Longboard & Cruiser

The first longboarders were actually just surfers who mounted wheels to the bottom of their boards, and this is still reflected in today’s longboards. Despite all the technical advances over the years, most decks are similar to the surfboards that the guys in Hawaii and California used to surf huge waves with. All shapes, flexes and wood types are available at Blue Tomato, of course!
No matter whether you want to change your current setup or if you’re putting together a new board from scratch, your choice of deck will affect your entire riding performance and is the centrepiece of your longboard. It’s basically a plank of wood, usually made of around seven layers, but packed with many different technologies that will influence your entire riding experience. Or have you ever tried to slide downhill at 70 km/h with a cruiser deck with a pintail shape? If you have, you probably never will again!

Maple wood is the classic choice for skateboards and longboards and the most common material used. The reason that this material is so perfect is its surprising durability. Canadian wood is naturally harder and stiffer, which is why you will love it for bombing downhill. You can reach breath-taking speeds without a motor, petrol or pollution to the environment.
Bamboo wood has also become very popular. This super light material is often combined with maple wood to create a perfect flex with maximum durability. A hybrid mix can give you a soft ride for carving sessions and turns without compromising the stability required for high speeds. Plus, the construction of these decks is thinner, automatically making it lighter. That makes your setup even easier to carry, if you do ever need to step off your board.
You will also often find a mix of maple, bamboo and fibreglass used in today’s longboards. Brands like Never Summer like to call this technology an FCC-Construction, while Globenamed it FLX-Construction. Loadedalso uses this new technology.It makes your deck even more stable and greatly strengthens the cushioning qualities of bamboo. The construction is a lot thinner, as fibreglass can replace an entire wood layer.

Longboard decks don’t only differ in the types of wood used, but also in their construction and technology. Camber and rocker shapes, usually used for Snowboards and Freeskis, are now often used for longboard decks, too. A positive camber makes the board bend to a neutral position when you put your weight on it. This shape is usually used for carving decks, as it noticeably helps to initiate turns. A rocker shape, on the other hand, is a negative camber where the board is curved downwards to give you a close-to-the-ground stance. This makes pushing much easier and you have a lot more hold on your board.
There are also many different preferences when it comes to the vertical concave. You can choose between a standard and a mellow concave. A mellow concave is flatter. If you can’t decide between the two, you could also go for a deck with a W-Concave. You’ll love the stiffness in the centre of the board, especially if you’re into freestyle.

The selection is enormous and might make you confused at the beginning. There are as many different types of longboarders as there are different shapes. But no need to despair! Blue Tomato has the perfect deck for every taste!
If slides and sick tricks are your passion, then you should go for a freeride deck. These boards usually have gaps at the nose and tail to accommodate the popular drop through mounts. These make your point of gravity a little bit lower to enhance stability. Freeride decks are often constructed with a deep concave in order to give you an ideal stance at high speeds.
If you want to combine ‘new school’ and ‘old school’ longboarding, boardwalking or dance boards are perfect for you. The nose and tail kicks make this deck a very large skateboard. This means you can do flip tricks or old school boneless tricks on the curb – this board is ready for anything!
Cruiser longboards send you on a trip through time and give you the feeling of an oldschool skateboard. This shape often only gives you a short, but wide deck with a large surface area and a kicktail. These boards have excellent manoeuvrability that makes them great for pools, skateparks and sidewalks.
If you care more about board feel than high speeds, you should choose a carving board. The asymmetrical shape makes it easy to see where this board originates from. These boards usually feature a camber construction made of a maple-bamboo mix to make tight turns a piece of cake!
All speed freaks out there have their own specific shape, too. Downhill decks are usually made of maple wood to keep the board stable. These longboards usually feature a drop through mount to shift your point of gravity a bit lower. The wheels are positioned far from the board to fully avoid wheelbites.
No matter which type of longboard suits your style – Blue Tomato has everything you need, from decks to complete sets! YOUR RIDE, OUR MISSION.