Oldschool vert skateboard decks?

November 11, 2005 12:48 AM

Old school vert skateboards for fat old nerds. Any adult riders out there?

I'm having a hell of a time finding sources for suitable vert, ramp or pool boards and gear for adults and larger people. I figured by now, nearly 10 years into the new wave of public/municipal and private vert skateparks it there would be a resurgence in old school or new school vert skateboard decks and hardware.

All the boards I'm finding are tiny little cookie-cutter twin-tip boards better suited for 50 pound kids that would rather bust nothing but kickflips in their driveway rather than rocking smith grinds in a pool or doing power carves in a bowl.

I need a big, beefy board, as I'm a big heavy nerd. 30-32-34 inches long, 9-10+ inches wide. Hopefully oldschool single-tip spoon nosed with a more modern but easy concave, but hybrids or workable vert-riding twin tips are ok. 7 ply hard maple. Big old plastic slide/grab rails. Etc.

Independent Truck Co still makes the 215 truck, which is something like 10" wide, but I can't even find boards that fit this kind of width.

I have a 28-30" x 8.5" twin tip, and it's just too damn small. The wheels are too small, trucks too narrow, etc. My center of gravity is kind of high on that size of deck, and my stance is too narrow, and I've got huge feet. It's frankly a pain in the ass to ride in concrete bowls, halfpipes and parks, and it just feels too light and squirrelly.

Does anyone have any first hand (or second hand, or third hand) knowledge of quality modern manufacturers of real vert riding boards?

I'm just about to give up and go scrounge some 7-ply hardwood up to shape and press my own deck. Which, frankly, might not be that bad of an idea. It might be the start of a business. I know how boards are made in theory, and while I don't have a hydraulic press or mill, I could do a steam+weight jig.

However, I know the boards exist out there. Some where. I've seen people riding them. Where did they get them? Who's making them?

posted by loquacious to sports, hobbies, & recreation (7 comments total)

A quick search turned up this board. There is one other 10" board on that site, plus some more modest sizes.

Can I ask how much you weigh? When I was 230lb, my new-school, 7.5" board with stress cracks from years of use help up just fine. I don't skate vert, however... If you're breaking decks, it could have more to do with your style than your weight (but I don't know the specifics of your situation).
posted by knave at 2:26 AM on November 11, 2005

Besides making sweet long boards, Sector 9 also makes some pretty righteous old school decks.
posted by trbrts at 7:50 AM on November 11, 2005

You probably know this but I'll ask anyway, have tried tightening that bottom bolt on the trucks on the squirrely board?
posted by 517 at 7:54 AM on November 11, 2005

Pretty much all the OG companies that were around in the 80's are new reissuing their old boards. Check out Powell Peralta:

http://powellclassic.com/products/decks_pc.html

The original Hosoi hammerhead is also back in the market as well as old Santa Cruz models
posted by 5bux at 8:04 AM on November 11, 2005

knave and 5bux: Excellent. That's what I'm talking about. My first ramp board was a Powell.

trbrts: Nice boards. That 37.5" "Handmade" pool deck is a monster, but probably too big even for me. Not too fond of the Latin gansta graphics, but there's always spray paint.

517: Yeah. I adjust my trucks depending on what I'm riding, whether it's just a straight halfpipe or parks/pools, for carving. It's not a truck tightness issue. My board is just too small, both in the deck and in the trucks. Wider stance = more leverage and stability - to a point. Plus my trucks suck - they're Madrid brand Cadillacs, but they're visibly slightly malformed and don't quite track true. No fun when reverting to fakie off a transition.

Thanks, guys.
posted by loquacious at 10:09 AM on November 11, 2005

You can always try this search on ebay. It also looks like the Moose brand decks that are sold on ebay are friggin cheap, if you don't want to shell out the bucks for a vintage deck that's probably not as solid.

wow, I might grab my sims staab bus deck* and put it up. didn't realize the market for old boards had gone so crazy, but it makes sense, considering that most of them either ended up broken -- skate decks were never really something to save among our crew (although I kept every single deck I ever owned, though all of them are broken, aside from the aforementioned staab and the chocolate that's my riding deck now).

*nah, i'd never sell that.
posted by fishfucker at 10:13 AM on November 11, 2005

Skull Skates has some old school decks for sale.
posted by granth at 6:43 AM on November 15, 2005