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 + Deck Shape Guide

Skateboards and the technology behind them have undergone a steady evolution over skateboarding's brief history. Skateboard deck shapes are by far the most immediately noticeable due to being the main focal point of skateboarding. Early skateboard decks were little more than 2x4 pieces of wood. This evolved into more surfboard-esque shapes as homage to skateboarding's roots more than being in any way more functional. From there, it was discovered that by adding a kicktail, a rider gained better leverage and control. Early kicktails were simply additional slanted pieces of wood attached directly to the deck; the kicktail was not "shaped" into the deck itself. From there, kicktails evolved to be an integrated part of the deck construction itself. During the entire 1980's, the evolution exploded across the board (no pun intended). Both deck shapes as well as deck concaves began to change. Some of these changes were functional (such as shapes that made grabs for airs easier), and some were just silly explorations to push the boundaries of what had been previously done. From about the mid-1990's to more recently, the shape of a skateboard deck has become more standardized into a shape that is suitable over most any terrain (pool, street, ramps, etc.). This is today's most common "popsicle stick" shape, which at first glance, is simply an evolution of past freestyle decks made slightly longer and wider. The shape itself is the same across all companies. Only width, wheelbase, tail length, nose length and overall length will vary for the decks themselves. The following is a guide of what defines well-known deck shapes over the years. Keep in mind, several deck shapes may be combinations of several shape attributes below (for example, a "snub nose stinger").

 Overall Shape \\_____
Bomb
named for the obvious resemblance to a military bomb silhouette (probably first appeared with the Tracker GSD model)
Coffin
obviously named for it's resemblance to a coffin
Fish
named for obvious reasons as the deck resembles the profile of a fish
Football
90's evolution on the way to the popsicle characterized by slightly fatter width around middle (rail edges not parallel) due to nose/tail tapering quickly at ends (ie. skinny)
Freestyle
shorter in length and a width of less than 7 inches with slighlty squared ends
Hammerhead
unique shape made popular by Christian Hosoi
Nightmare
unique shape from Walker Skateboards made for skater Mark Lake
Pig
"fat" shape gives it the "pig" name
Popsicle
modern shape characterized by parallel width down almost the entire length of the deck (rail edges) and rounded the same on the nose and tail giving the appearance of a large popsicle stick
Stinger
characterized by the sharp change in smaller width towards the back 1/3 of the deck
 Shape Attributes \\_____
Bottle Nose
probably made most popular by Powell Peralta, the nose resembles the curves of a soda bottle
Dagger Tail
named for the pointed tail the resembles a dagger's point
Fish Tail
the fish tail itself is the small inward "dip" of the tail
Punk Point
more recent evolution where the traditional symmetry of a popsicle is broken by adding a small pointed nose
Scalloped
named for the crescent ripples along the edges (the Dogtown Aaron Fingers Murray deck was probably the best known to use this style)
Shovel Nose
similar to the Spoon Nose but wider, almost square
Snub Nose
overall usually similar to a pig shape but the nose is almost right against the front truck holes
Spoon Nose
characterized by the upturned nose much like a spoon
Tri-Tail
named for the triple concave of the tail as best seen from the top view
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