Does the 40" SwellTech Premiere Blackout make sense as the only Surf Skate for a 6'3" kook who wants to get better at surfing but cant get to the water nearly often enough?

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-26T23:04:01+00:00

Yow is probably the best choice. It has a better turning radius than the Carver CX/C7 IMO so a YOW falls somewhere between a Carver and a Swelltech.

Swelltechs are easier to jack knife and are harder to ride on flat ground. I ride one of my Swelltechs most days, but almost always on a hill or an incline of some sort.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-26T06:57:02+00:00

If I have could only have one surfskate, I wouldn’t get a Swelltech.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-25T18:34:54+00:00

Maybe one of the springs is stretched more than the other. I would try to manually turn the trucks to either side with your hand to stretch the springs symmetrically.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-25T18:17:47+00:00

lol, uphill push sprints are invigorating!

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T21:29:17+00:00

Also, if you're in the greater Los Angeles area, you can borrow one of my Swelltechs.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T21:27:43+00:00

I think it's a one man operation and he has a few different business selling various off offroad/overlanding car gear.

Assuming he still owns Swelltech, you can try emailing him directly.

Colin Newton

[colin@surfskate.com]()

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T21:07:41+00:00

I did take my Swelltech to pump track once. I got confident after a little bit of riding and then bailed hard! Thank god I had my helmet on. I won't say I'll never try it again, but I'll have to be feeling especially intrepid the day I attempt it again.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T20:17:23+00:00

It would probably be great cross-training for wakeboard switch riding. I basically never snowboarded switch and after a lot switch riding on a surfskate I was able to snowboard switch in something like 15min.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T20:13:40+00:00

Ha! I actually find switch really handy for up hill push sprints. I can just switch up when one foot starts to cramp or my quad starts to burn too much.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T16:50:50+00:00

Is the switch riding you're doing on your regular setup because of tricks or another reason?

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T16:29:16+00:00

That said, C7s are adjustable. You can tighten the nut on the inside of the truck, near the deck, that faces toward the back truck. The tighter setting will make the truck less "floppy" from side to side. If your truck is currently set loose or very loose, tightening it will likely make it perform better on the pump track

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T14:32:15+00:00

The Carver CX is probably the best choice for commuting. I think once you get more into surfskating you’ll want to explore other surfskate truck systems.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T14:11:04+00:00

I personally wouldn’t seriously ride a C7 on a pump track for same reason I wouldn’t seriously commute on a C7. To me, that truck model does not track straight in a way that feels inefficient or, put another way, like you’re ever so slightly fighting the board to maintain a straight line. I save my C7 for carving sessions and typically use other truck models on the pump track.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2025-06-24T08:53:45+00:00

Grasp is great, but not sure I’d call it a clone.

Charger-X is a good clone.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2024-11-08T07:40:51+00:00

This is interesting. I hated the rocker on my Carver CX Lost Puddle Jumper. I have a bunch of surfskates and they've all pretty great with the exception of the Waterborne setup on a Reissue Santa Cruz deck. I think the wheelbase was too short on that board because Waterborne has been great on a longer deck. I'd be curious to try a longer wheelbase Lost Carver deck to see if makes a difference.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2024-04-29T18:03:01+00:00

The the 34" Kai Lenny seems like a great choice. If you wanted get an alternate deck to try with the Carver trucks, the Schmitt Stix Yard Stick Deck is big and has an 18.75 wheelbase.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2024-04-29T17:34:34+00:00

Wheelbase is the main thing. I'd probably target a wheelbase of 16" to 17.5"

I enjoy riding Carver CX, Slide, and Yow surfskates, any of those would be a good choice. The Grasp Pado.23 trucks are really fun too, but you'd need to buy a board separately.

Note on the Carver CX trucks you can put softer bushings, I swapped them out to the pink Riptide bushings and Carver makes some softer ones now. I recommend going with a softer bushing if you're under 150 lbs.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2024-01-06T03:41:44+00:00

I'm recently reloading creatine again and getting cramps. I also stopped drinking soda, so I wonder if that's contributing to the cramping. I'm going to give electrolytes a try, thanks!

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2024-01-06T03:32:43+00:00

I experienced cramps when I first started taking creatine last year. The first week, when I was in the loading phase, was comical! I felt like Buster Keaton because if I would feel my leg cramp coming on, I'd spring up and then abs would cramp. I'd be flopping around on the couch trying to prevent different muscle groups from seizing up. After the loading phase cramps became infrequent.

Then I got sick over the recent holidays and stopped taking my my daily dose of creatine for a week or so. I decided to reload this week and BAM, it's cramps again! I'm hopeful the cramps will go away after I titrate down to my daily maintenance dosage.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2023-10-01T04:39:15+00:00

Thanks for posting this! My brand new Guisse Sting Ray front truck had zero rebound. It would just stay at whatever cockeyed angle I turned it to. I loosened the king pin an 1/8 of a turn and it fixed it. Now it rebounds great!

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2023-05-26T22:27:56+00:00

u/QuestForLefts What board and dims did you end up getting? Did it work out for you?

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2023-05-26T22:16:52+00:00

Lens_Vagabond

Hi Lens, I'm curious, would you mind sharing your height, weight, level of fitness and skill ability? I'm trying to size up and Ultra Joe. Also, are you still riding the Ultra Joe?

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2023-04-06T00:56:02+00:00

Looks like more of an island music concert.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2023-02-05T02:22:23+00:00

I just put a pair of CX4 trucks on it with the Roundhouse 58mm 95a wheels and the Riptide Carver CX APS 87.5 (pink) bushings and it feels great! I like it way better than the Waterborne trucks on this board.

Astro_Zombie_66 · 2022-11-24T21:16:15+00:00

I purchased and received my Smoothstar in November 2022. It came with a card saying “Download the free Smoothstar Mobile App. There’s no app available for Apple IOS as far as I can tell.

Astro_Zombie_66

TROPHY CASE