10 Cheap Surfskates to Avoid-and 2 Good Ones

[@davidbrady5618]

This video convinced me NOT to buy one of the cheaper ones on the list. Still researching and your videos are very helpful. Thanks Steve!

[@kennethryanBation]

I mounted my Decathlon Carver Truck to a 27" Pennyboard, moved the front truck 2 inches to increase the wheel base. . awesome and fun to cruise around.

[@SurfskateLove]

Nice!

[@jimkika]

If you add the mindless 83a bushings to this decathlon it becomes a beast for pumping long distances.

[@melly7886]

Any chance of a picture of ur setup please? Thank you both btw

[@dewindoethdwl2798]

Love Carver trucks, both varieties. Before I got into surfskating I was a bit scared of longboards because of the speed, as I face my sixtieth birthday. Surfskating lets me ride a board in a way I feel I can control, whizzing around on the flat in an expressive way. Tumbles aren’t bad and the workout is whole body!! For a greybeard I’ve managed to get a respectably ripped body.

[@zatarawood3588]

why are the tumbles less bad? ... considering a surf skate atm myself. ps Im not someone who likes falling much)

[@dewindoethdwl2798]

@@zatarawood3588 The lower speed means less of an impact. You also have a little more time to react so you can tuck into a roll or run out, rather than a face-first splat & slide like you see in other board disciplines. All the speed I can generate is down to my pumping, as I’m usually on the flat or a very very gentle slope. It’s not much more than if I stumbled running. When I began I was pumping at not much more than walking pace, focusing on good form. As you improve your speed does increase, you get more flowing but you have also developed more skill, reducing the risk of a tumble. I would recommend a Carver outfit and a flat, clean surface like a quiet car park. I often take a yard brush if I have my car, to clear away any pebbles that could trip the wheels. Also, in my early days, to gain confidence, I wore elbow & knee pads, bmx ankle braces, padded (roller derby) undershorts & undershirt and wrist guard gloves. I would NEVER go without a helmet after seeing two nasty head injuries from simple falls that a cheap helmet would have changed into a mild headache. Yes, I did have some tumbles but I was well protected so no consequences. Weirdly you do learn to fall better, in a safer way. If you can get a roll going instead of just hitting the floor, it’s less of an impact. Just go gently at your own pace, a few bruises will be part of the journey but you will get there, having fun.

[@zatarawood3588]

@@dewindoethdwl2798 Thank you for that good advice. I will wear a helmet just in case, even if it takes away from the devil may care look)

[@kentwood9821]

@@zatarawood3588 Wearing pads and helmet is good! When you have it down you can ease up a bit and comb your hair just right and so on like the dudes in the videos!

[@paveludaloff7294]

Hi, Steve! Many thanks for just another great video. Really like it especially when it comes to deep technical analysis and reviews of the complete boards and it's different parts. I'm the one who buying cheap things, but actually waaay cheaper😁For me it was quite impulsive to buy a first trickster skateboard in a local sport store. Of course it didn't last long, so then I bought another one... And now I'm having fun finding the skating style which is relevant to my physical condition and enjoyment. The last thing was "surfskate-like" board I assembled myself using oldschool deck and hardware from one domestic brand and Meraki clone trucks and it was amazing to drive. Unfortunately I live in a town where not so much skate enthusiasts to share experience with and to take someone's surfskate board to try it before buy, so I'm experimenting myself with various trucks, wheels, decks etc. But now I'm pretty sure that I'll spend some serious money on authentic surfskate one day yet didn't decided which one (would like to try Carver, original YOW's).

[@lilycat1694]

The Triton rides nice. Love the CX trucks. My favorite Carver is the Black Tip with CX. The only two surfskates I own.

