The Snow Wakeskate

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

I'm trying to make a snowskate that's wider like a wakeskate and that has metal edges.

This is the board i'm trying to design it after






So far I've tried duct taping the kids snowboard and top deck together like this with the snowskate in between







But its way too heavy to ever even consider mounting all three permanently.

Anybody have any ideas how I can put this together? I've already tried making it a bi level (with just the top deck, trucks and the kids snowboard), but it doesn't turn at all compared to the duct tape version.

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

and yes that is a 10.75" skateboard deck

[Steven M]

What about a lighter material in between? Something like a high density foam. A boogie board or those underwater skateboard toys?

Keeps the same shape but is lighter

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

interesting...that might work pretty well. i'd just need to find foam that i can shape, then figure out how to mount everything together

[Steven M]

http://mobile.walmart.com/m/phoenix#ip/SubSkate-Underwater-Skateboard/9219213?page=seeAllReviews

$15 at Walmart. The only downside I see with these is a loss of pop. The foam might absorb some of your energy. But then again I'm not sure where the the pop would be coming from for this setup.

[Steven M]

What makes the 3 piece duct tape version turn/ edge better than the bi-level? Is it the added weight or do the trucks allow the top deck to flex to much getting you off balance?

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

yeah actually i'm not sure if foam would work, i think it needs to be stiff inbetween.

I'm not 100 percent sure why it works better, but i think it has to do with the rocker and where the weight is distributed when you're standing on it.

the snowskate i'm trying to build it after or the "burton approach" has a 10" flat spot in the center, then small pre kick tails, then kick tails. so it has sort of like a five stage rocker to it. I think that's the key to what makes it turn, maybe the exaggerated rocker makes it easier to transfer to your edges?

the bi level version had a bigger "flat spot" in the middle and just had the kick tails at the end, so it was more like a three stage style rocker

[Steven M]

Do you have a side profile shot of the bi level setup ? Like your second to last picture in the first post?

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

this was the best bi level configuration i've gotten to work



looks fine, but you really cant turn easy at all. so scary to go fast on

[Steven M]

With your 3piece duct tape job is there any flex when ollieing or is it one solid board that's just thick?

With the bi level design I'm assuming the skate deck flexes creating the pop?



Only experience I have with a snowskate is a single level Ambition deck, so I just want to make sure I'm picturing everything in my head correctly with design ideas.

You can definitely see a difference in the rocker lines between the 3 piece duct tape job and the bi level setup. Maybe the trucks will work if you have a bracket or something on the outsides of the trucks pulling the bottom deck (kids snowboard) up in a more exaggerated kick tail to mimic the 5 stage rocker of the 3 piece duct tape setup.

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

with the duct tape board there isn't any flex when ollieing, its just a solid board.

i'm pretty convinced that with the bi level, the board flexing on bottom isn't what creates the pop in a sense. i don't really have "proof" because i've never tried it, but i think if you taped the board to the end of the top deck that it would ollie the same. because the pop comes from the leverage from the board on the trucks (when they're in the right spot).

i've tried riding the bi level where i made just one big 10" truck in the center, and taped the ends of the board up to the top deck. i think that rode a little better, but it made olleing impossible because the leverage was more from the middle of the board.

i think maybe i need another set of less tall trucks to stiffen "pre kick tail" areas to give you something to ollie off of?

[Steven M]

That would be my next design. Some on the outside of the current trucks that bring the snowboard deck up creating something close to the 3piece rocker line, the exaggerated 5 stage I guess

[miller]

Gnarly Dancer 42, I tried the same idea a couple years ago but used an old flexy snowskate. It was good for rails but turning sucked. It comes down to the width of the bottom ski in relation to the top deck. To wide of bottom ski doesn't allow it to turn.

I will get some pics of the rocker trucks I have and maybe something more like them would help your project.

[c dub]

Hell yeah kyle!

[miller]

Here are those pics -

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

[daniel]

Video of you shredding this thing?

[Gnarly Dancer 42]

here's the new design



it rides a lot more like I want it to. Ollie's feel good and turning is almost perfect.

it weighs 10 pounds right now, which is kind of heavy, but that just makes it feel more like a wakeskate


I tried to film a little video yesterday of me riding in my backyard, but my brother was too cold to wait for me to land my trick haha

The only problems I had were riding at the resort, it was a little harder to turn toeside, but I think it's because I had the top deck mounted slightly crooked

[electricsnow]

So what's in between the top and bottom decks? And how did you mount them?

That's really cool to see. I don't do any snowskating anymore, but it's fun to see what other people are doing. Terje posted some quick stuff on instagram that was cool.

[miller]

Gnarly Dancer 42, that is really cool looking.

I am in the process of building a pow surfer.