yeah mate. Depends on what type of skimboarding she's planning on doing. Flatlanding or wave skimming?? If she can flatland and get the one-step drop consistantly then go the wave type. More expensive though but I dunno what the prices are in the US. Here in Aus the baseline cost of a branded wave riding skimboard is ~$500. All the way up to ~$1000 for the hardcore VIC carbons.

its A LOT harder than it looks... but I guess if you've been skating and or sufing all your life its not that hard. I had to start as a gumby.

 

the trick is the mounting and the depth of the water during flat riding. too much water and not enough speed equals bogging down and nose planting the board

to thin of a water table and you skid the sand and stop short

you have to get a good mix of launch speed, water depth, trajectory etc to get a good run. angle of the beach is important too. too steep of a grade to the water and you will constantly be ramping into deeper water and it will discourage newbie skimmers quickly.

wrecking off the board, catching a skimming board on the back of the heel on an over-shot mounting attempt and skiding you arm,back or ass on the sand will produce pain so appraoch this new sport with a degree of understanding that you will not pick it up "instantly" and there may be a degree of discomfort

it is fun though and offers an experience that is different from surfing, body boarding or any other water activity. saying one is better than the other is an unfair statement.

 

i'd like to know what makes a good board too. i just went into the boardshop and had them recommend me one, but i had a lot of fun so now i want to learn more about the boards. one thing i hate about this sport is if you fall on some not so deep water it is like falling on sand paper!

 

What type of board did they suggest for you? Everyone I have been talking too always suggest the fiber glass boards with a foam core over the wooden boards.

 

buy a victoria on craigslist. they are the best. try learning on a body board first.

 

My family lives on the big island Hawaii. I love skim boarding! Alot of guys at the beach just had a peice of plywood shaped like a skimboard. I borrowed my dad's board. So I dont think it really matters to much what kind of board you got as long as your having fun.

By the way. there are not always waves to surf or body board, but you can always skim board.

 

there are a bunch of types of boards...for different riding interests

some have channels to make them go strighter, longer

some have small fins for cutting

the backend shape can vary for different styles

thickness helps determine the depth the board can handle

google it LOL

 

don't get the flat wood ones