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Ghost longboards is known for building high-quality, U.S-made clear see-through acrylic longboard decks that are very smooth riding and accessible to riders of all ages and skill levels.
These boards are specifically designed with the family in mind, to allow younger and older family members to go riding together and have a great time.
Besides clear material that breaks the traditional wood deck model, what sets Ghost apart their full customized offering – the vast majority of the company’s sales are custom orders. You can select a custom board shape, design, lights, and wheels.
Longboards are priced between $199 and $250 for standard completes. For customized boards (see this section), pricing will depend on the type of customization.
Ghost Longboards gives our readers 15% off any order – just enter the coupon code Ridingboards at checkout.
Who are Ghost Longboards?
Ghost Longboards was started a few years ago by 45-year-old sales/marketing professional and lifelong skateboarder Russ Warner, and product designer and builder Brent Johnson.
The longboards are manufactured in Pleasant Grove, Utah in an 8,000 sqft warehouse with machines cranking out 2,000 – 3,000 boards a month. In 2020, they reached the maximum capacity of 400 boards a day.
The company is fast growing. Its goal is to make skateboarding accessible and attractive to people all ages and levels. The boards are shipped around the world, with resellers in many countries.
Ghost longboards pros & cons
Pros
- Attractive original looks with clear decks, custom designs, light up wheels
- Durable decks, optional added thickness for heavier riders
- High quality trucks and wheels, smooth responsive ride
- Good range of deck shapes to for different riding styles and levels
- Highly customizable decks and completes (size, design, setup)
- Reasonable pricing for the quality and customization level
- Great customer support from a family-style team
Cons
- Ghost longboards are heavier than regular wooden boards
- Deck flex great for carving for not for heavy street tricks
- Lack of concave on clear decks for lock-in – aluminum decks have it
- Lack of wheel wells limits wheel clearance on the pintail
Who are Ghost longboards for?
Ghost buyers are typically not advanced riders. The company sells 2,000- 3,000 boards per month to riders of all ages who want a fun easy to ride long board.
Ghost longboards are not designed for hardcore tricks and shredding, they are family focused boards and allow everyone to move around town freely, smoothly, and in a very stylish way, namely with the clear decks and light-up wheels.
Ghost longboards are primarily for cruising, they are easy and very smooth to ride. However, they aren’t great for jumping and are a bit on the heavy side due to the material.
That said, Ghost boards aren’t just beginner boards, they are quality decks and components, and some of the shapes come with advanced features found on performance longboards:
- Amazing flex
- Wheel cutouts
- Kicktail
- Drop through
- Dropped deck (aluminum)
These features and quality build allow for serious cruising, carving, distance pushing, dancing, and freestyle tricks. Ghost has had a few down hill riders test the boards out, and a lot of dancers like these boards.
Read on for more about Ghost’s deck shapes and setups.
Ghost longboards decks: key questions
What are Ghost longboard decks made of?
Ghost’s clear decks are made from acrylic – also known as plexiglass, which is a specific acrylic brand.
The decks come in two thickness options, a standard thickness and a big boy 1″ option:
| Ghost Deck | Thickness | Max rider weight |
| Standard | .75″ | 220 lbs |
| Big Boy | 1″ | 340 lbs |
Do Ghost decks break easily?
The acrylic material makes Ghost decks very durable. Ghosts reports 0.1% breakage over 45.000 boards sold. In the rare cases where that happens, the company has a 100% replacement warranty.
Like regular maple wood decks, Ghost decks can get scratched if used in a rough way. Likewise, the nose can get chipped if thrown into a wall. Ghost makes a rubber nose guard that can be added to protect the nose.
Are Ghost’s acrylic decks slippery?
Ghosts decks are naturally grippy so there is no clear grip tape on the boards. The boards are pretty sticky to shoes and barefoot as Acrylic creates friction. The grip comes from the engraved design and the shoe soles you’re wearing.
That said, too much dirt or dust can make a Ghost deck slippery, so make sure the deck is clean before a ride. You can also add regular clear grip tape or spray grip tape on a Ghost deck for extra stickiness.
Ghost Longboards standard longboard shapes
| Length | Width | WB | Weight | Shape | |
| Wheel Cut 30 | 30″ | 8″ | 17″ | 8 lbs | Directional cruiser with cutouts |
| Wheel Cut 40 | 40″ | 8″ | 25″ | 11 lbs | Directional cruiser with cutouts |
| Platypus | 40″ | 9″ | 27″ | 11 lbs | Symmetrical freeride shape |
| Pintail | 48″ | NA | 32″ | 12 lbs | Pintail style with wide tail |
| Dancer | 48″ | 10″ | 35″ | 12 lbs | Directional cutout shape |
Ghost 30″ Wheel Cut longboard
This is an innovative shape, a nice mix between a classic cruiser shape and a wheel cutout shape normally found on larger decks.
The Ghost 30″ Wheel Cut is a directional deck with a rounded nose, squared tail, and significant kicktail. The deep wheel cuts eliminate the risk of wheelbite in tight turns.
