Longboarding is a unique style of skateboarding all its own, but there are tons of different longboard shapes and sizes. Each longboard deck shape offers unique benefits. Some longboard shapes are better for beginners, some are better for experienced riders. Some are great for bombing hills, others are better for cruising. 

There are a lot of options, and once you buy a longboard, you want it to last you for a while. So for a newer rider, it can definitely be overwhelming to choose your first board.

Luckily, we carry just about every type of longboard here at Retrospec. Whatever your skill level or longboarding style, we have a board that’s right for you! Now, let’s dive in and talk about the main longboard deck shapes you’ll find online, and the unique benefits that each shape offers. 

Note: This blog is specifically about longboard shapes, but we’ve written about the different types of skateboards in another blog post, so check that out if you’re more into traditional skateboarding!

Best for Beginner Longboarders: Pintail Longboard

A pintail longboard, like our best-selling Zed 41” Pintail, features the classic longboard shape – the one you’re probably most familiar with when you think of “longboarding,” even if you’re a new rider. Pintails have a long, wide, leaf-like shape. The deck is tapered at both the nose and tail, but the taper is more dramatic at the tail (hence the name “pintail”).

A pintail deck is flat, wide, and stable, with plenty of room to maneuver. Because of this, pintails are arguably the most well-rounded type of longboard, and the pintail is generally considered the best board style for new riders. There’s plenty of deck space for maximum grip and stability, but the build remains lightweight, so it’s still great for cruising or commuting around campus. On a solid, reliable pintail, you can do it all… and then some!

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Best for Cruising: Kicktail Longboard

A kicktail longboard is very similar to a pintail. The only difference is in the tail of the board. Instead of the traditional flat tail found on a pintail longboard, kicktails have a slightly raised tail. This lets you “kick” your board up into your hand when you stop riding, all without having to bend over and pick it up. 

The raised tail also gives you more control when riding, letting you “kick” down with your rear foot to pick up the nose of the board, so that you can turn sharply (kickturn), instead of only carving like you would on a pintail. The raised tail also helps you get the board up off the ground and perform a few aerial tricks, like an ollie or kickflip, if you decide to progress down that path (although lighter, traditional skateboards like the Alameda are much better for trick skating). 

All in all, kicktail boards are the best board for cruising and casual commuting, because the kicktail shape gives you more control in crowded urban environments and makes it more convenient to pick up your board when you finish riding. The Zed 44” is our favorite kicktail longboard, and it’s a surefire pick for any aspiring cruiser!

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Best for New Downhill Riders: Drop Through Longboard

At first glance, drop through longboards are rather strange looking. This eye-catching deck shape features cutouts on the nose and tail, and the trucks are attached on top of the deck instead of below it, like on a normal longboard or skateboard. This means the wheels are sitting nearly at the same height as the deck itself (hence the name “drop-through”). 

One of the biggest reasons for a drop through deck is to avoid wheelbite. Wheelbite occurs when you carve too hard and your deck makes contact with your wheels. It usually won’t happen unless your trucks are too loose or you’re carving extremely hard, but if it does occur, it will stop your board dead in its tracks and likely throw you off the board. Wheelbite can be extremely dangerous if you’re traveling at high speeds, and it’s something to be careful to avoid once you start getting into steeper, faster riding. With a drop through deck, you can carve as hard as you want and there is no danger of wheelbite! 

Drop through boards are much lower to the ground when compared to pintails and kicktails, which makes them more stable and ideal for hitting big hills at high speeds. You’ll experience increased agility and control when riding a drop through deck, thanks to that lower deck. These boards are easier to slide for the same reason. (Sliding, used to reduce speed, is a key component of hill bombing.) 

All in all, drop throughs are the best all-around style of longboard for general hill bombing, sliding, and cruising all-in-one. They’re also more forgiving than the more aggressive drop down board (see below) because they have great carving ability, but avoid letting you take too much speed into a turn. The Rift 41” Drop Through is our favorite drop through board. If you want to start sliding or hitting high speeds downhill, check this board out! 

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Best for High Speeds, Sliding, and Expert Riding: Drop Down Longboard

Drop through and drop down boards are very similar, and offer many of the same benefits. However, if you’re really psyched on reaching the highest speeds possible on a longboard, hitting massive slides, and charging into serious hills, then a drop down board offers a few advantages. 

Like a drop through, drop down boards give you a lower center of gravity thanks to a lower deck. But on drop downs, the deck itself is angled to drop “down” below the trucks. There are still cutouts like on a drop through, but the entire platform is literally sitting below the trucks, only a hair’s-breadth above the ground. Unlike drop throughs or any other style of longboard, the deck doesn’t flex at all, either. It’s completely rigid. 

As a result of all these features, drop downs offer maximum stability and control for high speeds, and they’re the easiest type of longboard to kick into a slide. All around, they’re the top choice for steep downhill, sliding, and advanced freeriding, but be careful… It's easy to jet into high speeds on a drop down, so if you’re still a newer downhill rider, it’s better to go with a drop through board to get the hang of things.

So, if you’re really itching to go fast, then the Tidal 41” Drop Down is our flagship drop down board. It’s a stellar choice if high speeds and crazy slides are in your mind’s eye. Happy carving!

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Other Longboard Shapes

While the pintail, kicktail, drop through, and drop down are the four main longboard shapes you’ll see cruising the streets and carving the hills, they aren’t the only longboard deck shapes out there. Here are a few others you might come across.

Fishtail longboards are similar to pintails and kicktails, but they have a split, fish-like tail. This tail has a steeper concave than a kicktail, and the “split” nature combines with that to give you added heel and toe control overall. This can help with speed and carving. But other than that, the fishtail doesn’t offer added functionality over pintails or kicktails. For most riders, fishtails are more of a stylistic choice than anything else.

Double drop longboards are a blend of drop through and drop down styles (so the deck drops and the trucks are mounted on top of the deck). They’re the lowest, most stable deck style in existence, but they’re extremely difficult to make, and as a result, very expensive. Because of their insanely low deck height, double drop boards offer a few advantages over drop down boards for downhill riding, if you’re really concerned with going as fast as humanly possible. But that’s about all they’re good for, because they’re generally too low to do much riding outside of serious bombing. As a result, double drop decks are only found on dedicated downhill boards.

Cruiser boards aren’t really “longboards,” but they have many of the same attributes and are a good choice for many riders who think they want a longboard, but are looking for something more lightweight, compact, and portable. Cruisers (like our Quip 27” / 22.5”) are much smaller than longboards, so they’re easier to carry around, and can even fit in a backpack while you’re going from place to place. Their small size makes them easy to maneuver, so you can turn sharper, perform tricks easier, and carve harder.

Whether you’re a new rider, a veteran hill bomber, or just looking to pick a board back up and cruise again, we have the perfect longboard shape for you here at Retrospec. Take a look at our collection today and see which board best fits your style! 

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