So, first impressions for the Pantheon Shuriken Surfskate: The deck feels premium like all the new pantheon boards, and does some things that are new. Mainly the torsion channel/window and the internal wheel-wells. Here the Specs: Length: 33.6 inches Width: 10.2″ max front foot, 9.8″ max width tail Wheelbase: 17, 17.75 inches Concave: Gentle and wide front, Tighter at the tail I’ve set mine up with the Yow Meraki System and so far I am pretty impressed. The wheel-wells are actually working and fit my system perfectly. It’s actually really great to have em, since most of them on other decks don’t do anything or are just misplaced. The effect of the torsion channel is not yet too clear to me, this one needs more testing how it behaves at my 70kgs. But the ride feels really nice so far and I don’t think the board feels too stiff. I didn’t encounter too much wheel lift yet but I need to test a lot more! The deck shape in itself is pretty mellow which is nice for longer sessions. It feels nice to stand on! The size of the board also allows for a really comfortable stance! The griptape feels a little coarser than standard skateboard tape, but that could also be my imagination. What could be better imo is to have one more wheelbase option in the front. I could do it myself but I’d rather have it done right :D And it would also be nice to have countersunk holes. I did it on my deck, but it’s also nice to have. I’m looking forward to give this one more testing! Anything you would like to ask ?
There's a lot I like about mine, but to me there's still a ways to go before it is dialed in. The front truck wheelbase is not far enough forward when using the Carver CX position (17"). It's very important to stay behind the truck bolt holes on a surfskate as the turny front trucks are prone to jackknifing if too far forward. In the 17" position, this causes the heel to sit in the center cutout when starting pushing off (minor inconvenience). Since the normal riding stance has the front foot mainly sideways once at speed, but also somewhat forward, using a truck like the CX in the 17" wheelbase position can cause the heel to be off the side cutout. I feel like I'd like both wheelbases about 1.5" more forward, or the side cutout could start further back towards the tail to make room on the deck to stand on. Lighter is good, but not at the cost of losing a place to stand. This won't be an issue for a child, or person with a small foot, but children don't often have the money for a $160 deck, so keeping larger feet in mind is probably a good idea. The 17.75" whe elbase position does alleviate the issue somewhat, but then the Carver CX trucks don't benefit much from the wheel wells as the design is not a true adjustable dual wheelbase design. It is intended that the compact steep angle RKPs (Carver CX) go in the rear position at 17", and the pivoting ones (C7, Yow Meraki) go in the front one at 17.75". It seems like it would be better board for a C7 or Yow Meraki, than for a CX. Then again, all of the cutouts are mainly there because the board was too stiff without them. An 8-ply maple/fiberglass deck is perhaps excessive. I'm 230lbs., and it is still not a very flexy deck tranversely. That's not bad if you like a stiffer board as I'm more acustomed to, but then again a bunch of compromises had to be made because it wasn't flexing. The sides were cut out, so note the front heel doesn't get up on the deck if you have big feet. Then the center was cut out. The wood on the center cutoff is neither sealed nor really sanded smooth on my deck. The only deck I've ever owned with unfinished wood was on a $45 complete Globe Aperture's wheel wells. SoulBoardiy figured out laying the triaxial fiberglasss in an X-shape negated the need for the center cutout. Bamboo also might help the flex rather than maple, but just removing a ply of maple might be beneficial too, and then it might not have to be cut out in the middle which makes the board less comfortable and leaves a completely unsealed area of the deck on what is otherwise a super sealed deck. Honestly, the flex is lesser of an issue, and I'll just buy some varnish to seal the cutout. The bigger issue is that I'm going to have to drill a wheelbase in a more proper place for an 18" stance to get my heel onto the actual board. Then I'll have to take a router and cut some wheel wells on the bottom which will ruin the seal there too. I'm still very happy to support the creation of a Pantheon surfskate deck as the owner is a true craftsman pushing the entire industry forward. I've got a Supersonic too, and it's top notch. The surfskate deck isn't at that level yet, but this is a good initial attempt. In summary perfection to me would mean more front foot space as it isn't a pool/vert board that needs a ton of nose, 17"-18"-19" wheelbase options, cutting the internal wheel wells larger so that either truck could go in either position, and eiither eliminating the center cutout by using better construction techniques that get more transverse flex into the deck, or at least putting some waterproofing on the wood. The things I love are the wide tail, the epoxy-composite construction, internal wheel wells are an amazing idea even though they need a revision in their shape to acommodate multiple wheelbases better, beautiful veneer, the swallow tail is stylish without affecting comfort much, and it is well gripped. I would much rather support my own domestic board builder, but right now Soulboardiy is still provablt selling the better board for most people. I believe that Jeff at Pantheon is generally obsessive in quality and will keep improving these if we buy them. If there's one day a Shuriken 2.0, then I'll probably be one of the first in line like I was for the 1.0
@@skate-horizons I love you both for loving the community. Neither one of you would be doing this if it wasn't in large part to help other people. I only give the criticism with the hope of attaining a result closer to perfection.
