All the small things – O’Shea GROM QSx 7’10 x 29” x 135L review
Review & pics: Tez Plavenieks
When your kids are ready to stand up paddleboard proper, you need the right gear. Messing about aboard mum and dad’s SUP is one thing, but dimensions of adult boards don’t fit wee ones statures. Enter O’Shea’s GROM Quad Stringer (QSx) inflatable stand up paddleboard. Specifically designed with your offspring in mind.
Featuring all the usual tip-top O’Shea attention to detail, the GROM is manufactured in the same quality way as all their other SUP products. What you get with an adult O’Shea iSUP you find here. As such, the GROM is super rigid, those quad stringers helping this, with not a seam or panel out of place. And the bold graphics are most welcome and will make spotting your child and craft when afloat all the easier.
We had help testing the O’Shea GROM from a three-year-old. He commented how fun the board was just messing about in the shallows. It was interesting to note how easy, due to the smaller dimensions of the GROM, he found it scrambling on and off. And on that point, you can see the durability of O’Shea’s construction in use. Which is just as well as a board made for kids, whereby they’ll be on and off it like a yoyo, needs to be up to the task.
To further check out the GROM’s performance, I hopped aboard for a scoot round. For a parent with skill, there’s no reason you can’t pilot the GROM. It might be a little shorter and narrower, but it’s pretty stable for its overall size. If you fancy a nimble ride, then it certainly ticks the box.
CONCLUSION
O’Shea’s GROM 7’10” ticks all the boxes a kiddy specific inflatable SUP needs to. It’s a well-made board that your little ones will enjoy using. If your kids are enthusiastic about stand up paddleboarding, then a board like this is worth every penny. And as an investment in longevity and fun, the GROM will stand the test of time, no worries.
Price: £399
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