That will depend on where you want to surfskate, and how you want to surfskate.

To get the easy one out the way: The Carver C5 is designed for use in skateparks - not just flowing round the transition but getting on top and grinding - and to offer the possibility of doing regular skate tricks - ollies and beyond. It is not as turny as the C7 or CX, so for many people doesn't tick the "surfskate" box that they are hoping for, if they're just looking to ride around on the flat.

The main conversation here is between the C7 and CX trucks.

If a little bit of skatepark/pumptrack action appeals to you, the CX is probably going to be more up your street.

If you're interested in the tightest turns physically possible, the C7 will be what you want. We skate that one round inside our shop (barely 2.5m wide!) and can easily turn around, do cutbacks, figure-8s and full 360s and still have speed to spare.

Remember that each truck can be adjusted, and the size of your board (or wheelbase) also makes a big difference in the overall feeling of a surfskate.

The Carver C7 is THE original surfskate truck, released in 1996. You could say that this truck is whole reason you're on this page - or that this page even exists!

The C7 is a regular TKP (traditional kingpin, essentially your standard skateboard truck) mounted on a pivoting arm to massively increase its range of motion.

It's therefore a double-axis truck. The arm swings and the truck itself leans.

The Carver CX is a redesign of the C7 but is a single-axis truck. It works more like a RKP (reverse kingpin, or a longboard truck) but due to some extreme geometry, still offers a much wider range of motion than a truck you'd usually find on a longboard.

After the C7, Carver developed the CX truck to:
- Do and feel the same as the C7 but with...
- Less moving parts
- Less maintenance

Not having a pivoting arm increases stability considerably and so the CX also became the choice for anyone wanting a bit more speed.

The CX is therefore also favoured for transition, bowl, pumptrack and park riding over the C7. Dropping in on a double-axis truck is... sketchy!

The CX can definitely manage a lot of the tight turns and fun that the C7 can. But what about the moving parts and the maintenance?

The CX definitely has less moving parts than the C7 - no pivoting arm, no thrust bearings or springs.

And whilst those things do need occasional attention (see our guide to servicing your C7 truck) and we as skaters aren't necessarily used to dealing with anything more than a kingpin nut... it's not the end of the world.

The CX with its less moving parts puts a lot more pressure on the bushings and pivot cup. Bushings are designed to compress as a truck leans - the CX can force them to rotate as well.

This means not only do they wear out with use, but that occasionally the kingpin nut can loosen itself over time and eventually fly off whilst you're riding. Non ideal!

We've seen lots of ideas to combat that:
- Extra nyloc on the nut
- Turning nuts upside down
- Turning the kingpin itself upside down
- Bigger kingpin nuts

So whilst there are less pieces to maintain than the C7, we find that over time the CX actually demands more in terms of attention and maintenance to keep it ready to ride.

Replacement bushings and pivot cups are available from Carver and RipTide.

The Carver C2 is the back truck, and its the same whether you buy the C7 or the CX.

It's worth a mention however because of how good it is. You may see other brands with a stock TKP back truck mounted on a massive plastic riser. It's just not quite as good, and will struggle to keep up with the front truck.

The Carver C2 is designed specifically to be able to keep up with the front truck.

It's a tall truck, so no extra risers are needed.

The geometry is very slack - this means it leans a lot which helps keep both wheels on the floor while you're cranking the front truck over as hard as you can.

It also has a cranked pivot, so the pivot will rotate inside of the pivot cup instead of leaning against the sides, further helping the back truck be as mobile as possible to keep up with the front.

These design features allow the C2 to get a lot more involved in the surfskate feeling - and that interaction between the front and back of the board is not only key to pumping and keeping speed out of tight turns, but also is what feels closest to being on a surfboard.

Carver did great work on this one.

Our experience over the years says that beginners get on better with the looseness of the C7 - it doesn't take as much force or confidence to get the board leaning, turning and pumping.

A lot of beginners therefore go with the C7 based off that initial buzz of being able to pump easily.

