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My 6 year old son wants to wake board!


Hobdog

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Yesterday my son asked me for a wake board, I would love to see him start learning this early but I have no idea what size board and boots to buy. For any of you with wake boarding youngsters I would love to hear what they use to ride.

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Yesterday my son asked me for a wake board, I would love to see him start learning this early but I have no idea what size board and boots to buy. For any of you with wake boarding youngsters I would love to hear what they use to ride.

I started my guys around 6 yrs old as well. Look for a board around 115 to 117 cm long. The key thing is to make sure the bindings go small enough to be snug around the feet.

The easiest way to teach is to have someone stand near shore 3 to 4 feet of water, and balance your child in a ready position (regular or goofy) with a tight rope to the boat and have the driver very slowly bring the boat up to speed to around 12 to 14 mph. After a couple of tries my kids could get up by themselves.

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Yesterday my son asked me for a wake board, I would love to see him start learning this early but I have no idea what size board and boots to buy. For any of you with wake boarding youngsters I would love to hear what they use to ride.

My 5 year old (turns 6 on July 6) has a HyperLite Motive 119. It's a good size and fits him perfect. I have not got him behind the boat yet, though. I told him he first needs to be able to float in the water with the board on and be able to flip over by himself. Beleive it or not, this is pretty tough for a 6yr old. I don't want him falling face down in the water and not be able to turn himself over. He's close to getting it. As soon as he does, I told him he could ge behind the boat. The board though is a perfect size and my kid is pretty big for his age.

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Yesterday my son asked me for a wake board, I would love to see him start learning this early but I have no idea what size board and boots to buy. For any of you with wake boarding youngsters I would love to hear what they use to ride.

My 5 year old (turns 6 on July 6) has a HyperLite Motive 119. It's a good size and fits him perfect. I have not got him behind the boat yet, though. I told him he first needs to be able to float in the water with the board on and be able to flip over by himself. Beleive it or not, this is pretty tough for a 6yr old. I don't want him falling face down in the water and not be able to turn himself over. He's close to getting it. As soon as he does, I told him he could ge behind the boat. The board though is a perfect size and my kid is pretty big for his age.

I did the same with mine in the pool at home I was amazed at how hard it was for him. It took a good month of practice for him to develope his own technique to get the roll over. Also when getting them out of the water keep in mind that at idle the are almost up. also as soon as they are comfortable with the speed run them fast enough that they are on plain. Mine ran slow for the first season which gave him a false security of how the board edged. The second season ( 8yrs old at this point) he had to re-learn edging with out kicking the board out from under him.

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Last year my boys were 7 and 9, and both got up with my Hyperlite 136. They tried a friend's board but their feet were too big (size 5 and 6). So I just grabbed my board and put them on it. The 7 year old got up on the first try, the 9 year old on the third. Their friends could not get up on the smaller board (don't know size/make), and they were too worn out to try mine after they had their runs. I think the bigger board helped them pop right out (71/78 pounds each).

Turning over was an issue, remind them to bend their knees in if/when on their stomach to help them turn over. We just let them have at it and they did well, but even this summer the younger (now 8 year old) has a tough time turning over. Next time they board we will do some practicing on turning over.

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Yesterday my son asked me for a wake board, I would love to see him start learning this early but I have no idea what size board and boots to buy. For any of you with wake boarding youngsters I would love to hear what they use to ride.

My 5 year old (turns 6 on July 6) has a HyperLite Motive 119. It's a good size and fits him perfect. I have not got him behind the boat yet, though. I told him he first needs to be able to float in the water with the board on and be able to flip over by himself. Beleive it or not, this is pretty tough for a 6yr old. I don't want him falling face down in the water and not be able to turn himself over. He's close to getting it. As soon as he does, I told him he could ge behind the boat. The board though is a perfect size and my kid is pretty big for his age.

I did the same with mine in the pool at home I was amazed at how hard it was for him. It took a good month of practice for him to develope his own technique to get the roll over. Also when getting them out of the water keep in mind that at idle the are almost up. also as soon as they are comfortable with the speed run them fast enough that they are on plain. Mine ran slow for the first season which gave him a false security of how the board edged. The second season ( 8yrs old at this point) he had to re-learn edging with out kicking the board out from under him.

Because of the turning over issue with the wakeboard, I've been putting my 6yr old on the surf board!!! No flipping over involved. We sit on the swim platform and hold the board off the back. My son stands on the board and then we slowly let the line out. We're only at idle speed but he's so lite it's no problem. He can ride for a little while and eventually wipes out but he loves it. Just make sure they know to let go of the rope during the wipeout. The first time my son crashed he didn't let go. He got a mouth and eye full of the lake. I wish I had it on video is was pretty funny.

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My kids started at 5 and 6, they started by standing up on a knee board. Once they did that they tried our friends 135 CWB board, they both popped right up. I think the bigger board helped, the boots were way to big, but not using any slime it held them in. They even went out of the wake. The next year I got them a Hyperlite Motive 119, the 6 yr old (7 by that time), got up no problem. The younger one had problems getting up on the smaller board.

BTW neither could turn themselves over, but didn't have any problem keeping their heads up, even with the board on. It was a pain though and if I had to do it over I would agree with making them do that before they get out there. We did insist on helmets and mouth guards, start that habit young and it becomes second nature.

They are now 9 and 10 and both love it and it's a blast watching them.

Good Luck

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I have two that started at 6 and 8. I read on another post about starting them on the grass to get the feel of the turn. Its pretty simple, you just sit them on the lawn like they will be in the water give them a rope handle and pull. They get the feel of turning the board and when to stand up. We also used Mom in the water holding them the first time (mostly for confidence and stability). The kids that did not have this training took a couple more tries.

I second light on the throttle, for the little one the boat is just barely above idle. That was two years ago and the 8 year old is a 10 year old pro, the 6 year old like the tube better but she is coming around.

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Started my kids out on the bare foot bar. After put them behind the boat and they both got up on the first try. If done correctley it can be a great way for them to get a feel for the water and board. Also attached a kids wakeboard handle and rope to the bar with a couple feet of rope. Could control a good slow speed for them as well.

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Was glancing at this post last week in anticipation of getting my kids (7 year old twins) up this most recent weekend. Have a CWB 119 cm (I believe). We started in about 2-3' of water with me pulling them by hand - just allowing them to plane out. Told them, keep the knees bent and twist the board as you come up. Did that about four times and boom, they got up first time behind the boat. Couldn't believe how well it went. Son now wants to forego a ball tourney this weekend so he can get back to the lake.

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I've taught kids in the past how to get up behind a 12' aluminum boat with a 9.9 HP merc. Works like a charm. Kids are less intimidated and gives them a great boost of confidence when they're bigger than the boat and motor. You don't have to worry about a massive wake and you can control your speed just as easy as in the big boats.

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