Curious about the Penny High-Line surfskate?
This was my first surfskate and I don’t regret it.
Let’s take a look at the parts.
Who Is It Best For?
If you’re looking for an entry-level surfskate complete, it’s a solid option.
The
You can definitely get away with something cheaper if you slap a Waterborne surf adapter on one of your current boards. Their conversion kits will run you, which really isn’t too bad considering it’s so well made.
Out of all the surfskates I have, this board feels the most punchy, which is a combination of the
It’s definitely not a board to cruise around town on since the front truck is so aggressive. I’ve had a few of my friends try it out and they had a hard time balancing on it while pushing.
If your weight isn’t centered directly in the middle of the board, you can easily tilt to the side and absolutely eat it.
So, get the Penny High-Line SurfSkate if you want a solid entry-level surfskate and don’t mind that the deck length is on the shorter end.
Parts Breakdown
Length: 29“ (73.66cm)
Width: 10.25“ (26.03cm)
Let’s take a look at the parts.
Hardware
The screws, nuts, and washers that come with all Penny Boards are made of high-tensile steel, which makes for solid quality.
Since the
A minor thing I did notice was that they only put a total of five-speed washers, when technically there’s supposed to be eight.
Every other Penny Skateboard I’ve ordered has always had eight washers.
It’s really not a big deal and I’m sure it’s not a common mistake they make, but I still wanted to point that out.
Overall, just your standard skate hardware.
Trucks
The trucks are where the magic happens for this board. It’s the front
To simplify it, the adapter is mounted to the deck and then the Penny truck attaches it, which allows the truck to pivot super aggressively.
Instead of using a spring like almost every other surfskate adapter, they make use of a urethane bushing, which is pretty cool for durability purposes. It won’t rust or break like springs are prone to doing.
I love seeing a company that’s doing something completely different so I gotta give it to
The one downside is you can really hear the squeaking. Not only that, but as a functional surf trainer, it doesn’t give that constant tension like fins would when you’re doing turns.
When I turn on my Smoothstar, I can feel the spring pulling me back into position, which feels very similar to the way fins catch the wave while you’re surfing
If that makes any sense at all?
The other sick part about the adapter is that they designed it so you never get wheel bite. There’s a divot built into the front, which prevents your wheels from catching the board. A really neat feature, that’s so subtle yet so effective.
If you’ve never tried a legit surfskate before, then pumping on this board will feel pretty similar to pumping down the line on a surfboard.
I’ve gotta say, it’s so fun and it really got me hooked on surfskates. Every time I ride this board, my mind is blown by the amount of speed that I can pick up just by pumping from a standstill.
Now, the back truck is a standard Penny truck with a riser pad to even the board out. The quality of both the
Deck
Moving onto the deck, the w shape concave feels really nice.
It’s also wide enough to fit your feet comfortably on it while carving.
But now that I have experience with larger surfskates like my 33 inch Smoothstar and 32 inch YOW, the 29 inch length feels too short for my liking. It would be cool to see them offer a larger size in the future.
They added a light sanded grip to the traditional waffle print to give some extra grip, which if anything gives it more of a beachy feel. It doesn’t really help in terms of adding more grip.
Especially if you get any moisture on the deck, it’s super common to start slipping.
Now, chances are if you’re looking for a surfskate, you like to ride barefoot.
So, I think it’s worth noting that the waffle print does get a bit irritating after a while. It’s not like it really hurts, but when I go from using one of my other surfskates that has traditional grip tape, I can definitely notice a difference.
So if you’re a barefoot rider, I’d probably say, go with a wooden deck that has traditional griptape and get a
Wheels
The wheels are made of 83A polyurethane, making them soft enough for doing sharp turns without them slipping.
However, if you want to get the board to slide after a turn you can do it with enough force.
They’re also solid for cruising over pebbles and cracks. But the High-Line SurfSkate really isn’t an overall cruiser board. It’s made for sharp turns.
Bushings
The bushings and caps are your typical barrel and cone skate bushings. I compared them to the other ones that come on Penny Skateboards and they’re the same.
They’re not too soft or stiff, I’d say they’re just right.
I’m not a huge bushing’s nerd, so as long as they allow for smooth turning and aren’t too stiff, then they’re fine with me.
Bearings
The bearings are Penny Skateboards’ signature ABEC 7 bearings. Plastic shields on one side, easier to do maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
In this section, I want to go over some common questions I’ve got over the last few months.
Penny Surfskate vs Carver?
The main difference is that Carver surfskates are more mellow and cruiser focused. The truck that’s the closest in design to
Since I get similar questions to this all the time, I put together a page where I describe the feeling of all my surfskates to hopefully help you make a better, more educated decision.
How To Ride A Penny Surfskate?
The first time I stepped on my Penny surfskate, it felt like something completely new. And even though I’ve been skating since a kid, I felt super uncoordinated.
I’d suggest you start by going slow, down a lowkey hill. Focus on finding your balance and slowly shifting your weight to one side, then back to the other side. Once you get more comfortable, you can start to do more aggressive turns with it.
If you want to learn how to pump, I’d suggest moving your front arm back and forth (almost like a snake motion – left to right). This helped me get in a better pumping motion and gain speed. It really just takes practice and you’ll start to get it.
If you want something more surf training focused, I’d suggest looking into a Smoothstar, YOW or SwellTech.