The 30″ length makes this board nimble, fast turning, and easy to carry around. The 17″ wheelbase gives it a very stable feel and keeps it wobble-free when going faster.
The kicktail on this cruiser makes it “ollie-able” – although the weight is greater than a normal cruiser.
Ghost 40″ Wheel Cut longboard
The 40″ Wheel Cut is the exact same outline as the 30″, only a lot larger. This is Ghost’s starter board for newer and heavier riders, and those with less balance skills.
The 40″ version has an ample foot platform and a significant 25″ wheelbase, making this board super-stable and secure-feeling including at higher speeds.
A distinguishing characteristic of the 40″ is its significant flex which makes it fun and very carvy. While all Ghost acrylic decks are flexy, the longer the deck the more you feel the flex.
Ghost 40″ Platypus
The 40″ Platypus is a full-size symmetrical freeride shape with large wheel cutouts for high wheel clearance. Like the 40″ Wheel Cut, it’s also very suitable for a beginner with an even longer 27″ wheelbase bringing extra stability.
The Platypus comes in two variants:
- A topmount version: trucks are mounted below the deck, resulting in higher leverage and more responsive turns at the price of a higher ride
- A drop-through version: trucks are mounted across the deck (baseplate on top, hanger underneath), resulting in a lower and more stable ride.
The drop-through version is particularly well-suited for newer riders without good balance, and for long-distance pushers due to the deck sitting lower to the ground.
While the Platypus’s low and stable ride may seem suitable for fast riding, the high flex on these boards does limit how fast you want to go down hills.
The Platypus being completely symmetrical, it can be ridden switch (both ways). It’s a classic freeride shape with excellent stability. Watch this short clip:
Ghost pintail 48″
This is a full size “pintail” – although the tail on this extra long 48″ longboard is more of a swallow tail, wider than a true “pin” tail. The 32″ wheelbase on this deck makes it a very comfortable and stable ride.
This is a nice and fun board for cruising along the beach and around the neighborhood. The large and flattish foot platform makes it very roomy. You can even do some mellow dancing – see next section for Ghost’s dedicated dancer.
The topmount design makes this board smooth and responsive despite its long 32″ wheelbase.
However, the Ghost Pintail is NOT designed for very sharp turns, namely due to the lack of wheel cuts and flares. Adding riser pads, though, improves wheel clearance.
Ghost Dancer 48″
The huge 48″ Dancer is a classic dancing shape, slightly asymmetrical with large wheel cutouts and big double kicks.
This deck provides a very large foot platform with a significant 35″ wheelbase, allowing for comfortable dance tricks, boardwalking, cross stepping, spinning tricks etc.
The significant flex in this 48″ acrylic deck results in high energy bounce, allowing for advanced technical flip and spin tricks while maintaining fluid carving.
That said, this much flex may not be for everyone. While lighter riders may enjoy the bounciness, heavier guys and hardcore freestylers may prefer a stiffer dancer like the Loaded Bhangra. See my 7 best dancing longboards.
Ghost aluminum 35″ longboard
This mid-size symmetrical double drop (drop-through + drop down) is built from recycled aluminum and plastic, which makes it extremely strong and durable.
The aluminum deck is stiffer than a maple deck and relatively lightweight (5 lbs). It has functional double kicks that make it suitable for ollies, curb hopping, and kick/flip tricks.
The drop in the platform and drop-through mount result keep the deck very low to the ground. This combined with the massive 28″ wheelbase makes this board easy for learning and distance pushing.
The lowered center of gravity on this Ghost board also makes it highly stable at speed. The uplifted rails add to the foot lock-in created by the deck drop and cambered profile and give you a confident feel for fast freeriding and breaking into slides at speed.
Customized Ghost longboards
Ghost’s greatest attraction is that your longboards can be fully customized. This includes board shape, design, lights, and wheels.
- You can have your name or logo engraved on a standard clearshape clear deck
- You can have a fully custom design and shape – designed and cut to your specs
- For standard shapes, you can choose the deck thickness 3/4″ or 1″ (heavier rider)
- You can choose lit-up LED wheels
- You can order a full LED lit up deck
Examples of past custom designs:
- Tortuga : turtle shell design
- Riptide: two lines down the middle
- Maui: small triangles in a pattern
- Fishbone: fish bones style design
- Epicenter: circles
Ghost trucks and wheels
Ghost trucks
Ghost has their own brand trucks, the 10” Ghost Trucks. These 180mm 50º trucks are very similar to the Paris v2.
Advanced riders who purchase Ghost longboards can choose to upgrade to named Paris trucks if they like the Paris cone bushings. A set of Paris trucks is a $20 upgrade.
Ghost wheels
Ghost completes all come with durable 70mm wheels with 80a duro and a 1 year warranty. Ghost wheels ship with ABEC 7 bearings, and some buyers upgrade to Bones Reds.
Ghost’s LED wheels light up with friction (no battery) via a magnet that powers the lights. As a result these light up wheels can last for years.
If needed, you can keep the wheels from lighting up by simply loosening the wheels.
