Im a late skateboarder I started when I was 38 playing around with flat ground and grinding but man was that first year brutal learning to fall properly but it was worth it lol. Now at 41 I started surfskating down hill and this turned into the most fun cruise I have had in forever I just put some tunes in and the stress of work and life just drift away while im carving and just enjoying myself. For sure I am getting older but man the kid in me just wants to come out more and more and explore and have fun.
Same here! It’s amazing. Surfskating really sparked my love for skateboarding all over again. I love riding my surfskate now as much as I loved riding a skateboard 20 years ago. So refreshing
First thing I noticed with a surfskate was the carve on flats. It's addictive. The feeling of carving transition/ bowls is also an addictive rush. I have a Carver CX Taylor Knox set up and I forced myself to learn dropping in with my surfskate. A few slams at first but it's worth it. Carving bowls with CX trucks is unreal. Fully recommend! Great video 🤙
Totally addictive. I was carving a bowl on a regular skateboard a few weeks ago. It just feels so dead now. Carving around on a carver cx. Is so so fun. Can’t go back!
I have it the other way round. I was into Longboarding and surfskating, but it gets very quick boring because there is nothing to discover. It's always the same move. Now I startest Skateboarding and learning new tricks is difficult, but that's the fun about it. I chose to Skateboard not because it is easy, but because it's hard. Just the streets here in europe limit my possibilities a bit.
That makes sense. I still have tons to explore on my surfskate. I spent more than 2 decades on skateboards and it started to feel difficult to explore it further. If you’re looking for something new and fun and you’re doing both skateboards and surfskates, I can’t recommend the carver cx front with a standard skateboard truck like an independent or slappy in the rear. That’s been a really fun combination for me for the last few months.
I purchased a 31 inch santa cruz board with carver cx trucks. I can't wait to be able to use it properly. I'm 36 years old and until now I've always known skateboarding in the most traditional way possible. The world of surf skate has opened up new Interesting and fascinating perspectives.
62 year old started skating in the 70's...no more tricks, dropping in or riding big bowls or pools for me. I'll just carve and flow on flat and low angle hills and pump cruise...all about the glide now.
Yo! As a 45 year old who hasn’t skated in years this video gets recommended to me out of nowhere. I didn’t even know this was a thing. But looks awesome, exactly the sort of style that would get me back into it
Do it! I went 6 years of no skating and this is what brought the joy back. I love skateboarding now as much as I did 20 years ago thanks to all of the alternative board setup options
@@foxriver9156 Benefit from the overall consensus and my personal experience and buy a Carver complete skateboard with CX trucks. Soon thereafter you can upgrade the bushings from the “Surfskate love” link on this channel and you’ll have a fantastic board. You don’t need a skatepark; you can get a lot out of a small embankment or ditch. Carver Skateboards has a “Garage Sale” section where you can buy a board at huge discounts if you see a good fit.
i skated back in the 70s, like most people stopped skating in 1980, but started again in 85, skated until 1990, before stopping, it kinda just stopped being fun, it got more trick driven, and this took the hacking about, finding stuff to drop or grind, ollie over, before moving on somewhere else. just watched dogtown and z boys, how they used to just ride, have fun, rather than spend hours learning kickflips into whatever. surfskate looks more like the old days of keep on moving skate thing
I love dogtown and Z boys. What a killer movie. I’ve thought about that. Skateboarding took a turn and became super focused on tricks. Surfskating went back to the heart of how I see that era and put more turn lean and flow into the trucks. It’s a lotta fun 🙌🏼
@@nachojimenez2420 I think that's what most of us surf skaters did, but it was kind of a drag how the magazines only ever focused on insanely complicated tricks and vertical and little tongue-depresser boards with wheels of stone for 20 or 30 years straight. I stopped buying them because I couldn't relate at all to what was in them. It was hard not to feel at times like you were 'doing it wrong' 😂.
I also switched to surfskating and I like it so much more. I’m more into cruising than learning tricks, so the surfskate is perfect for me. And it’s a lot of fun.
I skate a regular board as well... but I bought a 1977 Alva board with soft wheels and now I can't put it down. I also ride a penny and a Powell Ray Bones board. All with soft wheels. I do a lot of 70's type based maneuvers and it's a blast. That said, when I go back to my regular board, I skate better on it and feel more stable.
I've always skated like this and loved the larger, softer wheels. Never had luck with tricks beyond wheelies and kick turns. I've always kind of envied the kids who can turn a parking curb into a skate park but that's just not me, I can't ollie to save my life! That said, hissing along with cushy wheels and a fast set of bearings is where it's always been at for me, on easy hills and freshly paved lots with some nice banks and turns. Instead of a modern Carver type board (which I intend to try) I use rapid kick turns back and forth to generate and maintain flow ('tic tacs' is what we called them in the 70's and 80's). I miss out on the flash and snap of the tricks, but also the injuries that so often come with them. At 59 years old that's fine with me!
@@kentwood9821 I’m 61 and an active ditch skater and occasional park skater. I have my Carver perfectly tuned with soft after market bushings, flat washers, and 70x 80a wheels (I sometimes go with a 65mm too). I feel like surfskates perform the way the concept of a skateboard was originally intended to… and no more need for tic-tac ing!
