Is it worth the cash to treat yourself to that new reissue skateboard  deck? Remember when you were a kid and you wanted a Lamborghini Countach?   Or a skater kid that wanted the cool pro model Caballero, Roskopp or H  Street setup but you ended up with the department store special. Now  everyone is all grown up and has a job. Maybe you don't have the dream  supercar but you sure as heck can afford that skateboard deck you  wanted back in 88. Let's dig into whether you think your reissue deck  was shred money well spent or just another wall hanger.

Are reissue decks skateable in 2024? The 30+ year old shapes that are the main focus of reissues from brands like Powell Peralta, H Street and Santa Cruz have a good tail to pop from. The length of these nostalgic maple icons  is generally between 30 inches and 32 inches. Pretty similar to a  modern popsicle deck. But the reissue can sometimes lean more towards  the 31inch length because of the shorter nose. They make up for the loss  of stability in length by adding a longer wheelbase. Generally hovering  around 15 inches.  So it's very much the same as modern dimensions for a  skateboard in 2024 as far as basic geometry.  

That's a big  deck. Yep everything was big back in the 80's. Cars, interest rates,  investments in red sweat suits, large wrap around sunglasses and that  bulge in your pink spandex skate fit. Sort of like today when you put it  like that. The size range of these reissue decks is generally between  9,5'' and 10,5 inches. That's enough wood to impress. Rest assured these  reissue beer wagons can get wide enough to hide behind in case Punk  Steve gets a little wild  discussing Bertlemanns at your local DIY BBQ. 

The materials used  to make the modern reissues are generally of the highest quality. In  most cases the larger brands make better decks now than they did on the  original production runs back in the 80's. The factories use better  laminating techniques when pressing the maple veneer.  The concaves are  more consistent because of advances in modern skateboard presses. These  manufacturing advances make reissue decks thinner, lighter, more rigid  and have more pop than the original. That's money well spent. Not quite a Lambo. But let's face it, neither are you.

Certain releases of these  street wise skatable picasso's feature hand screened graphics if your  budget stretches that far now you're all grown up. Most of the reissues  in the 100 - 150 $ dollar range come with heat transfer graphics. Heat  transfer prints are very precise and capture the original release  aesthetic very well. You can get more authentic by looking for hand  screen printed graphics. Look to spend 150-200 $ or more if you want a  hand screened reissue deck. Let's face it, your wife said you deserve it.

 The  shapes get pretty wild or artistic depending which way you look at it.  There are some pretty cool shapes out there, but there are also some  stinkers. Many of these throwback 80's rock gods lack a nose. Rock on!  The nose on a lot of the reissues gets pretty short. Doing some tricks  without a nose is a whole different thing. For 2024 you, the lack of a  good solid 7 inch nose on your chosen nostalgia  boat may be the most exciting fact. You might think it's fun learning to  skate all over again, but this time without a nose. Or it may turn out  to be really frustrating and in no time you will be drilling more holes  to hang your new spandex scented hair metal maple trophy above the  fireplace.

Will my trucks, wheels and bolts even fit this mobile  art installation? Most modern reissues use the modern (smaller) bolt  pattern that has been in use on skateboard trucks and decks since  1992-1993. But do be aware there are some reissues that use the  traditional pre 1992 hole pattern. Please double check the product  description so you won't be caught off guard and end up drilling extra  holes in your family heirloom 4 wheeled speed sled. Independent standard  159's and 169's have 6 hole drilled base plates that fit both old and  new hole pattern skateboard decks. Pure genius.

Like  an Anthrax fan more than 40 years later. It still rocks, but maybe not  all night long. There are companies out there doing really great reissue  boards in 2024. They are generally super high quality and quite  skatable. Find that 80's hammer stick you always wanted and call your  wife and ask if you can have it. You waited over 40 years to get it,  that's how important it is to you.  Reissues are 100% fun and make you  do something different. Based on that I would say reissues are worth it  but it probably won't end up being your go to board for the daily skate  unless it's really your thing.