[@ramshaka]

Excellent comments/coverage of some of the cheaper completes out there Steve. Unfortunately, and this will probably always be the case but, if you're working on a real budget, your real best bet is going to be utilizing some MacGyver ingenuity Frankensteining your own complete. Really wish there were more local skate mechanics that had any clue what a surfskate even was. Because you can still put together a superior board than anyone offers complete for right at 100 bucks. The struggle being knowing what you want it to do, and how the mechanics really work, without being an experienced rider already. But it's for this reason, that if I run into beginners who are mechanically inclined, I'll always recommend waterborne, some of the better clone trucks, or lately something like Solride. Since most people I run into wanting to try it, are already skateboarders, and have a ton of stuff just laying around waiting to be repurposed. With the caveat always being that they can get a good idea of the system they want to expand into, as any direction you go from there has advantages, and disadvantages that all hinge in importance on what your actual riding preferences/style winds up being. But keeping a good setup under 150 doesn't money shock anyone who's put together a skate. For the money today, for a skater, I don't think you can beat throwing 50 doll hairs at a Sol-ride front truck, and using a regular skate truck for the rear (while theirs is only 25, it's nothing special, and actually kind of bad). Then you just put that on any old pool board, with whatever wheels you like, and you're good to go, with maybe some extra spacers, and/or a wedge for the rear. I know I've spent a LOT of money, just to wind up on a Sol-ride as my main rider... Don't get me wrong though, I still enjoy both my waterborne, and YOW boards too though. I just don't feel that I can grow, or progress my land based skating on them nearly as far, or quickly, when it comes to tricks/obstacles. They're more purist cruisers. Which, maybe everyone should have both, for that reason, but I can certainly understand why that's financially daunting. At my age, I'd honestly like to have an Eboard setup with some surf trucks to get to the park, and my Sol-ride, for when I get there. But that's a whole other ball of wax.

[@SurfskateLove]

Yeah I hear you. I'm working on a video titled "X Ways to Upgrade and Customize Your Surfskate" to hopefully help in that regard.

[@Edlandish]

I think you are right about wanting to move on quickly. I've got a charger-x and It was really really hard to learn on, like 2 hours of practice before I could get any momentum at all. The wheelbase is also too small for me which makes it annoying. If anything it was off-putting having a cheaper board, and I've only been out about 6 or 7 times on it and ready to move on. Ended up getting a YOW, which I'm taking out for the first time tomorrow.

[@Surfbumbrad]

I just got a YOW, as a skater and surfer it's amazing

[@SurfskateLove]

Yep, I feel you. When you've experienced the good stuff, the cheap stuff just doesn't cut it.

[@Edlandish]

@@Surfbumbrad had an hour out cruising on it this morning and holy shit what have I been putting up with. Easier to pump, looser movement, faster top speed, rolls for longer, can pump on crappy surfaces. This thing is a dream to skate on. Literally the only thing worse is that my front foot doesn't stay in place as well.

[@LaggerSVK]

@@SurfskateLove I like my Carver but definetely will later buy YOW. I dont think its good vs bad. Its just different and YOW is good for surf training and bowl. You can do a lot with carver but you also can get very bad surf habits with carver.

[@rickydasler6354]

Buy the best and only cry once! 😂 At least if you can afford to. Another great review Steve.

[@teodormajewski3566]

Decathlon surfboard ROCKS!!!!! Couple of days and I'm cruising city fast, pumptracking, slaying bumpy brick pavement, learning every technique. And the BEST part is THIS: Instead of buying one expensive first surfboard I'd buy also a good REGULAR skateboard to learn sick tricks and slides. I'm new to skateboarding and on start have regular board and surfboard, insane quality for a price, best of two words. And if after year will still got the flame, then I would buy an expensive surfboard and instantly go faster and tighter, after mastering this very good surfboard and regular board.

[@SurfskateLove]

Sweet, have fun!

[@teodormajewski3566]

@@SurfskateLove also thanks, I learned a pump from You, here in Poland XD Surfskate is the best! In next year I want to build some sick surfskate, big orangutangs, waterborne or something. I'm a blacksmith so I could forge waterborne adapter from hardened steel and mayby forge those arc bridges to make deck really low. And master slides, snaps, tricks on regular one

[@teodormajewski3566]

Man, if this decathlon one is so awesome, how will it feel after an upgrade :D????

[@LaggerSVK]

Also because of your review I bought Carver Triton last year and it is great. I recommend it for every starter. It just works, you can cruise, pump and take it to bowl. Now I am looking for YOW for bowl and surf training. But I will keep my Carver for sure :)

[@scottferguson2757]

Honestly I personally think that if you get the right one for yourself it’s better to go cheap to see if surfskateing is something you’re wanting to get into but also if you do research on boards before

[@gmkwheels]

I’m always saying: don’t go to cheap but don’t go to expensive when starting out and better: check for sale 😊

[@scottferguson2757]

@@gmkwheels there’s definitely a limit either way on price when trying out a new hobby

[@LaggerSVK]

not really. My friend got very interested, didnt do much research and just straight away bought mindless. I got interested and checked what is good for what and ended up with carver triton. I really like my carver and when I tried the mindless - It just doesnt pay off really. Now I am thinking about going YOW for bowls and surf training but the Carver is a good surfskate cruiser. Better buy a second hand board than buy some cheap not working clone.

