SwellTech SurfSkate Review: Is it really the best substitute for Surfing?

[@Cyge240sx]

Hey Mark, I wanted to thank you for your channel and all the hard work you put in. It has really helped. I grew up idolizing surfing and because I live in south central texas I was never able to really give it a go. So I got into bowl skating because I feel like that was the closest I could get to riding waves. I quit when I was about 17-20 ish but as a 34 year old I looked to get back into skating and learned about surfskating. I bought a hybrid camo board back in may and wow has it been amazing. Your channel had a lot to do with the choice but I have not had so much fun on a board in my life. THANK YOU

[@goofyfootgreg]

Congrats on 4k! I watched it at 1 pm EST ✌️

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Thanks for the support Greg!

[@petebuckney]

Thanks Mark - this is great! (and thanks for the mention 🙂) You've captured everything about the Swelltech so well!! I didn't realize the Austin Keen was completely flat - I've got the JOB which does have nice concave for the front foot. I love your description that it can make you look like you don't know what your doing, but feels great! I like mine in the bowl best - it's so good on the walls - but freaks me out if I go for a deep bottom turn... sometimes the front truck turns out of the turn and you drift alarmingly! On other boards, you can carve by learning the board, and then front truck will pull the board round the turn - but not on the Swelltech. I figure I need to do a load more downhill riding to really get the hang of deep carves, and then I should be able to handle bottom turns in the bowl rather than riding mostly straight when on the flat bottom...

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

No, it is I who should thank you Pete, I was trying to come up with a means to describe it and when I saw your forum post on the topic I just was blown away by your way of explaining its uniqueness. You may recall that I asked back then if I could quote you. I paraphrased instead but glad you found it to be accurate still. There is a tiny bit of concave dip to the deck if you look closely, almost like a very shallow spoon, but it is barely perceptible so I feel comfortable calling it flat.

[@chrisleazy]

I was trying to decide between the smoothstar or the swelltech as a surf trainer so thank you for this review!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

It is a really tough call. I think an argument could be made that Swelltech provides a closer simulation to the feel of surfing, but because Smoothstars are a little easier to ride and manouevre, they might be a more useful practice tool for an average rider...

[@chrisleazy]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer ahh I see, thanks for the info!

[@jafelds]

Thanks for this. I have 2 Swelltech boards I use for surf training mostly. I am 6' and ride the Camo board on bowls and transitions - I think you would like it better because it has a longer wheelbase as well as an aggressive concave. I also have the Premiere which carries momentum better on flat ground.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

So many people have recommended this between here and the SurfSkate Facebook forum that I am now looking into getting an upgraded deck so I can test the system out to its full potential. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@michaelstumm7032]

Great review! I had the same experience. The first time I jumped on it after trying Carver, Smoothstar and YOW, the Swelltech felt nervous and like it wouldn't turn at the same time. Once I figured it out, all the others felt boring. Skateparks or Bowls are difficult and I'm still trying and training. But if it comes down to mimicking Surf moves on land, there is no better system available so far!

[@EleuLee]

Great review Mark. I was holding off acquiring a SwellTech until a fellow surfer who didn't start surfskating on one gave a review. My Waterborne surf+rail adapter board has been my go-to trainer in "no swell days". This might be the game-changer! I can see why Steve sold it to you.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Thanks. They have a very different feel. I feel like the Waterborne, YOW, Carver C7, and Smoothstar are all variations of the same principle, while the Swelltech just feels altogether different from all the others I have tried, and the least like a skateboard.

[@silvergeckoss]

Thanks Mark, this is a good review. Have wondered about these boards and would like to have one in the quiver.

[@mathieuwident3214]

Well done Mark! I know now what I will put on the last slot of my quiver! But I need more practice on more accessible systems first. Thank you!

[@williammadray7818]

Set me straight dude; that was a good review. I gotta get one of these Swelltech surfskates. Let's not forget that an actual surfboard deck is mostly flat.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

I have since got a Swelltech Hybrid Camo and it definitely makes a difference having the right sized board. Planning on doing an update sometime soon.

