r/surfskate

Hey guys,

I need some expert advice on choosing the perfect surfskate. My situation is a bit specific: I am not training for ocean surfing, but exclusively for Rapid Surfing / Stationary River Waves (specifically the UNIT Parktech Wave in Langenfeld, Germany).

About me:

• Height: 174 cm (5'8.5")
• Weight: 70 kg (154 lbs)
• Surf Level: Beginners on rapid waves (can stay on the board for about 10 seconds right now, still working on holding the balance in the heavy flow).
• Skate Background: I have a solid skateboarding foundation. I feel comfortable on normal skateboards and cruisers, so balance/pushing is not an issue like (4/10).

My Goal:
I want an land training tool that specifically translates to the compact, high velocity environment of a stationary wave. I need sharp rail to rail transitions, a deep center of gravity, and a setup that forces me to drive from my hips/shoulders instead of just ankle wiggling.

From my research, I narrowed it down to YOW, specifically between two choices, but I am torn:

1. YOW Huntington 30" (17" wheelbase, Meraki S5): I read that the short wheelbase is amazing for the super tight turns and snappy rail action needed on compact river waves where you dont have space for wide ocean carves.
2. YOW Pipe 32" (18.5" wheelbase, Meraki S5): The absolute bestseller. Will the 18.5" wheelbase give me better stability against the heavy rush of the UNIT wave while still being snappy enough?

My Questions:

• Given my height (174cm) and weight (70kg), should I go with the ultra snappy 17" WB (Huntington) or the slightly more stable 18.5" WB (Pipe) for rapid surfing?
• Is there any other brand (like SmoothStar or Curfboard) that actually performs better on a stationary river wave than a YOW Meraki?
• Budget is tight (buying used), so if I get a cheap YOW setup, does it make sense to swap the Meraki trucks onto a wide 10" old school pool deck that I like

Appreciate all your inputs!

Hey friends, I've been doing a relentless search for information on how to do longboard dancing on a 40''+ deck with a surf skate truck (like the YOW Calmon 41).

I practice dancing on a longboard with reverse trucks (Paris Truck), you can see here https://www.instagram.com/p/CFiYByqJmWp/

And I've been wondering, would it be possible to practice movements like Peter Pan, Cross step, 180 step and use that movement to generate forward momentum as well?

In most videos, people do the cross step without doing carving, doing it more in the center of the deck (I see that it's very similar to what's done in surfing).

In longboarding, the movements are more focused on creating carving and having a cool flow (However, each carving slows me down, forcing me to push again.)

So I thought to myself, if I can do this on a surf skate, I can have a continuous flow without breaking it with pushing.

Hey hey, I wanna get started with surfboarding but I’m super clueless which board to buy. I live in Thailand so a lot of the boards in You tube videos would be quite over priced here because of import costs. Has someone tipps for a good beginner board (no boarding experience at all, last time stood on a skateboard and tried was 25 years ago) that’s available in Thailand? there are also many super cheap ones on Lazada for like 800 TBH and I’m wondering if that’s good enough to start or if they will be so shit that I’ll just quit right away again because the pumping will be so difficult or sth.

Any surf boarders from TH or SEA here that can help with advice? 🙏

I want to mainly use it for flat streets!

Hi All, looking for some advice on what board to pick for my partner. For reference I have a YOW Pipe 32" that she's tried a handful of times. She has loved trying surfskating just practicing on empty roads but my board is a little too snappy and unstable for her. Looking to get her something that's a bit more stable and cruisey, that she would feel comfortable riding on her own without me beside her. Unlikely that it will ever be used in bowls etc. Just for pumping up and down promenades and wide paths. She is around 5"6. Any suggestions appreciated :)

Hey guys,

How do you wash your protective gear? I'm always wearing my 187 killer pads when i ride and want to clean them today. 😂

Do you throw them in the washing machine or wash them by hand? 😄

Hey everyone,

I am looking to upgrade my current setup and need some advice.

My Current Setup & Style:

I currently ride a 28" Street Surfing cruiser (standard rigid trucks).

I use it for a 3 km to 10 km daily commute.

I love fitness pumping and I have already mastered how to surf-pump on this basic cruiser using ankle leverage and core compression.

The Dilemma:

I recently tested the Decathlon Oxelo 33" surfskate on a short track and absolutely loved the loose, phenomenal pumping feeling. However, the 33" deck felt too long and heavy for what I want. (Im 170 cm tall)

I am now torn between two options for my 3-10km daily commute:

1. ACTA Surfskate Overlap 31" (Uses their "Flux" RKP trucks, 17" wheelbase)

2. Decathlon Oxelo Ouroboros 30" (Uses their hybrid/angled surfskate front truck, 16" wheelbase)

My Questions for the Community:

1. The Commute: Since I already know how to pump a standard cruiser, will the short 16" wheelbase on the Decathlon 30" feel too twitchy, slow, or exhausting for a 10km transit compared to the ACTA 31"?

2. Powersliding: I really want to learn how to powerslide for speed control on my commute. Can you actually learn traditional longboard powerslides on the Decathlon's hybrid surf trucks, or will it just jackknife/high-side? How does the ACTA handle slides?

3. Build Quality: For those who own either, how do the stock components (bearings, bushings, pivot cups) hold up to daily commuting?

Would love to hear from anyone who has ridden either of these boards or similar truck styles (like Carver CX vs RKP cruisers). Thanks!

Hey y'all

I'm working at a tech college as a CAD (Computer Aided Design) drafter, I was hired to do designs and all the rest of the processes to make boards and help people who come in to do the same (dream job right?). We will be hosting a class (maybe more than one) where people can come in, choose one of 4 board styles and work with me to design and press a custom (within reason and one of the 4 designs) board; they'll be able to choose their wood veneers within reason too, we will have a decision tree for them to look and decide. We have decided for sure to do a regular skate deck and a longboard deck, but haven't decided on the other 2 options.

If anyone is curious to know more feel free to ask, the main software I'm using for design is Sk8cad and they have a shape library of a bunch of the most used skate designs if you want to see what I'm working with, though of course I can do modifications do the designs.

https://sk8cad.com/shape-library.html

What do y'all think we should do? I personally was thinking cruiser and surf skate as a couple of the guys here want a surf skate themselves.

I am new to surfskate but want to purchase a board to help practice surfing overall. I’m envisioning myself on longer flat rides.

I’ve been looking at a few carver boards but am slightly worried that my lower weight will influence my ride. I’m sure if this is a legitimate concern or not.

I’m currently looking at all c7s: the Carver 32” Glass off, the Carver 34” Greenroom and the 31.25” Cosmic Haze. The GrlSwrl is another option. Are any of these better for a tall but small rider ? I’m also open to other suggestions for my build.