@@funkingitup1805I appreciate the feedback. It’s hard to make something for everyone. The shape works very well for the people we tested the board with (including myself). I have no problem standing further on top of the trucks. Such is my style and was cohesive with the styles of our test riders. Regarding construction, it is 6 ply maple with glass, not 8 ply. When we tested 5 ply, which was my original shape, the tail was just too soft. We COULD test bamboo, and actually did, but personally I was happy with the 6 ply and felt the increased cost of the bamboo layups did not affect the construction of the board in a way that was worth the cost. That said, I have learned more about our bamboo layups through our Supersonic experiments, and it may be further worth looking into. The torsion window is useful when compared to no torsion window at all. We experimented with this quite a bit. It’s still not a floppy board, as you pointed out. I think it may be worthwhile to experiment with other offerings. We actually have done this already and do have another shape we like, but we didn’t like it as much as this one and wanted to start with what felt like our best foot forward. I appreciate the feedback and will keep my ears open for more and try to take it all into account!
@@PantheonLongboards I totlally respect that there is no pleasing everyone. I'm still really grateful to try the platform. I am bit taller than average with size 13 clown shoes, and that is probably where a lot of my issues come from. Everyone is different. More adjustability would certainly widen the amount of people it works for. Thank you for the correction. I suppose I was improperly considering a layer of fiberglass and resin to essentially constitute another ply. That makes total sense about not wanting less stiffness because longitudinal flex is what I mainly feel, and it wouldn't be good to have the kicktail a whole lot flexier. Some people would hate it if it flexed more or less anyway, so there's no winnning there. I'm definitely going to experiement before I do any cutting. I literally just started riding it. I may buy a C7 to see how that feels. I'll probably end up pushing that wheelbase out to about 18.5" to get a little further forward. Most instructionals I've seen for surfskating recommend making sure to stay well behind the front axle to not jackknife it, but I get that more skilled riders probably want that leverage over the truck. Thanks for the amazing efforts, and I wish you continued success. Internal wheel wells are an excellent idea. I hope to see one in the hands of Steve at Surfskate Love soon as I don't know anyone who owns and tests more surfskate trucks and decks than him.
Thanks for the commentary and video. The "under the board" perspective was novel and interesting. This is an interesting looking board. If only I had a magical bank account. Pantheon seems like such a nice company. Something that interests me would be an explanation for the setup you chose (trucks, wheels, riser, bushings, etc.). You chose "the Yow Meraki system", which is new to me. So many options! It's easy to get analysis paralysis with all the possibilities. Thanks!
Honestly man, from my perspective, the longboard world is about trying and trying and holding on to what you like. If you are lucky enough to have friends that can let you try their boards or a physical shop then by all means try everything. If not, then you might need to go my way and bite the bullet and purchase stuff.
I ordered mine from Sickboards and it arrived within two days with a couple of Shirts, like the Blue sweatshirt I'm wearing here, and some goodies you can see in the unboxing! Thanks guys for the support. I really appreciate it!
3:20 I can't help but wonder if you measure the ride height in the front vs the back, if you are still not 1/4" low in the back. I have a Yow Meraki currently mounted on my surfskate and when I checked the ride height after installing the two risers included with the set, I was still 1/4" low in the back, so I added another 1/4" riser to level it out. This actually matters, as you don't want to have to start initiating your turn by first compensating for a pre-existing imbalance. After trying it with just the risers for a while, I decided to swap the risers for my Waterborne rear adapter which was collecting dust on the shelf. Then I swapped the rear TKP truck that Yow included with a 9" wide Ace AF1 66. WOW! Whatta difference in ride! I also really like Surfskate Love's 78a 70mm Surfskate Wheels and of course...Zealous steel bearings. Still $15.99/ set from Zealous and they NEVER, EVER wear out. The longer you ride them, the faster they go. Special, top-secret, proprietary nano-grease they use. 😉
I measured, its about 3-4mm difference from deck to axle - Rear/Front, which might be due to the concave. Mine is pretty symmetrical, but i have a block riser and not two 1/2 inch ones. And yeah TKPS and a waterborne rail is just :*
@@skate-horizons I call them buttonhead (narrow) and panhead (wide). But those 2 don't and can't countersink into the wood on their own like flatheads do. I'm sure you can counterbore them in though, but counterboring is quite extreme.
Bolts will just kind of countersink themselves will a bit of pressure, no? I realized that probably doesn’t work as well with a fiberglass top. You could also use button head hardware. Cool to see this video, though! This is a beautiful board.
Yea you are right, they will sink into the wood. You however need to put on a lot of pressure that might lead to stress fractures. It can happen from overtightening screws as well. I would rather put them in flush!
@@skate-horizonsI don’t think it will cause stress fractures in this type of layup. I also like your countersink method. Most hardware in Surfskate is countersunk, indeed. Maybe worth us looking into tbh. I tend toward button head and my Surfskate with Carvers is using button head right now.
