O'Brien Kids Simple Trainer Inflatable Green Review: a straightforward way to get kids comfortable on the water

I picked up the O'Brien Kids Simple Trainer Inflatable Green because I wanted something less stressful than throwing kids straight onto real skis or a wakeboard. The idea is pretty simple: it’s an inflatable combo trainer that keeps their feet in place, floats well, and comes with a trainer rope so they can get the feeling of being pulled without face-planting every two seconds. On paper, it sounded like a good middle step between a towable tube and actual skis.

I’ve used it over a few outings with kids in the 5–9 year range, all under the 85 lbs limit. We used it mostly behind a small boat at low speed and once behind a jetski, again at very low speed. I’m not an instructor, just a regular parent/uncle who’s done a fair bit of watersports, so I was looking for something that’s easy to set up and not a headache to manage when kids get tired or scared.

The first thing that stood out is how non-intimidating it looks compared to regular skis. Kids saw the bright green inflatable, climbed on it like a float, and were much more relaxed than when I’ve tried to strap them into hard skis in the past. That alone made the learning sessions calmer and shorter, which is a win when attention spans are limited and they’re already a bit nervous about falling into the water.

It’s not perfect, and it’s not magic either. Some kids got it fast, some were still awkward, and you do need to manage expectations: this is a trainer, not a shortcut to having them carve turns in one afternoon. But as a tool to introduce the feeling of being towed and standing on something in the water, it does the job pretty well, especially if you keep the speed low and stay patient.

In terms of value, I’d put the O'Brien Kids Simple Trainer in the “good but situational” category. It’s not the cheapest thing you can buy, but it’s also not in the same price range as a full kids ski package. You’re basically paying for easier, less stressful first sessions and fewer meltdowns on the lake. If you have two or three kids who will all go through the beginner phase over a few summers, the cost starts to make sense.

Compared to just using a towable tube, this trainer actually teaches them something useful: standing and being pulled. Compared to buying proper kids combo skis right away, this is less intimidating and usually gets you more successful attempts in the first day. So if your kids are nervous or you’ve already had one failed try with skis, spending the extra money on this step can save you a lot of frustration.

On the other hand, if your kid is fairly confident, athletic, and already comfortable in the water, you might be better off going straight to real kids skis or a small wakeboard. In that case, this trainer might only get used a couple of times before they move on, which makes it feel a bit expensive for what it is. It’s also single-purpose: you’re not going to repurpose it much once everyone in the family has learned the basics.

With the Amazon rating around 4.4/5, I’m clearly not the only one who thinks it’s solid but not mind-blowing. For families who really struggle with getting kids started, it’s good value because it lowers the barrier and helps them enjoy the sport. For families with bold kids who want to progress quickly, you could probably skip this step and put the money toward better skis or a nicer rope instead.

The design is pretty straightforward: a 53-inch inflatable body with a wide front, narrower rear, and two foot pockets on top. The bright green color is not pretty in a fancy way, but it’s very visible in the water, which I actually like a lot with kids. From the boat, you spot them instantly, and it’s easier to keep track of them if they fall or drift a bit. The size (about 44.5 x 35.6 cm in the spec, but that’s obviously the board area) feels right for kids up to about 8–10 years old, depending on height and weight.

The bindings are fixed and quite basic. They’re more like soft foot pockets than real adjustable ski bindings. They work fine for small bare feet or thin water shoes, but if your kid has wide feet or is near the top of the weight range, getting them in and out can be a bit fiddly. There’s no fine adjustment like on proper skis, so you’re relying on the elasticity of the material. That’s okay for a trainer, but don’t expect a custom fit.

I really liked that the floor is inflatable too. When it’s fully inflated, it feels surprisingly stable under their feet, not like a floppy pool toy. The kids I tried it with were able to stand on it in the shallows before even being towed, and that helped them understand the stance and get used to how it moves. The platform shape also means it doesn’t dive easily when they lean forward a bit, which is one of the big issues with normal skis for beginners.

On the downside, because it’s a single inflatable piece, it’s not very versatile once the kids outgrow it. There’s no way to separate it into skis or adjust it for heavier riders. It’s basically a one-purpose tool: teach small kids the basics, then move on. So design-wise, it’s smart for its niche, but don’t expect it to cover several stages of progression like some hybrid trainers do.