[@williammadray7818]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer I'd love to see a Hamboard review. You did a great job explaining the Swelltech system.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

@@williammadray7818 They look like a fun novelty item, but for the amount of money and space they occupy, I don’t think it is something I’d use enough to purchase.

[@williammadray7818]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer Mark how can you possibly consider the Hamboards a NOVELTY? From what I gather from video and research; Hamboards is one of the first in innovation of surf simulation/ surfskates. GRANTED me, myself,and I have not REALLY had any hands on experience with Hamboards. In using my decades of hands on skateboard experience; upon up close examination of the product, it is a QUALITY skateboarding product. Well manufactured, but with a HIGH learning curve I was told. The chick wouldn't let me try to ride it;but, I have tried to ride an old one without all the springs at a bus stop in Miami. Without the springs; IMPOSSIBLE. As a very experienced surfer, I have never encountered any other board as close to surfing as my 3 surfskates 30" short board emulation(14.75" WB),32.5"mid length emulation (22"WB), 44" pintail emulation(38"WB) I also ride a skate everything Bustin Boards 39" SHRIKE longboard. When you compare the Swelltech system and the Hamboard HST200 system, they are of course different but similar; where the Swelltech system appears to operate through turn, the Hamboard system appears to operate through lean more so. The Hamboards also seem to embrace every genre of surf emulation. So before everyone writes the Hamboard off as NOVELTY ; I'd love to see some honest hands on reviews of the products by those both experienced in surfskates and surfing. After all the surfskate was invented for surf emulation, but it was only natural that the skateboarding community would embrace it. I personally wondered aloud to someone quite well versed in skateboard product promotion as to why there is a lack of reviews for a particular skateboard I own that is quite adept but lacks any reviews. I also intentionally asked why Hamboards also seems to be left out as well. His response, whether we liked it or not. We don't GIVE anything away just to get a positive review, and from what he has observed; NEITHER does Hamboards.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

@@williammadray7818 I didn't realize they have new models now that don't weigh 40 lbs or cost $1000+ so thanks for helping flag that to my attention! But even the new models don't look likely to be my go-to choice as an everyday board based on my riding style, so I still feel like it would be a fun board to ride now and then or in certain terrain like my current longboard surfskates. I was only speaking for myself, not in general when I referred to them as a novelty item.

[@joshuathomsen2411]

Sweet! I have the Jamie O'Brien model, about a month now, and I love it. It has a decent concave, and is larger. I haven't braved barefoot yet, but I will try that today!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

I have a Hybrid Camo deck on the way right now and looking forward to testing out the difference. You have to try barefoot riding! It is so free and unencumbered! Plus the fine board feel like you would have on your surfboard, using the pressure of each toe as necessary to get the perfect weighting.

[@joshuathomsen2411]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer I bought a pair of Speedo surfing/water shoes from Amazon and they are really cool! Slip on, almost barefoot, but with a little protection!

[@jimihendrixx11]

Barefoot is best

[@peccopelco777]

Thanks Mark - it a really honnest review - helpfull experience .................. very Love it - i wanna try too

[@monkey_kang]

Great video Mark! What wrist guard do you use? Is it mainly for doing those turns on 3:52 or can it help prevent injury from falling?

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

I don't have a favourite brand, but I sprain and re-tweak my wrists so often the way I ride that I have learned to wear them preventatively most of the time so I can ride as hard as I want.

[@FluffyAlpaca81]

Nice review. I have basic longboard skating background but haven’t skated for over 7 years. Never skateboarded or surf skated. I surf shortboard and looking to practice cutbacks on flat land with cones using a surf skate. Which brand would you recommend for my use? I’m torn btw carver vs YOW vs swell tech but after your review I think swelltech may be too hard for me to ride. Leaning towards YOW. Thanks.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Swelltech feels most like surfing, but it is more challenging to ride, especially if you haven’t been on a skateboard recently. Carver trucks are most beginner friendly of the three and excellent/more forgiving for more hardcore riding in the skatepark, but they feel a little less dynamic. Yow are sort of between the two. Really easy to pump because they lean a lot and feel like digging your rail in the water, but you can bottom them out and take a spill if you lean too much. I like all three for different applications, and ultimately you’ll be able to learn on whatever you choose. Besides, no one stops at one surfskate, you are just buying your first!

