This simple guide will help you to understand all about the world of the surfskating. It doesn’t matter if you are and advanced surfer or a person never jumped in a skateboard. I want to show how fun and beneficial it is.
First of all I would like to put the surfskate in a context. Everything sugest that skateboarding born when the surf got popular in USA in the middle of the last century. The young generations seduced for the californian and hawaian surf ideals started to copy and develope a total urban culture. It’s natural to think that surfer movement landed far from the ocean and the youths sharpened their ingenuity to be a surfer and emmulate their idols on TV. At the 1960′ skateboarding popularity dropped as being considerated marginal and dangerous. In the 1970′ skateboarding rebirth with more energy with new materials and the support of the industry.
The movement develope in the following decades consolidating the skateboarding as a total sport and a way of life.
Modern surfskating born the last expression of the techical and posture emmulation of the surf in concrete. The skate movement was hand in hand with the constant impovement of the board materials and the technology of the axes.
Nowadays the surfskate is a global phenomenon with dozens of brands competing and trying to be the all the rage every season. The surfer or the skater can be lost in the wide offer and we should not buy a pig in a poke!
Questions you may ask
Why I surfskate?
I surfskate because we can have fun practising and executing a wide range of surf maneouvers.
The surfskate is great for:
- Sense of the best surf position
- Basic turns: Frontside & backside
- Advanced movements: pumping, cutback, snap, pivoting movements …
- keep the body trained and create a lot of muscular memory for my surfing
I simplify the election acording to three important concepts: Wheelbase, Body height and personal coordination.
1.Wheelbase?
Is the distnace beetween the axes of your board.
Longer is the wheelbase, the board reacts with and smoother turns and maneuvers. Brings more stability on your cruise. and are recommended for initiations or for surfers who like to surf in lonboard style.
Shoter is the wheelbase, the board reacts with and sharp and agressive moevements. It’s less estable because is more reactive. Those skateboards are recommended for surfers with a bit of level who wanted to enjoy and get more the feeling of surfing in shortboard style.
- Body height ?
The perfect stance for the modern surfing is when the distance of your legs is a bit wider than your shoulders.
Every surfer needs a surf-skate with a wheelbase long enought to position your legs inside the wheelbase area.
If you try to surf with a surfskate with a shorter wheelbase for your height, you will blockyour natural surf stance and the right balance to continue learning.
Tall persons, pay extra attention to don’t buy or rent a skateboard with and small wheelbase.
Attention with kid’s boards. Often can be too small for your stance.
- Personal coordination
Ask yourself how good is your balance and how trainned you are. Don’t overstimate your skills if you never surf or skate before. To learn about running you must learn first how to walk.
I you are a beginner try longer boards.
Brands organized from less to more difficulty to ride it. Acording the sensibility and the tecnology of the front axis.
Beginner boards: Carver, Slide, Miller boards, Quicksilver…
Intermediate boards: Yow, Smoothstar, Surftech
4. The deck
Wider boards are more estable. Nowadays all the boards have a bit of concave on the tail for your advanced maneouvers and skate tricks. The swallow tails are ornamentall. Never choose your board for the pattern of your deck.
5. Wheels?
Surfskate work best with wheels in the range from 60mm to 70mm diameter.
Smaller wheels: are better in skateparks, on transitions or in the bowl.
Bigger wheels are better on bad streets or higher velocity.
Soft wheels have more grip while turning. Hard wheels make slides more easy.
6. Budget
High quality ( more than 250€)
Carver Skatetboards: it’s a very consolidated brand and you will find in every surf shop. Manufactured and assembled in USA. You are paying a bit the name of the firma but has good quality with the materials and it’s easy to find spare parts.
Swell Tech: younger firm, but also has quality on their components.
Yow: even younger, quality decks and good components.
Medium quality (170€-250€)
Slide Surfskates: really accessible product. Fair priec for the quality of their materials.
Miller division Surfskates: more of the same, but less accessible.
Take your surfskate and have a lot of fun, specially if you are far away from the waves or the conditions aren’t perfect 😛
Have a good one!
