Author Topic: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?  (Read 2707 times)

snapster

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Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« on: July 31, 2014, 04:05:50 PM »
Hi all, I'm thinking about making a simple paddleboard for my 5 yr old; he's about 40 lbs..  I was thinking about making the core from pink insulation foam, and then laying down fiberglass.  I've never made something like this before.  But I have a few questions about all of this:
-what kind of dimensions are good for little ones?  Would 8'x24" work?  Or should I go wider?
-In terms of shaping, are there any templates out there that I can base things on, so that I will make something that will work, and not be dead in the water?
-In terms of glassing, is there any standard way of doing this, in terms of # of layers of glass, and weight of glass?
Thanks for any help!

Bean

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2014, 04:35:42 PM »
An 8' soft top might do the trick.  A couple weekends ago I saw some kids in the 5-10 yr range, standing on '8 foot surf school long boards without much problem.


PonoBill

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2014, 09:40:32 PM »
It's not quite as easy or cheap to build a surfboard of any kind as you might think. With Costco selling wavestorms for about the cost of a dinner for two it's probably a better option. They're even covered under Costco's standard guarantee.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

gorgebob

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2014, 10:13:36 PM »
Old windsurfer also can work at the 24/25 wide. The foamy board like the Tahoe are also sweet with no worries and they actually paddle.
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southwesterly

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2014, 10:17:42 PM »
A 40 pound kid can have a ball paddling a 8 foot Costco Wavestorm.

Total cost? 99 bucks plus tax. Add a buck fifty each for polish dogs and drinks.

55NSup

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2014, 02:49:37 PM »
A 40 pound kid can have a ball paddling a 8 foot Costco Wavestorm.

Total cost? 99 bucks plus tax. Add a buck fifty each for polish dogs and drinks.

Get a cheapo soft surfboard. Then at 9 yrs get em a real board

PonoBill

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2014, 03:50:27 PM »
Last winter the lifeguard on Maui had a big Wavestorm thing going. They were doing all kinds of nutjob stuff with them. They're surprisingly durable given the kind of stuff they were doing.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

TN_SUP

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2014, 09:40:19 AM »
I'd mimic the Tahoe Grom, best design I've seen, narrow and full soft top. I'm also trying to figure out a board for my 6 yo, considering a custom infinity tandem instead of a separate board for another few years. Yes, infinity does tandems.
'13 SB Sprint, '15 SIC X-14 ProLite, RH Coastal Cruiser, Think EZE Ski, Kenalu Konihi 84  & Mana

PonoBill

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #8 on: August 10, 2014, 10:04:02 AM »
Infinity does a lot of tandems--and a quadnundrum:

Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

SlatchJim

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2014, 09:27:29 AM »
The average 4 year old is about 40 pounds and 40 inches tall.  They gain 4-5 pounds and 2-3 inches a year.
So for a 5 year old, an 8 foot long, 22.5 inch wide wave storm would be the equivalent of a 12 foot board, 33-34 inches wide (your kid size may vary).  All you need is a paddle and you're set.  Most kids naturally just want to stand up on them without waves while they're out there dorking around with their surf school buddies, it will be the most natural thing in the world to add a short paddle and glide off with dad.  (Wish my kids were that size again...oh well, there are always grandkids.)

TN_SUP

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Re: Want to make a simple board for my 5 yr old; advice?
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2014, 05:02:56 AM »
Don't think I'm strong enough to keep pushing my daughter through the water anymore
'13 SB Sprint, '15 SIC X-14 ProLite, RH Coastal Cruiser, Think EZE Ski, Kenalu Konihi 84  & Mana

 


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