The deck is an essential element in the construction of a skateboard, it largely determines the convenience and safety of its operation. Therefore, the choice of the board must be approached very seriously and responsibly.
Characteristics
A deck is called a skateboard platform, on which tracks with wheels are fixed at the bottom, and a skateboarder is placed on top. Different materials are used to make the boards, but the Canadian maple is considered the best of them. This is due to the fact that trees growing near the Great Lakes of North America give very dense and at the same time elastic wood.
It is the ability to spring that makes Canadian maple the most suitable material for making decks, comparing it favorably with other tree species. In addition, it is very easy to handle and able to withstand high mechanical loads. In addition to Canadian maple, Chinese maple and birch are also used in the production of skateboard decks. In terms of their operational characteristics, they are significantly inferior to their overseas competitor, but they are much cheaper and quite suitable for beginners.
Wooden decks have a multilayer structure, consisting of 6, 7, and even 9 layers. A close examination of the end face of the board reveals their exact number and arrangement, in which some layers have a longitudinal direction, while others have a transverse direction. Thanks to this design, the deck gains additional elasticity and becomes especially durable.
The layers are glued together with a special glue and pressed together under high pressure. The higher the quality of the glue, the longer the board will not delaminate. The elasticity of the deck, directly affecting the height of the jump, also depends on the number of layers. The more of them, the more springy the “click” is - pushing the edge of the board off the ground, and the higher it is possible to “raise” the skate.
Some models have a bottom extra layer called slick. It is made of plastic and serves to perform tricks on the railing, making it easier to slip on the metal bars.
Such boards weigh more than usual and are not very convenient for beginners. By the way, experienced skateboarders also do not particularly favor them, arguing that decks without a plastic bottom slide along the railing no worse than slicks.
On the upper side of the wooden decks there is a special skin called flutype. She represents ordinary sandpaper on a self-adhesive basis and is designed to prevent the skateboarder from slipping on the surface of the board. In appearance, flu can be black without a pattern or color with photo printing, and in execution - solid or perforated.
Sandpaper with holes are more preferable for self-adhesive: they lie flat on the deck and do not form air bubbles. With regular skating, the skin erases quite quickly, so you will have to change it from time to time. When choosing a new influenza, it should be borne in mind that a fine-grained abrasive erases faster, and a coarse-grained abrasive gets clogged with dirt from the soles and ceases to cling. Therefore, the best option would be to choose a medium-grain skin of black or gray color.
In addition to wood, for the manufacture of decks use impact resistant plastic, able to withstand high weight and shock loads.
Plastic platforms have found their use on penny boards - this is a miniature view of skateboards designed for everyday movement over short distances and for performing simple jumps. As a rule, plastic influenza decks do not have, and the relief pattern of the deck, which does not allow the rider's legs to slide on the board, takes on their functions.
Dimensions and shape
Modern decks vary in length, width and depth of the bend, and the parameters listed are always strictly proportional to each other and are indicated in inches. When choosing the right size necessarily take into account the growth of the rider.
So, for a preschool child 100 cm tall, a children's model with dimensions of 27.2x6.5 inches (69x16.5 cm) is suitable, for elementary school students - a board measuring 28x7 inches and for older children - 29x7.3 inches.
As for the size of adult boards, their width varies from 7.5 to 8.2 inches (19-21 cm) with a length of about 31.5 inches, which is 80 cm.
When choosing the size of the board, you need to consider that wide decks are more convenient for landing after performing tricks, as well as for ramp driving and long-distance trips. But narrow ones are more maneuverable and better suited for twisting complex flips, the implementation of which requires special accuracy and speed.
As for the shape of the deck, then it varies depending on the purpose and narrow specialization of the skateboard. For example, all classic models are rounded at the front and rear ends, bearing the names Nose and Tail, respectively. The sides of the boards have a bend, which is called a concave and is necessary to perform flips. The depth of the concave for all boards is different and depends on the size and purpose of the skateboard.
So, on stunt models designed for difficult jumps and extreme riding, the deck has a large bending amplitude. Shallow concave decks are designed for a quiet ride on flat roads, but they are not suitable for flips.
How to choose?
When buying a deck for a skateboard, you need to pay attention to a number of important points.
- First of all, make sure that the board is not twisted, since it will be impossible to fix such a defect, and if the defect is found after installing the tracks, then such a product will not be taken back. The twisting of the deck is the result of improper storage and transportation, during which the integrity of the sealed factory packaging was violated.Therefore, the first thing to do when buying a board is to check if the native packaging of the deck is torn.
- This should be followed by a visual assessment of the surface of the board, why they take it for the tail and the nose and place it at the eye level with the bottom up. If the front and rear parts are in the same plane, then the deck was not subject to deformation. If the parts are at different heights, this is evidence that the board has led and you do not need to buy such a product. Skews of wood can occur not only due to improper storage, but also due to the use of low-quality glue in the manufacture of boards.
- You should make sure that there are no nicks, chips, swelling on the deck and check the quality of the flu.. It should have a uniform medium-grained structure, not bubble and not have bald zones.
- It is advisable to pay attention and for the duration of the deck, as the boards, which have lain on the counter for a long time, dry out and break very quickly.
- And the last thing you need to look at when buying a deck is manufacturing firm. Professional skateboarders recommend purchasing products of foreign companies Baker, Flip, Zero, Alien Workshop, Zoo York, BirdHouse, Toy Machine, Plan B, Powell and Foundation. Of the Russian brands, you can choose "Absurdity", "Union" and Footwork. Domestic models cost almost 2 times cheaper, and in quality they are a little inferior to the samples of foreign production.
Storage and care
In order for the deck to last as long as possible, it should be cleaned regularly of dirt using a soft, damp cloth. Then the board is wiped dry and put away for storage. Skateboards with wooden decks should be stored in rooms with an air humidity not exceeding 85% and a temperature of 5 to 25 degrees Celsius. Such external conditions are considered optimal for glued wood and provide the product with the preservation of all its operational properties. There are no moisture restrictions for plastic decks, the main thing is that the air temperature does not fall below zero.
See how to choose a deck for your skateboard in the next video.
