We are looking for a board for flat water work with 1 or 2 kids on as passengers. It will be used on the lake 99.9% of the time with maybe 1 or 2 ocean paddles a year. When on a family paddle my wife would use it with the kids on and I will ride a 12' board. Is a 14' board going to be big enough or should I be focusing on the longer boards.
What are my choices... DC's, Laguna bay, Lahui Kai? How do they all compare? I would prefer to buy second hand.
Chances are 14 will be long enough but it depends on the age/weight of your kids and to a lesser extent that of your wife. If the total weight of all pax is under 140kg I reckon 14' is ok.
I think there's a new big Laird board coming that's about 34-36" wide.. That'd be good.
How big are the kids?
DJ
Kids are 3 and 6 years old. Wife is about 57kg and has good balance. I'm 95kg and will take the kids with me occasionally.
We tried a tried a 17 Lahui Kai race board and it felt very stable. I think I'm leaning towards the longer boards.
Does anyone know how wide the DC 17's are?
You cant go past LSD's boards. I love my 16 footer. If the surf is too small or its too windy, I grab one or both of my kids and we hit the river for some "adventuring".
I'm still over 120 kgs, and my boys would be around 50kg together. A total weight of 170 kgs!
I have also set up a suction cap (Dent Puller from super cheap auto) for the lads to hang onto if we start getting into the rough stuff.
Thats exactly what I'm talking about doing, thanks for the pics mate! The Suction cup handle is a brilliant idea. What brand of board is that? What width is it?
The board is 16"5" x 28" wide. Dean Snow made it for me ... he is "LSD" on this forum.
www.seabreeze.com.au/Members/Profile/Details.aspx?member=LSD
It has a fixed fin. I wouldn't worry about a steering system, as Ive never had a problem turning it. Even my 6 year old can paddle it and turn it around. The little fellow can even walk to the nose and paddle it standing 2 inches from the nose!
I would have two fins. One for the river (the cleaver), where it may get shallow and weedy, and one for the ocean to catch swells on (11 inch).
The kids love it. We have been taking a picnic lunch in the "dry bag" and set off for an adventure. Lately, the boys have been pretending they are pirates, and we are hunting for treasure.
Great fun and fitness when the surf isnt happening.
lahui kai 12.6 are available in 27 and 28"width.i have one and it flys.also come in 14'and 17'.custom made.online contact thru lahui kai.com
I've had a Jimmy Lewis Distance for a couple of years and it is a great cruising board with the kids. I've had three kids on it and still paddled fairly fine. My two boys and I regularly load and go!
Thanks for all the info guys I really appreciate it. It seems most of the big boards are made for ocean racing. Unfortunately buying new is no longer in the budget (picked up a 2nd hand HoloHolo today) so will need to find something second hand. Problem is that most of the big boards currently for sale seem like ocean racing boards so I'm guessing they are very light weight. I wonder if they will be durable enough??
I have ridden a Lahui Kai and it worked perfectly with the kids on and they felt very safe on it which is a good thing.
Any more thoughts or suggestions?
