Buy a surfskate: How do I find the right surfskate?

The Surfskate world is growing! The market was dominated by Carver Skateboards for a long time and now offers new brands with really good boards and Surfskate trucks.

For you to keep an overview and find the right board for you, we put together everything you need to know about the Surfskate brands and truck systems and combined the information with our experience.

First of all, we have fun with all Surfskates, no matter which of the brands we introduce. We can recommend all Surfskate boards that you can find in our assortment, without hesitation. Quality, driving pleasure, design - everything fits!

Depending on the desired use of the board and rider type, the surfskates of one brand may be better suited than those of another brand. We would like to help you choose the right surfboard skate with a few considerations.

Surfskate Guide

1. What is a Surfskate anyway?
2. What is the difference between Surfskate and Longboard?
3. Which Surfskate brands are there?
4. How do the Surfskate truck systems differ?
5. Which size is right for me with the Surfskate?
6. Which surf skate suits best to my desired use like carving, surf training or cruising through the city?

1. What is a Surfskate?

A Surfskate is a skateboard for surfing on the street! The special front truck allows movements similar to surfing. The turning dynamics of the Surfskate truck allows short and manoeuvrable turns like surfing. Even if you have absolutely nothing to do with surfing: it doesn't matter. The movements are absolutely intuitive and easy to learn. 

A surfskate can be pumped along the road, i. e. driving and building up speed without having to set foot down on the road. This feeling is unique and the movements are not possible with traditional longboards. You can drive around even the tightest corner easy or slalom-like around the obstacles of your path, the moving truck makes it possible. You just need to shift your weight a little bit. 

If you can't wait for the next surf trip, if you want to improve your surf skills or if you are looking for a super fun cruiser, a surf skate is the right choice for you!

Source: www.carver-skateboards.com

2. What is the difference between Surfskates and Longboards?

The surfskate offers a completely new and different way of riding compared to traditional longboards! The motions on the surfskates are very similar to surfing and therefore differ greatly from longboard and skateboarding.

With the Surfskate trucks there are many more possible movements. By shifting the weight - purely from a tilting movement of the toe towards the heel - speed can be built up on the board - called pumping. This makes it possible to ride with the Surfskateboards and get faster without having to lift your feet on the road. This is not possible with normal skateboard or longboard trucks.

The body movement required for this comes close to motion sequences during surfing. The Surfskate trucks are much more manoeuvrable than Longboard trucks and allow very tight curves and radii which are simply not possible with Longboard trucks.

3. Which Surfskate brands are there?

Carver Skateboards

Carver skateboards from California - one of the pioneers in Surfskate development - comes with two Surfskate trucks: Carver C7 and Carver CX.4. Carver produces high quality Surfskate trucks and Boards. Find out more about Carver boards here: Carver Skateboards Overview

YOW Surf Skateboards

The young brand from Spain offers a super agile surf skate system! The YOW Surf Meraki System is also available separately as Surfskate Upgrade for your Cruiser Skateboard.

Miller Division Longboards

Miller Surfskates is also a spanish brand from Cantabria with a Reverse Kin Pin Truck (XRKP) technology. The geometry of the truck works similarly to the Carver CX. 4 truck.

Long Island Longboards and Surfskates

Also a surfskate brand from Spain. The Long Island LEAN Surfskate axle works in a similar way to the YOW Surf Meraki system.

4. How do the Surfskate truck systems differ?

4.1 Carver vs. YOW

YOW Surf have the most mobile Surfskate systems. The steering of YOW Surf boards is clearly extreme. If you are looking for a surfskate for surf training or if you have already tried other Surfskates and are looking for a new challenge, YOW Surf is the right choice.

The Surfskate trucks of Carver, Carver C7 and Carver CX are more stable than those of YOW Surf. If you want to cover a slightly longer distance besides surfing manoeuvres, carves and pumping, the Carver skateboards are the right choice. Surfskate beginners will also find it easier to get started with the Carver Board.

For everyone else: Get the YOW to get it all out of you! We are huge fans of YOW Surfskate and they will make every surfer smiling!

4.2 Carver vs. Miller vs. G-Truck

The Surfskate trucks of the Miller Division and G-Truck are really similar in geometry to the Carver CX. 4 truck. All three truck systems are Reverse King pin trucks.

Carver skateboard trucks are handmade in California and have been developed over many years to match the Surfskate movements. Among the Reverse King Pin trucks, Carver CX, Miller XRKP, and G-Truck Surfskate, Carver's experience is clearly evident in the driving experience!

The quality of the Carver trucks remains unchallenged and justifies the difference in price in any case!

The Miller XRKP surfskate system and the G-Truck convinces us as a cheaper alternative to the Carver CX.

No matter if you like the design better or want to dig a little bit deeper into your pocket - the Miller and the G-Truck Surfskate system are just as much fun.

