Deck length (that thang long ain't it)

[FatGuy92]

I couldn't find a thread on deck length so I figured I'd start one since it's been on my mind.

I feel like length is the least cared about measurement and I think I get why, but with that being said, I've been paying a lot closer attention to setups when watching parts and noticed by far and large, boards go up anywhere from thigh to testicle height (with some exceptions of course).

I'm pretty short (5'6") and my legs are shorter than my torso, so a standard ish 32" deck goes up to my hips. I've always had a hard time getting tricks (mostly flip tricks) on lock and while I'm sure a lot of that is a skill issue, I'm wondering if there is a goldilocks zone for deck and leg length that should be can help.

Anyone have preferences or overall thoughts on this?

[rikki]

I couldn't find a thread on deck length so I figured I'd start one since it's been on my mind.

I feel like length is the least cared about measurement and I think I get why, but with that being said, I've been paying a lot closer attention to setups when watching parts and noticed by far and large, boards go up anywhere from thigh to testicle height (with some exceptions of course).

I'm pretty short (5'6") and my legs are shorter than my torso, so a standard ish 32" deck goes up to my hips. I've always had a hard time getting tricks (mostly flip tricks) on lock and while I'm sure a lot of that is a skill issue, I'm wondering if there is a goldilocks zone for deck and leg length that should be can help.

Anyone have preferences or overall thoughts on this?

No cosmic-level reveations here, but I'm 5'9" with longer legs than torso. I start feeling cramped if my deck length goes below 31.8"-ish. On the other hand, though, I do not enjoy decks that are longer than 32". So yeah, the goldilocks zone can be real specific. Mind you I skate a bit more transition than technical stuff, so has an effect as well. If I just wanted to refine my 360 flip, I'd prolly be happy with a 31.5" deck.

[richard00800]

I'm 5'7". Had a passport deck on sale (32in) ,that was a nightmare to me.
i'm currently skating plan b 8"(31.33) deck for over 5 decks (some grapgic are suck tho), nice and flippy with venture low.

[moonordie]

For me it works between 31.75 and 32.
177 cms tall

[Mick]

5'8" also shorter legs than torso... 31.75 is perfection. I have experimented with longer than 32 and hated it so much. Those 8.12 decks that are 31.3 are too short imo, fucks with the loft. Current deck is 8.12/31.75, so good.

[neodragonlordx]

6'5" taller guy here. I started out with a 32, and I learned nothing on that board. Thought it was about the width, so I moved to a 8.5 x 32 and still learned nothing. Then I moved on to a 8.75 x 32.5 and I had a literal revelation and learned every trick I know today. So for me 32.5 is the sweet spot.

Side note: I have also skated 32.9's in the past, and though they were reaaaaly good for ollies, they felt like longboards.

[Ok]

i agree length is an underrated measurement.
i can skate 31 1/8” fine, don’t like 31” and below. 32” is my upper limit, but i’ve had a few setups that worked well with boards longer than 32”. sigh.
just leads me to believe that there are more factors, all of which i don’t get.

i am short, with shorter legs. i’m general, a shorter board, and narrow, works best for me. short wb is helpful, but if the tail starts getting too long, i don’t like it.

[brownjenkin]

I'm 5'7 with relatively short legs. I think I could easily skate a 30.5" deck as long as the kicks gave me a decent pop angle.

Someone with a 34" inseam skating 32.5" deck still has a relatively shorter deck than someone with a 30" inseam skating a 31" deck.

That's not to say short guys can't skate longer decks. Just that shorter decks can make a lot of sense for shorter people.

[Carter]

im 5' 5 the antihero true fit mold is great

31.35 X 8.5 13.75 wheel base

[DarkPools]

5' 10" checking in here with longer legs than torso. I think my inseam is 32", could get away with 30" on pants, but then I'm looking like Johnny Knoxville when seated haha

Back on topic, I've scaled up board sizes from a 7.5 (2006) to an 8.5 (2012 ->) and as I got taller, I noticed the length scaling up was important. Same with WB.