Comfort is where this trainer actually shines a bit. The inflatable floor is forgiving, so when kids shift their weight or slightly lose balance, the board has some give instead of punishing them immediately like hard skis. A couple of the kids I tried it with had already had bad experiences with regular skis (lots of falling and swallowing water), and they were clearly more relaxed standing on this. They described it as “standing on a float” rather than “standing on something hard that wants to sink”. That mental difference matters with nervous beginners.

The foot pockets are soft enough that they didn’t complain about rubbing or pain, even after several starts and a few short runs. That said, if your kid has very sensitive feet, I’d still use thin water socks or soft water shoes, because the edges of the pockets can press a bit when they’re trying hard to stand up. The openings are a bit tight for chunkier feet; one 8-year-old with wide feet needed help to get in and out every time, which got slightly annoying after the third or fourth attempt.

In the water, the buoyancy helps them feel secure. When they fall, the trainer usually stays close, and they can hold onto it while waiting for the boat to swing back. That’s less scary than being in open water with just a life jacket and separate skis floating around. One of the kids basically hugged the trainer between attempts, which told me a lot about how comforting the big inflatable shape is compared to skinny skis.

The only comfort downside is that, after a while, some kids start to feel a bit constrained by the fixed stance. There’s no way to adjust their foot position very much, and taller kids near the 85 lbs limit can look a bit cramped. So it’s very comfortable for the early stage, but they’ll outgrow the stance and the feeling fairly quickly once they gain confidence and want more freedom of movement.

The main material is listed as nylon, but in practice what you feel is a nylon outer with a PVC-style inflatable bladder inside. It’s around 454 g in weight according to the specs, and it does feel light when you carry it deflated. Once inflated, it has that typical towable-tube feel: reasonably tough, but you still don’t want to drag it over rocks or sharp docks. Around the bindings area, the material feels a bit reinforced, which is good because that’s where kids are constantly stepping and twisting.

In terms of valves and seams, mine looked decent. The seams are not flawless like on high-end SUP boards, but for a kids’ trainer it’s fine. I didn’t see any obvious weak points after several inflations and deflations. The valve held air for a full day each time; I never had to top it up mid-session, which is important because a half-deflated trainer gets wobbly and less safe. I’d still keep it out of direct full sun when not in use to avoid extra pressure and wear.

The trainer rope with EVA handle is basic but usable. The EVA grip is comfortable enough for small hands and not too hard, which helps when they’re nervous and clenching the handle too tightly. The rope length is short, which is exactly what you want at this stage, because you’re usually going slow and staying close to the boat. It’s not a rope you’ll reuse for serious wakeboarding later, but as part of the kit it does its job.

Overall, I’d say the materials are good enough for casual family use. This isn’t built like a commercial rental product that gets abused daily, but for weekend usage a few times each summer, it feels adequate. Just don’t expect it to survive being left inflated on a rough dock all season, or being used as a general-purpose jumping platform by a pack of older kids. Treat it like sports gear, not a pool toy, and it should last a few summers.

Durability-wise, I’d call it decent but not bulletproof. The nylon outer and inflatable structure feel similar to mid-range towables: good enough for family use, but not something I’d rent out daily to strangers. Over a handful of outings, with multiple kids climbing on and off, I didn’t see any leaks, seam issues, or big scuffs. The material didn’t fade instantly in the sun either, though I did keep it in the shade when not in use.

The main thing to watch is how you handle it on land. If kids drag it over rough concrete or rocky shorelines, I can see it getting scraped up fairly quickly. Same story if you let them jump on it from a dock or use it as a general float all afternoon. It’s designed to be a trainer behind a boat, not a full-time pool toy. Treat it like gear, rinse it after use, and don’t leave it inflated and baking in the sun all day, and it should hold up for several summers with normal family use.

The bindings and rope attachment points didn’t show any obvious weakness. The stitching and welds around those high-stress areas looked okay after our sessions. Still, I wouldn’t yank on the rope to drag it up a beach by force; that’s asking for trouble with any inflatable. Carry it or partially deflate it before moving it long distances.

Given the price bracket and the fact it’s meant for kids who will outgrow it, I’m fine with the durability level. If you expect it to survive rough treatment from a big group of kids all season long, you might be pushing it. But for a typical family that takes it out on weekends and looks after their gear a bit, it should last long enough for one or two kids to learn on it before they move on to real skis.

