Swelltech Surfskate Review: The Ultimate Surf Trainer [2023 update]

Swelltech’s surfskates are special longboards specifically designed for surfers. They provide one of the closest experience to wave surfing in the market. Surfers widely vet the Swelltech surfskates and consider them among the best surf training tools out there.

Most riders agree the Swelltech boards actually ride more like a shortboard surfboard than a regular longboard. The feeling of surfing stems from the patented surfskate truck system as well as the surfboard-like deck shapes.

Going for $200 – $270, the Swelltech surfskates are reasonably priced compared to other surfskate out there, especially given their unique surf focus, the quality of their surf truck, and their awesome deck designs and graphics.

The Swelltech surfskate riding experience

On a surfboard, the surfer rotates her upper body and pivots off the fins for doing sharp turns. The front of the surfboard moves freely right and left, so the surfer can slide the board to the side for pumping and gaining speed.

The Swelltech surfskate truck emulates this motion by enabling a 360º rotation, while the rear truck acts as stable a pivot point that acts like surf fins.

As a result, unlike on a regular longboard, the rider can use his/her upper body to pull the board into turns. The 360º rotating front truck also lets the rider quickly face the board in any direction and pump for speed.

The Swelltech truck is also great for beginner surfers as it helps them position their body for carving and pumping on a surfboard in the ocean. It can also provide valuable cross-training for more advanced surfers.

The feedback from Swelltech surfskate riders is enthusiastic. There are two groups of Swelltech rider, the surfers and the surfer wannabees.

Surfers’ experience on the Swelltech

Experienced surfers who acquire Swelltech surfskates generally get comfortable carving, pumping and sliding very quickly, including those with little to no skateboard/longboard experience. They often come in expecting a sketchy skating experience and are amazed by how natural it feels.

Swelltech surfskates are really designed for surfing outside the water more than traditional skateboarding. They are great for surfers who’ve never ridden a skateboard.

The feeling of riding a Swelltech board is very similar to surfing. Surfers often rave about being able to take their surf carving and pumping stoke to the streets, skatepark bowls, and hills.

One of the main benefits they see in the Swelltech is the ability to practice surf maneuvers over and over, vs in the water where the number of attempts is often limited due to scarce waves and crowds.

The Swelltech boards are extremely responsive and pumpable and generate speed very quickly. Due to the way the boards behave, riders are forced to use a good surfing position and motion to carve effectively up and down driveways, blow out the tail, or do layback turns without crashing.

As a result, within a few weeks to a few months, many surfers report great improvements in their surfing level, e.g. for picking up speed, carving deeper, or doing better snaps/off-the-lip through improved body rotation.

In short, the Swelltech surfskates are particularly good for practicing surf pumping and carving for those with limited access to decent waves.

Non-surfer experience on the Swelltech

Non-surfers who ride the Swelltech surfskates typically have at least some longboarding experience. For these riders though, it can take a bit of time to get used to the free-moving front truck and to learn to ride the board.

Once they do however, the carving experience feels amazing – and typically the main reason they picked the Swelltech. These riders also learn quite a lot from watching surfers shred on these boards.

Riders new to surfing and surfskating appreciate the sharp turning and carving, decent top speed, and smooth ride the Swelltech offer. For a skateboarding or longboarder, the Swelltech does feel a bit unstable at first, until you get the hang of it.

Most experienced longboarders who own a Swelltech compare it favorably to other surfskates like YOW, Smoothstar, and Carver. They enjoy pushing down a hill, performing deep and radical carves, and throwing out the tail for snaps in skateparks and bowls,

Newer surfers also like the Swelltech surfskates because they help them learn how to do a good pump and get more speed for riding down the line.

Swelltech riders also mention the great full-body workout they get from riding the surfskates. Slashing around the neighborhood with continuous surf carves and snaps give your core muscles and quads a solid run.

The Swelltech Surfskate truck system

As I mentioned, the surf-like riding experience you get from a Swelltech surfskate largely derives from the spring-based front truck system.

As mentioned, surfskates are designed to mimic the unhindered movement of a surfboard. Swelltech achieves this through the coupling of a completely free-moving (360º rotation) front truck and a stiff regular skateboard truck in the back that acts as a stabilizing pivot point, similar to the fins on a surfboard.

The truck has unlimited lateral movement thanks to its spring-loaded caster design. The truck can turn completely sideways, and allow the user to turn all the way around in the width of a normal sidewalk.

The free motion front truck mimics the unlimited movement of a surfboard -pump for speed and turn in any direction- while the rear truck acts as a stabilizing pivot point, like the fins in a surfboard.

The front truck allows the rider to accelerate the board easily by shifting his/her weight from rail to rail (pump for speed) like a surfer does across the face of the wave.

The rider uses their upper body for pumping the board, leading with the shoulders to perform carving turns and cutbacks.

In addition to the full-circle rotation, the 60º pivoting capacity of the front truck makes it possible for the rider to carve very deep turns in any direction and with any amplitude, while still maintaining full control.

• The Swelltech trucks can be ridden up to 45 mph without speed wobbles as they stay centered at high speeds.
• Despite the extreme angles Swelltech boards can turn to, riders never experience wheelbite thanks to the built-in stops that keep the wheels from touching the deck.
• The Swelltech trucks are sturdy – they come with a lifetime warranty for all the parts

In previous versions of the Swelltech truck system, the springs in the front truck, which get under a lot of pressure during radical surf-style moves, tended to break after a few months. Although the springs were cheap, setting them up every few months was a bit of a hassle for riders.