@@PauloBerni699”the way the concept of the skateboard was originally intended to” wow this hits different coming from someone that era as someone who got into skating primarily for the surfing the earth aspect
We still call them tic tacs! We used to do tic tac races from point A to point B for fun. Man, I really think a carver setup could be transformative for someone like yourself who likes rolling and cruising. I find it breathes a ton of life into cruising around. But definitely do what you enjoy the most and keep having fun. Stay safe and healthy 🙌🏼
I stopped in 1990 and started again in 2005 when I moved to Venice CA and saw people carving without pushing for the first time. I paid a surfer I knew to teach me how to carve and soon had 7 setups to take to parks. It made the whole experience of relearning to skate so much more enjoyable because if my technical attempts were just beating me up, I would grab a carver setup from my car and do that for a while instead of just leaving the park.
Yep it’s funny. You master tricks. Then they become less fun because you mastered them and the challenge is gone. So you push it further. And before long you’re slamming and beating yourself up all the time trying new things. Amazing how a surfskate transforms your skatepark. Tons of new ways to explore and experience the skatepark. Except the surfskate injects tons of fun and joy into it and reduces the risk of slamming.
I began in 1974 and got serious in 1975 just before the dawn of skate parks. Did all vert skating through about 82’ when private parks died out. Age 46 a little long boarding, yawn. Discovered Surfskates two years ago thinking it must be a gimmick; a re-theming of cruiser boards or something. I went to Zumies because they’re the only place in Tucson who sold Carvers. Set the board down on the store floor and cruised around the isles with out pushing. On my second loop I rode it right up to the register. After some bushings, bearings and wheels upgrades my board is a dream…. Turns with the body as tight as your motion will allow.
Crazy isn’t it?! It’s very much a “don’t knock it til you try it” kinda thing. I was at the new oro valley skatepark a couple months ago. I was with a friend and I let him try my surfskate. His initial reaction in the kidney bowl was “hey that’s kinda fun” He then got on his skateboard and said “oh my god I can’t believe my skateboard is this DEAD” 😂 I love your story. Hope to see you out sometime! Not a lot of surfskate in Tucson
Your story lines right up with mine. I skated in those years same as you and got board as well. 2024 I just discovered surf skating and I’m hooked! I even have a pump track in my neighborhood!
Hey bro looks like you was a street skater. I understand what you’re saying. I could never get into that. But I also grew up at kONA. I grew up as a pool and bowl & vert rider. It has always been a thing to carve with a flow. I’m old school started in 1977 at age 7 and still riding Alva decks.
Dude, you should try Avenue trucks, they soften the rough terrain and impacts but allow you to use normal wheels and don't add much weight so you can still ollie high and do flip tricks. When combined with bigger softer wheels it feels like skating on a cloud it's so soft and smooth. There's only a couple of downsides; you have to tighten the bushings to avoid wheel-bite, and they are a bit less stable when grinding or truck stalling on coping.
have you checked out a smooth star? they are surfskates from australia. super fun, different than carvers etc. they are trying to mimic the surf feel as much as possible. the boards ride very different from the rest. the felipe toledo model is super fun.
I haven’t ridden smoothstar. Hope to try it out sometime for the experience! But I’m not a surfer and I haven’t gotten super into pursuing the surfy feeling. I have a spice skate okto and that feels way surfier than my carver, I just haven’t spent a lot of time with it because it’s too loose for my taste and it’s really heavy.
A lot of it for me, was all my old sk8 rat friends dropped out. Then my son started getting to the age where I could start teaching him, now I’m in a new phase of skating again at 44 yrs. I really really like skating pump tracks now.
Yep. They are all just wheelie boards. With different geometries. Lots of us aren’t trying to do the things Nyjah Houston and Tony Hawk are doing. So maybe it makes sense that we aren’t riding the exact same setups they are 🤷♂️ Pumptrack is so fun. More cardio than I thought!
Definitely ride what speaks to you! I rode 52-56mm wheels for years of various durometers. Ive ridden Ricta Clouds and I don’t like them. I’m in the 58mm and up club these days and I doubt you’ll see me on anything smaller. It’s just what’s fun for me now.
I started surf skating bc I moved from south FL where I would surf/skimboard all the time to now living in Georgia where the closest beach is 4-5 hrs away. It was super weird at first but once you get the hang of it, its really fun! I'm really falling in love with it:)
Yeah not lots of skimboarding in Georgia. In Kentucky my friends and I would skimboard in the large shallow bodies of water that would temporarily develop in peoples yards after heavy rain 😂 so fun
dude the entire reason i started skateboarding was because of a shroom trip and i was thinking to myself how cool it would be to surf the earth’s terrain on a board with wheels. then i got caught up and down about the fact that i couldn’t do tricks on a regular board when the whole point of me starting was to cruise and surf lol. then i found surf skate recently… after downhill
I understand the need to change it up. I've been skating since 84. Starting with 70s banana boards and then 80s shaped boards. The first double kicked in 89, then spoon noses of 90 to 93. After that, it was popsicle decks for decades. Skateboarding got really boring on the popsicle decks as i aged. I bought a re pop 80s deck for ditch skating around 2015. But still rode the popsicle everywhere else. For the last five years, it's been only shaped boards i don't want to ever ride popsicle again! My skating has been revived, and I'm having fun again with different shaped boards. Also, softer wheels and wider trucks
No kidding. The antihero popsicle deck in this video is probably the last popsicle I’ll ever ride. Popsicles are so boring and uninspiring for me to ride compared to shaped decks. Ride on 🙌🏼
i skate surf and snowboard since almost 4 decades...i just dkateboard miniramps roday, when it comes to streest, i also just use a surfskate...keep on shredding bro`!!
