What are the Best Surfskates for Bowl Riding?

by Steve Palmer | Dec 29, 2021 | Choosing Your Surfskate

Looking for a good surfskate for bowl riding? Here are the best surfskates for bowl riding from Carver, YOW, Smoothstar, Slide, and SpiceSkate.

Watch How I Learned Surfskate Bowl Riding on YouTube

The Equipment I Use for Surfskate Bowl Riding

Bowl Riding Surfskate Review Topics

Specifications to Look for in the Best Surfskates for Bowl Riding
Choosing Your Surfskate Truck for Bowl Riding
Why a Narrow Wheelbase Matters for Surfskate Bowl Riding
Why Good Deck Concave Matters for Surfskate Bowl Riding
Best Wheels for Surfskate Bowl Riding
Best Carver Surfskates for Bowl Riding
Best YOW Surfskates for Bowl Riding
Best Smoothstar Surfskates for Bowl Riding
Best Slide Surfskates for Bowl Riding
Best SpiceSkate Surfskates for Bowl Riding

I’ve had a blast learning surfskate bowl riding since April of 2021.

A big part of the process has been learning all the tools and equipment, including surfskate trucks, surfskate decks, surfskate wheels, protective gear, and more.

After a lot of trial and error, I think I have a pretty good idea of what makes for the best surfskates for bowl riding. Hopefully, this article will help you choose the best one for you.

For more help with choosing your ideal surfskate, get my free Surfskate Selector app now.

Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small affiliate commission at no cost to you.

Specifications to Look for in the Best Surfskates for Bowl Riding

When it comes to choosing the best surfskate for bowl riding, what exactly are you looking for?

In my experience, these are the most important specifications to look for:

A stable surfskate truck (if you are a beginner to intermediate rider).
A narrow wheelbase.
Good concave on the deck.
Good park/bowl wheels.

Choosing Your Surfskate Truck for Bowl Riding

The first place to start is to choose your surfskate truck for bowl riding.

Since surfskate trucks are less stable than skateboard trucks, it makes surfskating transitions more difficult. Therefore, it’s easier to ride transitions and bowls on more stable surfskates.

This doesn’t mean that the looser surfskate trucks don’t work for surfskate bowl riding, because plenty of advanced riders can do amazing things on them. So you don’t necessarily need a stable surfskate truck.

However, here’s the principle to use when choosing your surfskate truck for bowl riding: The stability of the truck must match your skill level.

In other words, the less skilled you are, the more stable you want your surfskate truck to be for bowl riding. The more advanced of a rider you are, the easier it will be for you to ride a looser surfskate truck.

My personal favorite surfskate truck for bowl riding—and my top recommendation—is the Carver CX. Not only is it the most stable, but it can also be adjusted to be almost as loose as some of the other systems. This means it gives you versatility for bowl riding.

Here’s how I would rank the best surfskate trucks in terms of suitability for bowl riding:

Why a Narrow Wheelbase Matters for Surfskate Bowl Riding

The wheelbase on a skateboard or surfskate is the measurement between the inner bolt holes.

Transition riding means riding surfaces that transition from horizontal to vertical—in other words, riding up and down banks and walls.

The wider your wheelbase, the harder it is for your surfskate to go up and down transition, and the harder it is to generate and keep speed in the bowl.

Since surfskates typically have a wider wheelbase than skateboards, it’s important to choose surfskates with a narrow wheelbase. My recommendation is no wider than a 17.5″ wheelbase for surfskate bowl riding.

Why Good Deck Concave Matters for Surfskate Bowl Riding

The best surfskates for bowl riding have decks with good concave. The reason this is important is because you want your feel to feel locked in place as you ride up and down transitions.

Many surfskate decks are flat, and your feet slide around on flat decks in the bowl.

Best Wheels for Surfskate Bowl Riding

Any surfskate you buy will come with standard surfskate wheels. Stock wheels are not good for surfskate bowl riding because they’re too soft and big, so you’ll need to replace them.

For bowl riding, you want wheels that are smaller and harder. I recommend between 58 and 65mm in diameter and 84a – 97a in durometer.

Powell Peralta Rat Bones

My favorite wheels for surfskate bowl riding are Powell Perall Rat Bones.

Rat Bones give you great speed in the bowl but without sacrificing grip. With other park wheels, I find that my back wheels slide out when I pump. But Rat Bones allow you to pump on a surfskate without sliding out.

They are 60mm in diameter, 44mm wide, and have a 35mm contact patch. They come in two different durometers, 85a and 90a. I prefer the harder 90a because they are faster. But if you want to feel a bit more secure with your grip, try the softer 85a.