An Ode To Wide Boards

A good skateboard should fit you and your style, whatever that happens to be. For founder David "DAVO" Hegstrom, that meant finding the widest board he could get his hands on. He remembers drooling over his buddy Mike Roots' brand new 12" wide Dogtown Bigfoot model in 5th grade-not knowing that very deck would have a huge impact on him down the road. From that moment on he knew he wanted to ride wide boards.

The Steve Alba Bevel, which would become the precursor to our signature OG Pig was a particular favorite of DAVO. After some heckling from local skaters in the area for his old 7" Hobie, Dave knew he needed an upgrade and began trading decks to eventually upgrade to an 11" Sims Andrecht. From then on he knew he was ripping wide boards for life.

Why should you ride a wide board?

Wide boards aren't just hype. They're perfect for skaters looking to push the limits in the pool, park, or even in the streets.

But why? Well, let's start with the obvious: wide boards are...well, wide! They have more surface area than typical street skateboards, which means you can go for bigger tricks with better balance while riding one. And let's be real: they look a hell of a lot cooler than rolling around on a popsicle stick.

A walk down memory lane

Early skateboards were relatively simple. In the '60s they were quite literally wooden planks with wheels. "Sidewalk surfers" where the first boards to propel skateboarding to become more widely known. Later in the early '70s the rise of the kicktail would propel skaters both literally and figuratively to new heights.  

In the late '70s through '80s wide boards became a major innovation in skateboarding as pool skating grew in popularity.

As pool skating grew in popularity, so did the idea of a wider board. The wide board was a major innovation that made it possible for pool skaters to push their skills and rip it on any bowl they could get their hands on. This is where today's modern skateboarding culture comes from—and it all started with pool skating!

Early wide boards did have their drawbacks. Noses were small and short which limited switch skating and any nose slide variations. The lack of concave 

Boards began to shrink as street skating grew

Street skating, reached peak popularity in the '00s and was characterized by smaller decks that are no more than 8 - 9" in width. These boards often have kicktails and upturned noses that gave skaters more leverage when doing flip tricks. During this time only a few dedicated pool shredders continued to skate wide boards...it wouldn't be long until more people realized the innovation they had left behind in search of more flick.

Blurring the lines between old and new

As modern skateboarding has evolved, the lines between vert, park, and street skating have blurred. Whether you're a older bro looking to rip for life or a young grom looking to leave your mark on the skate community choose the board that fits your needs...but in our case, we hope that's a wide board. 🤙

Skaterbuilt set out to create the perfect combination of modern street tech with classic design in mind. We've combined the innovation of modern street boards with the wide deck and longer wheelbase of their '80s predecessors allowing skaters to enjoy the best of both worlds.