long time ago………
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June 2022: needed something to get into town so got a onewheel, got used to it, wanted to go faster
July 2022: bought my first skateboard, Backfire G3+. it was a great hoard to learn on. the ride quality eventually got me ready to upgrade to actual tires instead of sleeves so…
April 2023: upgraded to a Black Carve 3. had lots of fun learning on that board. couple speed wobbles, couple fun adventures, sadly it only topped out around 32mph no matter what gearing i tried so i sold it and built my first diy
January 2024: Sidewinder has been the board i’ve had the most fun on while simultaneously being my most problemed child.
OneWheel: 370mi
Backfire: 600mi
Onsra: 1300mi
Sidewinder: 750mi and counting
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Technically, in the early 80’s in my early teens, I used my dad’s first cordless drill, a large socket friction fitted inside a soft kryptonics wheel, sat on my skateboard one rainy weekend and tore up the hardwood floors, and the drill.
Last October, I wanted to tow my dog, in my kayak to the local launch, and stuff skate inside kayak hatch, and bought a 99$ single hub motor 7S1p board.
It proved too weak for that task, so I bought 280$ a 7s 2p dual hub motor board which had enough power for that task.
Not having to push, and having brakes blew my mind.
Both these decks had their hollow handles filled in, and are now encased in fiberglass.
I make a fiberglass enclosure for the dual 83mm hub motor board, made a 10s2p battery for it, and more recently, got 90mm, more powerful hub motors, and can now get the dog laden kayak upto 25mph/40kmh, and 28moh when solo, with tailwind.
It’s soon to get a VESC, graciously donated to the cause by Evwan.
The 99$ board got a second 73mm hub motor for diagonal drive, from a 36$ parts only free shipping 7s junk, and inherited the 7s2p enclosure, and it too can tow the kayak, but at 11mph max. So far. It’s light, and nimble and great for store runs.
Soon(ha) it will have a 10s1p P42a battery, inside another custom fiberglass enclosure.
The kayak’s cart had issues with wheel hubs melting, or horrible vibrations, or
flatspotting draggy wheels.
I bought the worlds cheapest ‘Vevor’ passive mountainboard, with 8" pneumatics, cut one truck in half, made a cloud of aluminum dust and modified the kayak cart’s hanger to accept pneumatics, which was a huge improvement.
My long cruiser acoustic had the 7s2p drivetrain ziptied and gaff taped for a while, which was so much more fun and comfortable, then I threw the 8" pneumatic truck on front and my mind was blown, then it got 10S drivetrain onnit, and I’ve never had more fun on 4 wheels.
Now, I want to buikd a segmented 10s5p flexible enclosure for that, and run all pneumatics, or maybee backfire ranger hub motors for low noise and long freeroll
But I have no money for that, or time really, just tentative ever-changing plans.
I can easily remove the hanger from the kayak cart, and install it on my dog’s land chariot which never got beyond the fully functional stage.
We’ve been cruising and barking up the hood daily, laughing at dogs and their masters who have to walk.
When not kayaking, we skate to her swimming hole at kayak launch, sometimes twice a day.
Esk8’s have made my life, and my dog’s life, much better.
Thanks to all here, who have helped me/us in this endeavor.
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I got a new job towards the end of 2018. Realizing I can’t drive to work anymore (no parking), I needed a way to bridge the distance between home and the train station because taking the bus would take be too slow and walking is too long and tedious to do everyday, especially during rush hour.
After considering several options, based on size, cost, weight, how much I’ll annoy fellow train commuters, and ‘dorkiness’, I decided on an electric skateboard. I did and learned how to ride it having never ridden a skateboard at 38 years of age.
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Oof brings me back. Built my first DIY esk8 in Jun 2017
Bought my first longboard from my friend in 2016
Honestly it was a pretty good first esk8
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I bought a Onewheel XR in September 2019 which I still ride, bought it on a whim and that was it.
Then came a few longboards and learning to ride and fall and now I just finished making my Lacroix Nazare into a go anywhere board with all of the electronics mounted on top.
I got another idea for a great urethane street board and lots of other ideas, DIY is fun.
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I used to skate an old Globe cruiser with the dogs towing me. It was loads of fun but the dogs never had the stamina to go very fast for long. I knew there had to be a better way.
Early 2017 i bought an evolve gtx… then a raptor 2… then a baja g4x… then it was time to build!
