Just The Facts:
Length: 53" (4'5")
Width: 17.25"
Nose: 5.25"
Tail: 10.5"
Wheelbase: 33.25"
Construction: 5/8" thick Birch
Concave: None. Dead flat.
Griptape: None. "Sticky Paint" is what keeps your feet in place. It works better than you'd think.
Wheels: 90mm 81a Abec 11 Flywheels, loaded with Biltin Bearings.
Trucks: Original S10's (I think); 250 mm wide.
Risers: Comes with two sets; a pair of stock Originals (.625" tall), on top of carved birch risers (.875" tall), for a total of 1.5" of riser.
Total ride height: All set up, the deck sits about 6" off the ground.
Total weight: About 30+ lbs.
Cost: $399.00, direct from Hamboards
Here it is! Mine's the purple one, as you'll see in a second...
"Okay: What In The Hell Is This...?!"
That's surely what most "skaters" are gonna ask, when they first see a Hamboard.
The next thing that they always ask is, "Can I try it...?!"
I got this Fish a couple years back, before embarking on my 2008 Tour. I think what they wanted me to do, was to tote it around, and show it to shops that I came across in my travels... which I did do, some of the time. The "problem" was that, having a small Econobox as a road-trip vehicle... the Hamboard didn't always fit in my car. Especially when my car was already chock full of everything else that I needed to bring along with me.
To answer the question: A Hamboard is the very closest thing that you can buy, that will realistically duplicate the feeling of "surfing", on pavement. I'm not a surfer, mind you. I've only done it a few times in my life, and those didn't even go all that well. But: I do have an idea of how it works. And, riding a Hamboard is really, really quite similar (Although nothing could ever fully duplicate the feeling of gliding and turning on water, precisely).
That said: This is probably far more popular with "surfers", than it would be with most "skaters". After all, you sure as hell can't ollie a trash can, or kickflip on a Hamboard.
The top and bottom views of the Fish.
The Experience
It's very hard to describe the feeling of actually riding a Hamboard. Really, you'd almost have to go out and do it, to "get" it.
There are a few things that I might bring up, though. First of all, it turns on a dime. It'll actually out-turn many "regular" skateboards... and easily, most "longboards". You wouldn't think that it would be possible, but it's absolutely true. Secondly: It's not easy to push, if you're not used to it... because of the weight, and the ride height, as well as the overall width. Thirdly: Thankfully, you don't have to push much at all, because this thing will roll on and on, forever and ever.
The wheels and trucks that come on a Hamboard are for all intents and purposes, the biggest ones available on the open market. The extra risers are necessary to avoid wheelbite, with the 90mm wheels and quick-turning trucks.
The Flywheels have hollowed-out cores, and the bulk of their rolling mass pushed out to the extreme outer diameter of the wheel. This literal "Flywheel" effect is what helps the Hamboard keep on rolling, and rolling, and rolling...
Here's the Original truck, pushed all the way to the extreme. Originals do "lock out" at this point, which means that you cannot possibly turn them any more. Note how the wheelwells give you an extra 1/8" or so of clearance, just in case. As a practical matter, getting wheelbite on a Hamboard is impossible.
This photo shows the "true" turning radius of a Fish. From rolling straight down the double-yellows, I pushed it all the way over... and, here's where it ended up. About seven-and-a-half feet, from center to center.
The best place to ride a Hamboard is on a wide-open, smooth, and totally flat open road, sidewalk, parking lot, or paveway. Hopefully, when there's not an overabundance of rubber-necked people around. Because, this thing definitely will get a lot of attention. It attracts bystanders like a magnet. Collision risks do ensue. And: Due to it's weight and size, you absolutely do not wanna be pushing this thing "uphill" at all. Likewise: It will also pick up speed, quite quickly, if it's ever pointed downhill.
But: Assuming you're on an "open" and flat path... it's a shit-ton of fun. Whenever I take it out to go play with it... and, it really is something that's well-suited to "playing" on... I'll actually tell the missus that I'm "Going surfing!" Deep carves, snappy bottom turns, frontside thrusters on mellow inclines... it really is very, very "surf-like".
I've definitely had a ton of fun on mine over the years.
Why You'll Think Hard About Buying One
The first "doubt", obviously, is gonna be the size. Skaters, will have second thoughts about that. Surfers, though, won't. Surfers are totally used to riding huge-sized boards, already...!
The second doubt? The price. Most skaters will consider $399 a ton of money. Again: Most surfers, won't. Surfers are totally used to paying somewhere between several hundred bucks, to well over a grand for a surfboard, already...!
The key thing to remember here, is that unlike almost any other skateboard on the market... this thing is built to last, literally, twenty or thirty years. Shit, maybe even longer than that! Well, just by doing "the math"... you and I can see that the "actual" cost-of-ownership is only like, ten bucks a year or something. So maybe the question isn't, "Is $399 this outrageous outlay of cash?!" But rather, "Would I be willing to drop ten bucks a year to be the coolest guy in town, and have this crazy-neat plaything to ride around on...?"
Then, we have some simple logistics. A runaway Hamboard will keep right on running, until something very large and/or very heavy gets in it's way. Hopefully, that's not a small child or something. Carrying it, is a very real workout. Bringing it into a store or a restaurant (in the midwest, at least) can be sort of uncomfortable. It takes up a lot of "parking space" in your house, in your vehicle, or wherever else you may "park" one, temporarily.
Are any of these things "bad"? Nope! Just things to keep in mind, before you order one. That's all.
The Final Verdict
Just like I said above: When I first saw the price, I too had a pretty bad case of "sticker shock".
But, having had one in the quiver now for, oh, a few years at least? And, seeing how long I'm gonna have it (The "ten bucks a year" thing)? Yeah: I'd totally call this a pretty good investment for any surfing-minded skater.