That means with all three boards and the truck systems you can carve, cruise and pump and have a stable feeling despite the flexibility of the board. These boards are recommended for beginners to experienced cruisers.

4.3 Carver C7 vs. Carver CX

Carver Skateboards has two Surfskate trucks: Carver C7 and Carver CX. 4 With the premium truck, Carver C7, Carver got their surf skates rolling. The Carver C7 offers a little more adjustment possibilities. The new generation of trucks, the Carver CX. 4, is a Reverse King Pin Truck and slightly simpler. The Carver CX. 4 is lighter and reacts a little faster. More information about the comparison of Carver C7 and Carver CX can be found here: Carver C7 vs. Carver CX

5. Which surfskate is the best one for me?

For the decision on a suitable surfskate we have created a table with body height, weight and board length as a guide.

5.1 Which size of the surf skate suits me best?

Height	Weight	Surfskate Length
under 155cm	25kg - 55kg	under 30"
150cm - 170cm (5”0` - 5”7`)	40kg - 75kg	27 - 31”
160cm - 181cm (5”3` - 5”11`)	50kg - 85kg	30 - 32”
165cm - 187cm (5”4` - 6”2`)	60kg - 90kg	31”- 33”
175cm - 193cm (5"7` - 6”4`)	70kg - 100kg	32”- 35”
182cm - 203cm (6”0`- 6”8`)	85kg - 120kg	34”- 39”

The table serves as a guideline for the selection of a surfskate. But nothing is carved in stone. Depending on the use and purpose, the table can also be ignored: For example, if you are looking for a Mini Cruiser Surfskate for the city and are bigger than 180cm, you can easily do this with a board under 30". Conversely, someone who is lighter and would like to drive long carves or want to cover more distance can take a longer board. However, you should always check if the length of the board still sutis with your normal stance, ideally you are able to position your feet above the rear truck and slightly behind the front truck.

5.2 Which surfskates do the surf pros ride?

A look at the dimensions and boards of the surfing pros can also help you:

• Courtney Conloque: 173cm 63kg, Board Length: 29.5" - Carver Courtney Conlogue
• Yago Dora: 179cm 71kg, Board Length: 33.75" - Carver Yago Dora
• Taylor Knox: 178cm 77kg, Board Length: 31.5" - Carver Taylor Knox
• Aritz Aranburu 172cm 71kg, Board Length: 32.5 - YOW Surf Aritz Aranburu
• Ibon Amatriain, Board Length: 33 - YOW Surf Ibon Amatriain
• Yago Dora, Board Length: 33.75 Carver The Skinny Goat Yago Dora Pro Model
• Gabriel Medina: 180cm 77kg, Board Länge: 33.5 YOW Surf Medina Pro Model
• Mick Fanning: 178cm 75kg, Board Länge: 32.5 und 33.5 YOW Surf Fanning Falcon Pro Model

5.3 Riding skills

Surfskate Beginner

You have no experience with longboards, skateboards or surfskates? That's no problem! Everyone starts small!

With a little practice you will learn to pump and carve skateboard turns quite fast. After the first few sessions, you'll make significant progress and get the hang of it! No matter your age.

As a beginner you feel more comfortable on a stable board. Therefore, we recommend a longer and wider board with a larger wheelbase. Beginners are also advised to wear protective equipment such as helmet and kneepads.

Recommended Boards and Brands: Carver Skateboards, Miller Division, Long Island Longboards

Advanced riders

You already have surfskate or surfing experience, or you are driving a longboard and skateboard and you are looking for something new. After a short time you will master all Surfskateboards!

Recommended boards and brands: Carver skateboards, YOW Surf, or any other.

Surfskate Pro

The wheels of your carver board are already worn up and you call the bowl and skatepark your second home, then you should definitely have a look at the boards of YOW Surf!

Recommended Boards and Brands: YOW Surf, Carver Skateboards or all others.

6. Which Surfskateboard for which purpose?

6.1 Which surfskate suits best for surf training?

For surf training we recommend the boards of YOW Surf and Carve Skateboards. The Surfskate truck system from YOW has the strongest radius of motion among all surf skates. With YOW boards you can do much tighter turns and surfing manoeuvres like cutbacks than with other Surfskateboards.

If you mainly want to push your surfing skills, YOW is the right choice!

You have a little more body weight and want to lean fully into the turns and put real pressure on the rail, just like on a surfboard, then the Carver Surfskate is just as good at pushing your surfing to the next level!

6.2 Allround surfskate for surf moves and cruising through the city centre

In addition to surf manoeuvring, you want to cover a longer distance or simply cruise through the city, we recommend a Skateboard from Carver, Long Island or Miller.

  

We hope you find the right board! Otherwise just send us an email!

Ride On!
Your Surf-Skateboards Team