I started surfskating when I was looking for a new longboard. Then I saw Steves video about moving from longboarding to surfskating and I thought „Man what‘s that cool board? Gaining speed without pushing! I really need some of these boards“ Also reminds me on these snake boards back in the 90‘s Steve you was truly an inspiration!
@@ciretose3000 yep my exact thought! One of the several reasons I give people when they ask why I ride a surfskate I tell em that being able to pump for momentum is like having bicycle pedals on a skateboard.
Thanks David, I really appreciate the video. I'm new to surf skate and wondered about board set ups and feels. This is an excellent explanation...might become a slippery slope of ordering all kinds of parts a pieces ha. Thanks.
It sure is a slippery slope 😂. But it’s so fun. I used to not know what I wanted for birthdays and Christmas. Now I’m always so excited to give my wife an extensive list of things to choose from because there’s so much out there and it’s a lot of fun
Nice edit! I found your idea regarding the board feel providing the fun interesting. I recently picked skateboarding back up after a 20 year hiatus. Crazy how the muscle memory has come back! I have a quiver of five boards all of the sudden too. Something for every occasion. A through line has been big soft wheels on all my setups. Even my board that I like trying my more technical tricks or jibbing on curbs has 56mm Powell Soft Slides...and I run my trucks crazy loose. The smaller harder wheels just feel uninspiring. Though I really like my Waltz Freestyle board with haf 54s and is the exception...but only ride this at the tennis courts and skatepark and driveway. The urban decay/chip seal we have here in Salt Lake just does not play friendly with 99a. I'd be curious if soft slides and loose trucks or similar on a popsicle would breathe new life into your riding based on your experiences with surf skating? Best regards
Because so many people have spoke highly of ACE trucks, I’ve ridden them. Even with softer bushings, they feel so stiff and dead to me. And ACE are supposed to be loose and turny. I also got Slappy trucks because they are supposed to be turny and they all feel stiff and dead to me. I even switched my bushings out to softer durometer bushings, and loosened the kingpin as much as I could. I can see how some of these trucks like Ace feel turny and lively if you’re coming from Indy or Venture. But personally, I just find skateboard trucks, even ACE, to feel, as you said about harder wheels, “uninspiring” But it’s all about having fun. I actually keep going to the Waltz website myself because I think a proper freestyle board looks like loads of fun to toy around with. So cool you have one! Are you liking it?
@@TheSurfskateboarder Ya man! I love my Waltz Freestyle setup. Their completes are a stellar deal. I got a 7.75 team model. Crazy how small it feels coming off my other setups but for what I'm doing with it it's way more flickable and so much easier to get it up on rail. I've come to believe that the skills in my practice with freestyle translate to all my other riding styles and vice versa. The wheels that came on it feel terrible in the hood but once I'm at the park or tennis courts the board comes to life. It's pretty easy for my to kill an hour or more in the garage in a parking space on a whim too.
@@johnschott3681 that sounds like a dream. I’m adding it to my list of potential birthday presents. That’s what I want. I used to flip my popsicle board into rail and such and do caspers etc. Different kinda skateboard that lends itself to different opportunities for fun 🙌🏼
I quit back in the day when all my friends stopped skating (i never got good) but recently back on the board after 18 years and learning new things. Im gonna pick up surf skating as well on the side for a relaxing experience.
I'm 45, not skatin anymore but I use surfskate from 2019 for cruising. It's not only a new way of skating, but it's a new of cruising. I literally use it for moving and surf the town and It's way better of a cruiser, no comparison. In fact I call it surfcruiser.
Check out Swampys setups and get you a 10.75 wide boy with some 56mm Spitfire super sliders or Powell dragons I think you might enjoy that the way you skated that bowl.
I’ve thought about those heroin decks. My only concern is that wheelbase. It’s really really short. 14.25. But I’m interested! It’s just a big jump down from the 16.12 that i enjoy…. 14.25 sounds crazy…. Yet simultaneously crazy fun…. Hell. I’ll get one 🔥
I think alot of people can relate to this and there are a ton of exskaters yet to discover Surfskating that soon will.....Its cool to see your approach to Surfskating, how you've apadted it to your skating background, and the neat things you do riding. David, have you ridden any of Steve's 50" + Longboard Surfskates yet, and if so do you foresee yourself adding any longer rides to your quiver? I've been riding 36"-42" kicktail cruisers alot lately with the C7 and Meraki....this is a really fun combo to cruise on and the kick tail brings alot of fun to the equation. For me it's satisfying and more complete overall experience to switch between riding the longer boards and the shorter ones depending what I feel like riding that day. I think anything one does long enough has the potential to get stagnating like you mentioned, and riding the entire spectrum of Surfskate sizes and setups keeps things super engaging for me!
But I agree. I think there are a lot of older skateboarders who have not tried surfskating who would potentially love it if they just tried it for a while. It’s a real game changer. Not saying it’s superior. But it’s undeniably a game changer and I love it
I skateboard for 12 years then I got into rollerblading when it was big back then then I got into BMX and now I have longboard cruisers I have no regrets 😊
How do you think Indy stage 4 compare to ACE and Slappy? I own Slappy 159. I’ve ridden ACE. Those trucks still feel too stiff for my taste. I’ve grown to enjoy a slappy truck on risers for my rear and a carver cx or c5 in the front. This gives me the turn and the ability to pump that I like but the slappy truck in the rear brings stability.
@@TheSurfskateboarder Ace trucks provide more lean and less turn. Stage 4s allow you to make sharper turns that help pump and build speed like a surfskate!
