Surfskate Sizing - How you get it right.

You want to find not only one, but your surf skate? Then one thing is most important – the right size for your!
I will show you how perfect surf skate sizing succeeds and will get you in top shape for surfing.

Wheelbase - the most important number.

Term: The distance between the trucks is not always the same as the wheelbase! In skateboarding, the wheelbase is the distance between the inner fastening screws. In Surfskating it is often the distance between the trucks.

Here, the actual distance between front and rear truck is the most important measurement. With a surf skateboard you have to be a bit more precise compared to a skateboard, because a few centimeters here are making a big difference due to the very flexible front truck.

Note: Every Surfskate system has another difference between wheelbase and trucks distance (Achsabstand in image). Examples below.

The trucks distance is the most important parameter on a surf skateboard because it should allow your stance on a surfskate to be as exactly as possible to your stance on the surfboard.

If you stand on the surf skateboard as far as you stand on your surfboard, you have chosen the right wheelbase and found the perfect training partner to bring your fitness and surfing technique to the next level.

Your individual truck distance

For simplification we had a look on statistics and determined what the average stance for each body height is.

You can use the following diagram now to determine your ideal distance between the trucks at your surfskate, if you have either your stance width or your body height.

Note: Swelltech has to be seen differently due to its loose truck system.

Note: Each Surfskate system has a difference between trucks distance and wheelbase.

Swelltech: Trucks distance = wheelbase + 2″
YOW: Trucks distance = wheelbase + 2″
Slide: Trucks distance = wheelbase + 2″
Smoothstar: Trucks distance = wheelbase – 2″

Fine Tuning

Surfskates are usually used in three environments. Depending on where you want to use it most, I would like to give you a recommendation concerning the choice of the trucks distance, if you are not sure which surfskate you should take:

Skatepark – choose the shorter trucks distance and the more concave decks (i.e. YOW Performance series)
Street – both -> bigger is easier at the beginning, shorter means tighter turns; recommend more concave decks for the once who want to push it (i.e. YOW Performance series)
Downhill – choose the larger trucks distance, because this gives more stability at higher speed (how also take a step-up in big waves)

Example: I am 1,87m. With the Swelltech diagram above I would use 22″ or 23,5″ trucks distance (20″ – 21″ for YOW). For downhill I would definitely choose the longer value – the length brings stability at higher speed. In the skatepark definitely max. 22″ (or 20″ for YOW) , because that reduces the radius of the turns (“more snappy”). For YOW I would even go to 19″ trucks distance (Wheelbase 17″), but only with a very concaved deck. Of course basically everything works, but these are my observations from many years of experience.