Surf Skate Review: Station Skate Triple S

A surf skate for a new generation of longboard dancers

full shot of the station triple s surf skate

In the Fall of 2021, the Spanish precision truck manufacturer, Station Skate, launched their very first surf skate trucks – the Triple S.

Surf skate communities around the world have been rising in popularity lately, and a lot of longboard dancers have started learning the art of surf skate as well, so they can continue to round out and compliment their current skills.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of these before they released, and in turn I wanted to write a review about the product.

But isn’t this a site all about longboard dancing?

It most certainly is, however, I believe the various disciplines of skating are symbiotic – meaning you can take elements from any form of skating, and use it to bring new flair to whatever your main style may be.

I’ve dabbled around in both freestyle skateboarding, some basic bowl, surf skating, and even slalom, and each style has brought a little bit back to my longboard dancing.

Furthermore, I wanted to write this review from the perspective of a longboard dancer interested in getting started with surf skating – a “translation” per se. So keep an open mind here, and just keep having fun. 🙂

A quick history lesson on surf skates – a child of the 90’s

If you haven’t figured it out by now from the name, a surf skate is exactly what its name implies – a skateboard designed to emulate surfing.

That’s the bare bones definition of it, but the art came about when some industrial designers / surfers out of California in the mid-90’s needed a way to stay sharp in their craft, on days when the waves were simply not performing.

Traditional street skateboards and longboards of the era couldn’t replicate the carving and hip motions necessary for surfing, and thus innovation was born out of need – enter the surf skate.

TL;DR

For those strapped on time, here’s the gist of this article summarized into bullet points for you:

  • Price for the complete setup – 249,95€
  • Price for trucks only – 98€
  • Free shipping to certain EU Countries
  • Overall build quality is excellent
  • Price point is lower than existing competition
  • Great for slides, bowl, flat areas
  • Amazing flow and easy to generate speed
surf skate top side
So…prettttyyyyyyyyy

Meet the Triple S – The Station Surf Skate

Triple S, get it? Station + Surf + Skate = Triple S #mindblown

Station’s been pumping out some quality products since they’ve entered the game back in 2014, and the Triple S continues to deliver.

We’re going to take a look at each part of the main components to give you the best possible breakdown of this surf skate.

The Deck

The Triple S Deck carries the following specifications:

  • 81.28 x 24.77 x 14 cm (32 x 9.75 in)
  • 7 Sheets of Canadian Maple
  • 5 Designs currently available (December 2021)

North American Maple is one of the most commonly used woods used in traditional street decks, and 7 sheets is also a fairly standard configuration. These trees grow quite slowly, which in turn makes for a more durable and stable wood.

In comparison, longboard dancing decks typically use some kind of composite build. Materials in dancing decks can usually contain some or all of the following materials: maple, bamboo, carbon fiber, kevlar, and urethane, amongst many other things.

An important note on flex

The reason longboards need some or all of that stuff in their builds is for flex. Even “stiff” longboards have to account for flex because of the amount of force they absorb when landing freestyle tricks.

Do you even skate bro?

The Triple S, and basically any other surf skate out there, will essentially have ZERO FLEX. So this is going to come as big surprise to most longboard riders when you first step on a surf skate, it’s going to feel extremely rigid and have no “give” at all.

This is by design, as flex wouldn’t really work on a surf skate.

The Trucks

Station’s roots are in CNC precision trucks, so they really know what they’re doing when it comes to making skate trucks that perform well.

I will note though, that the Triple S trucks ARE NOT precision trucks. They’re built using the casting method, which is by no means a bad thing, but there is a difference to be taken into consideration.

Chances are you if you’re riding Caliber, Paris, or any of the other well-known longboard trucks, you’re also riding cast trucks.

I’ve written extensively on the differences between CNC and Cast Die trucks, so be sure to hit up that article if you’re interested in learning more on that topic.

The Triple S trucks specifications are:

  • Casting aluminium alloy
  • Weight: 1.192 grams for the pair
  • Length 160mm (6.3 in)
  • Bushing Hardness 90A

The bushings carry the same durometer rating as the stock Paris V3 bushings, which many people have come to know and love. The stock Paris V3 bushings, combined with those trucks, have a very nice carve to them, and that level of flow is even more pronounced on a surf skate truck. Check out our complete guide to longboard dancing bushings to learn more about how bushings work.

front surf skate trucks zoomed in
So….prettyyyyy…

I’ve cruised through the streets of both Paris and Leipzig with my Triple S, and I can attest that the trucks perform extremely well. They look and feel very well built, and I love flowing through the streets with them.

Flat areas are extremely fun to ride as you can cover great distances without pushing, and it’s very easy to generate speed on this surf skate.

The Rest

Let’s not forget the other essential parts of the complete setup!

Wheels: The Triple S complete setup comes equipped with 65×51 SHRA 78A wheels. The diameter here of 65mm is pretty standard in the longboard dancing world, but the Triple S wheels are a bit wider and softer than your standard longboard dancing wheel. This allows for sharper and harder turns, and added stability as well.

surf skate triple s wheels

Bearings The Triple S comes assembled with standard ABEC 9 bearings.