I do the same....but my 18 yr old son who skates says "please not when I am at the park" He also hates sprint vans and blimpstones. Not one to promote hate but as always skaters answer to no one and create their own path.
Seems like Surfskates are a bit of a hybrid of the Snakeboard and Skateboard. I used to love Snakeboarding in the 90's as well as Skateboarding. I started Skateboarding again last year and have learnt loads of tricks but it hasn't satisfied the itch to just go out and cruise about. I prefer loose trucks and big soft wheels on my skateboard but maybe I should get a surfskate to add to my growing collection of boards 😆
They’re so lively and fun to cruise. And you can pump and carve on flatground without having to push. When it comes to cruising, it’s a no brained for me on which I’d choose ☮️
I have ridden the longer boards a bit. I probably won’t spend a lot of time on them because I don’t have a lot of room to really enjoy them personally. It feels very big and tough to maneuver on my nearby bicycle path and my skatepark is lots of small tight transitions. If I had the room in my house to keep one and the room out and about to ride them, I totally would.
Thanks for the video. Great information as always. I've been trying to find a proper review of the slide gen 3.5 trucks but haven't really found one. My surfskate dealer highly recommended it over carver cx and yow meraki. Even calling them a bit out dated at the moment. I think he said that the slide encourages you to use "proper form" i.e. pumping and not wiggling your board. I would like to hear your take on this. Btw, the dealer carries boards from yow, carver and slide (among others) so I don't think he has financial insentives to lie about this
Yeah and you also get to be the best surfskater in the world lol I like the carving feel for sure, and I really like your idea of using a rear tkp to skate it like a skateboard. Might have to try it for myself! Surfskate trucks are so expensive and aren't built to take vertical impact and grinds, so...
Yeah the skateboard truck rear is proving to be a winning combination for me. I’m loving it for skatepark riding for sure. Tricks quickly feel a lot easier. Give it a go and let me know what you think!
You can get very similar effects with regular trucks doing 'tic tacs', rapid kick turns back and forth. Carver trucks just let you do that keeping the front wheels on the ground.
BRRRO!! I've got some questions. I skated from about '84 until '96 (or so), mostly mini and vert. I picked up skating again in 2016. My body is so different now, that I had to re-learn a lot, adopting different approaches, physics wise. I was never really happy skating unless I was progressing/ learning new tricks or skating some kind of drastically different terrain. It's been no different with my skating this time around, and its been a blast, but I've gotten good enough that to try to keep progressing, I am getting hurt really bad. I think I need a change like surf skating maybe? 'Been watching surf skate videos since my ribs are currently broken.😑 I mean it looks really fun, and maybe it would mellow me out? Is there a big learning curve, when coming from traditional skateboard? Also, where is that tranny park that you are skating near the end!!??🤙
Yep! That was my experience!! I didn’t think the learning curve was steep at all. It took a day or two before I was comfortable riding my first surfskate. Progressing into doing skateboard tricks was something I had originally not anticipated, and it’s been a fun process over the last year to figure out what tricks do work. I think if you’ve got a skateboard background and you’re looking for a way to mix up skateboarding, a surfskate is an excellent way to spice up the fun and change the game. It’s been a frickin blast 🔥 I’d tell you to not be attached to doing all of your skateboard tricks right away. Just go ride and have fun and if you start feeling hungry for doing tricks, start experimenting with it 👊
@@TheSurfskateboarder Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.🙏 I'll definitely have to remember that park if I'm ever in Southern AZ. It looks like a blast!🤙
When I see people on these types of boards, it never occurs to me that they might have grown up skating “traditional” street. I always assume they’re surfers or snowboarders or whatever so this was cool to see, and made me think one day I might switch to a board like that.
@@TheSurfskateboarder Definitely. Since I started skating in the late 80s I love the nostalgic feeling I get when I look down at a shaped board, and I really enjoy tinkering with my different setups, so I could see myself getting one. You’re right, there’s so much joy in finding new ways of approaching and thinking about skateboarding as you get older.
Im a late skateboarder I started when I was 38 playing around with flat ground and grinding but man was that first year brutal learning to fall properly but it was worth it lol. Now at 41 I started surfskating down hill and this turned into the most fun cruise I have had in forever I just put some tunes in and the stress of work and life just drift away while im carving and just enjoying myself. For sure I am getting older but man the kid in me just wants to come out more and more and explore and have fun.
Same here! It’s amazing. Surfskating really sparked my love for skateboarding all over again. I love riding my surfskate now as much as I loved riding a skateboard 20 years ago. So refreshing
First thing I noticed with a surfskate was the carve on flats. It's addictive. The feeling of carving transition/ bowls is also an addictive rush. I have a Carver CX Taylor Knox set up and I forced myself to learn dropping in with my surfskate. A few slams at first but it's worth it. Carving bowls with CX trucks is unreal. Fully recommend! Great video 🤙
Totally addictive. I was carving a bowl on a regular skateboard a few weeks ago.
It just feels so dead now. Carving around on a carver cx. Is so so fun. Can’t go back!
I have it the other way round. I was into Longboarding and surfskating, but it gets very quick boring because there is nothing to discover. It's always the same move. Now I startest Skateboarding and learning new tricks is difficult, but that's the fun about it. I chose to Skateboard not because it is easy, but because it's hard. Just the streets here in europe limit my possibilities a bit.
That makes sense.
I still have tons to explore on my surfskate. I spent more than 2 decades on skateboards and it started to feel difficult to explore it further.