The CX takes a little more conviction and boardfeel to get it pumping in the same way. Beginners may not feel ready to put that much weight on the rails of the board to make that happen.

However longer term, it's more important to decide what you want to do/feel with the board in the future as you will be able to learn on both the C7 and the CX just fine with a few sessions of practise.

We've had people start on the C7 and later come back to grab a set of CX - and vice versa. The defining factor has always been what they want to skate once they've built their confidence, not what felt easiest on day one.

Being a double-axis truck, you have 2 axis that you can adjust on the C7. One great thing about the C7 is that by loosening and tightening bolts, you have a lot of adjustability in the truck without having to spend any money on new bushings.

The first (1 on the photo) is the spring bolt. Tighten up to restrict how fast that pivoting arm can swing - loosen to let it waggle freely.

The second (2 on the photo), as normal with any truck, is the kingpin nut/bushings. Tighten or loosen the nut half a turn at a time to make the trucks more or less stiff respectively. You can always move to harder or softer bushings if this kingpin nut adjustment isn't enough.

Replacement Carver C7 bushings are available from Carver, and the Independent standard cylinder bushings fit great in the C7 front truck too and are available in multiple durometers. Keep in mind if you go down the Indy route in the front, you'll need a different set for the C2 truck in the back which takes taller bushings. Carver CX bushings, RipTide Carver CX bushings and Sabre Carve Kits all work well.

The final bolt (3 in the photo) is the pivot pin that holds the thrust bearing in place. Whilst this is adjustable, its not what you want to be playing with to get your trucks feeling good. It needs to be tight enough that there's no wobbling in the pivot, but loose enough that there is no pressure on the thrust bearing restricting its movement. Have a play and it should be obvious enough when the truck is happiest.

Being a single-axis truck, you only have one axis to adjust how the truck feels.

Start with the kingpin nut as above - tighten or loosen half a turn at a time and see how it feels. Tighter will stiffen the trucks, looser will...loosen them.

If you've tightened or loosened to the limit and still want more, it's time for new bushings. You have options from Carver and RipTide.

The CX truck does wear through bushings and pivot cups quickly so if you skate a good amount, you should have ample opportunity to find which bushing brand and durometer works best for you!

If you're looking for the silver bullet that unlocks your surfing potential without spending years in the ocean, you've come to the wrong place. Some brands, retailers, surfskate coaches might push the rhetoric that surfskates will have a huge impact on how you surf. I'm sorry to break it to you: these people just want your money.

There is so much more to surfing than standing on a surfboard. If you want to train your surfing, give up everything comfortable and familiar, move to the coldest piece of surfable ocean you can think of and paddle out alone, every day, for the next ten years. Buy ocean charts, scour google maps, spend hours huddled with a flask of tea watching as the tide drops, drive around in every swell and wind direction on offer to find a surfable corner.

I guarantee you will be a shredder.

But isn't there some crossover with surfskating?

There is. Despite the fact that a surfskate turns from the front truck and a surfboard from the back, there is some crossover. Not as much as riding a miniramp or a bowl on a regular skateboard - but enough that if you do spend enough time with your feet on a board, surfskate or otherwise, you'll gain boardfeel that will eventually translate into your surfing.

I've seen a lot of people saying that C7 is the best option for surfers. I've seen almost as many saying the CX is best. Personally I think a skateboard is best.

The point is, there isn't a correct answer here.

A well tuned C7 will definitely allow tighter turns than a CX - think figure 8s in a singular car park space, and learning to draw speed out of these cutbacks could potentially be of value if thats exactly what you're working on in the ocean.

However a CX offers more interaction between the front and back truck which translates slightly better into how it feels pumping down the line on a surfboard.

The looseness of a C7 makes it possible to "cheat" your way into pumping - simply wiggling the front leg is enough to build speed. The CX demands better technique that will be rewarded later once you find yourself on a wave.

Don't take this the wrong way - they're all wicked fun to ride around! Our experience simply says that the heavily surf-focused marketing is a misnomer. As long as you don't expect to buy one and suddenly be getting barrelled every session at your local beachie, you'll have a great time.