We took our kids down at the ages of 4 & 8 and they absolutely loved the Paddle Board over the kayak. At first we tied a long rope to the boat and paddle board so my 4 year old stayed within 100 feet but by day 3 she was all over the place. Loved it so much that we bought a paddle board once we got back. We actually rented two paddle boards for the week and one kayak but would do without the kayak if I had to chose one over the other.