If you’re looking for something new and fun and you’re doing both skateboards and surfskates, I can’t recommend the carver cx front with a standard skateboard truck like an independent or slappy in the rear.
That’s been a really fun combination for me for the last few months.
I purchased a 31 inch santa cruz board with carver cx trucks. I can't wait to be able to use it properly. I'm 36 years old and until now I've always known skateboarding in the most traditional way possible. The world of surf skate has opened up new Interesting and fascinating perspectives.
62 year old started skating in the 70's...no more tricks, dropping in or riding big bowls or pools for me. I'll just carve and flow on flat and low angle hills and pump cruise...all about the glide now.
That’s awesome. All about finding your own fun zone 🔥
Yo! As a 45 year old who hasn’t skated in years this video gets recommended to me out of nowhere. I didn’t even know this was a thing. But looks awesome, exactly the sort of style that would get me back into it
Do it! I went 6 years of no skating and this is what brought the joy back. I love skateboarding now as much as I did 20 years ago thanks to all of the alternative board setup options
@@foxriver9156 Benefit from the overall consensus and my personal experience and buy a Carver complete skateboard with CX trucks. Soon thereafter you can upgrade the bushings from the “Surfskate love” link on this channel and you’ll have a fantastic board. You don’t need a skatepark; you can get a lot out of a small embankment or ditch. Carver Skateboards has a “Garage Sale” section where you can buy a board at huge discounts if you see a good fit.
i skated back in the 70s, like most people stopped skating in 1980, but started again in 85, skated until 1990, before stopping, it kinda just stopped being fun, it got more trick driven, and this took the hacking about, finding stuff to drop or grind, ollie over, before moving on somewhere else. just watched dogtown and z boys, how they used to just ride, have fun, rather than spend hours learning kickflips into whatever. surfskate looks more like the old days of keep on moving skate thing
I love dogtown and Z boys. What a killer movie.
I’ve thought about that. Skateboarding took a turn and became super focused on tricks.
Surfskating went back to the heart of how I see that era and put more turn lean and flow into the trucks.
It’s a lotta fun 🙌🏼
or you could have just skated like the 70's the whole time and not worried about what other people were doing
@@nachojimenez2420😂
@@nachojimenez2420 I think that's what most of us surf skaters did, but it was kind of a drag how the magazines only ever focused on insanely complicated tricks and vertical and little tongue-depresser boards with wheels of stone for 20 or 30 years straight. I stopped buying them because I couldn't relate at all to what was in them. It was hard not to feel at times like you were 'doing it wrong' 😂.
I also switched to surfskating and I like it so much more. I’m more into cruising than learning tricks, so the surfskate is perfect for me. And it’s a lot of fun.
I skate a regular board as well... but I bought a 1977 Alva board with soft wheels and now I can't put it down. I also ride a penny and a Powell Ray Bones board. All with soft wheels. I do a lot of 70's type based maneuvers and it's a blast. That said, when I go back to my regular board, I skate better on it and feel more stable.
I've always skated like this and loved the larger, softer wheels. Never had luck with tricks beyond wheelies and kick turns. I've always kind of envied the kids who can turn a parking curb into a skate park but that's just not me, I can't ollie to save my life! That said, hissing along with cushy wheels and a fast set of bearings is where it's always been at for me, on easy hills and freshly paved lots with some nice banks and turns. Instead of a modern Carver type board (which I intend to try) I use rapid kick turns back and forth to generate and maintain flow ('tic tacs' is what we called them in the 70's and 80's). I miss out on the flash and snap of the tricks, but also the injuries that so often come with them. At 59 years old that's fine with me!
@@kentwood9821 I’m 61 and an active ditch skater and occasional park skater. I have my Carver perfectly tuned with soft after market bushings, flat washers, and 70x 80a wheels (I sometimes go with a 65mm too). I feel like surfskates perform the way the concept of a skateboard was originally intended to… and no more need for tic-tac ing!
@@PauloBerni699”the way the concept of the skateboard was originally intended to” wow this hits different coming from someone that era as someone who got into skating primarily for the surfing the earth aspect
Dude I'm in shock right now, I know exactly where you are in a couple of your scenes - my son and I go to the bowl park that you were at!
Ah cool!
I’m always going there for quick 1 hour sessions. I’m sure I’ll bump into you sometime! Definitely say “hey” 👊 🔥
We still call them tic tacs!
We used to do tic tac races from point A to point B for fun.
Man, I really think a carver setup could be transformative for someone like yourself who likes rolling and cruising. I find it breathes a ton of life into cruising around.
But definitely do what you enjoy the most and keep having fun. Stay safe and healthy 🙌🏼
I stopped in 1990 and started again in 2005 when I moved to Venice CA and saw people carving without pushing for the first time. I paid a surfer I knew to teach me how to carve and soon had 7 setups to take to parks. It made the whole experience of relearning to skate so much more enjoyable because if my technical attempts were just beating me up, I would grab a carver setup from my car and do that for a while instead of just leaving the park.
Yep it’s funny. You master tricks. Then they become less fun because you mastered them and the challenge is gone. So you push it further. And before long you’re slamming and beating yourself up all the time trying new things.
Amazing how a surfskate transforms your skatepark. Tons of new ways to explore and experience the skatepark.
Except the surfskate injects tons of fun and joy into it and reduces the risk of slamming.
