Dave, don't worry about getting too small a boat, at 8yrs old she'll fit into the smallest boats. I got a Poquito glass boat for my 6yr old (8yrs ago) although it it a great little boat it isn't that easy to turn. Made a Pygmy 13 a couple yrs later, you cannot go wrong there. For a 60 lb child it'll still be a bit of a platform since a 120person can paddle it but still it can be built quite light. I made mine with 6oz s-glass thinking that someday surf and rocks might be in its future, it now is in a rental fleet being used by small adults and kids as proof that they can keep up with the bigger folks and boats. The CLC 14 is bigger yet, I'd opt for a smaller cockpit since the standard size cocpit is big for people <5ft. Whatever you get don't expect a kid to paddle anywhere as long or steadily as an adult, but you'll get great practice making impromptu tows and games.