No ocean, no problem. Thanks to the popularity of wakeboarding—a combination of water skiing and surfboarding—people began wakeboarding without using a rope, which created a sport we now call wakesurfing. There is no credible evidence on who discovered it first, but landlocked states and countries are grateful for its evolution.
Wakesurfing allows free movement on the wake created behind the boat. Taking on this sport is an exhilarating experience, but it’s even better when you can share that experience with your kids.
Teaching the little ones to wakesurf on a board designed for kids is important to make it fun for them. If you’re planning of buying one for them, then this guide’s for you.
Top 8 Best Wakesurf Boards for Kids
The hardest part of kids learning to wakesurf is controlling the board when they are on top. The high buoyancy of the wakesurf board relative to their size makes it harder for them if they aren’t using the correct form and size. Having kids ride on kid-specific boards will allow them to better control the board, making the learning process easier.
There are several options available on the market. Choosing one that’s best for your kid can be confusing. Our research brings you eight of the best wakesurf boards for you to consider.
- Hyperlite Shim Jr. (Our Top Pick)
- Connelly Dash (Best Budget)
- Hyperlite Wingman Jr. (Best High End)
- Ronix Kid’s Flyweight Skimmer
- Ronix Super Sonic Space Odyssey Powertail
- Phase 5 Shrimp
- Driftsun Gromp
- Jet Pilot Glass Slipper
1. Hyperlite Shim Jr. — Our Top Pick
Specifications:
- Fin setup: Tri Fin
- Length: 46 in
- Center Width: 19.5 in
- Rider Weight Capacity: ≤140 lbs
Since 1991, Hyperlite has been one of the most innovative and trusted brands for wakesurfers. Their confidence in their material selections and construction delivers both quality and performance to their line of wakesurf boards, wake skimboards, vests, and rope sets.
Hyperlite Shim Jr. is a hybrid-style wakesurf board that’s perfect for intermediate and advanced wakesurfers. As a hybrid board, kids can use the wakesurf board for either wake skimming or wake surfing. The board’s tri-fin system lets kids use it with one, two, or three fins at a time. The flexibility of the wakesurf board gives aspiring riders the chance to take their skills to the next level.
Kids can learn rotational maneuvers for air tricks much easier due to their compact shape. This form factor features Hyperlite’s new DuraShell Technology, which combines the durability of a compression molded shape with the buoyancy and feel of a high-end EPS board.
The Shim Jr. comes with a fast rocker design to carry speed with great precision on the curl. The diamond tail offers a combination of a pin tail and squash tail, which allows tight turns with the slightest movement of the feet. At only 5 lbs, younger kids can easily carry the Shim.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Great for tricks and higher speed | Not suited for beginners |
| Multi-fin setups | A bit pricey |
| Lightweight | |
2. Connelly Dash — Best Budget
Specifications:
- Fin setup: Tri Fin
- Length: 44 in
- Center Width: 19.7 in
- Rider Weight Capacity: ≤125 lbs
Connelly has been there since the beginning of water sports. For over 50 years, they continuously researched and developed high-quality water sports products. Experience makes a difference, and that is true in their line of wakesurf boards.
The most affordable wakesurf board on this list, the Connelly Dash, is the perfect teaching tool for young wakesurf beginners. The skim style shape offers a wide belly of the board, which adds stability and tolerance. Lighter riders can better engage and stay on the wave with the help of the sharper rails.
With a minimalist flat design of the bottom, kids can generate max speed in the shortest time possible. The top design comprises a full EVA Foam traction surface that adds more stability, boosting their confidence to ride the wave. As a compression molded board, it’s heavier than other boards to add more durability.
Dash is fitted with a Tri fin or Thruster setup. The larger, center fin provides superior tracking. The other two flat foil side fins generate speed and hold in the wave’s face. Its pin tail design is the narrowest width of all tail shapes, resulting in better directional surf, maximizes water flow, and minimizes lift.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Very durable for its price | Lacks flexibility and variety |
| Great for beginners | Hard to maneuver |
| Budget friendly | |
3. Hyperlite Wingman Jr. — Best High End
Specifications:
- Fin type: Quad Fin
- Length: 46 in
- Center Width: 19.5 in
- Rider Weight Capacity: ≤120 lbs
The perfect way to describe the Hyperlite Wingman—Lift and Speed in a compact package. That’s what Scott “Butch” Bouchard, a prestigious wakeboard designer, envisioned when he designed the Wingman.
The junior version of the Hyperlite Wingman Wakesurf Board comes with all the top-end construction and features as its big brother but is condensed to fit a grom—a young precocious surfer. As such, it’s one of the most advanced grom boards suited for intermediate and advanced surfers.