I began in 1974 and got serious in 1975 just before the dawn of skate parks. Did all vert skating through about 82’ when private parks died out. Age 46 a little long boarding, yawn. Discovered Surfskates two years ago thinking it must be a gimmick; a re-theming of cruiser boards or something. I went to Zumies because they’re the only place in Tucson who sold Carvers. Set the board down on the store floor and cruised around the isles with out pushing. On my second loop I rode it right up to the register. After some bushings, bearings and wheels upgrades my board is a dream…. Turns with the body as tight as your motion will allow.
Crazy isn’t it?! It’s very much a “don’t knock it til you try it” kinda thing.
I was at the new oro valley skatepark a couple months ago. I was with a friend and I let him try my surfskate.
His initial reaction in the kidney bowl was “hey that’s kinda fun”
He then got on his skateboard and said “oh my god I can’t believe my skateboard is this DEAD” 😂
I love your story. Hope to see you out sometime! Not a lot of surfskate in Tucson
Your story lines right up with mine. I skated in those years same as you and got board as well. 2024 I just discovered surf skating and I’m hooked! I even have a pump track in my neighborhood!
Hey bro looks like you was a street skater. I understand what you’re saying. I could never get into that. But I also grew up at kONA. I grew up as a pool and bowl & vert rider. It has always been a thing to carve with a flow. I’m old school started in 1977 at age 7 and still riding Alva decks.
Kona is so iconic. That sounds so amazing 🤩
@@TheSurfskateboarder it is, nothing like it in the world one of a kind.
Dude, you should try Avenue trucks, they soften the rough terrain and impacts but allow you to use normal wheels and don't add much weight so you can still ollie high and do flip tricks. When combined with bigger softer wheels it feels like skating on a cloud it's so soft and smooth. There's only a couple of downsides; you have to tighten the bushings to avoid wheel-bite, and they are a bit less stable when grinding or truck stalling on coping.
I like vert because if you do it properly you dont get hurt much. But you gotta take it slow and really learn to bail with control.
Knee pads FTW 🔥
have you checked out a smooth star? they are surfskates from australia. super fun, different than carvers etc. they are trying to mimic the surf feel as much as possible. the boards ride very different from the rest. the felipe toledo model is super fun.
I haven’t ridden smoothstar. Hope to try it out sometime for the experience!
But I’m not a surfer and I haven’t gotten super into pursuing the surfy feeling. I have a spice skate okto and that feels way surfier than my carver, I just haven’t spent a lot of time with it because it’s too loose for my taste and it’s really heavy.
Cool to see all the old clips from the background!
Thanks Mark! 👊
Pumping and carving is all I do now. Running an LDP set up with Don't Trip brand LDP trucks and custom deck. Have fun guys!
Yo! I’m running a Pantheon Supersonic. Love me some LDP 👊👊👊👊
A lot of it for me, was all my old sk8 rat friends dropped out. Then my son started getting to the age where I could start teaching him, now I’m in a new phase of skating again at 44 yrs. I really really like skating pump tracks now.
Yep. They are all just wheelie boards. With different geometries. Lots of us aren’t trying to do the things Nyjah Houston and Tony Hawk are doing. So maybe it makes sense that we aren’t riding the exact same setups they are 🤷♂️
Pumptrack is so fun. More cardio than I thought!
You don’t have to sacrifice tricks for cruiser wheels. Get some 52mm-54mm 78a Ricta Clouds and put them on a regular setup.
Definitely ride what speaks to you!
I rode 52-56mm wheels for years of various durometers. Ive ridden Ricta Clouds and I don’t like them.
I’m in the 58mm and up club these days and I doubt you’ll see me on anything smaller. It’s just what’s fun for me now.
Great video, with the clips of each in action. Thanks
Thanks for watching 👊
I started surf skating bc I moved from south FL where I would surf/skimboard all the time to now living in Georgia where the closest beach is 4-5 hrs away. It was super weird at first but once you get the hang of it, its really fun! I'm really falling in love with it:)
Yeah not lots of skimboarding in Georgia. In Kentucky my friends and I would skimboard in the large shallow bodies of water that would temporarily develop in peoples yards after heavy rain 😂 so fun
dude the entire reason i started skateboarding was because of a shroom trip and i was thinking to myself how cool it would be to surf the earth’s terrain on a board with wheels. then i got caught up and down about the fact that i couldn’t do tricks on a regular board when the whole point of me starting was to cruise and surf lol. then i found surf skate recently… after downhill
🍄 🍄 🌈 🌈 🤩 🤩 😎 😎 👊 👊
I get you 💯 my friend
@@TheSurfskateboarder 🤝🏾😎
I understand the need to change it up. I've been skating since 84. Starting with 70s banana boards and then 80s shaped boards. The first double kicked in 89, then spoon noses of 90 to 93. After that, it was popsicle decks for decades. Skateboarding got really boring on the popsicle decks as i aged. I bought a re pop 80s deck for ditch skating around 2015. But still rode the popsicle everywhere else. For the last five years, it's been only shaped boards i don't want to ever ride popsicle again! My skating has been revived, and I'm having fun again with different shaped boards. Also, softer wheels and wider trucks
No kidding.
The antihero popsicle deck in this video is probably the last popsicle I’ll ever ride.
Popsicles are so boring and uninspiring for me to ride compared to shaped decks. Ride on 🙌🏼
i skate surf and snowboard since almost 4 decades...i just dkateboard miniramps roday, when it comes to streest, i also just use a surfskate...keep on shredding bro`!!