[@TheSurfskateboarder]

I couldn’t disagree more. If my child wanted to play soccer and I bought him a plastic soccer ball and cleats so small they hurt his feet, he may decide he doesn’t like soccer. I wanted to get into skateboarding 22 years ago. My mom bought me a cheap Nash skateboard from Walmart with plastic wheels and bushings that would not turn and the deck was convex with no griptape. I couldn’t stay on the board and it rolled slow. I felt like I couldn’t ride a skateboard and I didn’t ant to give up. A neighborhood friend gave me a Blind brand complete. All the sudden I had a board with concave, polyurethane wheels that would roll and grip. I could keep my feet on and move and try things. I was completely obsessed and I rode regular skateboards for nearly 2 decades and loved it. Having the correct equipment meant everything. Don’t go cheap and get suboptimal equipment. Save up for longer. Wait for a Black Friday sale. Do your homework and buy a setup that fits your stance and suits your riding style.

[@scottferguson2757]

@@TheSurfskateboarder there is a limit to how cheap you should go when buying a surf/skateboard

[@MarlieCandelaria]

do you think Double$Down High Roller 33" Surfskates are a good surfskate, please say your actuall opinion.

[@DavidWagstaff-s2b]

Great video Steve! Got that Triton as my first complete, and it was wonderful for getting my form down and really starting to enjoy surfskating!

[@giovanniwilliams9349]

Hi there. Great channel. What is your opinion on the Aztron models?

[@Shkamaterasu]

Hi Steve, the Triton model comes in different sizes, but since I'm new to surfskating and skateboarding in general, could you enlighten me on which size to choose and why? (I'm 6 feet tall if that matters).

[@fredericjoncour3514]

Hi, thanks for your reviews. What do you think about Long Island ?

[@guillermogandolfi3227]

I´ve the carver snapper 28 with cx and the slide diamond special edition, and i´ve noticed that the carver is best for the skate park and the slide to take a ride for cruising or bumping

[@nandonando4421]

If I am 5' 11" and about 170lbs, what do you think would be a decent deck size? is 28" too small? 🙏

[@yabuking84]

Just started surfskating and Im loving it. Sadly I bought a flow surfskate ..

[@SurfskateLove]

Ah, bummer. Grab a good one and you'll shocked by the difference.

[@samsworld1770]

You deserve more clout : Great video ! 👍❤️👀

[@Ember88i]

Hello. Im trying to decide between the hydroponic fish 31.5' like on the video for 108$ and a carver triton 31' For 147$ . Im going to start althought im a medium level surfer. The wheels and trucks are larger at the hydroponic looks more stable even to cruise.. What do you think?

[@jurichcapili9302]

Im using mindless bamboo surfskate. I used it to bomb hills and slides, and pumps really well for me, it only depends on a user, but lots of information about your videos. Ill be havin carver soon.

[@ЮраКальянов-э3б]

Спасибо! Вы мне очень помогли. Просмотрел почти все ваши видео. У вас здравый и понятный подход к своему делу!👍

[@hotdogdog4740]

How do you like waterborne Surfskate?

[@ruopenforchange]

thanks man it was not easy to make a decision with all that information haha

[@Poorleeno]

Very good video

[@Bhikes15]

thanks God! I just purchased Triton

[@MassaharuSuzuki]

Owwww big collection 👏👏

[@TazeTv1]

hey i have a question im a beginner but i can surf so i just bought a Carver Channel Islands Fishbeard 29.25" and want to know if is a good beginnner board. ur Videos are good !!!

[@SurfskateLove]

Yes, that's great! Have fun!

[@TazeTv1]

@@SurfskateLove Thank u i just drive 3 Hours today its so Fun!

[@joaquingarcia3501]

What do you think about Zero Surfskates for beginners? They have Cx4 trucks. It's an Spanish brand

[@SurfskateLove]

They don't have CX4 trucks. Only Carver has CX4 trucks. They must be CX clones.