@@skate-horizons true story, better be safe than sorry with such worthy items. It "usually" works without, but if you want to do everything the right way, this is the way to go and i bough a Bit only for my boards for all the same reasons some time ago :D
Probably the review I was most looking forward to despite owning the thing already :D - Great first impressions, can't wait for follow up in-depth content! Also totally happy about it yet still a few opportunities to improve IMHO. 1. The holes not being countersunk is something not bothering me much as this is something I can easily do myself without much time effort and minimal equipment. Still it would be nice to have this detail checked on a premium quality deck. 2. I understand the importance of a stiff kicktail, yet the board in whole with all the final adjustments like tail and middle cutouts still feels pretty stiff and overly thick to me, at least with my current 90kg. This might not be a lot, but probably above the average rider. Currently I think this board might be one of the best surfskate decks for a little heavier riders above 100kg. Especially with the "torsion channel" I expected it to twist a little bit easier. I know it is no soulboardiy and that that was never the intention, but I feel like the soulboardiy just hits the sweet spot in a lot of points, one of them being the perfect torsional flex along with a super lightweight and thin construction. Basically the only thing I am not the biggest fan of is its nose shape (in aesthetic regards, it is pretty functional though). Totally dig the shurikens nose however, love the wide and mellow foot platform and that there is possibility to add additional wheelbases. 3. The point that probably sets me off the most is the seemingly unsealed torsion window cutout. I really love decks that have their sidewalls sealed properly with eather a sheet of coating materials (e.g. fibreglass, ABS, carbon fiber, ...) or even a polyurethane strip which can also act as a kind of bumper at the same time. With this part leaving a kind of loose end impression on me, I would not really trust the deck to handle wet conditions well without the plies potentially swelling up at this this open edge. Not sure if this is only the impression, but it does at least not feel sealed or smooth to the touch. 4. Although it would be great to have native additional wheelbase options, I get that it would be hard to have this working over a wide range considering the dedicated wheel wells/pockets. 5. My last first world problem would be the use of conventional griptape. I replaced the usual griptape of almost all my boards with non rip rubber griptape by now and I currently see now downsides in contrast to conventional griptape even after prolonged use. Especially since I don't do aggressive park riding or stuff like that. Currently I am very happy with the DKL griptape except for the 9x33" size which is just a tiny bit too short/narrow for many surfskate decks. I am about to test EU available creamgrip tape soon which comes in 10x33" and also 10x45" sizes. Just would love to see to see this kind of griptape prebuilt into newer skate decks as they won't rip on your clothes or other gear when carried or sat on for a moment and are also easier to clean. Besides that I think the rubber griptape would really fit the whole surfskate theme. Do not get me wrong however, I still think that this is a really great board and it can not be blamed to not meet the huge basket of expectations I have accumulated :D So here is all the stuff I like about the board: 1. Can't ignore the first impression this incredible shape leaves, I really like it a lot! Despite the torsion window being functional, it really adds to the uniqueness of the deck (also loved the effect this window has on filming your skating from a sub deck mounted camera, great shot Michael @skate-further !) 2. Totally in love with the wheel pockets / sockets. This is so bleeding edge surfskate deck development avantgarde stuff that I do not even know what to call it yet. This is certainly a topic that will set the pace for other dedicated surfskate brands in case they really care about their deck design. Sadly many of them are still of astonishingly bad quality right now, both in regard to materials used and functional design. 3. I am just a huge fan of composite constructed decks for the great properties they provide, especially regarding the resilience towards negative influences like scratching, wetness, impact.. 4. Love the mellow concave as many surfskate decks are rather concave by now which start to hurt my feet sometimes if the session or the commute is just a little longer. Totally comfortable stance with this one both at the front and back. I also love the back for the rather straight edge with just a tiny incision and not a full fishtail. This way it really adds to the look without compromising functionality. 5. I like the torsional window both for the novel idea of increasing torsional flex as well as the opportunity it provides regarding dual function as a carrying handle. Just expected a little too much magical flex from the whole thing I guess :D 6. I think it has the perfect allround wheelbase as well as plenty of room to drill additional holes if needed. Despite the nose bending a little bit upwards, this is nothing one can not counteract with a small angle soft rubber wedge if needed. 7. Great work on the deck graphic with displaying the beautiful wood as well as some relaxed art "waist band". Would totally love to see additional deck graphics in the future, especially some more martime or wave based looks. All in all this is definitely a mould-breaking innovation and great first throw towards the horizon as a goal. With Jeff's work ethic and drive for functional details for creating perfectly purposeful boards, I am sure this will not be Pantheon's last surfskate deck and it will just always get better. More than happy about getting hold of one myself and looking forward to modify and dial it in.
Hey man, thanks for the very detailed comment! > understand the importance of a stiff kicktail, yet the board in whole with all the final adjustments like tail and middle cutouts still feels pretty stiff and overly thick to me, at least with my current 90kg. This might not be a lot, but probably above the average rider This sounds interesting. Compared to the Decks i have ridden (Yow/Waterborne) it feels ligher. BUt i have never tested a Souboardy. Are they that good ? Also I have never rused rubber Griptape, ill have to get some at some point! But glad you like it, I think we get years of experience in designing longboard in a surfskate shape. Im sure this will drive innovation!
