Assemble a Skateboard

Things you will need :

1 Skate board deck
1 sheet skate board deck griptape
2 skateboard trucks
4 skateboard wheels
8 skateboard wheel bearings
2 risers
1 set of mounting hardware
1 philips head screwdriver
1 skate tool
1 metal file
1 sharp razorblade




1. First apply the skate board deck grip tape. By unpeeling the backing and then carefully stick the tape evenly on the top surface of the skate deck. File down the grip tape around the edges of the skateboard, and then carefully use the razorblade to slice off the excess grip tape that hangs over the edges on the skatedeck.

2. Next, attach your skate trucks to your skateboard deck. Use one of the screws from the mounting hardware to poke a hole in the griptape. Then push the mounting hardware from the top of the skatedeck to the bottom.

3. Now slide the risers over the hardware. Next slide your skate trucks on. Make sure that the bushings from the trucks point toward each other or face the center of the board. Tighten the nut with the skate tool until it's flush with the trucks. Warning: Do not over tighten; you can cause the wood to split.

4. Now press the bearings into your wheels using the skate tool. Repeat this for all four wheels. If you do not have a skate tool. You can use your axe on the trucks by placing the bearing on the axel and then pressing the wheel into the bearing, causing the bearing to slip into the wheel. Warning: Be very carefull not to dent or pinch the metal seal around the sides of the bearing. This will ruin the bearings and cause them not to spin!

5. Once the bearings are in place, you can put the on the trucks. Do not over tighten this will crush the bearing causing it not to role.

6. Now the board is ready to skate. You may need to fine tune the trucks to your liking by loosening them or tighten them. The looser the trucks the easier to carve.

7. Once you are done you can always customize your board with some stickers

Remember to skate safe and wear your pads when needed.

Cool !!!!!

Basic Surf Tips for Beginners

Basic Surfing Tip #1: Surfboards

Let's start with the obvious: Surfboards are made to float on the water. They have a natural center of gravity. If you were to lay any surfboard in a swimming pool, it would come to rest the same way every time. This is what we want to do when you lay on a surf board. That is to have the board remain in the same relation to the water as it was without your weight on it, just a bit lower in the water. A good tip is to find this balance point and lay on your board then make, a mark right at your chin. This is a spot is best made with a bit of wax or a magic marker. It is a reference point that enables you to put your chin on the same spot every time so the board will react to your weight the same way every time.

If the board's nose digs into the water it is called pearling and you must move the location of "your chin" back. To adjust, just slide back an inch from the mark and make a mental note.

Too much weight in the back and the board will cork the board. This is a common mistake amongst beginners. You cannot catch a wave if you are corking your board. Move up an inch at a time till the board lies in the water naturally. This will provide you with the maximum hull speed and minimum drag from the water displacement that you are causing with your weight.

Basic Surfing Tip #2: Paddling your Surfboard

Do not paddle with both arms simultaneously because this will cause the board to speed up and slow down in the water and you will not be able to maintain constant hull speed through the water.

Always paddle with the crawl stroke; one arm and then the other alternatively. This will provide you with a constant speed so you can catch that wave.

Basic Surfing Tip #3: Sitting on your Surfboard

Ok, so now we know how to lie on the board and paddle the board. Now it's time to learn how to sit on the board. The first time try this you may be quite wobbly. The key to doing this well is being calm, or trying to be still. The less movement that you make the easier you will find it is to do this. All the other skills of surfing will improve as you learn to be "calm" while surfing.

Basic Surfing Tip #4: Standing on your Surfboard

Now it's time to learn how to stand up. This is something you have been doing all your life. Lie on your chest, your head up, looking ahead. Put your hands on the board beside your shoulders palms down like you were going to do a push up. Push your upper body up while at the same time you sweep your feet under you, laying them on the stringer, the line down the middle of the board, so your weight is centered along the stringer.

When you come up, remember to keep low. If you stand erect you will fall. Assume a position of a sumo wrestler. Press your feet shoulder width apart and "grip the board in your feet", opposite of the way you would press your thighs together on a horse. Have your hands a bit higher than your waist and just in view of your vision. Always look up! If you look at your feet, you will fall down. I promise!

Practice this for hours. Have someone watch you and have them critique your performance. Practice jumping up without making a sound on the floor. Calm and controlled is the smoothest way to approach this so practice doing it quietly. If you have a surfboard, lay it on a large bed or in the sand and do this exercise. This is a way for you to judge your ability to be controlled.

More Basic Surfing Tips: Safety

Never have your board between yourself and the coming waves! To avoid collision with others, keep a safe distance, say fifteen feet or the length of you, your leash and board combined.

Beginners should always wear a leash or leg rope tied to their surfboard.

Every Beginner surfboard should also have a safety nose guard to prevent dangerous impacts with the surfboard nose.

Beginners should always surf with a buddy for safety, plus it is cool to share your surf experiences with.

Never push your board through the water fin first. The fin or fins were made to keep the board pointing nose first. Pushing the board fins first can be quite dangerous because the board wants to go the other direction.

Beginner surfers should consider wearing a vest, rash guard or tee shirt to avoid the rubbed rash they will get on their stomach and chest.

When you fall off your board, cover the back of your head with your hands, with your wrists over your ears and your elbows together. Stay under water for a moment longer than necessary. There are companies that make helmets and this is another alternative.

When you come up, try to be facing the oncoming waves and look for your board's location immediately. Loose boards in the ocean are very dangerous objects for swimmers.

Beginner Skateboard Gear

So you've bought or borrowed your first skateboard, and you are wondering what to do with it. You've seen skaters at the park or on TV, and you know what skating's supposed to look like, but how do you get started? What sort of beginner skateboard gear do you need?

Well, the first thing you should do is get a pair of skate shoes. You can skate in regular shoes, but it will be a lot harder and even sometimes dangerous. Skate shoes are built with a large flat bottom, to better grip the board, and often with other features like reinforcement in areas where you'll likely wear the shoe down.

You should also get a helmet. You might see skaters not wearing helmets, and worry that wearing one will make you look weak or stupid, but don't worry about it. It's common now for skateparks to require helmets, and it's just plain smart, especially when you first start out.

Wearing other protective pads can be good too, but what you need totally depends on what you are doing. If you are trying to do tricks in your driveway, elbow pads might be a good idea, but you really only need knee pads if you are skating on a ramp, or trying some pretty crazy tricks. Wrist braces can be nice, but be careful not to get too used to using your hands to catch yourself when you fall.