Waterborne Surf Adapter Review (Tested & Compared)

By Billy James | April 11, 2025 | Surfskates

The Waterborne surf adapter lets you turn any skate setup into a surfskate. Because of the pivoting motion, it’s easy to pump from a standstill.

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Let’s cover the different components of the Waterborne.

Waterborne Surf Adapter

The Waterborne Surf Adapter has thruster bearings and a cube urethane bushing. This allows it to pivot and rebound fluidly. Attaching your front truck to the surf adapter will make your setup pivot more.

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Rail Adapter

Most surfskate adapters pivot so much that your rear truck will lift off the ground. The Waterborne rail adapter adds more lean to your rear trucks, preventing them from lifting off the ground.

Fin System

The Fin System allows you to manipulate the angle of your adapter, which changes how it feels to ride.

Super carve (145°)
Standard (150°)
Mega Pump (155°)

How to install the Waterborne surf adapter?

First, mount your front truck to the adapter. Then screw the adapter onto your deck. Finally, mount the riser block or rail adapter to your rear truck to level it out.

That’s a basic explanation of the installation. If you want something more detailed, check out Waterborne’s installation guide.

Where to get Waterborne bushings?

RipTide recently dropped five different durometers for the Waterborne surf adapter.

Can you put surfskate trucks on a skateboard?

If your deck has a standardized bolt pattern, you can add it to any sized board. It’s all about what your riding preference is. I’ve put it on my Loaded Tan Tien, Lander La, and Dinghy. Waterborne has a section displaying custom setups, which might be helpful. However it’s important to note that when you put a pivoting surfskate adapter on your board, riding fakie becomes a lot harder. So while you can put it on any skateboard, there certain shapes better than others.

Waterborne vs Carver

Carver has three truck types – C7, CX, and C5. The C7 is most similar to Waterborne because it’s a pivoting adapter. The Waterborne pivots more and is easier to pump from a standstill. While they’re both pivoting adapters, the C7 is doesn’t dive as deep. You can pump on both, but go for Waterborne if you want the easiest option for pumping from a standstill.

Best trucks for waterborne surf adapter?

Waterborne pairs all of their surfskate completes with reverse kingpins trucks (RKPs). However, you can pair Waterborne with traditional kingpin trucks (TKPs) too. A lot of it comes down to personal preference. I would avoid using double kingpin trucks (DKPs) like the Gullwing Sidewinders. Experiment to see what you like the best.

Can you put Waterborne surf adapter on a longboard?

Yes, you can put a Waterborne surf adapter on a longboard. However, in my opinion, the riding can feel disconnected when you put a pivoting surfskate adapter on a longer wheelbase without the rail adapter. This is because the adapter will pivot more than the back truck.

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