@@skate-horizons Hi Michael, yeah I think the soulboardiys are really of a special quality that you will instantly notice the moment you unpack it. Besides the fact that every single one of them is somewhat one of a kind in regards to wood grain and / or stain you will immediately notice the ultra lightweight and THIN construction of these decks. If you own a Carver (non-triton!) or a Rocket Board deck you know that these feel pretty lightweight and compact. A soulboardiy feels about evenly light or even lighter, despite being quite a large deck (I have the classic Adam, which is 34x10" roughly). The ordering of the soulboardiy is a little bit complicated however. Currently I think it still works about something like this: you enter your email address on the website and answer a bunch of questions in the following google forms. Then you can select between several options like basic series. Those are to my knowledge the "Revolution" - more of a stiff deck, the "Carbonys" - which is designed more for torsional flex and AFAIK they recently added something called the "UltraX" - which is described as "Carbonyx on steroids" - I think more torsional flex rebound or so but I am not 100% sure right now. Besides that you enter details on your weight and preferred style(s) of riding for choosing the right amount of composite fibre layers to implemenet in your deck. Also you can choose the size and shape of the deck regarding length, width and tail. If you like you can also ask them for a special kind of graphic or laser engraving like a "Skate further" Logo for example, this will probably cost a little extra fee depending on your custom wishes. This way or another you will get a deck that really is unique and more or less fitted towards your body traits and riding style. One thing it does NOT have to my knowledge is a kind of protection against water, but this will be probably irrelevant to most people as skating in the rain or wet conditions is usually not the best idea anyway. Last but not least I want to emphasize that you get all of this for the best price point you can possibly imagine on the market. When I ordered my souldboardiy (deck only) I paid around 160€, free shipping in the EU included. This is by far the best price for such a deck tailored to your needs I know of. Think of following the following examples: Huge and solidly constructed Omakase deck by loaded, ~160€. Rocket board Surfskate deck, >200€. Pantheon shuriken (160€ in the US, 200€ in EU (still better than paying shipping+taxes). The price of a new soulboardiy might be higher by now, but I am pretty damn sure it is still more than competitive. If you ever happen to find yourself in the lovely area of Regensburg, just hit me up and you can try it for yourself. I equipped it with quik truks so you just have to choose a surf adapter of your liking and you are good to go. Regarding rubber griptape I can only say it has no downsides in my eyes, only advantages. If you have to carry your board you can just clench it under your arm and have 2 free hands without worrying it will rip on your hoodie or whatever you wear. With regular griptape I always carry it in my hand and have to care not to rub against anything or else shirts or pants get roughed up. Also it enables you to comfortably sit on it with softer mesh pants too. Just try out any brand, I am glad that there are several options available in EU now. For my soulboardiy I still tailor cut some wakeboard 3M material anti-slip foam. Really comfortable to ride barefoot and great diamond shape pattern looks, but was quite pricy and some work to distribute the material across the deck exactly.
@@joemcguts1962 Man that sounds fantastic! Ill have to look into that. And for the Regensburg offer, It might happen :D Ill give you a PM then ;) Thanks a lot for explaining in great detail!
I would assume we can wait on surfskate love to deliver! I only have 1 Waterborne, one Carver Clone and a waterborne adapter. I would assume they perform equally as well! Might be the time to get a quick truck change system again.
The 'torsion channel' is genius for fiberglass/carbon fiber boards I could see that working on flight decks and other like reinforced high-tech decks with a ~15ish WB for all round use. There are some tricks you could use the inside lip to do some interesting variations or just style differently .. hell even whole new tricks for those way better than I could hope2B.
Honestly we named it the Pocket Knife and had been calling it that for months but then had it brought to our attention that Landyachtz has had a surf skate called the pocket knife for a long time. I had no idea as we never looked to LY for inspiration 😂 I always thought the board looked like a knife. Anyway, I rushed to e Shuriken thing after a quick google search for “throwing knife in Japanese” and freakin Shuriken popped up. I made the change on the post that we had already made and changed the website in like 30 minutes and now it’s the Shurkien 😅
![Pantheon Supersonic vs Pranayama - owners comparison [RUS + subs] #longboarding #belgrade](/img/n.gif)
So, first impressions for the Pantheon Shuriken Surfskate:
The deck feels premium like all the new pantheon boards, and does some things that are new. Mainly the torsion channel/window and the internal wheel-wells.
Here the Specs:
Length: 33.6 inches
Width: 10.2″ max front foot, 9.8″ max width tail
Wheelbase: 17, 17.75 inches
Concave: Gentle and wide front, Tighter at the tail
I’ve set mine up with the Yow Meraki System and so far I am pretty impressed.
The wheel-wells are actually working and fit my system perfectly. It’s actually really great to have em, since most of them on other decks don’t do anything or are just misplaced.