Cheers! You too 👊 🔥
I started surfskating when I was looking for a new longboard. Then I saw Steves video about moving from longboarding to surfskating and I thought „Man what‘s that cool board? Gaining speed without pushing! I really need some of these boards“
Also reminds me on these snake boards back in the 90‘s
Steve you was truly an inspiration!
@@ciretose3000 yep my exact thought! One of the several reasons I give people when they ask why I ride a surfskate I tell em that being able to pump for momentum is like having bicycle pedals on a skateboard.
@@TheSurfskateboarder exactly!
Thanks David, I really appreciate the video. I'm new to surf skate and wondered about board set ups and feels. This is an excellent explanation...might become a slippery slope of ordering all kinds of parts a pieces ha. Thanks.
It sure is a slippery slope 😂. But it’s so fun.
I used to not know what I wanted for birthdays and Christmas.
Now I’m always so excited to give my wife an extensive list of things to choose from because there’s so much out there and it’s a lot of fun
Nice edit! I found your idea regarding the board feel providing the fun interesting. I recently picked skateboarding back up after a 20 year hiatus. Crazy how the muscle memory has come back! I have a quiver of five boards all of the sudden too. Something for every occasion. A through line has been big soft wheels on all my setups. Even my board that I like trying my more technical tricks or jibbing on curbs has 56mm Powell Soft Slides...and I run my trucks crazy loose. The smaller harder wheels just feel uninspiring. Though I really like my Waltz Freestyle board with haf 54s and is the exception...but only ride this at the tennis courts and skatepark and driveway. The urban decay/chip seal we have here in Salt Lake just does not play friendly with 99a. I'd be curious if soft slides and loose trucks or similar on a popsicle would breathe new life into your riding based on your experiences with surf skating? Best regards
Because so many people have spoke highly of ACE trucks, I’ve ridden them. Even with softer bushings, they feel so stiff and dead to me. And ACE are supposed to be loose and turny. I also got Slappy trucks because they are supposed to be turny and they all feel stiff and dead to me. I even switched my bushings out to softer durometer bushings, and loosened the kingpin as much as I could.
I can see how some of these trucks like Ace feel turny and lively if you’re coming from Indy or Venture.
But personally, I just find skateboard trucks, even ACE, to feel, as you said about harder wheels, “uninspiring”
But it’s all about having fun. I actually keep going to the Waltz website myself because I think a proper freestyle board looks like loads of fun to toy around with. So cool you have one! Are you liking it?
@@TheSurfskateboarder Ya man! I love my Waltz Freestyle setup. Their completes are a stellar deal. I got a 7.75 team model. Crazy how small it feels coming off my other setups but for what I'm doing with it it's way more flickable and so much easier to get it up on rail. I've come to believe that the skills in my practice with freestyle translate to all my other riding styles and vice versa. The wheels that came on it feel terrible in the hood but once I'm at the park or tennis courts the board comes to life. It's pretty easy for my to kill an hour or more in the garage in a parking space on a whim too.
@@johnschott3681 that sounds like a dream. I’m adding it to my list of potential birthday presents. That’s what I want. I used to flip my popsicle board into rail and such and do caspers etc.
Different kinda skateboard that lends itself to different opportunities for fun 🙌🏼
I quit back in the day when all my friends stopped skating (i never got good) but recently back on the board after 18 years and learning new things. Im gonna pick up surf skating as well on the side for a relaxing experience.
It’s soooo fun! Lots of stoke 🙌🏼 👊
I'm 45, not skatin anymore but I use surfskate from 2019 for cruising. It's not only a new way of skating, but it's a new of cruising. I literally use it for moving and surf the town and It's way better of a cruiser, no comparison. In fact I call it surfcruiser.
No kidding. It’s a crazy fun way to get around.
Check out Swampys setups and get you a 10.75 wide boy with some 56mm Spitfire super sliders or Powell dragons I think you might enjoy that the way you skated that bowl.
I’ve thought about those heroin decks. My only concern is that wheelbase. It’s really really short. 14.25.
But I’m interested! It’s just a big jump down from the 16.12 that i enjoy….
14.25 sounds crazy…. Yet simultaneously crazy fun….
Hell. I’ll get one 🔥
I think alot of people can relate to this and there are a ton of exskaters yet to discover Surfskating that soon will.....Its cool to see your approach to Surfskating, how you've apadted it to your skating background, and the neat things you do riding.
David, have you ridden any of Steve's 50" + Longboard Surfskates yet, and if so do you foresee yourself adding any longer rides to your quiver? I've been riding 36"-42" kicktail cruisers alot lately with the C7 and Meraki....this is a really fun combo to cruise on and the kick tail brings alot of fun to the equation. For me it's satisfying and more complete overall experience to switch between riding the longer boards and the shorter ones depending what I feel like riding that day. I think anything one does long enough has the potential to get stagnating like you mentioned, and riding the entire spectrum of Surfskate sizes and setups keeps things super engaging for me!
But I agree. I think there are a lot of older skateboarders who have not tried surfskating who would potentially love it if they just tried it for a while. It’s a real game changer. Not saying it’s superior. But it’s undeniably a game changer and I love it
Damn you trying to get me to buy a new deck😂😂
Can’t have too many! 😅
I skateboard for 12 years then I got into rollerblading when it was big back then then I got into BMX and now I have longboard cruisers I have no regrets 😊
Just people having fun with wheels 🙌
Keep living it up 👊
Have you tried Indy stage 4 trucks? Please get a pair of the 166s if you don’t already have some!
How do you think Indy stage 4 compare to ACE and Slappy?
I own Slappy 159. I’ve ridden ACE. Those trucks still feel too stiff for my taste.
