All surfboards are created with a purpose and are made to perform in specific ways. Grom surfboards are no exception, though it may not be widely known what a grom surfboard is.
So, What Is A Grom Surfboard? A Grom surfboard is a board specifically made for a younger and smaller surfer. A grom surfboard will typically be of a short length, have a width of 19-20,” allowing a young surfer to fit their arms around the board. Most grom surfboards offer stability and are made to maneuver easily.
Young surfers in the past have not been accepted well into the surfing world, which meant surfboards weren’t often made specifically for them. In recent years this has changed, and the surfboard companies are now booming with grom boards. Grom surfboards are made to function in specific ways.
Why Are Grom Boards Used?
A grom is a shortened word for grommet and means a surfer, or more recently also a skateboarder, usually under the age of 16. Groms refer to all genders and are typically seen as laid back, or insolent toward elders, and much of the time surf with a passion.
The word first came about in 1964 in which Nicholas Tomalin stated in an article on a visit to Newquay that: “A surfer who is no good or just beginning is a ‘gremmie.’” Later, in Lockie Leonard, Legend by Tim Winton used the term grommets as: “Things are never as simple as they seem, not even for grommets.”
The nickname gremmies became short for gremlins, and was said to be sort of how the youngsters looked after a day spent on the beach. According to surf legend, the term grommets donned in Australia and was named after small fasteners on older wetsuits. One can imagine someone must have said, “Those little gremlins out here surfing, I have grommets on my suit older than them!”
The word grommet, grom for short, was initially intended as an inexperienced surfer but has since become a term for all young participants in surfing and similar sports. In the past, it was typical for a young surfer to be treated with a bit of hazing and prejudice. In more recent years, children are now accepted and encouraged to explore their talents in surfing.
A grom surfboard is a board best suited for groms to use. Children grow quickly and will just as quickly outgrow a surfboard. A child’s ability to learn and adapt is far better than an adult’s ability to. Grom surfboards are typically built with both of these in mind.
As a beginner, a grom will need to be able to float, paddle, and pop up, or stand, easily. Staying afloat is best done with a board with enough volume and width to give the young surfer the needed stability. Groms also need to be able to paddle with ease and stand up quickly.
Young surfers adapt at a greater speed and take much less time to learn new things. Because of this, they tend to not need as much in a beginner board that adults do. They can do well with a fish as a beginner board, or a grom board similar when that would be very difficult for an adult. This is in part also because they weigh much less than adults and are shorter.
Most surfboard producers keep in mind that children grow quickly and will be replacing boards on average more often than adults do. A grom needs to have fun and use their board well in the water without frustration. That, and they tend to lose interest often and switch sports. Grom surfboards tend to be a little less expensive than the typical board.
What Groms Need In A Surfboard
Children need stability, board space, and easy paddling just as any beginner does. However, children learn much quicker than adults and are much more limber and full of energy and can typically use an intermediate board well, or at least transition more quickly.
It is not uncommon for a grom to start on a foam board, mini mal, funboard, or a fish because children weigh much less and are short enough to have enough buoyancy and space on boards that the weight of adults typically would not.
With younger surfers being shorter than adults, this allows them to have a shorter board but still have a long enough board to aid in learning. Surfboards that are 12-24” longer than the children are gives children the length they need. They will need a skinnier board, though, because of shorter arms, and do well with boards that are 19-20” in width.
Surfers that are just starting to learn need stability and buoyancy to be able to float on the water, stand up, and move quickly from wave to wave. Adults are advised to start on longboards because they have a higher volume in liters and therefore are more buoyant than others, allowing the surfer to float on the water.
Longboards are also wide, giving the surfer the ability to be stable in the water, glide on the water, and stand up quickly. These boards also have little to no rocker, which keeps them flat on the water. Beginners are able to stay on top of the water and paddle from wave to wave with less frustration on a longboard.
While a longboard is not ideal for a grom, a young surfer still needs a board to support them in the same way while learning. Groms are typically made with the perfect length for young surfers and vary in length with groms height and arms length in mind. These boards are made with enough volume for a child, giving less of an amount than an adult board, but enough volume to keep a child afloat.
How Grom Surfboards Differ From Other Boards
Surfing is a sport that has risks, and one risk, in particular, is the danger of a surfboard hitting its surfer or other surfers in the water. No matter the surfer’s experience, boards can slip away quickly in a wave or even out of a wave. A board getting away from a surfer can be extremely dangerous, especially if a hard surfboard has a direct impact on a person’s head. In this situation, the surfer runs the risk of being knocked unconscious and drowning.
Head injuries by loose surfboards are just one of the many concerns while surfing. For this reason, most grom surfboards are made with safety for the young ones in mind. Most grom boards will have a foam top or outer covering.
A grom board with a flat rocker and width of 19 ¼ inches is perfect for groms enabling them to glide smoothly on the water and hold the rails easily to maneuver. If the grom is under the board, the width allows them to “turtle” (hold both rails while under the surface of the water keeping the board over them), and stay safe.
Grom boards with fins allow the young surfer to learn how to turn correctly and move with a little more ease while accounting for smaller weight and height. These surfboards typically have a smaller fin than other boards, and most are labeled “grom.”
Groms And Their Boards As They Grow
It is no secret that children grow at an astonishing rate and are continually increasing. As well as their physical growth, young surfers also advance quickly in their level of experience. Because of this, groms require a board that can transition with them through their various life and surfing stages.
Surf shops and producers of grom surfboards generally offer a wide variety for the young surfer. Surfboard companies base their models mostly on the trends of groms at the time because the youth seem to have a knack for convincing their parents to buy them things.
The beauty of buying a board for a child is that parents can buy a larger board in the beginning phases, and the same board will transition well with the child into their older years. A bigger board will give the stability and buoyancy needed for a young surfer to learn.
Surfers typically transition to smaller boards as they grow in experience. The surfers will not need as much buoyancy and length as when they were beginning. As groms grow into their surfboard, the board will also be an appropriate size and have the needed volume for their experience level. Grom surfboards are an excellent investment for young surfers.