The effect of the torsion channel is not yet too clear to me, this one needs more testing how it behaves at my 70kgs. But the ride feels really nice so far and I don’t think the board feels too stiff. I didn’t encounter too much wheel lift yet but I need to test a lot more!
The deck shape in itself is pretty mellow which is nice for longer sessions. It feels nice to stand on!
The size of the board also allows for a really comfortable stance!
The griptape feels a little coarser than standard skateboard tape, but that could also be my imagination.
What could be better imo is to have one more wheelbase option in the front. I could do it myself but I’d rather have it done right :D And it would also be nice to have countersunk holes. I did it on my deck, but it’s also nice to have.
I’m looking forward to give this one more testing!
Anything you would like to ask ?
There's a lot I like about mine, but to me there's still a ways to go before it is dialed in. The front truck wheelbase is not far enough forward when using the Carver CX position (17"). It's very important to stay behind the truck bolt holes on a surfskate as the turny front trucks are prone to jackknifing if too far forward. In the 17" position, this causes the heel to sit in the center cutout when starting pushing off (minor inconvenience). Since the normal riding stance has the front foot mainly sideways once at speed, but also somewhat forward, using a truck like the CX in the 17" wheelbase position can cause the heel to be off the side cutout. I feel like I'd like both wheelbases about 1.5" more forward, or the side cutout could start further back towards the tail to make room on the deck to stand on. Lighter is good, but not at the cost of losing a place to stand. This won't be an issue for a child, or person with a small foot, but children don't often have the money for a $160 deck, so keeping larger feet in mind is probably a good idea. The 17.75" whe elbase position does alleviate the issue somewhat, but then the Carver CX trucks don't benefit much from the wheel wells as the design is not a true adjustable dual wheelbase design. It is intended that the compact steep angle RKPs (Carver CX) go in the rear position at 17", and the pivoting ones (C7, Yow Meraki) go in the front one at 17.75". It seems like it would be better board for a C7 or Yow Meraki, than for a CX.
Then again, all of the cutouts are mainly there because the board was too stiff without them. An 8-ply maple/fiberglass deck is perhaps excessive. I'm 230lbs., and it is still not a very flexy deck tranversely. That's not bad if you like a stiffer board as I'm more acustomed to, but then again a bunch of compromises had to be made because it wasn't flexing. The sides were cut out, so note the front heel doesn't get up on the deck if you have big feet. Then the center was cut out. The wood on the center cutoff is neither sealed nor really sanded smooth on my deck. The only deck I've ever owned with unfinished wood was on a $45 complete Globe Aperture's wheel wells. SoulBoardiy figured out laying the triaxial fiberglasss in an X-shape negated the need for the center cutout. Bamboo also might help the flex rather than maple, but just removing a ply of maple might be beneficial too, and then it might not have to be cut out in the middle which makes the board less comfortable and leaves a completely unsealed area of the deck on what is otherwise a super sealed deck. Honestly, the flex is lesser of an issue, and I'll just buy some varnish to seal the cutout.
The bigger issue is that I'm going to have to drill a wheelbase in a more proper place for an 18" stance to get my heel onto the actual board. Then I'll have to take a router and cut some wheel wells on the bottom which will ruin the seal there too. I'm still very happy to support the creation of a Pantheon surfskate deck as the owner is a true craftsman pushing the entire industry forward. I've got a Supersonic too, and it's top notch. The surfskate deck isn't at that level yet, but this is a good initial attempt. In summary perfection to me would mean more front foot space as it isn't a pool/vert board that needs a ton of nose, 17"-18"-19" wheelbase options, cutting the internal wheel wells larger so that either truck could go in either position, and eiither eliminating the center cutout by using better construction techniques that get more transverse flex into the deck, or at least putting some waterproofing on the wood. The things I love are the wide tail, the epoxy-composite construction, internal wheel wells are an amazing idea even though they need a revision in their shape to acommodate multiple wheelbases better, beautiful veneer, the swallow tail is stylish without affecting comfort much, and it is well gripped. I would much rather support my own domestic board builder, but right now Soulboardiy is still provablt selling the better board for most people. I believe that Jeff at Pantheon is generally obsessive in quality and will keep improving these if we buy them. If there's one day a Shuriken 2.0, then I'll probably be one of the first in line like I was for the 1.0
Thanks for the in depth comment. I see your criticism and understand a lot pf the points.
I'm pretty sure Jeff will read this one as well!
@@skate-horizons I love you both for loving the community. Neither one of you would be doing this if it wasn't in large part to help other people. I only give the criticism with the hope of attaining a result closer to perfection.
@@funkingitup1805I appreciate the feedback. It’s hard to make something for everyone. The shape works very well for the people we tested the board with (including myself). I have no problem standing further on top of the trucks. Such is my style and was cohesive with the styles of our test riders.
Regarding construction, it is 6 ply maple with glass, not 8 ply. When we tested 5 ply, which was my original shape, the tail was just too soft. We COULD test bamboo, and actually did, but personally I was happy with the 6 ply and felt the increased cost of the bamboo layups did not affect the construction of the board in a way that was worth the cost. That said, I have learned more about our bamboo layups through our Supersonic experiments, and it may be further worth looking into.