[@joaquingarcia3501]

@@SurfskateLove Ok, ok👍

[@lovivelaverdure1290]

My favorite is Flow!!!

[@antemahoney4376]

Mindless has recently added a new model though I don't know how recent and it is a better version

[@someoneinmyhead]

I have a "shitty" Apollo surfskate for 59 EUR. Well, I have two - the shortest and the longest they have. I expected them to break up after 3 rides and well, I use it almost daily and learned almost all the stuff on them from all the pumping/carving types to snaps, kick-turns and whatever loops you can think of like the eternity one. 59 EUR!!! That's insane for this money. Yeah, no concave, yeah CX clone that let's me turn almost in place. And I use it every second day to ride for fun, walk my kids and go to skate park from time to time. I had to raise the larger one a bit because of wheel bites - but that's it. Then only change bushings when they are done. I even bought a set of fancy bearing - not much difference. For prof sport - well, sure. For fun rides your skills matter more than equipment.

[@SurfskateLove]

Cool, have fun!

[@andreask.8205]

I have a surfskate question, can I replace the spring inside the meraki s5 with a spring s4? Or do I need a complete meraki s4 Set? Thanks

[@SurfskateLove]

The springs are interchangeable, so you don't need a new Meraki to change out the springs.

[@rmnetxgn1156]

@@SurfskateLove Springs are not interchangeable. If you've got a S5 Meraki you can't put S4 springs on it

[@ssaylezz]

Hey, can you help me please? D Street Surfskate Mission 32'' - good or not?

[@SurfskateLove]

No idea, I've never even heard of that brand.

[@Constantinus_Apollyon]

decathlon has a nice shape, template it make one with conclave, change truck call it a day. Or just change trucks 😅

[@SurfskateLove]

Or just buy a legit surfskate to begin with and spare yourself all the trouble. :)

[@Constantinus_Apollyon]

@@SurfskateLove thats not how it goes pops. I grew up in the 90's we made what we had , now days people order on the internet. I'm the generation that used to build what we had . trade trucks , get a new board and gibe the old to someone else . Not everyone will just burn 10k in boards just to find common knowledge he could know by going to a skatepark and ask around. 😉 Let that sink. I'm currently researching to make my own press and start making my own boards . old school style. I'm not gonna give Those vultures 200-400 bucks for something that costs at least 50. are you kidding me. we used to get a complete with tops 100$ now days that's not even enough for wheels and burrings. Which in most cases are made in the same factory in China. where you can buy the same product unbranded for less than half of the price 🤣🤣🤣

[@flyfishincrazy]

Have you ever tried Correll surfskate? Says truck is like C7?

[@SurfskateLove]

Nope

[@droneshots6192]

What about the southbay board co the ripper surf skate? It is hella cheap, under $30 dollars right now. I wounded if it’s and hood for the price.

[@SurfskateLove]

My experience is that anything less than $150 is not worth the money. So I can only imagine how truly bad a $30 surfskate would be.

[@jasmineenimsaj]

Do it! I bought a bunch of them! My clients love learning on them. I also have a quiver of skateboards, longboards, and surfskates… they can get really pricey. South Bay’s surf skate is a quality surf skate for a beginner or anyone wanting to cruise. South Bay recognizes the barrier to entry created by inflated pricepoints due to marketing. Soooo, they don’t markup for profit. The boards are quality. Everyone deserves to feel the flow of surf skating. I’ll buy more and maintain them for beginner riders and anyone looking to carve. I’ll leave you with this; There is a clip of Tiger Woods #GOAT hitting golf shots with veeerrrrrry old golf clubs and then the same shots with his custom, latest golf tech spec clubs, same shots. He explains that the equipment isn’t what makes the shot. I say buy what you can afford, and feel your flow✨🤙🏾

[@droneshots6192]

@@jasmineenimsaj that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I’ve actually been looking into the brand, I already love what they are doing. Saw some off their community give aways they were doing and think it is great. I already bought the board and can’t wait to try it, I’ve just been using my penny board with hella loose trucks as a surf skate to still try and improve my surfing while I can’t surf. I can’t wait to get it, definitely will support the brand

[@Jackarealist]

Have you tried out solride skateboards?

[@SurfskateLove]

Yep! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGSmeGiebp13nq8

[@steveo7767]

What's the weight limit on that Carver Triton?

