SKATEBOARDS: How to choose a deck.

New to skating? Current deck dead? Or just need some help to choose? Here is a break down on what to look for when it comes to decks.

PRICE
This is always going to play a part in the final decision of buying a deck, but don’t let it be the only reason for the purchase. Some companies do produce cheap boards for the market, due to the fact that some guys go through boards like it’s going out of fashion. These are normally called Price Point (PP) boards. Most of these boards are pressed in the same presses as a pro board, they just have simple graphics that reduce the cost. Next up is the Team deck, which is usually a full graphic deck that just has the brand logo. You pay a little bit more for the graphic but they are still cheaper than a pro board. Pro boards are the decks the Pro themselves will usually skate, you pay a little more to give some coin to that skater who in turn can skate more and produce some awesome videos.

Some companies are just cheaper board companies, be careful of these as the end product can be really bad. The product is not really worth getting and you have just wasted your money.

BRANDS
Some people make this the most important thing about the deck they buy. Thing is, some brands are known for producing good quality decks for their pros and cheaper inferior boards for the public. So you spend loads of cash to get a rubbish board and line the pocket of some middle man, that doesn’t really care about you.
I do have my favourite brands but if something else is just as good and skates well I will spend money on it.

TECHNOLOGY
In the last few years skating has seen a jump in the introduction of other materials to skate decks. Things like bamboo and hemp were originally introduced. Now there are options like Impact support, Fibre prime and Fibrelam, Uberlite, Armor light, Featherlight, Helium and P2. These will cost you more but the intent is too provide you with a deck that will last you longer. Some people will swear by these boards where as others will shy away because of the stiffness of the board. You need to try these yourself and see if they are for you. But if you are sending a lot of decks to an early grave it may be worth spending the extra money on one of these decks.

PICKING A SHAPE
WIDTH
This is the first thing to establish. Having a board width that feels comfortable under your feet is really important. Standard widths are from 7.5 - 8.88. I say standard, as in the standard rounded deck shape. The original rule of thumb when it comes to deck widths was technical/ledge/street skaters had a narrower deck and park/bowl/vert skaters had a wider deck. Narrower decks are easier to flip whereas wider decks provide stability. Also smaller feet can sit on a smaller deck easier and bigger feet can accommodate a bigger board easier. There has been a change in this as skaters have become more diverse in their skating, so boards have been getting wider to assist with the transition of this skating. Wider boards are also harder to snap as they spread the load of impact more evenly.

WHEEL BASE AND LENGTH
These normally go hand in hand. Longer boards will usually have a longer wheel base.
On most decks a wheel base will measure between 14-15 inches. Now you may be wondering what is the wheel base? It is the area between the inner bolts of your trucks. This either makes your board more manoeuvrable or stable. A shorter wheel base makes a board easier to rotate and do sharper turns generally preferred by street skaters, whereas a longer wheel base helps with stability and is preferred by park/bowl/vert skaters.
Board lengths can range from 31-33 inches. The 31 inch length is great for the shorter skater and more technical skater. The longer boards are aimed towards the taller and more park style of skaters.

NOSE AND TAIL
As unnecessary as this part may seem, the size and shape of them can really make a difference.
Some skaters prefer the more rounded and bigger nose and tail, whereas some like the pointier and shorter nose and tail. Look at these things when you get a board and get a feeling of what works for you. Look at the length of the kicks and also the shape of the kicks, whether they are more rounded or pointed. These can have a huge influence on your ability to do certain tricks.

CONCAVE
This is the curve in the mid section of the board. This can vary from flat to steep. The flatter concave is, the more comfortable it is for pushing around. A steeper concave sits higher on the sides and really cups the feet into the board and holds your feet better for park skating. Every brand will offer different concaves and some companies will offer a variety of concaves. This does change how much pop you get out of a board. Higher concave gives you more pop and lasts longer and is harder to snap, whereas flatter is better for ledge skating.

I hope this has proved to be a helpful guide into choosing your next deck. Now go out and enjoying shredding your new deck.

Very good guide CJ, it’s very informative.

I’m really keen on trying cold press boards for the pop. I might step up to 8.25

Great stuff, CJ. Thanks for posting this.

Tradition dictates that you do not buy your first deck, that you’re given it or you steal it (in my case, my hubby found one at work that had been lost/abandoned). But that is mostly so the cards already have their energy lines flowing, so to speak.

Thanks for posting! This helped a lot

just bought a 7.75 alien workshop rob dyrdeck deck , pretty sick

ive have small feet (about a size 7) and i ride a 7.75 or and 8 but i recon its a bit big. setting up for tricks and even turning i have to really shift my feet around and especially for kickflips and heelflips i have to flick really hard to get the board to spin all the way around coz half the time i land primo. i was thinking of downsizing to a 7.5. what do you recon?

See if you can ride a mates board to have a feel or just a random at a park too see if the size is a problem for you. Could be because of concave also you have issues or your feet aren’t setup 100% for the board.

Good ideat ill give that a try next time im at the park. Cheers