Carver 27" Zapper Snapper Surfskate

The kids are alright... and thus deserve a surfskate that suits them. Step in the new Carver Mini Series with the 27" Zapper Snapper!

27" is small. Carver themselves recommend this size for shredders-to-be aged 10+. But what makes it so suitable for the young guns?

The bushings: Small but mighty, these little urethane doughnuts make more difference to a skateboard than one would expect. Normally, it's the little ones that suffer most when a standard skateboard (cruiser, surfskate or longboard) is purchased - they won't be able to turn at all with a bushing set up designed for adults. And turning is the fun part - especially with a surfskate!

Carver have come up with the goods on these Mini Series boards though, and swapped the bushings out for something much softer than standard. Softer bushings mean less resistance when leaning, for lower effort smoother carves for those who are yet to have a growth spurt.

The 27" Zapper Snapper features 84A bushings - standard Carver setups come with 90As. The lower the number, the lower the resistance.

Carver C5 trucks: The C5 feels very similar to the CX - the most popular surfskate truck system out there - but has a lower ride height. Always a good thing for stability and ease of pushing, it's makes even more difference for people with little legs. The C5 truck will be much more manageable for kids, and the lower ride height also makes it much easier for those wanting to learn some skate tricks along the way, be it the basics, ollies or kickflips and beyond.

Hollow kingpins and axles further lower the weight of the trucks to make it a pleasure for kids to skate around.

60mm wheels: Slightly smaller than you'd find on most adult surfskates which tend to feature wheels between 65mm and 75mm. It's a small difference but reinforces all of the good bits above - the ride height and the weight are both reduced to make it as easy as possible for kids to get carving.

Bright graphics: This one split opinions in the shop, but then, don't all the best graphics do that? With the printed griptape lightning bolt this one really stands out. It's not a bad place-marker for the important front foot, either.

This board is built with standard 7-ply maple - forgoing the weight saving of the smaller options in favour of something that can stay relevant for many years to come, and even let mum and dad have a go... if you're allowed!

Carver know what they're doing when it comes to designing surfskates, and it's easy to see that they've properly thought about what would make them the most fun for kids to learn and shred on. We're stoked to carry these in the shop!