Hardware The Triple S comes with all hardware, risers, and grip tape and is ready to ride out of the box.

Be sure to check out our crash course on longboard dancing hardware if you want to learn more about this topic as well.

surf skate fully assembled
Ready to rock and roll right out of the box

Triple S Pricing

There is some flexibility here, because you can opt to buy the Triple S as a complete setup, or you can only buy the trucks to “convert” essentially any skate deck into a surf skate.

Complete Setup Price is currently listed at 249,95€ with free shipping to select EU Countries.

Trucks Only Price is currently listed at 98,00€ with free shipping to select EU Countries. Risers and bolts are included in this price.

Triple S Pricing vs The Competition

There’s a lot of surf skate manufacturers out there that have been in the game for a very long time. It would take forever and a day to analyze the Triple S’s price point against all manufacturers out there, but to give you an idea, let’s compare pricing to some of the bigger players in the game.

Carver Surfskates

Carver is really the OG when it comes to surf skates. That 90’s child I mentioned earlier? Yep, that was Carver. So in a lot of ways, these guys set the standard for surf skates around the world.

They’ve got too many models to count, but on average on Sickboards, a Carver complete setup with similar dimensions to the Triple S will range in price between 240 – 360€ depending on what configuration you choose.

Yow Surf

Another trusted brand in the surf skate world is Yow. A lot of surf skaters I’ve talked to have told me Yow is the gold standard for surf skates that most closely replicate waves in the water.

On their website with European Pricing, the models with similar dimensions to the Triple S range in price from 240 – 315€ depending on what configuration you choose.

Loaded Longboards

Just to keep things interesting, we’ll even add the brand everybody knows and loves, Loaded, to this comparison. Loaded also released their own surf skate in 2021 – the Loaded Carver Bolsa.

Albeit, it’s equipped with Carver Trucks, you know you get quality when you buy a Loaded product. Their US website lists pricing from 279 – 299 USD depending on configuration, and European retailers are selling this complete setup in upwards of 330€.

So all things considered, I’d actually place the Triple S on the lower end of the surf skate pricing spectrum. And that makes perfect sense, as they’re new in the surf skate game.

What type of rider can benefit from the Triple S?

Let’s start with the basic size & weight breakdown. Like all things skate-related, you can get a basic idea of what type of setup you need based on your height and weight.

surf skate size and weight breakdown
General surf skate guidelines courtesy of https://www.surf-skateboards.com/en/surfskate-guide

Looking at the table above, a person with a weight ranging from 60 – 90kg (132 – 198lbs) and heigh ranging from  165cm – 187cm (5’ 4” – 6’ 2”) is a perfect scientific match for the Triple S’s dimensions.

Funnily enough, I happen to fall into this category for both heigh and weight, and the Triple S suits me well. That being said, these tables in the skate world are just guidelines. If you feel good on the board and have fun with it, then go for it!

What about riding style?

I myself am quite new to the surf skate world, but I’ve started to mess around with basic slides, and have even tried dabbling a bit in the bowl with the Triple S. From a personal perspective, I find both of these to be quite fun and I know this can also work with more advanced riders, as seen below:

How can surf skating benefit longboard dancers

As written above, all skate styles are symbiotic in some way or another. Some styles compliment each other very well, some not so much.

Longboard dancing and surf skating are quite different, but where I find the most benefit, from a physiological perspective, is how the surf skate trains you to use your hips and embrace carves longer.

Longboard dancing is generally a very linear style of skating, where as surf skating is very circular. However, linear skating styles can sometimes lead to very stiff movements, and a general fear of carving. Stepping on the longboard looks much more stylish when you’re carving the entire time, and surf skating can definitely help you develop more muscle and balance control in this area.

For the latin dancers reading, the comparison is very similar to the two main types of Salsa dancing – Linea and Cubana. One’s linear and one’s circular, but they both complement each other and can borrow elements for each other.

Salsa Anyone?

Conclusion: To buy or not to buy the Station Triple S, that is the question.

My initial impressions of the Station Skate Triple S are very good. I remember when I first took it out of the box, it just felt like a very high quality product, which is to be expected from Station.

The board has great lines and is very aesthetically pleasing to look at, and it is a blast to ride. I feel the board is very fairly priced, and would dare say, it is even currently under priced. As its reputation and name continues to grow, I would not be surprised if future iterations of this board are offered closer to the 300€ price point.

If you’re looking to broaden your skate world, or if you’re a seasoned surf skater looking to try something new from a local European brand, I can highly recommend checking out the Triple S. This is especially true if you’re based in Europe, and don’t have to deal with high shipping and import tax costs!

If you’ve got questions, hit me up in the comments. 🙂

About Shawn Segundo
Shawn is the founder of Longboard Dancing World and is also an avid longboard dancer. When he's not boarding or building this community, he can be found doing other marketing stuff professionally, or trying to find the best vegan cakes in Leipzig.

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