SKATEBOARD DECK BUYERS GUIDE

The deck is probably the part of the skateboard that receives the most attention, and will be the part of the skateboard being replaced the most.

A Skateboard deck is a combination of thin sheets of wood(plys) pressed together with glue in between the layers to hold it all together. The better decks have all plys being Canadian Maple, usually 7plys.

DECK TYPE:

Skateboarding has changed over time, and decks have changed with it.

OLD SCHOOL: What you would have seen in the 80’s. Square tail, pointed nose, larger width.
LONGBOARD: Usually 40” + in length designed for cruising, and downhill.
NEW SCHOOL: What kids are currently riding. Nose and Tail Kick, and Concave. Designed for tricks.

For the rest of this guide, we will only be referring to new school decks.

BRANDS, BLANKS, PRO DECKS.

I’ve divided the next part of this into two parts: PRO DECKS, and BLANK DECKS.

PRO DECK: A brand name deck, one you would see in a core skate shop. This will have a graphic on the bottom. On the market today there are hundreds of brands of decks. This is can be really confusing; when they all claim they’re better then the brand sitting next to them. Ask 10 kids, they’ll all give you a different opinion about whose is better. THE TRUTH: There are about 6 factories in the world that produce 90% of all the skateboard decks in existence. Most pro decks are equal; the difference is the picture on the bottom. Some expectations apply with different deck constructions like Element’s Fiberlight and Helium series of decks.

BLANK DECK: "Blank Deck" refers to absence of a graphic on the bottom. These can be sometimes just as good as a pro deck, and some cases could be far inferior. Since this is my guide, I will insure you the Blanks that we sell are equal to a pro deck, and are made in the same factory that produces many of the top selling brands.

DECK SIZE

Decks will vary in width from 6 ½” –  8 ½”, and length from 26” – 32”. This is probably the part where a new skateboarder parent has the most confusion. I’m going to divide this in 3 categories: Mini, Normal, and Large.

Mini: Deck Length under 30” and Widths 6 ½” – 7 3/8”. The length is the major indicator to being a mini or not.

Normal: Deck Width 7 3/8” – 8”, and Deck lengths 31” – 31.75”

Large: Deck Widths over 8”, and Lengths longer then 31.75”

What size should I, or my Kid Use?

This is often made a lot more confusing then necessary, and everyone has an opinion.

If the rider is under 8, I would recommend a mini.

Everyone else I would recommend a normal size deck.

Bottom line for parents of a new skater: Buying your kid a normal size deck won’t hurt them; it will make it easier to ride around the neighborhood because of the increased stability from the larger foot room. Where it could become a problem is when they try and do tricks. If you’re really in doubt to what size to buy, go with the normal sized board. I tell most people it doesn’t really matter on their first board; people will decide what size works best for them after riding a few over time. If they already have a board, break out the tape measure, or just ask them. Nothing regarding a rider’s size and board size is set in stone.

Remember decks are made of wood and can and will break. The more advance tricks will lead to more broken decks. Decks could last years; others may snap one in hours.