On the water, this thing is all about stability at low speed. We towed kids mostly between 5–10 mph (8–16 km/h). At those speeds, the trainer planes easily and stays flat. There’s very little wobble, and no one had trouble keeping it pointing roughly straight as long as the driver kept the speed steady. It’s very forgiving when they lean a bit too far forward or back; most of the time it just bobs instead of instantly submarining like narrow skis.

Turning is basically non-existent in a technical sense. Kids can drift slightly from side to side, but you’re not carving turns or doing anything dynamic. That’s fine at this level, but it also means more advanced or bolder kids will hit the ceiling of what this trainer can do pretty fast. One of the older kids tried to jump the small boat wake and the trainer just slapped down flat; it’s not designed for that kind of play.

Getting up is where performance matters most, and here the trainer does well. Because of the big surface area, it pops up quickly without needing much throttle. That’s easier on the kid’s arms and also on the driver, who doesn’t have to nail the perfect acceleration every time. Even when the driver was a bit jerky, the trainer still came up without huge drama, which you don’t always get with real skis.

The downside is that above a certain speed, it just feels like a float being dragged too fast. It starts to slap the water more, and kids don’t gain anything skill-wise from going quicker. So performance-wise, it’s really locked into that slow beginner zone. For what it’s meant to do, that’s fine. Just don’t expect it to be fun for older siblings who already know how to ride.

The O'Brien Kids Simple Trainer is basically an inflatable platform shaped like combo skis, with fixed bindings and a trainer rope. The whole idea is to lock both feet in place, keep everything floating, and remove a lot of the balance issues that make normal kids skis frustrating. The model I used is the green 53-inch version, rated for kids up to 85 pounds, so this is clearly aimed at younger and smaller beginners, not teens.

In the box, you get: the inflatable trainer itself, the built-in bindings, and a trainer rope with an EVA handle. There’s no pump included, so you need your own (I used a standard boat pump and it was fine). The floor is inflatable too, so kids basically stand on a soft but fairly rigid air platform. It’s branded for wakeboarding, but in practice it feels more like a cross between a tiny towable and beginner skis.

In use, you put the kid’s feet into the bindings on the shore or swimming platform, tow them at low speed, and they mostly just focus on staying upright and holding the handle. You’re not teaching them fancy edging or crossing the wake with this; you’re teaching them to be comfortable standing and being pulled. For kids who are scared of regular skis spreading apart, this one-piece design is reassuring because their legs stay together and the whole thing is very buoyant.

Overall, I’d describe it as a confidence builder more than a performance tool. It’s made for those first few sessions where the goal is “don’t cry, don’t hate watersports” rather than “be shredding by the end of the weekend”. If you expect that level of use, it makes sense. If you buy it thinking it will replace real skis for more than a season or two, you’ll probably be a bit disappointed.

In terms of pure learning, I’d say this trainer is pretty effective for the first steps. Kids who were scared of normal skis managed to stand, hold the handle, and get towed for short distances within a couple of tries. The wide base and the fact that both feet are locked together remove a lot of the issues like “skis spreading apart” or “one ski diving” that usually cause instant wipeouts. It simplifies the number of things they need to think about: bend knees, lean back a bit, hold on. That’s about it.

One 6-year-old who had refused to try skis at all did a couple of short straight runs on this trainer in the same afternoon. He didn’t suddenly turn into a pro, but he ended the day saying he had fun and wanted to try again next time, which is the main goal at that age. Another 9-year-old, who had some tube experience but no ski time, got bored with it after an hour because it was too easy to just stand there at low speed. For him, the trainer was more of a quick warm-up than an actual step in his learning curve.

Where it’s less effective is in teaching real ski or wakeboard technique. Because the platform is so stable and doesn’t edge like a board, they don’t really learn how to use their edges, shift weight side to side, or cross the wake properly. It’s basically “stand and ride straight”. So you’ll still need to transition them to real skis or a small wakeboard fairly soon if you want them to progress beyond just standing.

If your expectation is: “help my kid get used to being pulled, standing up, and not panicking in the water,” then it works well. If you expect it to replace a full beginner ski setup and cover several summers of progression, that’s where it falls short. It’s a good starter tool, but not the whole learning journey.