Chill Surfboards Mini Bird Review

THE BOARD

Chilli said :

This one is for the groms, it covers all levels of surfer. Absolutely perfect for anyone starting out and looking for the transition from a softboard or mini mal to their first surfboard that will allow them to progress their performance. The other end of the scale is: it’s a performance board for the intermediate to excellent surfers to have a lot of fun on. Drop 2-3 inches from your Grom + / Spawn Mini and you got yourself a small wave ripper.

We said :

It can be damn confusing trying to pick the best surfboard for a grom who’s ready to step onto their first shorty. Do you go bigger to allow them to catch waves? Do you go smaller to stoke them out on turns? Chilli’s Mini Bird is one that straddles both worlds, with a little extra volume for the size and plenty of beef up front for extra paddle power. I had my two frother sons (aged 6 and 8) both try it out, plus one of their shredder mates who is 9 and therefore a veteran. Below is a mix of their hilarious quotes and my thoughts too.

The model tested was 4’11’’ x 18 /1/4’’ x 2 1/16’’ at 19.80L. Futures setup, with some Machado Blackstix fins in the plugs.

Stats were:
Waves: 6 Gazillion
Sessions: 23
Longest Wave: “like, forever, dad”.
Top Speed: Broke the sound barrier, for real life.

Chill Surfboards Mini Bird Review

THE BOARD

Chilli said :

This one is for the groms, it covers all levels of surfer. Absolutely perfect for anyone starting out and looking for the transition from a softboard or mini mal to their first surfboard that will allow them to progress their performance. The other end of the scale is: it’s a performance board for the intermediate to excellent surfers to have a lot of fun on. Drop 2-3 inches from your Grom + / Spawn Mini and you got yourself a small wave ripper.

We said :

It can be damn confusing trying to pick the best surfboard for a grom who’s ready to step onto their first shorty. Do you go bigger to allow them to catch waves? Do you go smaller to stoke them out on turns? Chilli’s Mini Bird is one that straddles both worlds, with a little extra volume for the size and plenty of beef up front for extra paddle power. I had my two frother sons (aged 6 and 8) both try it out, plus one of their shredder mates who is 9 and therefore a veteran. Below is a mix of their hilarious quotes and my thoughts too.

The model tested was 4’11’’ x 18 /1/4’’ x 2 1/16’’ at 19.80L. Futures setup, with some Machado Blackstix fins in the plugs.

Stats were:
Waves: 6 Gazillion
Sessions: 23
Longest Wave: “like, forever, dad”.
Top Speed: Broke the sound barrier, for real life.

SHAPE

The Chilli Surfboards Mini Bird has a balanced shape, with plenty of volume under the chest for paddle power and a pulled-in ‘thumb’ tail (that’s a rounded-pin for us ancient folks of 30+). The tail shape allows easier pivot turns without too much trouble, letting groms bask in an epic balance of wave-catching and shred ability. The bottom curve is nice and straight for speed, with some handy nose rocker to help your grub make steeper drops.  

Fin set up is a straight-forward thruster, which is amazing because if there’s five plugs you just know the kids will want to fill every available slot. Long live the thruster. 

Comment from grom #1 upon seeing the board was “siiick”. 

#2 said “wait, it says my name on the bottom, it’s mine!!!”

Chill Surfboards Mini Bird Review

WAVE TYPE

Given most groms aren’t throwing themselves over 10ft ledges at North Point, the wave range for this is pretty standard: 0-4ft (aka up to 1.5m). It’s a lucky kid that’s swapping surfboards between sessions, so really this thing is built to go in just about anything they’ll surf in (which is anything that won’t kill them).

We tested it in dribbling whitewater straight handers, one foot peaks, two foot peaks, onshore, offshore, and even one lounge room session where they were seeing who could get to their feet the fastest. It went great for that, although didn’t turn that well when stationary. A great all-round grom board for all-round grom waves. 

Overall Best Conditions:
Whichever waves your grom feels most comfortable surfing, but 2ft runners are spot on.