The torsion window is useful when compared to no torsion window at all. We experimented with this quite a bit. It’s still not a floppy board, as you pointed out.
I think it may be worthwhile to experiment with other offerings. We actually have done this already and do have another shape we like, but we didn’t like it as much as this one and wanted to start with what felt like our best foot forward.
I appreciate the feedback and will keep my ears open for more and try to take it all into account!
@@PantheonLongboards I totlally respect that there is no pleasing everyone. I'm still really grateful to try the platform. I am bit taller than average with size 13 clown shoes, and that is probably where a lot of my issues come from. Everyone is different. More adjustability would certainly widen the amount of people it works for.
Thank you for the correction. I suppose I was improperly considering a layer of fiberglass and resin to essentially constitute another ply. That makes total sense about not wanting less stiffness because longitudinal flex is what I mainly feel, and it wouldn't be good to have the kicktail a whole lot flexier. Some people would hate it if it flexed more or less anyway, so there's no winnning there.
I'm definitely going to experiement before I do any cutting. I literally just started riding it. I may buy a C7 to see how that feels. I'll probably end up pushing that wheelbase out to about 18.5" to get a little further forward. Most instructionals I've seen for surfskating recommend making sure to stay well behind the front axle to not jackknife it, but I get that more skilled riders probably want that leverage over the truck.
Thanks for the amazing efforts, and I wish you continued success. Internal wheel wells are an excellent idea. I hope to see one in the hands of Steve at Surfskate Love soon as I don't know anyone who owns and tests more surfskate trucks and decks than him.
Very well written, congruent with a lot of points I noticed on the first impressions.
Thanks for the commentary and video. The "under the board" perspective was novel and interesting. This is an interesting looking board. If only I had a magical bank account. Pantheon seems like such a nice company. Something that interests me would be an explanation for the setup you chose (trucks, wheels, riser, bushings, etc.). You chose "the Yow Meraki system", which is new to me. So many options! It's easy to get analysis paralysis with all the possibilities. Thanks!
Honestly man, from my perspective, the longboard world is about trying and trying and holding on to what you like. If you are lucky enough to have friends that can let you try their boards or a physical shop then by all means try everything. If not, then you might need to go my way and bite the bullet and purchase stuff.
I ordered mine from Sickboards and it arrived within two days with a couple of Shirts, like the Blue sweatshirt I'm wearing here, and some goodies you can see in the unboxing!
Thanks guys for the support. I really appreciate it!
I love your unboxing video!
3:20 I can't help but wonder if you measure the ride height in the front vs the back, if you are still not 1/4" low in the back. I have a Yow Meraki currently mounted on my surfskate and when I checked the ride height after installing the two risers included with the set, I was still 1/4" low in the back, so I added another 1/4" riser to level it out. This actually matters, as you don't want to have to start initiating your turn by first compensating for a pre-existing imbalance. After trying it with just the risers for a while, I decided to swap the risers for my Waterborne rear adapter which was collecting dust on the shelf. Then I swapped the rear TKP truck that Yow included with a 9" wide Ace AF1 66. WOW! Whatta difference in ride! I also really like Surfskate Love's 78a 70mm Surfskate Wheels and of course...Zealous steel bearings. Still $15.99/ set from Zealous and they NEVER, EVER wear out. The longer you ride them, the faster they go. Special, top-secret, proprietary nano-grease they use. 😉
I measured, its about 3-4mm difference from deck to axle - Rear/Front, which might be due to the concave.
Mine is pretty symmetrical, but i have a block riser and not two 1/2 inch ones.
And yeah TKPS and a waterborne rail is just :*
I think the hardware screws will countersink themselves in the deck when tightened properly.
It will, would not recommend it. The best way would probably just flatheads. I like my surfskates flush.
@@skate-horizonsYou are using flatheads in this video.
@@nickamarit Sry, english can be hard sometimes. Round-Heads was the correct word!
@@skate-horizons I call them buttonhead (narrow) and panhead (wide). But those 2 don't and can't countersink into the wood on their own like flatheads do. I'm sure you can counterbore them in though, but counterboring is quite extreme.
Pretty rad looking board!
Yeah it's a beauty!
I’d like to try it on a freeride setup
I never thought about that, but why not? It should be pretty good nonethelesse!
Bolts will just kind of countersink themselves will a bit of pressure, no? I realized that probably doesn’t work as well with a fiberglass top. You could also use button head hardware.
Cool to see this video, though! This is a beautiful board.
Yea you are right, they will sink into the wood. You however need to put on a lot of pressure that might lead to stress fractures. It can happen from overtightening screws as well.
I would rather put them in flush!
@@skate-horizons if you’ve got the drill bit, might as well! Looks like a fun setup. 🤘
@@skate-horizonsI don’t think it will cause stress fractures in this type of layup. I also like your countersink method. Most hardware in Surfskate is countersunk, indeed. Maybe worth us looking into tbh. I tend toward button head and my Surfskate with Carvers is using button head right now.