Wingman Jr. is a surf-style wakesurf board that’s meant for kids that prefer having different options. The surf-style board offers power generation through its bottom turn but is still able to leave the waterline swiftly. This style opens up to bigger air carves and tricks without sacrificing control for a clean cutback.
Handcrafted using an epoxy construction method makes this wakesurf board is lighter and more buoyant than other boards in its category. Kids can ride it with a quad-fin setup for max acceleration or a dual-fin setup for better control. The wider tail shape complements the swallow tail design, increasing the turning arcs and adding push stability.
Butch claims that this is a “Go Big or Go Home” type of board. If your kid wants a bit of a challenge, you better get one for the grom.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Can perform a lot of tricks for a surf style board | Hard to control for beginners |
| One of the fastest boards in its category | Expensive |
| Can last long | |
4. Ronix Kid’s Flyweight Skimmer
Specifications:
- Fin type: Single Fin
- Length: 46 in
- Center Width: 20.5 in
- Rider Weight Capacity: ≤100 lbs
In the grand scheme of things, Ronix is a newer brand. However, they managed to set their foot as one of the leading brands in water sports. With an amazing pro team, most notably Julia Rick—the first Wakeboarding rider in history to win both WWA and IWWF World Championships in one year (2016) and doing it again in 2019. It should come as no surprise that Ronix produces adept products.
Ronix Flyweight Skimmer is a skim-style wakesurf board that’s meant to be playful and slippery on the water. A design inspired by a skateboard, it’s possible for kids to practice plenty of tricks like ollies, shuvits, and water spins.
The brand’s Flyweight Technology results in having an extra light wakesurf board making the 360s look easy while the hard rail begs for high-speed carves and allows the surfer to dig in and bury the rail on bottom turns. Coupled with its ultra-thin profile it allows better control with or without a single fin. It’s a stunt performer’s dream board.
Overall, it’s a performance wakesurf board that’s built for control. It sacrifices speed for control, and that’s not a negative trait. It’s one of the best high-end skim-style boards out there you can give to your kid.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Built for kids that enjoy performing stunts | Intermediate kids that prefer more speed might not like this board |
| Extremely light | Can get dirty quickly |
| Built to last | Expensive |
5. Ronix Super Sonic Space Odyssey Powertail
Specifications:
- Fin type: Triple Fin
- Length: 46 in
- Center Width: 18 in
- Rider Weight Capacity: ≤100 lbs
Ronix Supersonic Space Odyssey Powertail is an eye-catcher. When someone uses it, it’s distinguishable from a distance because of its signature design. Not only does it have a cool aesthetic, it’s also functionally well built.
It’s a traditional surf style board, great for riding waves. Ronix’s Super Sonic Technology construction is made of foam that’s lightweight but highly durable. With the added benefit of a compression molded shell, this wakesurf board can take a lot of external pressure and stress.
Powertail’s large surface design mixes the coveted stability of a longboard with the bottom drive you’d see in a thruster board. This trait makes it ideal for beginner kids to boost their confidence on the wake. The grom’s freestyle surfing experience is enhanced because of the board’s rolled lip on the edges. The edge design on the lower sides gives better drive, allowing your kid to dig in and learn to perform advanced stunts much easier.
There are three adjustable fins that come with the board. Single fin setup ensures the kid gets the surfer’s feel. Dual fin setup is great for the kid to try tricks and slick maneuvers. He/She can also have it on the most practical setup, the Tri fin setup—offers both single fin and dual fin benefits with a cost of more drag.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Cheap for what it can do | A bit thicker but less buoyant than other boards in its category |
| Suited for beginners | Not great for advance or intermediate surfers |
| Multi-fin setups | |
6. Phase 5 Shrimp
Specifications:
- Fin type: Single Fin
- Length: 40 in
- Center Width: 17.5
- Rider Weight Capacity: ≤100 lbs
Phase 5 takes pride in its craftsmanship and development cycle. Their wakesurf board prices are high due to the extremely high standards each stage of the building process takes. The meticulous people designing, shaping, and building the boards are the same guys that are competing to be the best. So far, they’ve brought over 10 world titles and they’ve become an inspiration to a lot of kids.
A second iteration of the Phase 5 Scamp, the Phase 5 Shrimp was designed for even smaller and younger kids. Just like the Scamp, the Shrimp is a skim-style wakesurf board to keep the maneuverability, making it easier to control for the kids to drop the rope for the first time. A more forgiving style of the board when riding behind a steep wake because of its shorter length, which results in fewer chances of dunking the nose.
