kneeboard purchasing advice?

The better boards have wider, stronger and sometimes overlapping straps. The reason I mention this as I have working with a 6 and 7 year old girls on kneeboards. If they flip over it can sometimes be difficult for the kids to get out/off. Once they get scared it's difficult to get them back on. I would recommend an inexpensive composite board(little less flotation) that has a single narrow strap. or Get a cheap one for the girls and a nicer one for the adults. It may not take long for them to out grow the novelty of the knee board and want to move on to a wake board. I try to find them at garage sales so I'm not out a lot if they get scared or outgrow it.

I'll definately agree with the composite board, not so much with the strap. We use Cinch straps off our foils, they were built for kneeboards first. If you set them loose initially the kids can just flip them up over their knees and they'll fall right off. Explain to them about how you can get stuck every know and that and to get out (generally you only have to pull the top layer off). Then when it happens it doesn't freak them out, they just pull the strap and wait for the boat to come back. My son has been using that strap since he started, but he was familiar with it from the foils. His friends picked up how to use it very quick and they were tightening it down after just a few rides and I haven't seen any of them have an issue getting loose.

We have an Obrein Board, can't remember the name, but I have a couple of good friends in Louisiana who shaped the original one that they used for the mold. I really like it because it is a dish shape which makes it very forgiving for the beginners and it will keep up with the high end stuff if you know how to use it.

This is my daughter on our Hyrdroslide Revolution. It has the retracting hook on the front that is great for beginners. It's a $150 board that IMO is perfect for the kids and and novice adults.

Definitely stay away from the entry level compression molded boards. They're much more bouyant and as a general rule have molded in fins. While nice for beginners and straight line tracking, they'll quickly outgrow the capabilities of the board. The thinner composite boards with retractable hook is definitely nice.
Retractable fins can also be nice but a boarder will quickly outgrow them. My experience has been that they'll want to start doing turns and you don't want the fins at that point. I personally don't like them but many do. The single strap which most new boards come with is fine. You don't really need the double straps until you get more advanced and you want the board to stay on.
HO, Obrien and Hydroslide all make several very good boards for you. You can expect to pay $150 to $180 for a board that meets these requirements and it's still a very good board as any rider advances in skill level. They would have to be really advanced riders to outgrow the capabilities of the board.
You can go online and check out the different boards each company offers. Generally, the cheapest ones are the entry level compression molded ones to stay away from. The high end ones are too advanced and expensive for your needs. Pick out any one of the two or three right in between and you'll be very happy with them.

Spoon shaped composite are the best all around boards, would avoid any plastic/compression molded or any type with fins.

I like my Obrien Black Magic I got from Academy for $150. It has the hook and retractable fins. The pading is very comfortable and you can still practice plenty of tricks. Is molded plastyic and I would agree that it doesn't have an agressive cut.

malibud wrote: I was looking at nice Used HO Joker would this be too advanced for a beginner ?

Personally, I would say yes. My Joker is 5 years old and it's a very aggressive board. It likes to be on edge. When you ride it flat it has a tendancy to start bouncing and beginners won't know what to do at that point.
However, a caveat here has to be the weight of the boarder and the speed you're boarding at. 190# at 23MPH and it will start bouncing right on the edge of uncontrollably if you ride it flat. Roll it over just a touch and it smooths out perfectly and then you really lean into it and be prepared for a very aggressive cut. The pop at the curl is nothing short of impressive and you can throw any trick your abilities allow. It will not under any circumstances cut through the wake. You'll get a pop. There are other boards out there that are much better suited to kneeboard slalom but this is not one of them.
A 70# rider at 15MPH may be a different story but I really don't know for sure. I think that beginners would be much better off with an intermediate board IMHO.