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WindSUP from STXChildren's board for paddling and windsurfing

Stephan Gölnitz

 · 09.06.2024

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Photo: Hersteller
The STX Hybrid Cruiser in detail
Inflatable boards are often well suited for learning to windsurf and as a fun and SUP board for children anyway. With the Hybrid Cruiser 9' x 28'', STX has a super lightweight board with suitable dimensions and all the necessary features for both in its programme.

Inflatable boards offer many advantages for children if the dimensions and features are right. Knees don't rub on the soft soft deck and falls onto the material don't hurt as much. What's more, this type of board is also more forgiving of the odd hard contact on the pebble beach. The board is said to weigh just 5.6 kilos, making it extremely light for a windsurfing board and easy for children to carry and manoeuvre on their own. With a width of 28 inches, it is also much easier for children to paddle than adult boards, which are usually at least 32 inches in this length and therefore much too wide.

SUP board with windsurfing option

A mast foot holder is integrated into the board for windsurfing and a large optional centre fin is designed to prevent lateral drifting - which experience has shown works well. The board is not designed for planing, but rather for learning and practising in lighter winds and with children's sails. A gimbal joint is recommended for the base plate, which puts less strain on the inflatable board. The Hybrid Cruiser costs 549 euros as a set with rucksack, pump, centre fin and paddle

Stephan Gölnitz

Stephan Gölnitz

Deputy Editor in Chief surf

Stephan Gölnitz comes from Bochum and had Holland as his home windsurfing territory for many years before moving to Munich in 1996 for the job of test editor at surf magazine. The materials engineering graduate worked as a surf instructor on the Ijsselmeer during his studies and competed for several seasons for the Essen sailing team in the Surfbundesliga and the Funboard Cup. He completed a traineeship at surf-Magazin in the test department and since then has actively accompanied almost all tests on the boom and for more than 10 years also as a photographer. Stephan has covered many thousands of test kilometers, mainly on Lake Garda and in Langebaan, but also in Egypt and Tobago. He gets his hands on over 100 new sails and boards every year as his company car. Privately, he prefers to surf with a foil on Lake Walchensee or “unfortunately far too rarely” in the waves. SUP is Stephan's second passion, which he pursued for several years at numerous SUP races. Today, he prefers to paddle on river tours with family or friends - even for several days.

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