SwellTech

SwellTech is as close as you can get to surfing on a surfskate. The patented frontside axle is able to turn 360° and emulates the movements you do in the water better than any other surfskate. This allows you to truly evolve your surfing, as well as have a lot of fun when you’re out of the water.

The SwellTech surfskate experience is uniquely challenging and enjoyable, providing a distinctly different feel from other surfskates. Although it offers a very surfy sensation, it’s more gentle than e.g. the YOW front truck and Waterborne rail adapter rear truck.

The presence of the springs in the SwellTech truck guides your movements rather than relying purely on body weight for steering, creating an interesting dynamic where small balance adjustments can have a significant impact on the board’s direction.

The history of SwellTech

In 2005, Colin Newton, a passionate surfer and sponsored longboard rider, found that skateboard designs at the time did not truly capture the feeling of surfing. Dissatisfied with claims by longboard companies about their boards mimicking surf dynamics, Colin sought to build a board that authentically mirrored surfing movements.

The catalyst for his invention came when a friend accidentally ran over his skateboard, breaking it. Using the remnants, he endeavored to create a skateboard with a 'surfy feeling'. He analyzed the basic elements of a surfboard: surface area, fins, and rail shape, and how a surfer uses their upper body to direct the board. He realized that a skateboard would need a front that allows complete free movement, letting the rider move in any direction and pump for speed, while the back would act as a pivot point, akin to a surfboard's fins.

Colin embarked on building a free-motion version of a skateboard truck in his garage. By combining a caster for full 360-degree horizontal movement with a spring-loaded, cut-off skate truck on a door hinge, he allowed 60-degree vertical movement. After several years of adjustments, the innovative SwellTech Truck was created.