to stay fit and in the game by going for

a surf skate. Today I'm trying out two

different board brands arguably the two

biggest in the game to see which one I

like better let's get into it. if you're

new here my name is Kyle I'm a filmmaker

and a free surfer and here you'll find

all sorts of epic surf content like

tutorials to help you surf better

important reviews and more so subscribe

down below and join me on instagram @

@kalesbroccoli Here's what's coming up

look that was fun that's cool let's try

the SmoothStar

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I'm gonna be testing for three main

things well after a big morning let's

chat about the verdict it just wasn't as

responsive but definitely take that with

me yeah what it feels like it'd be like

a wider long longer board. I remember

when I was 18 I was up the coast and I

was surfing with some friends and before

they went out in the water they just

brought out all these surf skates and

they rode them and I remember trying it

back then and I hated it, hated it so I

didn't touch another surf skate for

about eight years. Um full transparency I've

been using SmoothStar boards with

clients mostly for the past year so I'm

quite familiar with how they work I

haven't used Carver's a lot

this one looks sick though if you have a

look at it, I mean it kind of looks like

a mini surfboard this is their

collaboration with mayhem it's really

cool

the truck seems a lot stiffer than the

SmoothStar this one tends to be, that

might be because I've used this one more

it's a little bit looser but I don't

know it could be good it could be a bad

thing I'm interested to see which one I

like more this one definitely looks

cooler. The surfskates really are a

fantastic way to get repetitive on land

training in for surfing one of the

biggest challenges with surfing is that

unless you're in a wave pool it's pretty

hard to get lots of waves on demand to

just try tricks over and over again. By

skating we can line up and repeat our

current training at a high frequency

leading to faster progression. When I was

younger I used to skate a bunch but only

on regular boards these surfskates

differ in their overall shape and in

their front trucks. These front trucks

rotate which changes the way the board

moves across the ground and how it

responds to your body movements,

that's the theory anyway. So today I'm

going to be testing for three main

things. The first one is speed generation

and flow so that is how effectively each

board simulates and responds to what I

consider proper speed generation

technique. Number two I'm going to be

testing for rotational potential so that

is how tight of an arc I can create

without kicking the tail and lifting the

front of the board upwards. This will

essentially form the basis for maneuver

training. And number three practicality

this is just getting from A to B so if

you want to check the surf or head

down the shops, which board would you be

more likely to use and which one would

be just more enjoyable and easy.

Importantly I'm also going to ask any

strangers or surfers who rock up today

will see to test the boards as well just

to eliminate any kinetic bias because I

have been working with SmoothStar for the

last year

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Speed generation on a wave starts with

the upper torso creating a twisting and

talking pressure on the hips and then

the feet which should drive into the

board and then press us forward. By

creating an undulating flowing motion

with the body you can move up and down

the wave to build speed before releasing

it into a big maneuver. It's an essential

part of surfing because all turns have

speed generation technique as their

foundation. Let's try the Carver first

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that was fun that's cool let's try this

SmoothStar

[Music]

Speed generation super close I just

found that when I was on the carver it

took a little bit to get going and

probably felt like it was more similar

to riding like a big fish or something.

It just didn't want it, it didn't respond

as actively as the SmoothStar did. I felt

like once it was going I could keep up

the flow quite nicely on the Carver but

it just took a little bit more and also

turning it felt like my legs were

burning a lot more. It took a lot more

work to get the board to turn but I felt

like the smoothStar was just sort of more

responsive, a lot more responsive and

then once I was going I kind of, I had to

keep up the flow which is probably more,

which is a lot closer to surfing

there was less of a skateboard feel

about it and it just tended to move a lot

more actively and be a little bit more

responsive in how it turned and things

like that. So I think speed generation

and flow I'm gonna give it to the SmoothStar

by one or two points. Midway

through our test somebody told me that

Carver have a more surf specific

truck, the c7 than the one I'm currently

using on the mayhem model the CX. So I

managed to get my hands on a setup that

has a c7 system underneath to try that

too. To be honest I'm still not super

impressed with the responsiveness of the

system. It's not just about pumping

forward either but also how the board

doesn't seem to flow between maneuvers

as well. On the Carver I find myself

losing speed once I do a turn compared

to the SmoothStar which tends to roll

between turns just like a surfboard

would. It responds really well to me

getting compressed and low and then

extending into the next turn which mind

you is an area of surfing that I have to

focus on with all my students

[Music]

