Have you ever wanted to surf on the streets? With a surfskate, you can do just that.
On days when the waves are flat, you can still improve your surfing skills and get the feeling of surfing with a surfskate. But what exactly is a surfskate?
Surf skateboard? What’s that?
It has already been said above. It’s a skateboard for surfing the streets. The shape of the board, but especially the trucks, makes it possible to be super maneuverable on the street. To feel the surf flow.
It is a great feeling and not comparable to a longboard.
More interest in surf skate since 2020
There seems to be more and more interest in surf skating.
What’s the best surfskate for you?
A surf skateboard is interesting for every surfer. If you are more of a cruiser or a beginner, you do not necessarily have to buy a very flexible high-end surfskate. If you want to make radical moves with surfing and you already have a little skating or longboarding experience, you can go for a more dynamic board to further improve your surfing.
The nice thing about a surf skateboard is that (after practice) you can progress without stepping. You pump from one bend to the other. This also teaches you how to surf rail-to-rail.
Longboard vs surf skateboard
Because you can really imitate surfing with a surf skateboard, you already have the big difference with a longboard. And you can gain speed by moving through the trucks under the surf skateboard. With a longboard you will still have to step up.
The 6 most populair surf skateboards on the market
There are various brands that market this type of board. They differ slightly in quality, but they differ in particular in terms of truck flexibility. One board brand usually has more stable boards than the other.
The best-known and high-quality surfskate brands are:
Smoothstar
Smoothstar’s goal is to make surfers better. This brand is based in Australia. The SmoothStar Thruster invention (the front truck of the board) is patented. With this truck, the turns you make are not sharp, floppy or stiff, but are “Smooth” and as radical as you want and that’s why they call it “SmoothStar”.
Carver
This skate brand comes from California. Greg Falk and Niel Carver were looking for a solution for the flatdays. They came up with a way to make the front trucks move more easily. In the meantime, this has become one of the most famous surfskate brands.
Slide
Slide is part of Sancheski. A company in Irun (Northern Spain) that has been making sports equipment for over 80 years. Clothing and gear, such as the surf skateboard, which you see a lot in the Netherlands. This surfskate is made in collaboration with Hot Buttered Surfboards from Australia.
Swelltech
Swelltech is from Florida. Colin, the designer of the Swelltech board, started making his own board after his skateboard broke. And made his own trucks to get the surf feeling. Swelltech is now a leading surfskate brand.
YOW
YOW stands for Your Own Wave. These surf skateboards are produced in Barcelona.
Decathlon
The large French company Decathlon has taken a good look at all surf skates and longboards in the market. And partly on the basis of this we developed our own boards that are an excellent first choice for a large group at an accessible price.
Which surf skate brand for beginners?
If you read the reviews then there is an important conclusion for beginners: the brand doesn’t matter that much. Everyone is enthusiastic about the above brands and the boards they have. Although Swelltech is said to be less of a beginner board.
Important for your choice
- The length of your board. See the size chart below.
- Wheelbase distance
- Your own intention:
- Do you intend to really surf training?
- Or just surf cruising?
- Or do you really want to go into a bowl / skate park?
If surf cruising is mainly your intention, check these surfskate brands:
- Carver
- Slide
- YOW
- Decathlon
If you are going for surf training, check:
- Smoothstar with which you can train your turns well.
- Swelltech, which is seen as a more advanced board.
Video review surfskate
In the video below (from 2021) 15 boards are tested. Very handy to have a look.
Carver surfskate vs Smoothstar
Also check this review video of the Carver vs Smoothstart. You will see that the Carver is most pleasant for some and the Smoothstar for others.
Which size is right for you?
Check the table below for the correct size
| Length | Your weight | Advises surfskate length |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 155 cm | 25 – 55kg | Less than dan 30″ (ca 76 cm) |
| 150 – 170 cm | 40 – 75kg | 27 – 31” (ca 68 tot 79 cm) |
| 160 – 181 cm | 50 – 85kg | 30 – 32” (ca 76 tot 81 cm) |
| 165 – 187 cm | 60 – 90kg | 31”- 33” (ca 79 tot 84 cm) |
| 175 – 193 cm | 70 – 100kg | 32”- 35” (ca 81 tot 89 cm) |
| 182 – 203 cm | 85 – 120kg | 34”- 39” (ca 86 tot 99 cm) |
Buying a surf skateboard?
The prices of a surfskate range between 80 and 300 euros. Decathlon already has an entry-level model for around 80 euros. But if you buy a Smoothstar, you have to raise your budget to a few hundred euros.
By following these tips, you can choose the right surfskate for you and start surfing on the streets
Editor’s note: picture in header is from surftenika