32.5 is the max length I can comfortably skate, but the WB needs to be 14.5 or lower for it to work. I've skated 14.6 on 32.5 and it was too hefty to flick.

32" length decks work for me but they do feel a tad short when I'm skating from A to B, like it's not stable, but my spin tricks work well.  Trade offs.

I think the magical combo of height, leg length, and WB does blend with board length for people.

MY GOLDILOCKS ZONE:
Stats: 5'10" with 32" inseam | Shoe Size 11 - 11.5
Ideal deck length of 32 - 32.3" with a WB of 14.25 - 14.5" ideally on 8.5" width

[jimgrude]

The reason we generally don't discuss deck length is because it's redundant, as the overall length is dictated by your preferred wheelbase, tail and nose length. Now I ride BBS twins with 14" WB and 6.6" kicks, so the length comes out to roughly 31.7", but that all changes if I'm to pick up a regular deck.

[Ok]

The reason we generally don't discuss deck length is because it's redundant, as the overall length is dictated by your preferred wheelbase, tail and nose length. Now I ride BBS twins with 14" WB and 6.6" kicks, so the length comes out to roughly 31.7", but that all changes if I'm to pick up a regular deck.

this is sort of correct.
but.
i’ve had a few boards that i’ve hated, despite being less than 32, 14 wb….all stuff i thought was necessary for me to enjoy a deck. and then several instances of boards with a 6.5, or less tail, that i loved, regardless of the other measurements.
dunno. i just dunno.


but i do like buying boards that are 31.5 ish, and find that i can generally get them to work for me

[Xen]

Expand Quote

I couldn't find a thread on deck length so I figured I'd start one since it's been on my mind.

I feel like length is the least cared about measurement and I think I get why, but with that being said, I've been paying a lot closer attention to setups when watching parts and noticed by far and large, boards go up anywhere from thigh to testicle height (with some exceptions of course).

I'm pretty short (5'6") and my legs are shorter than my torso, so a standard ish 32" deck goes up to my hips. I've always had a hard time getting tricks (mostly flip tricks) on lock and while I'm sure a lot of that is a skill issue, I'm wondering if there is a goldilocks zone for deck and leg length that should be can help.

Anyone have preferences or overall thoughts on this?

[close]

No cosmic-level reveations here, but I'm 5'9" with longer legs than torso. I start feeling cramped if my deck length goes below 31.8"-ish. On the other hand, though, I do not enjoy decks that are longer than 32". So yeah, the goldilocks zone can be real specific. Mind you I skate a bit more transition than technical stuff, so has an effect as well. If I just wanted to refine my 360 flip, I'd prolly be happy with a 31.5" deck.

5’9” and I’m the same way. 31.875/.775

32”+ it’s a damn boat

[munchbox]

6’6 w/36” inseam
have been riding under 32” for a while (31.75-31.9)
popped some tricks on a longer board and changed my mind
32.25 - 32.5+ is what i want these days

[FatGuy92]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I setup a 8.06 true fit with thunder 147s and so far everything feels good. I've been sizing down overtime, went from the DLX 8.38 shape (still love it and will probably keep one around for curbs and transition) down to a hockey 8.18 which felt way more manageable, but something was still off. Didn't realize I could benefit from such a shorter board and the quicker snap from lower trucks is nice too.

What really got me thinking about this more was talking to Tom K over DMs. He said he rides the WKND 8.25CT shape which seems to be ridiculously short for his height.

I need to get used to 8" trucks again but hopefully the transition won't be too bad.

[DarkPools]

The reason we generally don't discuss deck length is because it's redundant, as the overall length is dictated by your preferred wheelbase, tail and nose length. Now I ride BBS twins with 14" WB and 6.6" kicks, so the length comes out to roughly 31.7", but that all changes if I'm to pick up a regular deck.

Except it's not redundant because the length of deck is not always linked to WB as the primary factor in deciding that value for every mold from every brand. Not every brand uses molds that scale up proportionally (see Wide Deck/Short WB or Twin Tail threads for examples that contradict your statement here. However, it is usually the primary indicator, so I see you point.

