How to Choose a Family Board

Getting a family into the water on the same trip sounds simple, until you're standing in front of a wall of boards trying to work out what actually fits your six-year-old, your partner who's never stood up before, and you. Here's how we think about it.

Start with "who's actually riding it"

A family board usually needs to do more than one job. If everyone's sharing one board for now, look for something forgiving — more volume, more length, a flatter rocker — rather than something built for one skilled rider. Our Everyday Softboard range is built exactly for this: stable enough for a nervous first-timer, still fun enough that a confident parent won't outgrow it in a weekend.

If budget allows two boards down the line, the usual split is a longer, more stable board for beginners and younger kids, and a shorter, more responsive board for whoever in the family is progressing fastest.

Size by the lightest regular rider, not the heaviest

It's tempting to buy "one board that fits everyone," sized for the biggest person in the family. In practice, a board sized for your smallest regular rider (with enough volume to still float the bigger riders on calm days) tends to get used more, because it's the one the least confident member of the family will actually want to paddle out on.

As a rough starting point:

• Grom-sized rider (under 40kg): shorter length, plenty of width for stability
• Teen or smaller adult: mid-length, more volume than you'd expect
• Full-grown adult beginner: longer board, generous width and thickness — stability first, everything else second

Our size guide on each Softboard product page walks through this per size, so you're not guessing.

Don't forget the small stuff

A family board that keeps everyone smiling also needs the right gear around it:

• A leash sized to the board (too short and it snaps back at you; too long and it drags)
• A traction pad if little feet are going to be standing on it without booties
• A soft rack or cover if it's living on the roof of the car between trips

None of this needs to be expensive or complicated — it just needs to match the board you've chosen.

The honest bit

No single board will be perfect for every member of the family forever. Kids get bigger, confidence grows, and what felt "just right" in January might feel a little small by December. That's normal, and it's exactly why we built Find Your RYD (not live yet) — answer a few quick questions about who's riding and how often, and we'll point you to the board (or boards) that make the most sense for your family right now.

May the waves be good where you are.