handmade longboards Michigan

the 906 proto model saved my life. I have been riding the Landyachtz Switch, and although that is a great board, i was psychically restricted because of it. The drop in the board was to small for me being a 6'5'' guy and trying to tuck make it difficult cause i just did not fit. I had began into looking for a new board preferably top mount and a lot wider to fit my feet. Then this proto fell amazingly into my hands.. It was the exact kind of board i was interested in purchasing. Just stepping on it i knew i already loved it because i actually fit. I was able to take it on a small local hill and the first thing i knew i had to adjust to was it being top mount, first time i have ever ridden one. Turning over the trucks was a different feeling and not having the foot peddle to rely on for the position was something i have to adjust to as well.. Something that was new that i enjoyed having was the W concave, it was the first time feeling that and having a good concave like that it was nice setting my foot into it. OVERALL i cant wait to give this board a go on some bigger hills and take it to its limits. The size of the board is perfect for me which is what i was most interested in when i was going to make my next purchase. Looking forward to the next upcoming runs with it!

Abec 11 Gumballs/Bear Trucks 1052's

The 586 from CR Boardworks is quite the board. First thing I noticed was the excellent craftsmanship. Everything looks every even. Mine had a nice, clean, baby blue finish (to attract the ladies, obviously) and was very aesthetically pleasing. The next thing I noticed was the concave. It’s quite a shape, with the concave in the middle being deeper and rising into a half-inch half-pipe kind of shape. It has no flex and there are nice big cutouts for large wheels. I ran Big Zigs with Paris 180’s and had absolutely no problems with wheel bite. My first few runs on it, I took it up to around 45 mph and felt extremely comfortable. The concave cradled my front foot in well and gave me something to keep my back foot from slipping. I had great leverage and was very comfortable. When shutting down or throwing heelside drifts, the concave provides a nice wall to press my toes against and guide the board. The rails also provide a nice platform for toe side drifts. It’s also comfortable for free riding. Though the concave does take a little bit of getting used to, once I got the hang of it I could really lock my feet in against the front rail and throw slides around. The raised back end gave me leverage with my heels and provided control through slides.  It’s durable as well. I’ve slammed mine into several parking garage walls and a couple curbs and all I’ve noticed was a small chip out of the bottom on the nose.  The 586 is a very fun board. The platform is a good length for riders of any size. It’s a versatile board that can be used for bombing and free riding alike. C R Boardworks does a great job making all of their boards. Support the local/DIY/smaller companies. He does a rad job and makes sure you are getting what you want.

So Dave gave me a 313 model to try out. If you guys haven't been able to tell I'm not a huge fan of drop throughs. I've owned quite a few throughout my skating career (Insect Mosquito, Comet FSM) and have tried quite a few (Rayne Vendetta, Dervish, all sorts of stuff) and I have to say that Dave really hit the nail on the head with this one.To be honest, when Dave hooked me up with this, it was sort of like "yay another symmetrical twin-tip drop through." This board really is different than most drop throughs, straight up. For one, it's the same length as most drop throughs, but the platform is larger. So for this reason, you'll more than likely bite with flipped hangers and 42* plates, but why would you use those anyways? But if you're running other trucks (I've tried Bears and Stealths) there's no bite with soft bushings. The wheel wells help a lot of this. Also, because of the extended platform, you get way more leverage than most drop-through boards. Never in my life have I ever thought of using a drop through as a race board, but I'm seriously considering using this next season.

This board has some of my favorite aggressive concave ever too. Dave has made this bitchin' 5/8" tub cave that has 1/4" flat in the middle then makes some steep rises. This concave is pretty gnarly, but not too gnarly. There is really no excuse if your feet slip with this concave. And I'm just using Jessup. If I had to relate it to a production board's concave, I'd probably say it's like an ASYM, only wider and maybe even a little steeper.

  Dave, feels really comfortable. the concave is so nice that it locks you in but feels really comfortable. On my Sea Calf the pure radial concave feels cramped at times. The Hudu VuDu just feels right. My theory is that with too much concave your entire sole of your shoe doesn't lock in properly. Subtle but right. I also dig the dampening slight flex of the Baltic birch. Makes for a comfortable ride. More people should be riding these decks.