Can you help me find a board for my 6 year old?

I am a first time poster on this forum. My 6 year old son decided he wanted to learn to wakeboard the other day. DS was able to get up on DH's board on the 4th try. He can get up easily and goes for about 3 to 7 minutes. He can cross our wake easily, but if he gets any air, he wobbles on the landing and falls.

My husband's current board is an Arsenal (maybe 138) from around 2008 with Bodyglove bindings- not a great board, but we bought it with a small budget when we got our boat. I know using DH's board is not the best set up, so I would love some advice on a good kids board.

Here are my almost 7 year old's stats:
51 inches
68 lbs
shoe size 1.5

I also have a almost 5 year old who will likely want to learn next year. He is growing like a weed, but here are his current stats.
46 inches
48 lbs
shoe size 13

Since DS is on the bigger side of things, I decided that the smallest size boards were out. I was thinking boards in the 118 to 125 size group might be the right range. Also, it sounds like the Surge is a little more aggressive than the Nemesis. Are there any other boards that compare? I rather spend less now and a year or two down the road buy him a new board when he will realize what he is getting. I was thinking of getting a used board in a good brand to save money.

Also, I have been seeing 2006 to 2009 Surges in my price range. The weight appears the same as the 2012 model, but the rocker on the 2006 is 2.08" vs the 2012 being 2.15 and the stance width in 2006 was 16" -22" vs 20.25 vs 24.25" Does this make a big difference?

Also what type of bindings do you recommend? Do I need to get new? If I buy a used board are there any older bindings to look for or avoid?

BTW, part of the reason I would like to keep the price low is that I would like to get my husband a board too. He will not buy one for himself. He is 6 ft and 200 lbs. He can jump and do turns on his current board, but it sounds like the Arsenal 138 might be heavy and not a great design. I would love suggestions on boards for DH. I don't mind buying a few years old as anything is probably better than what he has.

Thank you, I really appreciate your help!

Every manufacture has a kids or junior line. or boards that fit. The hyperlite motive is a great shape for beginners (its based off of one of the old shaun murray shapes if not the exact same mold) and comes in a 119 which could be a good starter board. Theres also the state comes in a 125 which may be a bit more stable/ Liquid force has the trip series, but is only offered in a 130. All of these boards offer a 3rd center fin which will help will tracking until their balance improves. All of these manufactures are great quality and should last you a while with the kind of riding it seems youll be doing. I would stick with a continuous rocker, regardless of rocker height, with a nice closed toe boot.

as far a boots go, this is where I personally like to spend money. Only because you get what you pay for and the stability from a high end boot/binding is worth it to save knees and ankles. again just check out the manufactures mentioned above and you cant go wrong, but I would be open to a package board. (see hyperlites site) or buying everything you need all at once. Most shops will cut yo a break with the price if youre buying a lot of product.

I suggest going to Academy Sporting Good store and seeing what you can get for your sons. Chances are they will start to outgrow it in a couple of years. Try to find something they both can ride. If you can find a youth board about 128cm on craigslist, that might be your best bet.

As for your husband. He would definitely progress more with a newer board. Buy his board and bindings first. You could get him a nice setup like the Ronix Vault to start out on and use for a couple of years.

Thanks for the advice!

So do you think a Surge 125 would be too much for him?

How do the Hyperlite Motive and Liquid Force Nemesis compare?

I want him to be able to jump on the wake like he is trying to do. Is a smaller or bigger board better than that?

Great advice on the bindings. It looks like the Hyperlite frequency, CWB bindings and Ronix Vision do not have velcro on their kids bindings. Would the LF Nemesis/ Fury bindings be better? Also if I buy any of these bindings 2012 on, will the holes on the board be the same if I get an older board than that? I might get a newer board, but am just looking at options.

I have been doing searches for 2012 and 2013 packages off of google. If you have any site recommendations that have a good deal please let me know. I called 2 l board shops that are a few hours away from me and their cheapest packages are $300 plus. They also do not demo kids boards.

If you can find a 120 Vision, buy it. The binding, although laces are legit, The board is light and fast and fun with a forgiving toe side for learning. #1 son will shred it for another 20 lbs. then little bro can have it. I bought one new 4 years ago and child #3 now rides it. When she is done with it I bet i can still get 2/3 of my money back out of it. These bindings have seen 10 times the action of the other two kids initial set ups and are still going strong, the LF kiddo bindings fell to crap after a year > two different pair.

That Ronix Vision sounds great and the boots do look nice. I overlooked the Ronix earlier. I have been trying to see if I can find any packages on sale below $300. You just upped my spending amount :-)

I went through the same thing with my son. Trying to find a used board ect... they are hard to find. about a year ago I ended up just buying a Liquid force 111 nemisis with nemsis bindings, he just turned 6. This board/binding set up is great. we ride a lot and the set up has held up well. He can get in and out of the bindings easily. The board is not too big where he can't flip it around in the water when he falls (this is scary for kids). He has learned to edge really well on this board. This board would be perfect for your almost five year old but prob a little small for your 7. Motive and Nemisis are pretty similar, we went with LF cuz my son liked the colors, lol. 128 is too big, I'd look at a Nemisis 118 or Motive 119. If you buy it new and need to get rid of it in a year someone will definitely buy it... since they are hard to find used.