Awesome, thank you! - Ron

Most decent 8.5" decks already are 14.25" wheelbase decks though...

@@PHeMoX there's a good amount out there but theres a tonne longer too. Never said they were impossible to find just they're the ideal wheelbase for me

Thank you! It does seem like it affects 360 flips more than any other trick. Man in a suitcase ;) Ron

@@NHSSkateDirect It's not _really_ the wheelbase that affects it though, but more so the weight of the trucks being located more inwards compared to a wider wheelbase. In other words, if you'd skate with trucks that match the shorter wheelbase compared to their 'original deck width' (ie. lighter trucks in this case), you'd see the exact same performance for 360 flips (in how fast or well they spin). It's actually an interesting effect in physics related to weight and one that definitely matters for real life skateboarding. I kind of wish we would see a few decks with an even shorter wheelbase, but maybe we're dealing with sweetspot features and going too overboard makes it unstable. Not sure.

Thank you! I saw we just got all the sizes back in stock.

Thank you Michael! That's one of my favorite decks. I found that graphic on a drink coaster at "coffee shop" in Amsterdam. On a Santa Cruz Europe tour in '94.

Love that 8.8. Sick set up. Agree on the longer wheelbase for transition. Cheers!

@It's snow way 5'11 200lbs

It all depends on what you want to do. Going into the video I was hyped on shorter wheelbases but now I think I want to put together with a long WB to open up my stance. Thanks for the feedback!

@@NHSSkateDirect Having multiple setups is always the best answer if you can afford it! Have fun out there.

8.75 trucks or 9.0?

Nice! Looks like SC has a similar size coming out this summer with a 14" wb: Contra Eclipse Shaped 9.25in x 31.95in Santa Cruz and there was a Salba version: Salba Stencil Shaped 9.25in x 31.95in Santa Cruz We're out of those but I see one on eBay.

Rad! Glad you like them too. Wheelbase is a one of those things where a little change makes a big difference in the overall geometry.

Good idea. If we have any symmetrical decks coming out I will. Thanks! -RW

It's great to be able to have more options when it comes to wheelbases and widths. Great to hear so many opinions on the importance of WB. Thanks for sharing!

i definitely like to see it explored more, a lot of "competition" riders are pushing their "custom" shapes the majority of them are short WB setups bc all the flip in flip out convenience of having your feet close together mid slide/trick vs a longer board...but for us regular riders a longer board definitely helps add some grace to going wall to wall in transition or blasting over coping and back in. I could totally see maintaining 32" length vs 32.5 if i went wider. Just out of comfort of riding 8.38x32 for 10 years. Then again reynolds has had his 8.46 baker shape in rotation for YEARS which is a shorter WB. Yet for the longest time he rode 139s with that...and here i am with 6.1s and 159 standard stage x on 8.38s this last decade. and recently as venture brought upon the 6.1 highs. I just generally dont do a majorilty of my fliptricks that i did back when i rode 8.13s or 8" boards with thunder 149s. Once i got older/more injured, my skating catered towards parks/transition and the bigger axle/hanger is just a life-hack luxury aspect to my style of skating and need to tweak out my nose grinds and cross hanger crooks. Power sliding is also its own ballgame when you ride 8.75 axle on 8.38 with conical fulls. The large axle clearance and hard/edge on conical shaped wheels leads to quite a setup i even convinced hewitt to try 8.38 and 159s. Now grimple makes a oval 8.38 which happens to be my favorite shape. hewitt used to ride 8.5s and 169s but he still rides 169s with his 8.6 setups just funny to think i got one of my favorite skaters to try my setup for the little luxury it offers.

Excellent!

Right on. If you like SC decks you should be happy with Creature as well. They are manufactured with in the same place with the same wood. I've been stuck on the 8.8 and 8.6 Stumps shapes lately and there's an Santa Cruz Everslick version I'm in love with. Enjoy!

Nice! Hope you like them as much I do.

It is that important for sure.

I agree cause going from a 8.0 to 8.25 is not much of a difference but that wheelbase difference will mess you up

@@recession81 it’s true, was riding longer wheelbases for the longest time and hopped back on a classic old 14” wheelbase with my short legs and man skating has actually gotten fun again

Same

@eVerProductions1 in my 30s now and shorter. I instantly knew I needed shorter wheelbase, similar to before the big board craze again

Thx!

Tail/nose lengths, trucks, wheels, concave... they all affect the geometry of how a board pops. It takes some time to figure it all out and how it works best for you. Sounds like you've got it mostly figured out. Cheers!

Wow. That board is sick. Somehow I missed that one. What a special shape. (8.84in x 31.42in Gardner Ghosts Creature). We're out of them now but I see one on Amazon if anyone's lookin'. Thanks Colton!

Nice!

Steep concaves can make your deck stronger as well. Sounds like a future video. ;) Same here, I keep going back and forth 8.5 and 9.0 but they have the same wheelbase so it makes it easier to switch. Thanks for sharing!