[@SurfskateLove]

None.

[@steveo7767]

@@SurfskateLove So it can handle a rider that weighs 220?

[@e4peace]

What about the Penny 29” Surfskate?

[@SurfskateLove]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2O6k51_fL9pa7ssi=ldMousMdbp7684vJ

[@yogi-m9m]

have you heard of Gotcha surfskate? What do you think of it?

[@cloud84strife]

most of them are good ridable.. but not top. but don't need to avoid

[@dddddd5486]

Thanks

[@stanislavlipnitski5353]

Currently in the UK I can get a Gotcha surf skateboard for £54.. that is fairly cheap.. anyone knows much about these?

[@NeoVdV]

What about The AZTRON ?

[@SurfskateLove]

Cheap Chinese crap.

[@Acolyte_of_Cthulhu]

Yow Surfskates any good?

[@orar6435]

Hi Steve, thanks for all this info. Did you have a chance to try quiksilver surfskates? QUIKSILVER QS FISH, QUIKSILVER MR SUPER , QUIKSILVER Phil Grace Skateboard Heritage, QUIKSILVER mark phipps one bad egg Surfskate are on my mind.

[@SurfskateLove]

I haven't.

[@BayMedic]

And if the board is coming from another country (YOW = Spain), paying not only the tag, but the shipping & handling, AND the customs fee.

[@SurfskateLove]

Yeah, it can be hard to find a good one depending on what country you're in.

[@BayMedic]

@@SurfskateLove I got lucky and grabbed a Yow Lane Splitter for $239 from Zumiez, perfect condition too.

[@rmnetxgn1156]

No custom fees in the US for orders below $800 coming from Europe

[@BayMedic]

@@rmnetxgn1156 Good to know for future reference. Thanks

[@AndresRC1609]

Has someone tried Deeply surfskate?

[@geoffmatero]

Damn. I bought a flow a while back. Ugh. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@SurfskateLove]

:(

[@scottzuki7803]

It's no longer impartial opinion being that you now make profit from selling products specifically designed for Carver.

[@SurfskateLove]

And YOW. And Waterborne. And any and all surfskate trucks that I find to be the best.

[@sageoz9886]

It a proven fact that you are paid by knock -off competitors of Carver to troll any review of any superior product

[@houstonrunner5840]

Decathlon is a failure. Period.

[@macaroon147]

Damn bro you paying too much for these lol

[@stageiiwappie950]

i think hes company shill for the big 3 because everything else get bashed

[@JanUlcar]

@@stageiiwappie950 But that's the problem. I started with a cheap NKX board. Then got a YOW meraki s5 - you just can't compare this. The NKX is like he said a child's toy. Yeah you can cruise around. I use it to travel when it's wet because I don't care if I destroy it. The truck has a very low range of motion, it constantly wheelbites so you need to put some risers - then it's too high off the ground and feels weird, the deck is 6 ply it's really thin, it's flat, it has no concave, the griptape is not very grippy so my front foot manages to slide out during pumping sometimes or I have to constantly readjust it back into position. I tried a friend's genuine carver CX which the NKX truck/board is a knockoff of. The genuine CX has a better range of motion, the pumping feels so much smoother, more controled, no wheelbite... Idk you just need to try many different set ups to feel the difference. If you don't have cash and use it just sparsely get the cheap one no worries. But if you really like surfskating and do it a lot, train to progress and push your boundaries get a proper board. I spent 110€ on the NKX because I didn't want to full commit 250-300€ for a YOW. I got tired of it after 1 month then caved and bought a YOW meraki on sale for 220€. When I realized the difference I knew I'd never step on the NKX to train again. Now I have the NKX, YOW meraki s5 with 2 different decks, YOW legasee, Riptide bushings + pivot cups for all, 3 different surfskate love wheels, sharkwheel DNAs, Blood orange wheels, etc. Once you get good tiny changes in gear can make huge differences in feel. Now I set up a board for the feel I want when I go train... I'm looking to buy the carver CX trucks next and Grasp pado if I can get my hands on them... Oh and all this in 3 years.

[@kastelvetro1491]

the surf skate hustle is to sell you one truck that is maybe worth ten bucks more for its engineering compared to regular trucks and then basic shwag boards and mediocre wheels for 200 hundred plus.