Skateboard Acquisition Disorder

Although I recently bought a new skateboard deck, I'm still on the lookout for an ideal new shape to ride. Soon after I published my last post, my local skate shop let me know that they stocked a slightly smaller version of my new deck. That quickly led to the acquisition of my second new deck: the medium version of the Creature Heathen series.

This deck is 8.375 inches wide, 32 inches long, and (importantly) it has a wheelbase of 14.5 inches. That hits the sweet spot for me. To be honest, the actual real world shape and size of this deck is almost identical to the large version that was the subject of my last post. I guess I'll just keep this one as a backup in case the other one breaks.

So . . . I was at the skate shop today killing time and some decks from Welcome Skateboards caught my eye due to their atypical shapes. Most of them were a little too wide for me, but a few looked right on target. I borrowed the shop's tape measure and found one that should do the trick: the Fate Owl graphic on the Wormtail shape.

Top

Some quick online research provided some detailed specs. The board is 8.4 inches wide, 32.5 inches long, and it has the perfect 14.5 inch wheelbase. I really like the "rounded square" nose and tail of this deck, which is a departure from the traditional popsicle stick shape that I usually ride. It looks cool, and I hope it rides well.

Bottom

The line of Welcome Skateboards is refreshing because they have a lot of different and unusual shapes. I like how the company names the different shapes so that picky anal retentive OCD skaters can easily identify their favorite shape. The graphics are sick, too, and you can find the same (or similar) graphics on different shapes. Thus, Welcome Skateboards are offered as a combo of shape + graphic, e.g., Fate Owl on Wormtail. The shop also had the Wolfgod graphic on the Wormtail shape, but my son wanted me to pick the Fate Owl, and he's the boss. If I'm honest, I prefer the graphic on the top of the deck. I also like the shade of the green stain on the top. Too bad all of it will be covered by grip tape.

Although the pictures don't reveal it, the deck has a nice concave to it. I suspect that the deck began life as a standard rectangular blank that was simply cut into the Wormtail shape. It doesn't really matter as long as the end product works. In this case, the deck was made by a well known and reputable manufacturer that has been around for decades. I have no doubt that this is a high quality deck.

Mark of Approval

With this latest acquisition of wood, I am now riding a relatively new Creature Heathen (Large) deck while foaming at the mouth because I really want to set up my new Welcome deck. Moreover, I am guilt tripping myself because I have a brand new Creature Heathen (Medium) deck waiting in the wings. There are two or three other shapes by Welcome Skateboards that have also piqued my interest. They might be the subject of a future post!