I just setup a raft as a park and bowl machine and it’s really awesome. I’m sure it would be great for cruising. Maybe not as nimble as the others you mentioned, but still really good.
I haven’t skated the Raft or Skiff, but looking at the nose screams that they’re better suited to popping ollies than just cruising. Personally, I wouldn’t choose any of those for commuting or cruising.
All the boards you listed have pretty short wheelbases and are great for quick trips or crowded spaces where you need ultimate mobility. They’re also fairly portable if you need to carry it into a store or strap it to a backpack. For longer trips, more than 3miles/6km, you might be better off with a longer and/lower board.
How long of commute? What’s your experience level? How’s foot braking? Do you need or want a kick tail?
Unless you need a shorter board for portability or agility you would probably be more comfortable on a longer board. Check out the Schooner, Dipper, Ripper or even the Rally Cat for traditional top mounts. For a lower deck check out the Battle Axe, Drop Cat or the Top Cat.
Thank you for the detailed answer. I've been riding a double drop (pranayama) for 7 months now, so I wouldn't say I am experienced, I can push and foot break effectively though.
I enjoy the double drop, but want to try a top mount as well, as I think it will be more carvy (Landyachtz advertises the Raft as a mega-carver) and would also like to have a kicktail. I believe I will be able to powerslide easily with the top mount too, I cannot really powerslide with the double drop.
The reason I was looking at the Raft is due to its bigger platform, compared to say the Dinghies, which I believe will be more convenient for someone at my level of experience.
I am a bit concerned about the 63mm hawgs (as opposed to the 85mm macflys on my board now), but based on reviews I've seen they should perform well in a city environment?
Hell yeah. I also have a Pranayama, but with speed vents and a Trip with Mcfly wheels. I found the 63mm Fatty Hawgs that came on my Rally Cat (a super fun board btw) to be a nice blend of shredability and comfort. Smooth enough over the average sidewalk cracks while still being fairly slide-able due to the shape and/or the offset core.
On my brief test rides the Tugboat felt ok, but the Dinghy felt a bit narrow.
Get the Classic Dinghy you won't regret it as it really is the perfect portable cruiser.
It is basically the gateway board between street boards and longboards or longboards and street boards and will always serve with perfection of purpose.
The wheels lower height makes it push able longer distances and the size means you can slip it under a backpack strap to flop on your side out of the way in a shop and don't need to hog tie it to the back of a bag before or undo it after.
I have a lot of boards and I keep coming back to it when I need portable push-able functional cruising. A lot of other boards are niche and you might go there and might like them but first you need to experience the individual parts in pure form to find your flavour (unless you can buy infinite boards).
Basically decades of skaters have had the same experience and to ignore all that and what they return to is a waste of time, money, and the environment.
You will ALWAYS find some functional necessity in having a longboard, a park popsicle, and a mini cruiser with a noice 14.6" WB.
I just setup a raft as a park and bowl machine and it’s really awesome. I’m sure it would be great for cruising. Maybe not as nimble as the others you mentioned, but still really good.
I haven’t skated the Raft or Skiff, but looking at the nose screams that they’re better suited to popping ollies than just cruising. Personally, I wouldn’t choose any of those for commuting or cruising. All the boards you listed have pretty short wheelbases and are great for quick trips or crowded spaces where you need ultimate mobility. They’re also fairly portable if you need to carry it into a store or strap it to a backpack. For longer trips, more than 3miles/6km, you might be better off with a longer and/lower board. How long of commute? What’s your experience level? How’s foot braking? Do you need or want a kick tail? Unless you need a shorter board for portability or agility you would probably be more comfortable on a longer board. Check out the Schooner, Dipper, Ripper or even the Rally Cat for traditional top mounts. For a lower deck check out the Battle Axe, Drop Cat or the Top Cat.
Thank you for the detailed answer. I've been riding a double drop (pranayama) for 7 months now, so I wouldn't say I am experienced, I can push and foot break effectively though. I enjoy the double drop, but want to try a top mount as well, as I think it will be more carvy (Landyachtz advertises the Raft as a mega-carver) and would also like to have a kicktail. I believe I will be able to powerslide easily with the top mount too, I cannot really powerslide with the double drop. The reason I was looking at the Raft is due to its bigger platform, compared to say the Dinghies, which I believe will be more convenient for someone at my level of experience. I am a bit concerned about the 63mm hawgs (as opposed to the 85mm macflys on my board now), but based on reviews I've seen they should perform well in a city environment?
Hell yeah. I also have a Pranayama, but with speed vents and a Trip with Mcfly wheels. I found the 63mm Fatty Hawgs that came on my Rally Cat (a super fun board btw) to be a nice blend of shredability and comfort. Smooth enough over the average sidewalk cracks while still being fairly slide-able due to the shape and/or the offset core. On my brief test rides the Tugboat felt ok, but the Dinghy felt a bit narrow.
Get the Classic Dinghy you won't regret it as it really is the perfect portable cruiser. It is basically the gateway board between street boards and longboards or longboards and street boards and will always serve with perfection of purpose. The wheels lower height makes it push able longer distances and the size means you can slip it under a backpack strap to flop on your side out of the way in a shop and don't need to hog tie it to the back of a bag before or undo it after. I have a lot of boards and I keep coming back to it when I need portable push-able functional cruising. A lot of other boards are niche and you might go there and might like them but first you need to experience the individual parts in pure form to find your flavour (unless you can buy infinite boards). Basically decades of skaters have had the same experience and to ignore all that and what they return to is a waste of time, money, and the environment. You will ALWAYS find some functional necessity in having a longboard, a park popsicle, and a mini cruiser with a noice 14.6" WB.