[@SurfskateLove]

Excellent! So helpful!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Thanks for the opportunity Steve!

[@SurfskateLove]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer More coming your way in the near future, my friend...

[@kkkk1395]

finally, worth the wait! have subscribed since the oxelo review. do you find it jack knifing when the area you're surfskating in has rocks or twigs? that's one of the comment that some pple make because i don't usually have a clear and flat ground to surfskate on. without any criteria, between the smoothstar, yow, and swelltech, which one do you find yourself picking up first to surfskate? thanks!

[@michalmularski7833]

I heard that comments a lot and was worry about that but from my experience it doesn't jack knife more than other boards over rocks or sticks. I am riding in sometimes on quite uneven surface with lots of small stones and it is fine. Without saying that it performs the best on the smooth surface.

[@kkkk1395]

thanks!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

I honestly haven't experienced that but my background in skateboarding on small hard wheels means I usually instinctively avoid those without even thinking about it. But the big wheels on this board are fairly forgiving so I honestly don't think it would be any more susceptible to pebble stops than other boards. I plan on doing a video in the future that might help answer your second question!

[@kkkk1395]

can't wait!

[@michalmularski7833]

Awesome Mark! I am so stocked that you come up with exact my conclusion regarding the swelltech. I love that board and I got the feeling that as I will progress that will be my favorite board. So fat it is 50/50 with smothstar. I also find that riding swelly is improving my technique on other boards. Great that you bought it for yourselves. I would suggest that you will buy camo or JOB deck as they will suit you better. Great review!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Yeah, it was a bit of a blind spot in my review that I didn't really look at what the other decks were that were available from Swelltech. Something for the future I guess!

[@kjtubb1845]

great review. really considering one for surf training. would you or any one know what the decks are made of ?

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

It isn't specified on their website but I suspect it is standard 7 ply maple

[@marioschristofi3145]

Really nice video. Thanks! What would you recommend for a total beginner in surfskating? I am also a beginner in surfing.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Any previous skateboard or longboard experience?

[@marioschristofi3145]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer Thanks for replying! Some skateboard experience, but nothing special. I still own a skateboard and I ride it from time to time. I am a beginner surfer so I was looking at the Swelltech Premiere Blackout

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

@@marioschristofi3145 Have a look at this one too, my update on swelltech with a larger deck. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fX_WqIVmp52gZ8k The right size made it way easier for me to ride. Swelltech are more challenging to learn on as a beginner, but I have seen kids pick it up and start pumping in a day. Generally based on students preferences, when starting out I find a lot of my students feel most comfortable early on learning to pump on one of the Slide V3 trucks, Curfboard, Carver C7, or YOW Meraki. But if you know you will be sticking with it, you can look beyond what you need for the first 5 hours and think about what you need 6 months in and I think you don't need to shy away from more challenging boards, especially if you are already comfortable with the basics of balance, pushing, and turning on a regular skateboard.

[@marioschristofi3145]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer Thank you very much for taking the time to answer. It is very helpful. I appreciate it. I did checkout your update. Have a great day!

[@Quickrex]

Great review, great channel. Question not exactly related to this video but think it would be useful for some. Concerning a Original Yow S5 version and in my case a Smoothstar clone. What TKP truck to use ,seams like they use a 9 inch trucks with 90A bushings, example independent 169 fits the bill. But was thinking of a thunder light titanium hollow kingpin truck . Lite in weight and some mm lower in height. So my question is does it matter if the font truck on the surfskate adapter is super steady or turny and fits the board width per Standard definition or more like a feel ???. No experience with standard TKP skate trucks. But I’ve been skating on CX for the last 5 year, but feel like trying try out something new more surfy 🏄‍♂️

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Hey, apologies but I am having trouble understanding the last part of the question about standard definition or feel… any chance you could try explaining that part in a different way? I want to help if I can!