XD yep im insane... i love flat tapered shaped boards ive ridden 8.38 and 8.75 axle for almost 10 years. First 159 standards and bakers and krookeds. Now mostly bakers/grimple and 159s and venture 6.1s. I mean i also ride 8.8-9.25 shaped boards with the same trucks so i generally just got used to them. Plus i ride conical full shapes for life 54-56. So that hard edge and lean mixed with wider axles makes for a really fun park/flow setup. I mean can ride concave as well often do when i buy those 2x80$ mystery deck boxes. Id just rather be on ventures or thunders with concave. I mean i love to do slashers/slash into grinds and powerslide so longer and conical fulls are where its at...and i love to lean. I just got used to flat boards with a heap of RUN for impossiles and spin variations. The weight of the wider axle/hanger trucks and fat conical wheels help a lot for big spins/full cabs/bs360s and impossibles when i have some run/flat noses vs an aggressive nose. Yet if i have a flat nose/profile with concave my foot comes off on airs. So when ride concave i need rounded nose/squared shape, and a more aggressive kick. Skatings a hoot

Symmetrical and a VX. I like that one too.

Good point. We'll see if there's a way we can address that. Same with reissues where it says 10 inches wide but the width of the back truck vs. the front is totally different and rarely do people put 10 inch wide trucks on a 10 inch reissue. Usually 9".

What boards you ride with a 13.75wb? I've never seen anything under a 14. I'm looking for a good deck for my short wife, she's struggling with learning tricks.

Nice! Love them football shapes. Very 90's.

@ghostdancing when it reads in deck specs that WB is for example 14,25“, it means from inner bolt hole to inner bolt hole. The actual axle is further apart than that with every truck. But yeah, Indys and ACEs have some the shortest wheelbases, hence the great turning! Ventures turn the worst in my opinion, but they do serve that pop real good!

Same here with the size 13's. Santa Cruz and Creature share some of the same shapes including the 8.8 and 9.0 Stumps. For Santa Cruz they were called the Snakebite boats at first and have the same 14.25 wheelbase. Keep an eye out for Creature or Santa Cruz decks that have those dimensions but they might not always be called Stumps or Boats. For example there's a Dressen Pup Dot 9.0 and it's the same as the 9.0 stump. Looks like a screaming hand version as well.

So true. Truck types make a big difference. I remember trying to older Ventures on my friends board and it felt like it added wheelbase. Quicker turning trucks seem to shorten the wheelbase and slower turning trucks lengthen. Low trucks or really lightweight trucks add their differences as well. Technically wheelbase is the distance from your wheels but aside from choosing a truck brand it comes down to the mounting hardware holes.

If you measure where the axle sits in between the mounting hardware holes on the truck you can determine which trucks move the axle away from the inside bolt holes (making your wheelbase longer) and which one stay closer towards the inside (shorter wheelbase). Shout out to to Ben D!

@@MarcoEckhardt also they power slide like no other prob bc the WB/wider riding stance. As always IMO indys turn the best gold standard in transition, thunder metal to metal grind the best unlike any other they FLY on metal coping/rails, venture POP the best BS/FS airs with ventures make me feel like im cheating on indys..and the ventures BLAST with minimal speed in flow/park. But indys just have that genuine classic/gold standard skate/feel. ESP at high speeds. 1/2 of me feels like i skate indys just bc of the pros/legends that did and i dont want to miss out on that FEEL/RIDE to feel what they feel or ride what they ride. Yet when i do a snappy bs 180 all boned or a brute fs/bs air with ventures...i feel like more of a skater than any truck ive skated.

Same!

Right now I'm torn between those 2 sizes. The 8.8 flips easier but the 9.0 feels so nice under my big feet on slides and grinds. I have 8.5 trucks on the 8.8 and 9.0 trucks on the 9. Wheelbase is definitely one of those things that feels weird to change at first.

I would go with Standard Independent 159's (8.75 in wide).I you want your trucks to be a little bigger you could go 169's (9.125 in wide). 1/8 riser pad for 58. 1/4 for 60mm if you ride you trucks loose. You could probably get away with 1/8 if not too loose. Hope that helps!

@@NHSSkateDirect These recommendations are very helpful. Thanks a bunch!

Go with Independent trucks with the Stumps

Good to know. Thanks for sharing those dimensions. I'll pass them along.

When I was 17 and first got to start making my own deck shapes at nhs the first one I made was 32-33" long and had a 15"+ wheelbase - a lot like the board you're talking about. Fast fwd to mid 20's I was riding a 7.5 with around 14.5 wb. I think since I started skating a lot through the end of the 80's/early 90's and all the changes skateboards went though (from 80's vert boards with 67mm wheels to football shapes with 43mm wheels) it made it easier to get used to smaller decks.

@@NHSSkateDirect awesome, encourage sc to make decks around that width and length with a 15 wheelbase and youll have a customer in me, thats for sure!

I remember getting a deck when I was a kid and Couldn't figure out why it ollied different. Wheelbase+tail length make such a difference.

So a 12/12.5 wb is pretty short. The shortest wheelbase decks we sell are 14" wb. We do have skate completes with smaller wheelbases but they aren't that wide. Our micros have 11" wb, minis, 13" and mid completes are 13.5. www.nhsfunfactory.com/skate/complete-skateboards Also, are you measure from the holes in the deck?

The closest deck that we have to that right now is this Santa Cruz Transcend Hands VX Deck 8.80in x 31.95in. We're out of them right now but it looks like there's more coming around the end of July. Here's one I found online: www.focusmadison.com/products/santa-cruz-transcend-stack-dot-vx-skateboard-deck-8-8?variant=39890852905119 With the pandemic and not being able to produce enough decks for the demand of skateboarding lately we aren't able to make as many special constructions like VX and everslick as we'd like. I'm actually about to ride that deck too. VX rules.

They're the new(ish) Indy mids.

@@NHSSkateDirect Yea he mentioned in the video it's just the hangers are looking sleeker. Either way Ron rules and I always enjoy these videos he does!

I ride a 9"x32" Girl deck with a 13.875 WB. The call the shape "love seat" on their site. I tried the larger 9.25x32 Girl deck with the same 13.875 WB, and while it was fun, it's a little heavy. I am stoked to try these new Creature Stumps though.

The Santa Cruz Delfino Tarot VX Deck 8.25in x 31.60in is coming out in September and has a 14" wheelbase. Also, it looks like in Novemeber there's the Creature Claws Everslick 8.43in x 31.62in.

Sick. Thanks for sharing!

We should be getting them back at nhsfunctory.com around the end of July. Some of our retailers still have them and some ship internationally. Maybe check CCS and Skate Warehouse.

@@NHSSkateDirect Ah yes, I've heard about the shortage going around as well...it would defo be nice to go up a size with the same wheelbase as I've been sticking with a 7.75 forever.

There's definitely some learning involved in trying new things.

i mean yeah but often the park/transition will come to BITE you from variation to variation in setups...as you do get comfortable/adapt...you often forget what youre riding/how to ride it mid trick. In my case i try to land with ventures all the time like im riding indys...and eat it....yet the ventures POP like no other in transition they just blast. You think you have to pump massive pop into them like indy standards...next thing you know youre just zooming and catching air landing transfers way further than with indys. As fun as it is to ride a quiver...its when i forget to respect each setup for what it offers...and overlap a trick im trying with a specific setup...by trying said trick...as if i were riding something else....it leads to catastrophe XD. And once im injured or on the back end of the session...i wind up skating my favorite setup out of max/comfort. Some setups= more tricks, others=more speed/air.

Yes. Perfect fit.

You have the Forged hollows?

@@pauliewalnuts5241 yes

@@isaaclapierre4097 how do you like them

@@pauliewalnuts5241 I like em a lot, the weight is nice. It changes the pop a bit and depending the setup can be good or bad.

I used to have both standard plates and forged and would switch em out depending the setup but I threw away my standard plates :(

Yea for a 8.5 deck

Seems like a popular request. Santa Cruz Delfino Tarot VX Deck 8.25in x 31.60in It has a 14" wheelbase. We should have those around late September.

From us check here: www.nhsfunfactory.com/shipping-returns

@@NHSSkateDirect ty

@@NHSSkateDirect I live in Cali so it’s gonna take 3-4 business days?

id stay away from ventures then....they BLAST on long WB and snap into powerslides at will. It was a "for science" steup at times i forgot i wasnt skating indies...air dropping off the top deck instantly ZOOMING and you barely touch tail in the flow section and you just go flying.

The shortest we have coming out soon is the Santa Cruz Delfino Tarot VX Deck 8.25in x 31.60in. It has a 14" wheelbase. We should have those around late September.

@@NHSSkateDirect Thanks guys :)

I think so too. Or at least as important.

U must be the "Stump" then if you need a 13.5 wheelbase for your 8.25 LOL

@@timburrow2996 Not really, as I am 6ft1 actually. I just like a shorter wheelbase for how it allows a less wide positioning of both feet on the board.

True, the 8.5 and 8.25 are around an average wheelbase. Def not long. 14.1 on the 8" is pretty short (IMO). It's those wider sizes: the 8.8 and 9 that rarely have WB under 14.5. Appreciate the feedback! I'll pass it along. -RW

@@PHeMoX Interesting, I am 5'11 size 11.5 foot. I cant stand anything under 14.5 wheelbase for any type of transtiton it drives me crazy. now for flip tricks and street skating i love the 14.25 and even have a 14" wheelbase cruiser that is really fun.

We got some smaller cruisers as well. Right now the smallest are 8.4in x 29.4in. nhsfunfactory.com/collections/skate-cruisers-longboards

@@NHSSkateDirect thanks, im liking the look of it too

Right!? Amen