The biggest engineering obstacle that the guys at Marbel have managed to overcome is designing an electric skateboard that doesn’t actually look like an electric skateboard. As far as that goes, it’s got a leg up on the competition for sure. You can use the handheld controller or use an iPhone app. You can also use the app to “tune” the board’s acceleration curve and set the max speed below the 20mph it can comfortably reach. A full charge will take you at least 10mph in real world surroundings. If ever an electric skateboard could go mainstream, this might be it. It’s already reached it’s funding goal on Kickstarter, so expect to start seeing these in the wild at some point.

[Source: BGR] – Thanks to Heath for the tip.

Avenue Trucks is the latest attempt to redesign the skateboard truck. It’s getting harder to come up with new ways to fix something that isn’t broken, but they managed to do it. They must have used up all their creativity by the time it came time to choose a name though. The combination leaf spring baseplate looks like it would bend all to hell if anybody other than a little kid was riding it. They have a video showing it in action, and it looks stable for the most part, although it does dip pretty low at points. If it’s the same rider that they show at the end, he’s not exactly taxing the board. Benefits? I imagine they’ll claim some sort of extra carving feel, maybe a shock absorber for high impact landings? Maybe they are cheaper to manufacture. It’s hard to know, as the web site is retry much just a place holder right now. You’ll find more info on their Facebook presence. Even as I can hear the choruses of naysayers, I’d like to ride a set of these just to see what it feels like. That’s going to be their biggest challenge. I can’t imagine a lot of people shelling out to to try these on the off chance that they would actually like them enough to replace a conventional skateboard truck. Avenue trucks might have missed their golden opportunity though. I’m thinking of two brief periods in the late 70’s and mid 80’s when anti-hangup devices and lappers were popular. Video and pics after the jump.

This year’s entry into the next great skateboard fabrication method comes from N2R Skate, which is a side venture from a company that has been making boat hulls using a sandwiched composite technology from a Swedish company named DIAB. It’s apparently used in private jets, boats, skis, trains, submerged water vehicles, and now skateboards. The main advantage they are pushing is that this would be the last longboard you’d ever need to buy, since it’s virtually indestructible and is 25% lighter than standard longboards. To be sure, they show these boards taking some incredible abuse with the implied assumption that the performance would not be effected as a result. They drive a car over the board, which is not that big of a deal considering I’ve seen an Uncle Wiggley wood/fiberglass composite board survive an encounter like that during the 80’s. However, some of the other puncture tests are pretty impressive. Of course this technology comes with a price tag. Remember, this is for yachts and race cars. During the kickstarter phase they are offering a “strongly discouted price” of 179€ or 242$ for the deck alone. Pictures and videos after the jump.

As a young kid in the mid 80s I thought Hot Wheels cars were cooler and fresher than the ones from Matchbox and Majorette (Mattel already introduced Hot Wheels in 1968, but little did I know). This crazy thing here looks like the first skateboard you would give your kid to make him say farewell to his kiddie toys and let him go out to play in the real world.  Still, I don’t think I would have been too happy with this as a kid, because we knew about Hot Wheels, but we also heard about Powell, Vision and Santa Cruz, so I guess you can’t fool a kid with crappy skateboards! More pics after the jump.

Look at the difference in size between the front and the back truck, this really gives it the look of a racing car. Both trucks seem to have the old school truck pattern, but I think the deck is pretty recent though:

Simon Woodstock with his ‘Sweet 16-wheeler’ in the Travel Lodge Pool at Lake Cunningham Skatepark during the Indy Truck 30 Year Rally. Lonnie Toft pioneered the 8-wheeler in the 70s and is still keeping the spirit alive with Toft designs..

[Photo: Bryce Kanights]

Where was the Golfboard when Schwing! magazine was in it’s heyday? Did Schwing! ever have a heyday? The GolfBoard’s primary innovation over any other electric skateboard seems to be the optional addition of a handle for holding a golf bag, which would make it more of a scooter, and the uncanny way in which the marketing manages to avoid the word “skateboard” while repeatedly mentioning surfing and snowboarding. They did appear to accidentally use the word in the title of their first youtube video. That must have been before the focus groups and marketing research raised a flag. Another possible innovation, they’ve gotten some insurance companies on board to help facilitate leases and rentals through golf courses. The’ve even got professional surfer Laird Hamilton on board. Demographically, the golfing public at large used to be diametrically opposed to skateboarders. Suddenly, the old Nike SB commercial with the golfers getting kicked off the course is moot. There are two main selling points the GolfBoard: Less wear and tear on the golf course as opposed to traditional golf carts, and a new “fun” way to experience the course that also has some health benefits through increased activity, again compared to riding in a golf cart. They have to balance hose two carefully though. I mean, if I was going to golf, I’d sure as hell rather be mixing it with an electric skateboard dork session. You can take the 19th hole shenanigans to a whole different level. Take that, Bushwood Country Club, and up yours Judge Smails! GolBoards start at $3495.00.

Via Pete Lewis, who should be contributing to S&A.

I don’t know what to say about Onewheel that I haven’t already said about other one-wheeled, electric powered, self balancing skateboards before (echo, echo, echo…) It’s been 7 years since we first posted about these types of contraptions, and this one is still going to set you back $1200. They’ve almost doubled their $100,000 Kickstarter goal, so you might actually see some of these in the wild. More info at rideonewheel.com.

[Source: Engadget]

I swear that’s not the plan for 2014, it’s just a coincidence. Spotted at a Vans store in the mall. The Vans, shoe shaped skateboard, complete with top and bottom graphics, including waffle sole.

Sam Abbot designed and modeled this skateboard deck. He printed one in three pieces (too big for his printer) and fit it together with a dowel system and some epoxy. He’s the first to admit that it’s not super sturdy. Sure, it’s nothing more than a novelty right now, but there are some things you should do, just because you can.

Antonio Gaspar is a physiotherapist. I’m not sure how that differs from a physical therapist, but maybe that’s the difference that allowed him to “develop” the Fizio, which is a skateboard made by Powa bungie corded to an equally futuristic looking stand. The purpose? To make physical therapy more fun. I guess you are supposed to wiggle around on that thing while it’s in the stand. Once you’re healed enough you can ditch the stand and go skateboarding. I’ll bet you can buy a Wii fit and a skateboard for the price of this thing. Powa makes a lot of stealth bomber looking skateboards.

[ Source: Longboardism ] – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip