I’ve Built 3 Boards in my 4 years of Esk8. Not once have I made a build post despite every time I made one claiming that I would to those who helped me. To make it up to them, this post will be extremely thorough and well put together (I hope). This is not my first build (and definitely not my last) but will unfortunately not be as clean as my next build due to my limited resources being on my college campus. Now For the Build!
Parts
VESC:
Focbox Unity Purchased from a man who actually has a heart for a price less than what they are being fenced for now.
Battery:
8s3p Samsung 25r DIY. Yes… I soldered it. Throw your hate down below. However, when you are a 15-year-old on a budget (yes I made this pack 2 years ago) you do what you have to.
Drivetrain:
Racestar 5065 200kv Motors on Evolve motor mounts. On evolve hangars which are mounted on Gullwing sidewinder II’s. Back when I purchased this setup, double kingpin setups were extremely new so Ownboard/Flipsky clones did not exist yet. I am using $30 ABEC core 83mm clones. My next build will have blue Caguamas without a doubt. The wheel pulley is just some generic 38t Abec bolt-on. I hate it! 
Deck and Enclosure:
The deck is a 31.5" bat tail cruiser from “bambooskateboards.com” which is honestly fantastic. It’s not very expensive, and If you can get over not having any decals, it has some nice flex to it and I like the shape and look. The quality isn’t loaded tier, but you definitely get your money’s worth from this one.
The Enclosure is a Mboards enclosure. I hate it! However, it did get the job done for now. This build spared all expenses and this bad boy fit the bill. I epoxied shut half of the holes because this thing is not strong enough to demand that much clamping force or that much of my time.
Remote:
I’m Using the Flipsky VX1. Of course, I got a defective one. I posted about it on this thread:
Why is there not a VX1 Disconnection thread.
I still love the remote so far, and I can’t wait until I get my replacement.!
Mistakes
#1 Ticket: Soldering the battery.
The battery should be 10s3p. However, I blew up 3 parallel cells in my house. I thew them in a cast iron-pot and closed the lid just in time for some crazy shit to happen. I’m fairly certain they just vented (good work Samsung) but please, spend the money on either a premade pack or a DIY spot welder. (Search the forum. There are a few that will only run you 125 USD and are extremely high quality)
Using the MBoards Enclosure
Use anything else.
(If You Care Why)
- Holes go AT THE BOTTOM. Otherwise, it’s very hard to waterproof the enclosure
- The plastic is so thin that you might as well protect your explosive battery with saran wrap.
- Likely to crack. I have weird chips around where I drilled holes, despite being extremely gradual in bit size.
Not Using Press-Fit Pulleys
Alignment on these cheap ABEC clones is impossible and I always get wobble and terrible noise, no matter how much work I put into them. There are plenty of cheap(ish) options out there and you will have a much better time and much better sounding board if you do so. The wobble has also lead to premature cracking of one of my belts from when the alignment was especially bad.
Board Performance
The top speed is only about 23MPH due to gearing, wheels, and the fact that I limited myself to 8s instead of 10s.
The Range is about 12 miles of fairly aggressive riding. I hate accelerating slowly.
Acceleration is off the charts. I have no complaints what-so-ever.
The whole thing weighs only 15.6lbs and It is perfect to pick up and bring with me to my 3 in-person classes per week (thanks COVID:slight_smile:) as well as the dining hall and meeting up with friends (6 feet apart and outside OC)
The whole thing is mostly waterproof so some rain or melting snow has not stopped me in the 2 weeks I have of riding so far.
People that Deserve Thanks
@kevingraehl for the Unity and your kindness as well as general help when I’m being a moron.
@Skunk for your kindness and advising me on where to find a Unity
@RyEnd for advice on choosing a dual VESC
@xsynatic @Fosterqc @kook @frame @rusins for helping me diagnose my VESC and VX1
@discobot for being my only friend
Ideas for the Future
A few things I dislike:
-
I never use the kicktail… I know many people who could not live without them, but I haven’t
personally liked or used it. I would much rather have had a wider stance and wheelbase. -
Double kingpin trucks do not belong on this kind of board… I do not enjoy being quite so high off the
ground with these small wheels. I Love the look and feel of drop through trucks. My next deck
needs to be drop through. -
The deck limets the enclosure and vice versa… It’s a bamboo deck. I want it to FLEX but it can’t due
to its unibody enclosure. I can’t split it, however, because there isn’t enough space.
Future deck plans:
I Love flexy decks, despite them not being as stable. I don’t wear a helmet on the way to class, so the speed isn’t a thing I often worry about. I want a flexy deck that isn’t very long (35-37 inches). I like the Vanguard, but I want to be low to the ground. I like the Bustin-Boards Sportster, but I am worried it doesn’t have much flex to it.
I need something flexy and drop through and it needs to be large enough to have a split-enclosure design.
Build Pictures!
I found this cozy spot for my landyachtz 28" and this bad boy!
Thank you to everyone who helped me out and thank you for taking the time to look this over! Do not hesitate to reply with questions or thoughts!
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