Cruiser with a Surfy feel?

[Big H]

I would get one that you could approximate the width of your surfing stance....how tall are you?


http://www.carverskateboards.com/carver-board-selector/

This is on their site, chart that supposedly details feel as it parallels the surfing experience. I have the stacked which is listed as having a co efficient of a 6' - 6'2" board. I bought it because it was just about the same dimensions as the old tony Alva and powell&peralata pool boards I used to ride when I was a kid and because when I measured my surfing stance it fit that size board....my feet are size 15; not happening on a mini Simmons!

[enjoy]

5'11, 160 lbs. Dims of the board are 6'6" x 21 1/2" x 3".

Thanks

[Big H]

I would not go too long; part of the point of the board from a surfer's point of view is to ingrain feels, pumping and turning topping the list and if the board is too long it won't turn quick enough to get that feel you need.
I would reccomend for you one of the boards in the wheelbase range of 16 3/4" (fire fly) up to the 17 1/2" Kerrigage and Fort Knox ....you can see that a large part of their range is right around the 17" wheelbase size, traditional skateboard deck size of about 31"....the three at 17" would be my choice for you; damonsta, resin or the new proteus. I have the c7 trucks and think they are awesome, smooth and fluid....never tried the cx trucks so can't compare them but will say if you get the c7s you won't be disappointed. Good luck!

[enjoy]

Is there going to be any real difference between the three if I haven't skated much? Thanks!

[Big H]

Damonsta and resin look like the same board with different graphics....the proteus has more concave in the deck than a normal deck from the literature....id get resin or damonsta probably; decks with a lot of concave hold the foot but are twichy...might be easier to get the hang of it on a deck with not as much concave like the two mentioned....

[enjoy]

Sweet thanks man will look into getting one of the two, appreciate the help! Swell's been too big around here for me to get out recently so need something to keep on it

[Big H]

Keep us updated; interested to hear how it works out for you.

[oldenglish]

They are right the Carver is a pretty fun cruiser if you don't have many steep hills. I'm not sold on their decks, though I do have one, you can just as easily pick a deck that suits your wheel base that your looking for and the concave you want. The trucks are the magic part and the deck is pretty much just a normal deck. Not sure how expensive the truck sets are by themselves but I would imagine it cheaper and not very difficult to by the trucks and throw them on a deck you like. Just keep in mind deck width vs truck width with wheels.

[enjoy]

Gotcha, yeah I'm just looking to practice the turn / pump technique for surfing, not really looking to actually cruise anywhere. Would probably use it only on flat areas.

[Big H]

I really like the deck that came with mine....I think they are thicker than standard skate decks; seem that way anyway....I have a sector9 cruiser deck with no tail kick that I keep saying I'm going to try the carver trucks on but haven't done so because I like the setup I have....standard skate decks are narrower now and a little shorter than the deck I chose; also have kicks on nose and tail which I don't care for and don't use since my days of ollies and flips are well behind me....strictly a cruiser now....skate decks here cost about the same as the carver's do if you ordered separately anyway so for me there would be no real point to trying to save 20 bucks....plus ordered as a set I took mine out of the box and was skating it within 3 minutes.....ready to go out of the box which for those who aren't familiar with skate hardware and how it all goes together would probably be a plus.

[enjoy]

How important is it to get a carver that mimics my stance? Just referring to waikikikichan's post about the mini-simmons and the fact that it probably doesn't represent all his boards. Do you think the resin would do me more good than the mini-simmons for my board?

[Big H]

I don't know man....sometimes my stance is narrow, sometimes I drop my back foot to make a turn and its wider than normal...."standard" skateboard dims are roughly where the bulk of the Carver inventory is centred....the board I have feels like skateboards that I used to ride in the 80s....shorter or longer would feel different....I have only tried the one and if I put my feet over the trucks front and back it feels more or less like I'm on a surfboard and I appreciate that as the feels that I practice translate to the water in that I'm standing about the same on either board......the rest is up to you bro; I don't have anything more.

[enjoy]

Big H,

When you say more concave do you mean the proteus has more curve in the deck? and that a flatter deck would be easier to learn on?

Thanks!

[Big H]

Yes. That's it

[Big H]

More concave deck will be more twichy. I skateboarded a lot in my pre driving years....used it as transportation as well as doing tricks and stuff. I have no idea how much that translates to my ease on a board now or if you could attain that same level in a couple of months. Mer concave will be more responsive which is a bad thing for learning but a good thing for when you get the hang of it. It isn't like surfing; you can get a lot of riding time from day one so as long as you are prepared to meet the concrete (I face planted earlier today at a skatepark with the kids) then go for the higher concave board.

[pmcaero]

I would think any, if you can make the front truck spring looser or tighter, should approximate a shorter/longer surfboard respectively

[enjoy]

So I ended up grabbing the proteus and it's pretty sweet. Pretty easy to get used to despite the concave and good fun to pump and around and practice turns in empty lots. Will see how well it translates to the water, sure it'll help