Kids will be able to sink the wakesurf board under them at start-up and allow them to get up easily thanks to its continuous core design. At 0.5 in core thickness, it’s one of the thinnest boards out there. Even if the core is thin, it’s wrapped around multi-layers of high-density woven E-Glass used in Phase 5’s compression-molded technology. It is strong and built to last.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Suited for younger kids | Lacks flexibility and variety |
| Snap-resistant | Can get dirty quickly |
| Lightweight | |
7. Driftsun Gromp
Specifications:
- Fin type: Tri Fin
- Length: 42 in
- Center Width: 17 in
- Rider Weight Capacity: ≤135 lbs
The youngest company on this list, Driftsun was created in 2014 on the Lakes of Northern California by a group of like-minded thrill-seekers who had a passion for the outdoors and water sports. Make no mistake, their products are highly competitive and are as worth it as other leading brands.
Driftsun successfully made a board for the next generation of surf professionals. Driftsun Gromp comes with soft rails, a wider tail, and a full traction pad, all of which are inspired by traditional longboards to gain better stability. It packs a top-quality construction EPS core layered with epoxy and fiberglass, making it durable.
Gromp has a shallow double concave base shape, making it easier for kids to get up on. By grabbing the push of the wave, kids can speed up fast. Once they can get the hang of the speed, they’ll be more confident to drop the rope.
Softer rails on the wakesurf board will mean more control, performing tricks like 360s, ollies, and switches easier. The kids can also try different fin setups depending on their style. These aspects make the learning curve much easier and more fun.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good as a practice board | Lack maneuverability that other boards in it category have |
| Full traction pad surface | Slower than other boards in its category |
| Cheap | |
8. Jet Pilot Glass Slipper
Specifications:
- Fin type: Single Fin
- Length: 48 in
- Center Width: 20.5 in
- Rider Weight Capacity: Not Specified
Jetpilot was built upon a strong passion for Moto X (Motocross Competition) and Personal Watercraft. The company founders’ motocross background gave them the vision and design concepts that changed the industry into what we are today.
In 1995, Jetpilot debuted in the wakeboard industry. As the wakeboard market was still new, Jetpilot saw opportunities for innovation in the products available for surfers. They focus primarily on quality, durability, and ease of use.
Glass Slipper offers kids a blast from the past with its classic skimboard shape. Optimized for modern surfing, this wakesurf board is lightweight yet strong and durable thanks to its compression-molded construction. Beginner kids have the option to use the screw-in foot straps available if they are having trouble learning.
Rails are hard to have a sharp profile to cut through the water without delay, providing increased speed and quick spins. It feels looser than other rail types because it’s better at getting out of the water. The wakesurf board includes a single fin setup to add more stability and hold but is detachable for spins and lip slides.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Full traction pad surface | Lacks maneuverability that other boards in its category have |
| Comes with foot straps | Might be too big to some kids |
| Classic look and feel | |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is wakesurfing safe for kids?
A: In the same way as most sports, it can get dangerous without proper supervision. But, with the right boat, gear, training, and equipment, wakesurfing can be fun and exciting.
Q: What’s the difference between a skim style, surf style, and hybrid style board?
A: Skim-style boards are thinner and shorter than surf-style boards. It’s mostly used for more advanced surfing and aerial stunts. Surf-style boards have longer fins and a thicker body, making them more buoyant—ideal for average surfing. Hybrid style boards combine both the benefits of skim and surf style boards without losing speed and maneuverability.
Q: Where to store my kid’s wakesurf board?
A: You can invest in buying a high-quality board bag. It helps keep the wakesurf board from getting damaged by accidental drops or dings. A sturdy rack is also an excellent investment, so you won’t have to leave the wakesurf board flat on the floor.
Q: How do I clean my kid’s wakesurf board?
A: It’s advised to clean the wakesurf board after every session. It is as simple as rinsing it with warm water to take off debris like sand and salt that has accrued on the crevices. You can use a non-abrasive cloth and some soap to clean it up if the wakesurf board is too dirty. After rinsing, make sure it completely dries out before storing. Finally, check for any damages or delamination.
Q: Should my kid’s ankle be strapped to a wakesurf board?
A: Since your kid is riding on a controlled artificial wave, he/she doesn’t need to wear one. You can opt for a safety vest instead for your kid.
G’day, my name is Luke and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former xxx athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at many of xxx’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which also rubbed off on my two young sons! I am also lucky to spend a lot of ocean-time in my favorite second home,xxx. In addition to SurfHungry I have founded several other websites in my areas of passion, namely xxx and am also a regular xxx.
