Surfing Waves

New to the forums,

Background info:
(SKIP if you don't care about the technical stuff!)
Also I have no experience with fixing my board

2013- After a long time waiting to get a longboard I was finally able to get one. Loved it at first but 3 years later...

2016-
-Realized I tried to make a cruising/carving board with a bloody downhill board. This thing is heavy as hell and I just can't find myself riding on the sidewalk or having any proper mobility with this thing. I run it with loose trucks and abec flywheels 78a I believe (built it awhile ago, so I really don't remember the parts). This thing can tackle hills pretty well but I find myself pumping alot with little acceleration on flat roads. The board is a top mounted, stiff bustin board.

-Front truck can't be tightened. Whenever I try to tighten I end up just moving the bushing and the nut instead of just the nut. Only way around is take the truck off and wedge a rock or something to move it. Kinda hard to explain so I'll upload pictures later.

-Road is feeling a bit rough. I did get heavier since 2013 which I suspect may be a problem but I really don't know (hence why I'm on a forum). Board is quite stiff aswell. I didn't notice this back in 2013 because I simply just wanted to ride, I really didn't care for any personal preference.

So truly I just want to make my board ride smoothly, and pump as little as possible, and handle hills with descent control. I'm completely stuck on what I should upgrade/replace/buy/??? so I turn to the people on this forum to give me aid.

Also kinda on a tight budget so the stuff I'll be purchasing will be part by part.

Please ask any question and links would be quite helpful as well!

*Please tell me if I posted this in the right section/did anything I wasn't suppose to do on the forums.

Thanks!

Well you have done nothing wrong , posted in the right spot etc., but this is really a surf forum
But you could be lucky quite a few of the forum crew also skate board, let's see what turns up

I skate....get some big soft wheels around 74mm/77a and some 1/8" shock absorbing risers (get thicker if you need to replace like for like on your existing set up or you can double them up). That should smooth things out a bit, then get new bushings, big firm ones and change out what you have to tighten up the board. Whether or not that will be enough I don't know, but it will make a difference. If you want to spend a little more get new bearings as well for an even smoother ride. If it doesn't do enough for you, the risers, bearings, wheels and bushings all can be used in a new board so it won't be a waste. Good luck.

I know money might be an issue, and maybe I am wrong, but aren't cruising and carving sort of incompatible?

pumping on flats requires the kind of flexibility on your front truck that would also make it wobbly downhill.

I have a cheap surfskate board that excels at neither, that is, it's not easy to pump on flats and also gets wobbly at high speeds...so maybe there are high-end trucks out there that do what you want.

But I'd recommend buying a longboard skateboard for cruising , I think the flex in the deck would help with pumping even with tighter bushings.

Just my 2cents, and I'm definitely not an expert