I gutted my gtx and repurposed it. Building out an evolve seems like such a typical way for peeps to start DIY 
The rest is history. I caught the bug bad and made esk8 my life for a long time! Now I couldn’t really care less for it. Lucky to ride once a week these days, and if i’m being perfectly honest, i’d pretty easily give it up.
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Rode my first esk8 in 2020 (brother in law’s Boosted V2) and bought my first board (Zealot) in early 2021. Been much poorer ever since
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Well this is awkward…
Moved to a new area and had a son so 2017 and was exploring all the parks and nature we can. I found a lovely scooter on a curb that looked like the one I had as a kid and fixed it up one day, attaching the child transporter.
We went on many adventures and it was great! Cherish this age. It goes by too quickly.
He got a razor go kart and I hated riding a scooter around like a goober so I tried turning it into a 3sk8!
My old mtb trucks on a flat chonk of wood from my garage oughta suffice right? No. Turned poorly but was very fun. Addiction created, I found the old esk8 forum, have made memories with so many of you fine folks and those that have come and gone, got to travel and even meet lots of you weirdos.
7/10 would still recommend.
-3 points for lack of @Brenternet
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Got in on the hype when Boosted boards were the stuff in 2016/2017. But I was an engineering student so I ended up building this monstrosity (which did iterate and became a bit nicer, but was still held together by duct tape).
After not using it very much and the LiPo batteries getting old I decided to build a new battery for it, pretty much only for safety reasons. Well… Now I have new motor mounts, new hangers, a new deck, a new enclosure, new BMS, bluetooth modules, new motor, new wheels and of course, the new battery. Build still in progress. Things went out of hand 
On the positive side, I now pretty much have parts to build two boards. Great for me who barely rode the one I had…
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so cool to hear people legit using them for transportation.
It has always been more of a hobby for me, but over the years I found myself using the cars less and less for errands I could do on PEVs.
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Maybe try not to break everything dude…
still super clean. Janux mounts!!! got some of those in the garage.
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Seriously Looks legit.
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no no.
DIY is a disease…
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god fucking damnit Future Man!!!’
why you gotta be so complicated.
I just want to love you.
But you make it so hard sometimes.
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Got my evolve GTR in early October 2019.
Started DIY about 6 months later.
Still hopelessly addicted.
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August of 2017. I got my eldest child the first wowgo,then a month later I got one to ride with them. I had just given up motorcycles after a 4 am crash on an empty freeway when a drunk driver wiped me out.
I’ll never admit to how much I’ve spent and how many stupid stupid purchases I made. Pscyhotiller custom board comes to mind and a drunken m24pro I don’t remember bidding on eBay. So much magic smoke released,so many crashes,so much fun!
When I think how much better I could have spent that money. I first venture on to esk8 social media with the ESB forum,before I found esk8 news. I hated that forum and had sworn off any social aspect of esk8,at first I only sold stuff here.
Then I started posting a bit,had a temper tantrum like a child and took a break for a few months. However I’m like a dog that is so ugly and annoying it’s kinda cute,and a few members here were kind enough that like a stray cat once you fed me a few times,I just kept coming back,ultimately people just decided it was easier to just humor me or ignore me. Thanks for that,I’m almost free of mange now.
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I’ve got into esk8 in 2019. I saw one in high school and I immediately know that I needed one. I bought a Wowgo 2S around may 2019. It arrived in June and I was really satisfied with it for a month or two. Then I started wanting more power, range, and comfort.
I was using that board until about 2020 spring, when I finally decided that I’ll get into DIY and I ordered a landyachtz switchblade 40 to deck swap the wowgo. It turned out horribly, but I still enjoyed riding it for the not very long that it lasted.
Then it was time for a huge upgrade, only keeping the hubs. (2020 autumn) Board broke down within the first km.
Then it was time for another huge upgrade going to belt drive single motor. I really enjoyed that for 2021 summer, then I took it apart in the autumn to upgrade to dual drive, which was finished for 2022 summer.
Then there was a smaller revision that summer, and in september 2022 I ended up burning out one of the motors.
So I built a mountainboard, migrating the first board’s esc. That thing has gotten a new battery since and it’s running rock solid. I loved that board so much! I sold it to friend this march
Then 2023 when good weather came from nostalgia I rebuilt the first board - it lasted through the summer but its in pieces again. Now it’s one of my friend’s who built it out with newbee 3links and pneumatics. In the meantime also got an unlimited x loaded kit, an exway x1 max, a summerboard, finished building my new mountainboard / raceboard hybrid this march, and just recently also got my hands on a hummie. From those 5 boards 3 are in pieces of course… DIY is a disease. So is breaking stuff
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