Now let's ask someone else's opinion

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Okay yep and then up then clap over here

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Oh good it felt sort of easier to that

than the other one

yeah the other one felt harder to I get

used to no but this one's sort of more

fun I think yeah and you get going yeah

oh actually I don't know it was pretty

fun yeah

[Music]

The Carver feels like it'd be like a

wider long longer board whereas the

SmoothStar feels like a predominant

like performance shortboard. Now let's

compare the Carver and the SmoothStar

for rotational potential. Good rotation

in surfing is super important if you're

looking to add a spark to all your turns

to be able to flow dynamically across

the wave whilst expressing power output

through your maneuvers. I'm trying to

work through a forehand top turn here

and also throwing in a few roundhouse

cutbacks. These will help engage the

relative cross over to surfing of each

board. Ideally I want to see tight

controllable turning arcs which don't

lose speed throughout.

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

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Oh

in this test the SmoothStar really outshone

the Carver by a long way at least a

few points. I'm guessing the differences

mainly attributed to the technology in

the truck. If you look at all three from

the side when you rotate the truck you

can notice some differences in the way

they respond and the angle at which they

turn

I think the angles on the SmoothStar

allow for a smoother turn with sharper

rotational potential and this translates

into better performance. Definitely a

performance that more closely matches

surfing. Importantly on a surfboard you

can't just push along on the wave to

build speed. You need to pop-up and get

going immediately and if we compare the

three boards in the immediate speed

potential which is a reflection of

responsiveness in the board SmoothStar

once again takes the cake.

[Music]

Now let's run the boards through their

final test,

practicality getting from A to B. This

test is for those who don't really care

about surf specific carryover or

training. It's for those who just want a

board to go and check the surf from

their house before paddling out or to

cruise around at the skatepark

[Music]

[Music]

22.67 seconds from

the end sign to this last van. now I'm

gonna try the SmoothStar. The SmoothStar

with 24.94

basically 25 seconds so only

over 100 meters so it's quite a

significant time difference and I also

had to put in some more pumps so this

one definitely SmoothStar was not as

fast. Perhaps not as practical as getting

from A to B. Let's wrap up everything and

give you guys a final analysis. Overall I

definitely think that for surf training

for surf specific carryover it's very

hard to go past the SmoothStar simply

because I think it better mimics the

surf movements required to rip and get

moving. This is probably a reflection of

the ethos of the brand itself SmoothStar

have been from the get-go all

about surfing and I think the boards are

a result of that. Being so responsive

they are definitely harder for a beginner

to get used to but so is surfing

and if "surfing better" is your goal then

it makes sense to me to challenge

yourself and train with the most

specific tools you can. SmoothStar is

just that specific to surfing. Carver I'll

give it to them are typically seen as a

cooler brand appealing more likely to

the aesthetics rather than function with

the biggest example of this being the

small area to place your back foot on

the mayhem model. So I don't like my foot

hanging off the edge so much. To achieve

a surfboard shape and sacrifice that

area at the back for your back foot

which is incredibly important I felt

like it's just an indicator that their

priorities are maybe out of place. I

think I'd rather something functional.

Now the cover was much easier for my lab

rats to adapt to because they respond

less and a more stable but this could

have its drawbacks

beginners aren't likely to develop

stronger balanced riding the Carver and

intermediate surfers aren't likely to

practice more radical turns on it either.