I find length always useful to know, because often, certain brands/woodshops experiment with certain WB values that don't match the expected length because the mold use some combination of steeper/mellower kicks or shorter/longer licks or less/more fingers of flat, etc. A 32.25" deck from crail is gonna feel different from a BBS one. Length is important to me because not all 32" decks have the same WB, nor do 32.25" ones that I often skate

[Mbrimson88]

Expand Quote

The reason we generally don't discuss deck length is because it's redundant, as the overall length is dictated by your preferred wheelbase, tail and nose length. Now I ride BBS twins with 14" WB and 6.6" kicks, so the length comes out to roughly 31.7", but that all changes if I'm to pick up a regular deck.

[close]

Except it's not redundant because the length of deck is not always linked to WB as the primary factor in deciding that value for every mold from every brand. Not every brand uses molds that scale up proportionally (see Wide Deck/Short WB or Twin Tail threads for examples that contradict your statement here. However, it is usually the primary indicator, so I see you point.

I find length always useful to know, because often, certain brands/woodshops experiment with certain WB values that don't match the expected length because the mold use some combination of steeper/mellower kicks or shorter/longer licks or less/more fingers of flat, etc. A 32.25" deck from crail is gonna feel different from a BBS one. Length is important to me because not all 32" decks have the same WB, nor do 32.25" ones that I often skate

For sure.


Without going into too much detail, yes the length can definitely be one thing, but also the length of middle flat has to be relative to the overall length of the deck too, with the wheelbase being relative to that.

The DLX boards might lead the industry with that, having longer molds / presses with longer wheelbases to fit the boards, then shorter molds and wheelbases as per the Tru Fit boards.


I have skated boards with both longer and shorter wheelbases with relative lengths and they just feel off, but having the right fingers of flat definitely make things work better overall, or at least for what we are used to.


* Edit:

That last sentence might not have quite made sense, but I was meaning the longer or shorter wheelbases on what would have been a normal mold often feels off, eg a board with 32 length and usually a 14.38 wb but then if the same board with the same mold has a 14" wb the kicks can feel very light, or if it has a 14.75" wb then the kicks can feel very heavy.

[El Freegano]

I am 168 cm (5'6") and i am ok in between 31.1-31.5, but the gold for me is 31.35 and i skate ledges, flat and small stairs. the dgk 7.9 that i ride now has the best shape and specs for me, i only wish the wood was stiffer, but i am still stoked on it.

[FatGuy92]

I am 168 cm (5'6") and i am ok in between 31.1-31.5, but the gold for me is 31.35 and i skate ledges, flat and small stairs. the dgk 7.9 that i ride now has the best shape and specs for me, i only wish the wood was stiffer, but i am still stoked on it.

Sounds like we’re similar in height and board preference. Good to know about the DGK 7.9 I might try that one out next. What trucks do you run with that?

[El Freegano]

Expand Quote

I am 168 cm (5'6") and i am ok in between 31.1-31.5, but the gold for me is 31.35 and i skate ledges, flat and small stairs. the dgk 7.9 that i ride now has the best shape and specs for me, i only wish the wood was stiffer, but i am still stoked on it.

[close]

Sounds like we’re similar in height and board preference. Good to know about the DGK 7.9 I might try that one out next. What trucks do you run with that?

thunder 147
as for the deck i also liked the magenta 7.875 size which is also around 31.3 with 14 wb, but the dgk has longer tail which is almost like the nose with a wb 13.9 and my pop is easier on the dgk.
 

[Xen]

Now I ride BBS twins with 14" WB and 6.6" kicks, so the length comes out to roughly 31.7", but that all changes if I'm to pick up a regular deck.

Which BBS twins are these?

[LebowskisRug]

6 foot 3 and size 10 shoe. Shorter legs. I seem to like 31.9 and up. 32 feels really great and still super nimble. Depends on trucks. I have never had a bad time skating the BBS 8.38/14.38 that is like a pubic hair over 32