[@Quickrex]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer Hey Mark. The board is a Soulbordiy Adam 10.5 wide .would you go with a TKP truck that have the Axle width to match that board or go a little bit narrower and is there any difference what TKP truck you mount on the adapter. Say independent, thunder or Paris street truck. If you ask a street skater they would say there is a difference. What would you mount on a surfskate adapter like the smoothstar clone, I'm not getting a complete. Out of the 3 street trucks mentioned. I'm leaning towards the thunder do to the low weight and lower truck height. Thank you for replying back to me

[@popenator438]

Thanks so mutch!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Thanks for watching!

[@kembooo000]

Hello Mark I have a question, do you think surfskating has the potential of creating imbalances in leg muscles ? I had my first real session yesterday and I woke up with sore muscles mostly in the front leg, hips and quads to be specific. It feels kinda weird and being in my late 30s I'm afraid I'd put myself in a condition that'd furt my joints. Thanks for any answer !

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Hmmm, first off I am not a doctor, so I don't know if my advice is worth anything... But surfskating isn't really a muscle-building kind of exercise, like you won't get one thigh looking like The Rock and the other one normal or anything like that. But it does work your muscles and can tone them in more of a lean build way. It is interesting that it is your front leg, because I think maybe there might be some issues with your stance. I tend to have a lot more weight crouched over the back leg in surf stance. If you are wiggle-pumping instead of using fulll body compression, that is when you'll likely feel it more in your front leg. Have a look at my video on bowl flow and you can see what I mean about the back foot weighting. The other option is to practice riding switch more often. I am starting to do that this year and it feels really awkward and difficult but it might help to balance out any asymmetry.

[@kembooo000]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer thanks! I discovered your channel through your videos about how to surfskate a bowl and it helped a lot. The thing is my problem with surfing is I almost always have my weight on the back leg, looking at a youtube channel called ombe surf, the coaches there say that weight should be on the front foot, and I did notice a huge difference once I did that. Getting speed is easier now and the slightest turn sprays more water, they also talk about using a surfskate in a bowl as the best exercise to practice turns. So yeah this is why I asked you looking at how much you surfskate if you ever noticed sore muscles after a long session in a leg and not on the other. I need to ask more people about this, and probably do some strenghtening exercises on the back leg just to keep things balanced.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

@@kembooo000 Ah okay, I think I see the difference here, and that is largely about your intentions with Surfskating. If you are using it strictly as a surf trainer you are going to ride it with different intentions. For me, the bulk of my surfing over the last two years has been river surfing where the back leg is always the one that gets exhausted first! Surfskating optimally, as in going out and trying to have the best flow in a skatepark, might not always coincide with using proper surf training techniques because you'll be bringing more skateboarding technique into the mix. Ombre surf guys and Kale Brock are great on the surf training side whereas my approach is more about Surfskating as it's own thing.

[@kembooo000]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer thanks bro ! Ride on !🤙

[@jimihendrixx11]

You rode it well for how its designed to be used

[@evaldoferreiranegreirosjun3710]

Canadian summer!

[@surfskatejd]

Nice ⚡

[@riddellmeresell9045]

I have one of these for sale if anyone is looking for a board it’s the Jamie O’Brien board. Very very lightly used no issues either

[@jlove24]

Still have it?

[@olitonottero7620]

Woooooow

[@crogruvm5595]

Surfskate is more a source than waves cause terrain more diverse.

[@michaelandrada3564]

So which one of your surfskate is the closest thing to surfing?

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

I've been mulling over this for a day and still don't have a great answer. It is difficult to quantify, because I have so many boards and each one might feel more like surfing in one way, but not in another. And it also depends on what kind of surfing. For some reason though, this swelltech stands out as having a slight edge when it comes to riding it on flat ground.

[@pokeypickle3]

It looks too advanced for me. It might be a fantastic board but at my basic level, it’s too advanced.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Like anything it takes practice, but I know someone who started on a Swelltech as her first board and she figured out the basics on her own.

[@Alohatribe]

Thanks for posting this video dude , I had the camo longer version and its def like surfing ! I am going to upgrade some parts too . best

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

I got the camo deck since and it is much better for my height and stance.

[@Alohatribe]

​@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer Nice., I am wondering if the new trucks are worth the upgrade on these ?