I’ve grown to enjoy a slappy truck on risers for my rear and a carver cx or c5 in the front.
This gives me the turn and the ability to pump that I like but the slappy truck in the rear brings stability.
@@TheSurfskateboarder Ace trucks provide more lean and less turn. Stage 4s allow you to make sharper turns that help pump and build speed like a surfskate!
I do the same....but my 18 yr old son who skates says "please not when I am at the park" He also hates sprint vans and blimpstones. Not one to promote hate but as always skaters answer to no one and create their own path.
Too funny 🤣
I’m fortunate that my 1 year old son thinks I’m cool right now 😎
Seems like Surfskates are a bit of a hybrid of the Snakeboard and Skateboard. I used to love Snakeboarding in the 90's as well as Skateboarding. I started Skateboarding again last year and have learnt loads of tricks but it hasn't satisfied the itch to just go out and cruise about. I prefer loose trucks and big soft wheels on my skateboard but maybe I should get a surfskate to add to my growing collection of boards 😆
They’re so lively and fun to cruise. And you can pump and carve on flatground without having to push.
When it comes to cruising, it’s a no brained for me on which I’d choose ☮️
I have ridden the longer boards a bit.
I probably won’t spend a lot of time on them because I don’t have a lot of room to really enjoy them personally.
It feels very big and tough to maneuver on my nearby bicycle path and my skatepark is lots of small tight transitions.
If I had the room in my house to keep one and the room out and about to ride them, I totally would.
@@TheSurfskateboarder Makes sense
Do you think the carver CX trucks is a good choice to make pumptrack ?
💯 The best!
It’s my favorite 🙌🏼
Thanks for the video. Great information as always. I've been trying to find a proper review of the slide gen 3.5 trucks but haven't really found one. My surfskate dealer highly recommended it over carver cx and yow meraki. Even calling them a bit out dated at the moment. I think he said that the slide encourages you to use "proper form" i.e. pumping and not wiggling your board. I would like to hear your take on this. Btw, the dealer carries boards from yow, carver and slide (among others) so I don't think he has financial insentives to lie about this
I haven’t gotten the opportunity to try a slide but I hope to sometime. Thanks for the feedback!
Yeah and you also get to be the best surfskater in the world lol I like the carving feel for sure, and I really like your idea of using a rear tkp to skate it like a skateboard. Might have to try it for myself! Surfskate trucks are so expensive and aren't built to take vertical impact and grinds, so...
Yeah the skateboard truck rear is proving to be a winning combination for me. I’m loving it for skatepark riding for sure. Tricks quickly feel a lot easier. Give it a go and let me know what you think!
You can get very similar effects with regular trucks doing 'tic tacs', rapid kick turns back and forth. Carver trucks just let you do that keeping the front wheels on the ground.
where could i find that first board you showed?? very interested
BRRRO!! I've got some questions. I skated from about '84 until '96 (or so), mostly mini and vert. I picked up skating again in 2016. My body is so different now, that I had to re-learn a lot, adopting different approaches, physics wise. I was never really happy skating unless I was progressing/ learning new tricks or skating some kind of drastically different terrain. It's been no different with my skating this time around, and its been a blast, but I've gotten good enough that to try to keep progressing, I am getting hurt really bad. I think I need a change like surf skating maybe? 'Been watching surf skate videos since my ribs are currently broken.😑 I mean it looks really fun, and maybe it would mellow me out? Is there a big learning curve, when coming from traditional skateboard? Also, where is that tranny park that you are skating near the end!!??🤙
Yep! That was my experience!!
I didn’t think the learning curve was steep at all. It took a day or two before I was comfortable riding my first surfskate.
Progressing into doing skateboard tricks was something I had originally not anticipated, and it’s been a fun process over the last year to figure out what tricks do work.
I think if you’ve got a skateboard background and you’re looking for a way to mix up skateboarding, a surfskate is an excellent way to spice up the fun and change the game. It’s been a frickin blast 🔥
I’d tell you to not be attached to doing all of your skateboard tricks right away. Just go ride and have fun and if you start feeling hungry for doing tricks, start experimenting with it 👊
And the tranny park is Continental Ranch in Tucson. One of tucsons least favorite skateparks… hence why it’s always empty in my videos 🤣
@@TheSurfskateboarder Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.🙏 I'll definitely have to remember that park if I'm ever in Southern AZ. It looks like a blast!🤙
🤙🏽🤟🏽⚡️🤟🏽🤙🏽
Stiff trucks, ride tensors 😂😂
I used to ride the Tensors with the orange slider pieces in the baseplates for long noseslides and tailslides😂.
im from the early to mid 70's and to surf skate is the ONLY !! way to develop STYLE and in surfing or skating STYLE IS EVERYTHING !!!!
Wow you turned into an old man im the same age 😂
And yet I feel like a 15 year old still 😬😅. Crazy how that works out
When I see people on these types of boards, it never occurs to me that they might have grown up skating “traditional” street. I always assume they’re surfers or snowboarders or whatever so this was cool to see, and made me think one day I might switch to a board like that.
@@craigh.5116 yep, good to remember they’re all just toys! You never know for sure what will or won’t click with you until you try it.
@@TheSurfskateboarder Definitely. Since I started skating in the late 80s I love the nostalgic feeling I get when I look down at a shaped board, and I really enjoy tinkering with my different setups, so I could see myself getting one. You’re right, there’s so much joy in finding new ways of approaching and thinking about skateboarding as you get older.