What is a Surf Skate?

What is a Surf Skate?

A surfskate is a skateboard that gives you the feel of surfing the street. Simply put, a surfskate is a skateboard for surfing the street. It's really caught on in Singapore recently and around the world due to the pandemic.

Surfskates use special trucks that enable riders to mimic the movements, feel, and flow of surfing. Surfskates were originally invented by surfers who wanted something to do on flat days. As time has passed, surfskating has proven to be one of the most enduring passions of skaters and surfers alike. Whether you love to skate or surf, surfskating is the closest experience you can get to gliding down and carving a wave. A great option for surfers stuck in Singapore with poor surfing conditions.

Skateboards are designed for tricks. Longboards are designed for cruising, downhill, or freeriding. Surfskates are designed to mimic the feel of surfing on land. To enable this motion, they use a special surf adaptar truck system. Skateboard and longboard truck trucks only turn along their kingpin axis. Surfskate trucks mount the truck on a rotating arm, which adds an extra axis of rotation. This allows it to move on an additional plane compared to typical skateboard and longboard trucks. Pivoting surfskate trucks make the nose of the board shift from left to right, with dramatic transitions from rail to rail, as the rider shifts weight. The rear truck acts as a pivot point that the board rotates around, and the amplified movement of the nose allows the board to turn much more tightly and dramatically. What does it feel like to ride a surfskate? If you’ve ever surfed, you know how a surfskate feels. If you haven’t, imagine riding a hoverboard that can flow with your body and move tight and smooth with the slightest shift in weight. You glide and carve without ever needing to push your foot on the ground. The front truck on a surfskate allows you to carve your way without having to put your foot on the road to increase momentum. By pumping the nose of the surfskate side to side, you quickly gain speed and direct the board. Who is surfskating for? Surfskates first appeared in the late 1990s, starting with Carver Skateboards. Originally, they were designed for surfers to do surf training on flat days. However, over time surfskating has evolved into far more than just surf training. Today, the best surfskate brands around the world are Carver and Landyachtz, each with their own unique style, feel, and purpose. Surfers love surfskating for surf training. But surfskating is not just for surfers! It’s for everyone who loves the freedom and flow of board sports and wants to experience a completely new, different, and liberating style of riding. 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!

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.

 

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.

 

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 very rough guideline for the selection of a surfskate. But nothing is carved in stone! As size is all individual preference. 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 suits with your normal stance, ideally you are able to position your feet above the rear truck and slightly behind the front truck.

Deck width, wheel base, wheel contact patch also all play a role in how the board turns. We will go into more of these details in out skate shop with you.

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 - Carver Courtney Conlogue
  • Yago Dora: 179cm 71kg, Board Length: 33.75" - Carver Yago Dora - Carver Yago Dora
  • Taylor Knox: 178cm 77kg, Board Length: 31.5" - Carver Taylor Knox - Carver Taylor Knox
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. 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. What Is A Surfskate? In the simplest terms, a surfskate is a cruiser board that mimics the feeling of surfing. But, wait aren't all longboards/cruisers meant to mimic the feeling of surfing? Sure, you could say that, but surfskates give another meaning to ‘surf feel'. Most surfskates out there have an adapter that attaches to the front truck, allowing it to pivot side to side. As a result of having these adapters, your carving ability increases dramatically. So, that's what I mean by another meaning to ‘surf feel'. It really allows you to pump. Similar to how a surfboard functions on a wave. The back truck is more of an anchor like fins would be, whereas the front is free, giving you that insane maneuverability.