PERFORMANCE

Stats were:
Waves: 6 Gazillion
Sessions: 23
Longest Wave: “like, forever, dad”.
Top Speed: Broke the sound barrier, for real life.

“It must be called the Mini Bird because it takes off and goes neeeeeowwww.”

That’s a direct quote from 8 year old, Mason. It holds its speed, paddles well for its length and lets you throw slashes and cutdowns when throwing your miniscule weight around. Right from the take off the thing goes and the two kids with more experience seemed to motor around sections I didn’t think they’d make it past. The elder 9-year who rode it was stoked with its wave catching ability, although he said it doesn’t do good floaters. I didn’t see him actually try a floater, just passing on direct feedback. 

In pure whitewater waves at half a foot, it’s still a bit wobbly, even for the youngest who surfed it. He was reluctant to go back onto his soft top though (a Flounder Pounder from an earlier post on the ‘best surfboards for kids’), because this board looked way cooler. Once he did go back, he had more fun and caught more waves, which makes me think this is good for kids who are consistently surfing face waves, but not for pure beginners. 

The glass job is great, holding up with only minor pressure dings on the deck from a full summer of abuse.

VERDICT

The Chilli Surfboards Mini Bird is an epic surfboard for any kid’s first step from a foamy to proper shortboard. I’d highly recommend it for groms who have mastered trimming along the face and are ready to start doing turns.

In terms of sizing, the 4’11’’ is ideal for an average sized 8 year old, although you’d be totally fine stepping up to the big gun 5’0’’ if you’re wanting more in the wave catching department. 

In terms of grom feedback, here’s what they had to say:
Mason, age 8: “It’s fast and it feels smooth.”
Ry, age 9: “Yeah, it’s good.”
Kai, age 6: “I like it because it’s fibreglass.”

Not crazy insightful, and maybe a window into how a grom’s mind works: fibreglass = high performance.

Bottom line is, no matter what you get them, they’ll be stoked from the outset if it looks cool, so search for something that will allow the kid to tread the balance between catching waves and being able to turn and you are gravy. The Chilli Surfboards Mini Bird definitely does that. Not something I’d recommend for kids first starting out from ground zero, but for sure a solid option as a ‘next step’ board that should last quite a while.

The Wins:

  • Great balance of volume and turn-abilty
  • Quality brand 
  • Thruster to keep things simple

The Challenges:

  • Need some surfing experience to get the full benefit
  • Premium price for a ‘first’ board 

The Chilli Surfboards Mini Bird is widely available globally, anywhere that stocks Chilli Surfboards are – more than likely – going to have one of these to run your hands over. Need to know the closest? Hit up their retailer page for more info.

Alternatively, you can get order direct from a few spots, including direct from Chilli Surfboards. Stores, in Australia, to check include:
Sanbah
Aloha Manly
Surf Culture

Price wise you’re looking at around $850 AUD, which ain’t too bad considering this is a board that’s got a strong glass job (think about it, we had three young groms put it through hell like only groms can and it’s still holding up pretty damn well).

SIZE WIDTH THICKNESS VOLUME
4’10” 18 1/8″ 2 1/16″ 19.3
4’11” 18 1/4″ 2 1/16″ 19.8
5’0″ 18 3/8″ 2 1/8″ 20.8
5’1″ 18 1/2″ 2 1/8″ 21.3
5’2″ 18 5/8″ 2 3/16″ 22.4
5’3″ 18 3/4″ 2 3/16″ 22.9
5’4″ 18 7/8″ 2 3/16″ 23.4
5’5″ 19″ 2 3/16″ 23.9

If you enjoyed this review you can visit our Product Reviews page for more, including the most recent review of the Album Twinsman along with buyers guides of Springsuits and Boardcovers. We’ll have more Surfboard reviews (Next up is Christenson Lane Splitter and Chilli Mid Strength) coming soon.

Again, if you’re interested in buying the Chilli Surfboards Mini Bird hit the links below ::

Buy from Chilli Surfboards Online Store
Check Chilli Surfboards Stockist list