First of all, I would like to apologize if this thread isn’t in the right category to post to, I just couldn’t fit it to the right one.
I want to buy the boosted board clone deck that floating around this forum from Taobao.
I don’t really like longboard decks (I prefer them short) but something about the boosted deck design made me want to put my hands on one.
However, I am a bit scared of the flexibility this deck has. I contacted a local woodworker and asked him if it is possible to modify the deck in order to make it stiffer. He said it could be achieved, but I didn’t ask him what the process is and what will be the prices for this kind of job.
I was wondering if anyone here has an idea on how this can be done? I Googled and found that Carbon fiber fabric could help in this case, however I would like to double check it here.
Why go through the trouble of trying to make a new flexible deck stiffer? Just buy a stiff deck and be done with it. There’s hundreds of choices out there and it shouldn’t be hard to find one that will fit your needs. The Loaded Vanguard is an awesome deck with a nice shape, but making one stiff would defeat the purpose of it’s design.
If you’re just looking to put together a regular push board and you want one with less flex, you can purchase the Vanguard with different levels of flex. I also ride a Bustin Maestro Pro that has a good amount of flex, but less than the Vanguard. It also flexes more at the ends than the center which gives it a nice stable feel.
@Tomer you can add a layer of carbon fiber or fiberglass w epoxy to a deck to stiffen it. Use the search tool here and you can find out more. But I think it’d be way easier to buy a stiff deck.
I’ll confirm what @treenutter said. Carbon fiber would work, fiberglass is actually quite a bit cheaper and would give quite a bit more strength also, but not as much as carbon fiber.
The Loaded Vanguard is indeed a beautiful deck, however it is way over my budget (deck price + shipping).
I also like making things a bit harder (literally), it let me feel more ‘related’ to the project I am working on.
In addition, I found another boosted board clone which is about 86 or 84 cm (can’t remember exactly now), this makes it shorter from the ‘original’ clone one that is about 98 cm, for me the shorter the better.
Is it that you like the outline shape of the board? If it’s just that, it would make more sense to get a stiff board and cut it spec. Then you could get your shape and stiffness as well as the exact wheelbase you want.
The issue with making a Vanguard or clone would be the Camber. That arch is made to flex so that once you’re on your board, it flexes so that it flattens out or even becomes slightly concave. If you stiffen up the board, you’ll have an awkward arch making it harder to ride since you’ll have less of a foot hold.
