

That said, any larger board with a daggerboard would be fine. This conversation is really about what's the most ideal, not about what will work. A wideboard has a lot of advantages too, especially in the stability department. There are some very good deals to be had with beginner-level wideboards and a full rig. The Exocet Cruiser can be had cheaply, and it has that wheel at the back which will enable a smallish person to shlep it back and forth. I bought a 150 for myself but also with my son in mind.

-Ian

www.hudsonwindsurfer.blogspot.com

[mattb777]

I have had a Kona One for a couple of years and in the last year it has remained in my shed because of its size and weight. Its a great board when in the water (fantastic for learning) but if you want three boards you will be hauling some serious weight and size with three Konas!

[coachg]

A 110-140 liter ot bigger boards would be fine as volume goes. The only problem with the Bic 120 is lack of centerboard/fin. They are going to need that centerboard/fin to go or stay upwind especially with the small sails they will need when starting out. When selecting volume just remember that they won’t stay at 80 lbs very long.

Full EVA deck is not as much an issue with kids because they have far better balance then adults. Kids tend to drop their sails rather then fall down so a nice light sail is more important.

An interesting point that John made about the Kona and Tinho’s school. At my school we teach around 1500 kids during the course of the summer and kids choose boards based on the “look." Kon’s look much cooler then Techno’s.

Coachg

[jingebritsen]

Kids were past the stage of merely going by looks, it was performance they were seeking.