The 2022 version of the trucks come with high strength springs. This is a welcome fix to the previous wire hooks that kept cracking. The new swivel springs have hooks made from laser cut magnesium steel that are locked into the coil during manufacturing.

The new trucks also ship with large step bushings the add to the rear truck stability while providing a more dynamic feel when riding.

Swelltech surfskate wheels

The Swelltech wheels that ship with the surfskates are now larger 70mm wheels that allow the board to roll faster.

The wheels also have a wide 55mm contact patch (sharp-lipped) and soft durometer (78A) for maximum traction in deep carves, as well as good shock absorption for rougher pavements.

To break traction and slide with these wheels, the rider needs to do extreme surf-style maneuvers such as snapbacks, roundhouses, off-the-lips or layback turns.

The wheels have an 8mm offset core, effectively widening the trucks, which adds to the surfskate’s stability and grip and allows the rider to carve harder, while giving the front truck springs more protection.

As an alternative to the default wheel option, you can get the 65mm wheels for easier slides compared to the 70mm wheels while maintaining a smooth roll. These smaller wheels are 50mm wide.

Swelltech Surfskate Italo Ferreira review

Swelltech’s flagship Italo Ferreira pro models come in two versions, one for lighter riders and the other for heavier ones. check out the specs:

	Italo Ferreira Tube Pro	Italo Ferreira Air Pro
Length	37″	37″
Outline	Classic surfboard, wide nose, diamond tail	Strongly tapered tail end, swallow tail
Tail width	7.5″	7.5″
Wheelbase	23″	20.5″
Weight	11lbs	11lbs
Suggested rider size	5’ to 6’2″	4’10’ to 5’10
Price	$270	$270

Both shapes were designed by Italo Ferreira himself with surf/skate performance in mind. The Tube version is the “fatter” option with a regular surfboard type contour. It has a longer wheelbase making it ideal for fluid carving lines and drawn out curves, and for medium to heavier riders.

The long and wide foot platform, noticeable concave running along the whole length of the deck, and 7.5″ wide squash tail, make for efficient surf pumps and deep surf carves.

The Air version has a snappier shortboard feel due to its tapered shape in the rear and shorter wheelbase. It’s ideal for a more “airborne” riding style and for smaller riders due to its slightly foot surface and weight.

The Tube version comes with a stunning photo of Ferreira in a big wave, and attractive graphics under the tail reminiscent of Italo’s Gold Medal run at the 2020 Olympics. The Air version shows him performing an impressive air in a Jeffries Bay wave.

The large soft 70mm wheels help you lay out solid carves, providing all the necessary grip and roll speed. The big wheel wells cut into the bottom rear part of the deck prevent any wheelbite on the rear truck.

The Italo Ferreira pro models have a slightly rockered nose, and a very roomy tail fitted with a thick, hard and rubbery traction pad with a foot stopper along the edge – which I really love for radical snapbacks and tight slide turns, as well as barefoot riding.

Check out the reviews and prices for the Italo Ferreira on Amazon.

Swelltech Premiere surfskate review

The Premiere is Swelltech’s original deck and the largest in their lineup at 40″ by 9.75″ wide. Being a bigger surfskate, it’s particularly well suited for taller riders e.g. 5″8 – 6″4 tall. It’s relatively lightweight at 9lbs.

The 2022 version of the Premiere has a long 23.5″ wheelbase which allows for a true surfboard stance. Surfers can really cross-train for surfing using their actual surf stance, vs needing to adapt their stance in the waves after practicing on land.

The mid-rail width is also wide enough for the whole foot to fit between the rails. The outline becomes much thinner in the rear section, ending with. the 7″-wide tail (narrower than the Italo Ferreira models).

The thinner rear end makes it easier to carve pump and do snappy turns on this board despite its size and weight.

The Premiere is a good choice for bigger riders, but also for those who want to carve comfortably on a larger deck for a longboard like feeling without losing the ability to do very tight turns.

The Premiere Blackout has an attractive black-themed look featuring a glossy black wood bottom with the Swelltech name printed in white across the deck.

The Premiere comes fitted with the 2022 Swelltech surfskate truck and the grippy 70mm soft (78a) wheels.

See the Premiere Blackout’s pricing and reviews on Amazon.

Swelltech Surfskate Hybrid review

The Hybrid is a mid-length board, shorter than the Premiere and Italos at 36″ in length, with a 9.75″ width similar to the Premiere albeit with a significantly wider tail (8.5″ vs 7″).

The Hybrid has an aggressive concave with added stiffness, making it fit for for skating pools and high-speed carving.

The Hybrid’s 21.5″ wheelbase positions it between the Italo Ferreira Tube and Air models. Its outline resembles the Italo Air but stubbier – shorter and wider with a wider diamond tail.

These differences give the Hybrid a different feel compared to the Italos – a bit more nimble and snappy, but perhaps not quite as stable and flowy in deep carves.

Design-wise, the Hybrid Camo has a cool dark green camouflage graphic theme with jungle-style motifs on the bottom.

The Hybrid also comes with a quality traction pad and the super-fast and grippy 70mm wheels.

It’s worth noting the Hybrid is the most affordable board in Swelltech’s lineup with a retail price of $200 for the San’O version and $220 for the Camo version.