@@skate-horizons true story, better be safe than sorry with such worthy items. It "usually" works without, but if you want to do everything the right way, this is the way to go and i bough a Bit only for my boards for all the same reasons some time ago :D
@@skate-horizons Thanks for the video. Is there an ideal size/angle countersink bit for skate hardware?
Probably the review I was most looking forward to despite owning the thing already :D - Great first impressions, can't wait for follow up in-depth content!
Also totally happy about it yet still a few opportunities to improve IMHO.
1. The holes not being countersunk is something not bothering me much as this is something I can easily do myself without much time effort and minimal equipment. Still it would be nice to have this detail checked on a premium quality deck.
2. I understand the importance of a stiff kicktail, yet the board in whole with all the final adjustments like tail and middle cutouts still feels pretty stiff and overly thick to me, at least with my current 90kg. This might not be a lot, but probably above the average rider. Currently I think this board might be one of the best surfskate decks for a little heavier riders above 100kg.
Especially with the "torsion channel" I expected it to twist a little bit easier. I know it is no soulboardiy and that that was never the intention, but I feel like the soulboardiy just hits the sweet spot in a lot of points, one of them being the perfect torsional flex along with a super lightweight and thin construction. Basically the only thing I am not the biggest fan of is its nose shape (in aesthetic regards, it is pretty functional though). Totally dig the shurikens nose however, love the wide and mellow foot platform and that there is possibility to add additional wheelbases.
3. The point that probably sets me off the most is the seemingly unsealed torsion window cutout. I really love decks that have their sidewalls sealed properly with eather a sheet of coating materials (e.g. fibreglass, ABS, carbon fiber, ...) or even a polyurethane strip which can also act as a kind of bumper at the same time. With this part leaving a kind of loose end impression on me, I would not really trust the deck to handle wet conditions well without the plies potentially swelling up at this this open edge. Not sure if this is only the impression, but it does at least not feel sealed or smooth to the touch.
4. Although it would be great to have native additional wheelbase options, I get that it would be hard to have this working over a wide range considering the dedicated wheel wells/pockets.
5. My last first world problem would be the use of conventional griptape. I replaced the usual griptape of almost all my boards with non rip rubber griptape by now and I currently see now downsides in contrast to conventional griptape even after prolonged use. Especially since I don't do aggressive park riding or stuff like that. Currently I am very happy with the DKL griptape except for the 9x33" size which is just a tiny bit too short/narrow for many surfskate decks. I am about to test EU available creamgrip tape soon which comes in 10x33" and also 10x45" sizes.
Just would love to see to see this kind of griptape prebuilt into newer skate decks as they won't rip on your clothes or other gear when carried or sat on for a moment and are also easier to clean. Besides that I think the rubber griptape would really fit the whole surfskate theme.
Do not get me wrong however, I still think that this is a really great board and it can not be blamed to not meet the huge basket of expectations I have accumulated :D
So here is all the stuff I like about the board:
1. Can't ignore the first impression this incredible shape leaves, I really like it a lot! Despite the torsion window being functional, it really adds to the uniqueness of the deck
(also loved the effect this window has on filming your skating from a sub deck mounted camera, great shot Michael @skate-further !)
2. Totally in love with the wheel pockets / sockets. This is so bleeding edge surfskate deck development avantgarde stuff that I do not even know what to call it yet.
This is certainly a topic that will set the pace for other dedicated surfskate brands in case they really care about their deck design. Sadly many of them are still of astonishingly bad quality right now, both in regard to materials used and functional design.
3. I am just a huge fan of composite constructed decks for the great properties they provide, especially regarding the resilience towards negative influences like scratching, wetness, impact..
4. Love the mellow concave as many surfskate decks are rather concave by now which start to hurt my feet sometimes if the session or the commute is just a little longer. Totally comfortable stance with this one both at the front and back. I also love the back for the rather straight edge with just a tiny incision and not a full fishtail. This way it really adds to the look without compromising functionality.
5. I like the torsional window both for the novel idea of increasing torsional flex as well as the opportunity it provides regarding dual function as a carrying handle. Just expected a little too much magical flex from the whole thing I guess :D
6. I think it has the perfect allround wheelbase as well as plenty of room to drill additional holes if needed. Despite the nose bending a little bit upwards, this is nothing one can not counteract with a small angle soft rubber wedge if needed.
7. Great work on the deck graphic with displaying the beautiful wood as well as some relaxed art "waist band". Would totally love to see additional deck graphics in the future, especially some more martime or wave based looks.
All in all this is definitely a mould-breaking innovation and great first throw towards the horizon as a goal. With Jeff's work ethic and drive for functional details for creating perfectly purposeful boards, I am sure this will not be Pantheon's last surfskate deck and it will just always get better. More than happy about getting hold of one myself and looking forward to modify and dial it in.
Hey man, thanks for the very detailed comment!
