This carbon fiber skateboard deck from WeFunk looks nothing like the skateboards kids are riding around my neighborhood but the times, they are a changing. Produced in two shapes, “full” and “cutaway”, the Roadmaster series embodies technologies and materials used in a Formula One race car. The carbon fiber and wood combination makes for one beautiful skateboard; it’s almost too pretty to ride.
The limited Roadmaster series is handbuilt by industrial designer and F1 composite technician Alex Luxat in Cologne, Germany. The decks use prepreg carbon fiber, airex foamcore, ash, poplar and zebrano and they’re finished with a .5mm zebrawood veneer inlay beneath a UV reflecting “surfclear” epoxy hotcoat that is wetsanded, clearpainted and polished to a mirror finish.
WeFunk explains part of the manufacturing process as follows,
“Advanced Composites epoxy pre-impregnated carbon is pressed and cured in our proprietary vacuum-in-mold-heating process.The quasi-isotropic layering and heatcuring provide a torsionally rock-solid deck that doesn´t get weak even when baking in the sun (not recommended but safe up to surface temperatures of 100°C/212°F). The prepreg carbon has to be stored deepfrozen at minus 20°C until processing. The advantages (perfect fiber/resin ratio, lighter and tougher laminate) outweigh the cost and handling efforts which are considerably bigger than those of common wet-laminates in other brands´ foamcore decks.”
While the boards sound heat resistant, another interesting fact is that WeFunk is said to only be manufacturing during summer months because low humidity is known to be key in proper bonding and a clean finish of the epoxy.
With carbon fiber being a main component in this deck, its only natural to think ones speed could increase when using the board because it’s so light weight. But being that we aren’t skateboard experts, just really smart when it comes to carbon fiber, we aren’t too sure this board would win the race against a traditional board, feel free to chime in with your experience.
The Roadmaster series decks are available exclusively from WeFunk on an order to order basis. Each deck takes 20-22 hours, spread over the course of a week, to build and finish. WeFunk’s website also has the boards listed between 730 EURO, for the “full” and 780 EURO for the “cutaway”. (At the time of this article, that converts to $1056 and $1128.) Don’t forget the price is only for the deck, you’re on your own for trucks and wheels.