Hi guys this is my first post in here and I want to show you my project and my doubts related to it.
This is my actual skate and I use it every day when I go to university. I love the feeling it gives, I love how it turns and I love how it looks. I made the carbon fiber deck in my garage and I’m pretty satisfied with the result, it is very rigid and lightweight.
I’m planning to put on it an 8s setup with 2 Turnigy 4s 5000mAh in series, a VESC, a 190kv motor from DIY, a 2,5:1 reduction ratio and 75mm wheels. I’m going for this setup because I don’t want something too fast, I do not want to spend too much money and because I want to be able to go uphill pretty easily.
Why am I building this setup? I love the way a Carver makes you feel but I’ve been using it every day for 5 months making a total amount of >250miles on it and I think I would enjoy it more with electric power.
What makes me a little bit concerned is the stability. A Carver or a surfskate in general is quite unstable and this deck has a wheelbase of 17.5" that is quite short for a longboard.
ANSWERS
What do you think about the build?
Do you think the list of pieces is correct or would you suggest something else?
Do you think I should go for a traditional longboard setup?
Do you know someone else who built something similar?
Feel free to answer, criticize and say whatever you want.
Cool deck and nice diagram. You might be able to get the hobbyking mount to work on those trucks. And the wheels look like you could mount a pulley through the core. Some stiff bushings should help with stability.
No. I use an esk8 every day – in fact, it’s my favourite one – and it has a 14.5" wheelbase. And I have electric longboards. But the electric shortboard is my favourite. If you’ll be staying under 24mph or so, I don’t think it matters much.
I’d increase the wheel size though to 97mm or at least 83mm absolute minimum
I don’t think you’ll be able to achieve that with 75mm wheels without the wheel pulleys being super close to the ground, hitting debris on your belt. A 38T pulley here is 61mm in diameter, I just measured it
The deck is really nice, you can use it for esk8…but I would recommend you to use different longer deck it depends on you, you can use it, but do not expect much stability from it
You didnt link any motor mount, which might be problematic with the standart kingpin trucks with round profile…
IDK these whees you have…do you plan on using kegel or orangatangs or using these? You ahve not linked pulleys, belts bablalba…2.4:1 ratio (36:15) it the most used on this forum
There are many ppl who have built something similar, from what i remember ATM, @okp had mini cruiser and has some videos with it search bulds thread and No words just pictures topic and you will certainly find something
I like how this guy few articles above me is giving advices when he was completly lost two days ago
I love shorter decks, so please understand this is a personal preference thing. Both work fine. Mounting stuff is a tad easier on longer decks because you have more room. But using a shorter board is more convenient when using it to travel places.
I can’t recommend 12S to anyone who uses VESC, honestly. Frankly that’s running at-spec or over-spec for the parts involved. You typically don’t want to run electronic components at their full-rated voltage, ESPECIALLY with a reactive load, like magnetic motor windings…
I’m using a short deck with I think ~16" wheelbase and I love it. I can easily fit a lot of stuff on the underside and with 90mm wheels I have plenty of clearance. You’ll definitely have to tighten the trucks more than you’re used to, but don’t underestimate the advantages of a short, light board. Even with only one motor and 8s 5000mAh it’ll still weigh quite a lot.
I love the fact that you’re planning it properly on a whiteboard. +1000 for that.
My opinion is that you should stick with the deck you have, but don’t use any smaller than 83mm wheels; I’d recommend 90mm (although that’s personal preference and depends on your road/footpath quality). It’s also worth mentioning that you’ll need new trucks because the ones in the picture will almost certainly not be wide enough to fit the motor mount (unless you’re making your own mount, then you may be able to squeeze it on there just fine). I personally find that Calibers work well due to the squared-off shape that allows motor mounts to grip fantastically well.
that’s not a problem, he’s building a cruiser not a rocket. I’ve been running 12S for two years on most if not all my builds, including the very first VESC HW4.6 when Vedder started it. He’ll be fine.
A question that just came to mind: How will you charge it? You have a couple of options:
Your everyday hobby balance charger. These are the simplest solution and work just fine, but if you want to take your board somewhere you’ll also have to lug around the charger and its powerpack. They can also be a bit more difficult to buy above 6S.
A BMS. This is the most common option on these forums, but that might be because most/a lot of the builds on here tend to be very advanced and powerful builds with all the bells and whistles. A BMS gives you the convenience of simply plugging in a powerpack to charge (no setting charging parameters every time) and you only have to carry a powerpack around for charging, but they are more complicated to set up. You will probably have to buy one from China, so bear the shipping times in mind. Most BMSs offer charging and discharging protection, but if you want to make use of the discharge protection you’ll have to buy a BMS that can sustain a high discharge current (and account for the heat it will generate when positioning it on your board). I believe most people bypass the BMS for discharge and only use it for charging.
@Blitz suggested using some 3S batteries, but I’d advise against that option. There’s nothing wrong with 3S batteries per se, but finding a 9S BMS or charger is more trouble than it’s worth. If you went all the to 12S you’d be ok though.
sorry guys, I missed the main point. To me, there is no point of putting a motor on a carver (with carver trucks). The beauty of such boards is to get the surfing feeling, moving your hips, getting the attitude, balance. These carver trucks are not made for speed (and it’s not even fun at speed)
I got myself a Curfboard for Christmas and even if I put motors on everything around me; I just love the riding experience like it is. This is different, just awesome.
it depends on you, you can use it, but do not expect much stability from it 