> understand the importance of a stiff kicktail, yet the board in whole with all the final adjustments like tail and middle cutouts still feels pretty stiff and overly thick to me, at least with my current 90kg. This might not be a lot, but probably above the average rider
This sounds interesting. Compared to the Decks i have ridden (Yow/Waterborne) it feels ligher. BUt i have never tested a Souboardy. Are they that good ?
Also I have never rused rubber Griptape, ill have to get some at some point!
But glad you like it, I think we get years of experience in designing longboard in a surfskate shape. Im sure this will drive innovation!
@@skate-horizons Hi Michael, yeah I think the soulboardiys are really of a special quality that you will instantly notice the moment you unpack it. Besides the fact that every single one of them is somewhat one of a kind in regards to wood grain and / or stain you will immediately notice the ultra lightweight and THIN construction of these decks. If you own a Carver (non-triton!) or a Rocket Board deck you know that these feel pretty lightweight and compact. A soulboardiy feels about evenly light or even lighter, despite being quite a large deck (I have the classic Adam, which is 34x10" roughly). The ordering of the soulboardiy is a little bit complicated however. Currently I think it still works about something like this: you enter your email address on the website and answer a bunch of questions in the following google forms. Then you can select between several options like basic series. Those are to my knowledge the "Revolution" - more of a stiff deck, the "Carbonys" - which is designed more for torsional flex and AFAIK they recently added something called the "UltraX" - which is described as "Carbonyx on steroids" - I think more torsional flex rebound or so but I am not 100% sure right now.
Besides that you enter details on your weight and preferred style(s) of riding for choosing the right amount of composite fibre layers to implemenet in your deck. Also you can choose the size and shape of the deck regarding length, width and tail.
If you like you can also ask them for a special kind of graphic or laser engraving like a "Skate further" Logo for example, this will probably cost a little extra fee depending on your custom wishes.
This way or another you will get a deck that really is unique and more or less fitted towards your body traits and riding style. One thing it does NOT have to my knowledge is a kind of protection against water, but this will be probably irrelevant to most people as skating in the rain or wet conditions is usually not the best idea anyway.
Last but not least I want to emphasize that you get all of this for the best price point you can possibly imagine on the market. When I ordered my souldboardiy (deck only) I paid around 160€, free shipping in the EU included. This is by far the best price for such a deck tailored to your needs I know of.
Think of following the following examples: Huge and solidly constructed Omakase deck by loaded, ~160€. Rocket board Surfskate deck, >200€. Pantheon shuriken (160€ in the US, 200€ in EU (still better than paying shipping+taxes).
The price of a new soulboardiy might be higher by now, but I am pretty damn sure it is still more than competitive.
If you ever happen to find yourself in the lovely area of Regensburg, just hit me up and you can try it for yourself. I equipped it with quik truks so you just have to choose a surf adapter of your liking and you are good to go.
Regarding rubber griptape I can only say it has no downsides in my eyes, only advantages. If you have to carry your board you can just clench it under your arm and have 2 free hands without worrying it will rip on your hoodie or whatever you wear. With regular griptape I always carry it in my hand and have to care not to rub against anything or else shirts or pants get roughed up. Also it enables you to comfortably sit on it with softer mesh pants too.
Just try out any brand, I am glad that there are several options available in EU now. For my soulboardiy I still tailor cut some wakeboard 3M material anti-slip foam. Really comfortable to ride barefoot and great diamond shape pattern looks, but was quite pricy and some work to distribute the material across the deck exactly.
@@joemcguts1962 Man that sounds fantastic!
Ill have to look into that. And for the Regensburg offer, It might happen :D
Ill give you a PM then ;)
Thanks a lot for explaining in great detail!
*Amazin!*
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Awesome & Thanks :)
id like to see how it performs with other surfskate systems.
I would assume we can wait on surfskate love to deliver!
I only have 1 Waterborne, one Carver Clone and a waterborne adapter. I would assume they perform equally as well!
Might be the time to get a quick truck change system again.
@@skate-horizons oh yes hes gonna be all over this one for sure.
The 'torsion channel' is genius for fiberglass/carbon fiber boards I could see that working on flight decks and other like reinforced high-tech decks with a ~15ish WB for all round use. There are some tricks you could use the inside lip to do some interesting variations or just style differently .. hell even whole new tricks for those way better than I could hope2B.
Surely it should have been called the kunai?
Damn, would have been so much smarter.
It just makes sense
Honestly we named it the Pocket Knife and had been calling it that for months but then had it brought to our attention that Landyachtz has had a surf skate called the pocket knife for a long time. I had no idea as we never looked to LY for inspiration 😂 I always thought the board looked like a knife. Anyway, I rushed to e Shuriken thing after a quick google search for “throwing knife in Japanese” and freakin Shuriken popped up. I made the change on the post that we had already made and changed the website in like 30 minutes and now it’s the Shurkien 😅
cant wide to pump and ride that thang it do be looking smexy
A long-board is the wrong board.
Good job being open and welcoming to people skating! Gate-keepers aren’t real skaters
*Amazin!*
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