Landyachtz Ripper VS Dipper

By Billy James | November 14, 2021 | Longboards

The Ripper has a slightly beefier deck with a kicktail, making it better for freestyle. It’s the type of setup where you could throw an icy slide, then follow it up with a steezy bigspin. The dipper has a flatter deck shape and its smaller 105mm trucks make it turn on a dime.

Let’s start with the different setups they offer…

Setups

landyachtz ripper vs dipper

Ripper Setup 1

Ripper Setup 2

Dipper Setup 1

Dipper Setup 2

They ended up sending us “Setup 2” for the Ripper and “Setup 1” for the Dipper.

Before I cover the differences, let’s briefly take a look at the similarities.

Hardware

Both use traditional philips head 10-32 1.5” bolts.

landyachtz hardware screws

Bearings

The bearings are the same – Spaceballs built-in spacers with speed rings. Personally, I’m a fan of bearings with the spacers built-in but it’s all personal preference. You might prefer separated spacers, idk.

bear spaceballs bearings

Decks

Ripper: Length: 36.9 Width: 9 Wheelbase: 24.9

Dipper: Length: 36″ Width: 8.65″ Wheelbase: 24.29″

Now let’s take a look at the decks because even though they share somewhat similar characteristics, their shapes differ.

landyachtz ripper dipper decks

The Ripper has a kicktail and the Dipper doesn’t. So if you’re planning on doing any freestyle shuv-its, big spins, anything where you need a kicktail, then the Ripper would be the obvious choice.

Both have a rocker profile but the Rippper is more aggressive, making it better for slides. They’re both pretty low to the ground, although I guess that’s subjective based on what you’re used to riding. Honestly, this past couple of years I’ve been so used to surfskates that it was nice being low to the ground for once.

Personally, I enjoyed the Ripper’s deck shape more because I grew up traditional skating and having no kicktail still feels a little weird to me.

Bottom line, the Ripper is beefier, has more aggressive rocker combined with a kicktail and the Dipper is more nimble without any kicktail, pretty flat profile.

Now let’s take a look at the trucks.

Trucks

Both of the setups use traditional kingpin polar bear trucks and are propped up on ½” riser pads. That’s where they’re similar but where they differ is in the hanger size and bushings.

bear polar bear trucks

Polar Bear 155mm vs 105mm Trucks

The ripper has 155mm trucks with 90a bushings and the dipper has 105mm with 85a bushings.

I’m gonna be honest, I’m not someone who’s super technical when it comes to dissecting parts, so I’m just gonna share the differences I felt while riding, since I think that’s what most of you wanna know.

polar bear 155mm trucks

So the Ripper’s 155mms are obviously wider, making them more stable at higher speeds. For the most part, I was testing these setups on a smooth, lowkey hill that was probably about 12ft wide.

I share this because when I went to turn around, the 155’s barely could make the turn without having to use the kciktail. Whereas the 105s had no issues, they’re much more agile. 

polar bear 105mm trucks

If I really wanted to, I could get into a little pumping motion on the ripper, but nothing compared to the Dipper. The Dipper just felt way more surfier and carvey. 

I was honestly surprised how much of a pumpy flow I could get into. And I did really enjoy riding it, but again I need a kicktail.

Wheels

And the final difference between these setups are the wheels. Both obviously use Hawg wheels, but the Ripper comes with 60mm 78a EZ Hawgs and the Dipper 63mm 78a Fatty Hawgs.

Both wheels you can slide but since the 60mm are smaller and have a centerset core, they’re much easier. If you’re gonna be riding on rougher surfaces, and you want something that’s gonna absorb the cracks more efficiently, then I’d definitely recommend the larger, 63mm Fatty Hawgs.

Honestly, you might even wanna consider something bigger than the 63mm if you’re riding in a rougher environment. I tested the 63s and it handle rough terrain fine, but I wouldn’t say it’s the best option.

I don’t have anything bad to say about Hawgs. Their urethane formula is one of my favorites.

hawgs longboard wheels

Which One Is Best For You?

In case you’re still confused about which is right for you, I’ll do my best to summarize.

I think the Ripper is best if you want a beefier deck that offers the ability to do freestyle tricks. This was the one I gravitated more toward because I enjoyed easily being able to slide and then throwing something like a big spin.

But if you’re someone who wants more grip, something more agile, then the Dipper would probably make more sense.

At the end of the day, only you will know which will fit your riding style.

Similar