The complete first setup — Raptor Hazard & Sunrise

One size · junior shape · removable centre fin · board + bindings

The Raptor Hazard (boys) and Sunrise (girls) were drawn around a young rider's weight, rather than shrunk down from a board built for someone bigger. That difference shows up the first time they get to their feet.

The width through the belly of the board, the rocker profile and the removable centre fin all work together to give a young rider the kind of stable, forgiving ride that won't overawe them on day one. Then, as their confidence builds, you pull the centre fin out and the board shapes up nicely underneath them, reacting faster from edge to edge.

Both come complete with bindings sized for growing feet: Process boots on the Hazard, Haze on the Sunrise. Getting the board and the boots together for $699.95 is why this is the setup we hand most families who walk through the door.

Sizing: one size, 124cm, for riders up to ~40kg.

Price: $699.95 (package).

Comes with: kids' bindings — Process on the Hazard, Haze on the Sunrise.

For riders who need a size of their own — Liquid Force Origin FS

Four sizes · progressive three-stage rocker · removable centre fin

A seven-year-old at 30kg and a ten-year-old at 40kg aren't the same rider, and the Origin (boys) Future Series range doesn't ask them to ride the same board.

Each comes in four lengths, with slight design changes through the size range to suit riders as they grow and progress. The smaller sizes ride stable and forgiving for a rider still finding their feet, while the bigger ones react faster for someone ready to push.

It's a size run, not one board scaled up and down. Start your littlest rider on a 115 or 120, and from there it's one size at a time on a shape they already know, right through until they're ready for an adult board.

As with most kids' boards, the centre fin steadies things up through those first few days on the boat, and it comes out easily once they’re more comfortable.

Sizing: 115 / 120 / 125 / 130cm, covering riders from around 20kg through to 45kg.

Price: $549.99 (blank).

Pair it with: Remix — open-toe, and it'll see a growing foot through a couple of seasons.

For the kid ready to send it — Hyperlite Murray Jr & Murray Jr Girls

Two sizes · subtle three-stage rocker · variable edge · quad fin

A young rider who has started eyeing off the wake wants two things from a board: an edge that holds on the way in, and forgiveness when they need it most. The Murray Jr gives them both.

The variable edge is the bit worth understanding here. The edge profile changes along the length of the board, offering something different depending on what the rider is asking for. A more rounded edge between the bindings is where the forgiveness sits, allowing the board to release when the rider needs it rather than catching an edge and taking them down hard. A more defined edge at the tip and tail is there for the moments they lean into a cut and want the board to hold on.

Underneath, a subtle three-stage rocker settles the board deeper in the water for more control, while the quad fin setup keeps things feeling sharp. There's no centre fin on this one, and anyone on a Murray Jr should be well past needing it.

Sizing: 120cm and 127cm, both boys and girls.

Price: $649.99 (blank).

Pair it with: Remix — open-toe.

The value performance pick — Jobe Maddox Jr

One size · deep-grooved channels · three-stage rocker

If there's already a set of kids' boots sitting in the shed, all you're really shopping for is the board.

The Maddox Jr is the junior version of Jobe's full-size Maddox: a performance shape, sized for a light rider. It rides forgiving and predictable, which makes it a natural fit for a young rider who's riding hard and ready for a board of their own.

At 127cm it carries riders through to around 45kg, which covers a lot of growing. Handy if they're mid-growth-spurt, and especially so if there are two of them and the younger one is catching up.

Sizing: one size, 127cm, for riders up to ~45kg.

Price: $499.99 (blank).

Pair it with: Jobe Unit — open-toe, $299.99.

What matters most on a kids' board

Getting the size right

Board size comes off rider weight. Not their age, and not their height.

As a guide:

• 20-35kg: 115-125cm
• 30-45kg: 125-130cm

The chart stops at 45kg because that's where the adult size run picks up, and the choice widens considerably from there. Our wakeboard sizing guide has everything you need to know, but if you’d prefer to keep it simple, stick to the table above.

"Can I just buy one they'll grow into?"

Our general rule here is that it’s better to buy for now. It's the same rule we apply to adults, and it matters even more with kids, because a board they can control today is the board that makes them want to come back tomorrow.

All that said, there's a genuine economic argument for sizing up and we're not going to pretend otherwise. Kids grow, boards cost money, and getting three seasons out of one purchase instead of two is a real thing to weigh up.

If that's your priority, then size up.

A bigger board asks more of a light rider, so the early part of their riding will take longer to come together. Go in with your eyes open and it's a fair trade to make. Work it out in January, with half the season gone and a frustrated young rider on the back of the boat, and it stings a bit more.

Go up a size if you need to. Just be aware of what that’ll mean.

Don't get bogged down in rocker

Rocker is the design feature buyers tend to obsess over. We've pulled it apart properly in how to buy a wakeboard.

On a kids' board, though, it isn't worth agonising about. Every board on this page has been built to ride stable and forgiving for a light rider. Continuous or three-stage is simply how each brand has gone about getting there.

The centre fin is a training wheel

It helps drag the board into tracking straight, which frees a new rider up to think about body position and balance rather than fighting a board that keeps wandering off.

Leave it in while they're learning to get up and ride along comfortably. It'll save them a lot of frustration through those first few sessions.

Once they're crossing the wake both ways without thinking about it, take it out. It's a couple of screws, and the board will feel quicker from edge to edge straight away.

Boots for feet that keep growing

For kids, we recommend open-toe bindings every time.

A single open-toe boot covers a range of foot sizes rather than a single one, which buys you multiple seasons before you're shopping again. They're also a lot easier to get in and out of — ideal for the “I can do it myself” kids.

Start with their shoe size, and think a season ahead. Feet grow fast, and an open-toe boot has the room to go with them. There's more on getting the fit right in our guide to how to choose wakeboard bindings.

Sharing between siblings

If you’re buying for more than one child, you’ll find one board will stretch across a fair spread of kids. Size it for the heavier of them, and the lighter one ends up on a board that's a touch big, which they’ll grow into before you know it.

The boots are where it gets tricky, since two kids rarely share a foot size. Open-toe bindings handle that spread, which is why they're the default for young riders.

Buy the board they'll ask to ride again

There's a moment, usually a session or two in, where it stops being something you're teaching them and starts being something they're doing. The rope goes tight, they stand up like they've always known how, and they ride off behind the boat with their eyes forward and a grin they can't hide.

The board alone doesn't create that moment. But it has a big say in how quickly it comes.

The boards we’ve picked all get them there in their own way. Choose the one that suits you (and them), get them on the water, and enjoy the show.

And if you'd rather run it past someone before you commit, drop us a line.