The Landyachtz Dinghy wasn’t my first skateboard, but it was the first skateboard I really loved. Well, review done, pack it in, folks!
Okay, okay.
My first skateboard was a Walmart board when I was 12 or so. It was slow, hard to use, and, frankly, I never even learned to ollie on it. I think my parents sold it at a garage sale.
My second skateboard was a longboard from Sector 9. It was huge. I fell while trying to learn to push it. I never learned how to push right, so not pushing mongo took some time to get used to. I got the huge Sector 9 Meridian because I figured it would be big and make learning easy. I was wrong. Plus, it was too awkward to carry around, so I didn’t feel like skating it.
So, I bought a Landyachtz Dinghy. Small. Nimble. Light. What could go wrong?
It… it did not go well at first.
Table of Contents
I Got Knocked Down
But I got up again. Then I got knocked down again, again, and again. My first time out on my Dinghy, I fell on the sidewalk in front of an old man. He smile at me and said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get it, you’ll get it.” He was right. Of course, I would have scraps, scratches, and scars on my arms, knees, legs, and ankles by the end of that summer, but I got it.
I kept getting back up and on that board for two reasons. First, the financial investment of now two skateboards was just too much for me to give up on. But secondly, and most importantly, was the fact that it was fun. Skating is so much fun. I found it helped me feel better when I was depressed. When I was getting over someone I was dating moving away and our relationship ending. When I was having a frustrating day at work. Or, when I’d just be bored. I’d put wheels to the pavement and feel better. Getting anywhere felt like an accomplishment, and I felt better for having done it. I still feel better on days when I skate.
Beginner Killer
The Dinghy is not really a board for beginners. As a complete from Landyachtz, it has hard quarter inch risers and the bushings are very soft. You’re learning to balance on one foot while and likely shifting your weight between your feet. That’s often how beginners skate, and the distance between the deck and the ground is too much for a stable transition. For the record, new skaters, bend the knee on the board a lot so you can swing your pushing foot and balance on the board better. Still, you’ll have to bend your knee a lot with that riser, which can be a bit uncomfortable uphill or over long distances.
I’ve since replaced the stock riser with a thinner, soft riser, and I added harder bushings (Orangatang Knuckles insert barrels and and Riptide Krank street cones), which made the ride much easier. But by the time I did that, I already was comfortable on the board. It took a month or two to make it to and from the train without falling or stumbling, but I did it.
The stock setup is rigid, the deck is stiff. It’s short, a little more narrow than your average street deck these days. There’s almost no nose, making ollies a little trickier, but it’s not too difficult. This is a deck that seems set up to be more difficult. If it’s your first time on a skateboard, you will fall. A lot. That’s true of any board you get, but it’s especially true of the Dinghy.
Should you get a Landyachtz Dinghy if you’ve never skated before? Sure, if you’re prepared to get knocked down a lot. The risers and soft bushings make for a delicate balancing act, but you’ll get it. Once you do, you’ll realize why the Dinghy is worth the steeper learning curve.
The Sum of its Parts
Let’s break down the parts that come with a Dinghy complete, and, from there, we can talk about the complete package.
Deck
The Dinghy deck is lightweight. It’s about 28″ long, if you got this particular model. There are other models in other sizes, but this is the one commonly discussed when referring to the Dinghy. At its thickest point, it’s 8″ thick. It tapers slightly to the rear, and comes to a pointed nose in the front. The nose is upturned ever so slightly, and there’s a big kicktail in the back. There are carved wheel arches. You can use the nose and tail to find your place on the board, right above the trucks. This is handy in skating, as well as landing off of curbs or ollies.
Thanks to that kicktail, you can ollie. Sure, the weight of the wheels and that small nose make it more difficult, but it can be done. One of my proudest moments was tackling a surprisingly large, about 6″ drop during a commute at the beginning of the summer. I was going quite fast, and didn’t know if I could stick it. But I did. What a great start to the day that was.
While the deck is shorter than a street deck, it won’t feel like it, thanks to the wheelbase being slightly larger. There’s enough space to comfortably maneuver on this. In fact, after spending a month on a 22″ Penny board, for travel and practice, it felt like an actual yacht.
The deck has a nice, subtle concave. Not too deep that you feel like your feet can’t move around a little, but enough to find a reliable spot for your feet. The concave flattens out by the tail and nose, which is one of my favorite parts of the deck. It gives your feet a small pocket that you can use while riding to make the deck feel like an extension of your feet. Slide your front foot forward into the lip of the concave, at about a 45º angle, and your rear foot right up against the tail, and you’ll find pockets where you can comfortably put your feet. I’ve even rode the Dinghy at surprising speeds (over 20 MPH) for a mini cruiser with narrow trucks. Once you’re locked in and you’ve got your weight up front, you can turn it into a more stable platform than you’d expect. You can even slide your rear foot up on that tail and keep only the balls of your feet or the side of your foot on the flatter parts of the deck at speed. Still, it’s a short, narrow deck, and it uses traditional kingpin trucks. I don’t recommend downhilling with it.
Trucks
The Bear trucks are sturdy. I’ve gone downhilling on this board thanks to these sturdy traditional kingpin trucks. I’ve hit speeds over 25 MPH going down a hill. Sure, it felt like I was trying to kill myself, but I didn’t. In fact, I didn’t even stumble or wobble. My Dinghy was held in place. For a bit, I forgot I was riding a cruiser, not a downhill board. I actually tucked to drop wind resistance and speed up.
Do I recommend it? No, I’m an adrenaline junky with a death wish. But, I’m surprised to say these trucks are surprisingly reliable with the right bushings. Put your weight forward and low and you’ll greatly reduce speed wobbles.
Ugh… the Bushings…
But good luck getting the right bushings. The stock bushings are a bit soft if you’re going to be doing anything faster than a nice cruise. I replaced the ones that came with it with some firmer bushings that have a bit more rebound. That’ll be personal preference. Now I have to commit to turns a bit more while I’m commuting, but I appreciate the bounciness.
The bushing setup for these trucks won’t match what you’ll find in traditional Paris Street or Independent trucks. In fact, it’s incredibly hard to find a replacement. The bottom is just under 0.6″, and the top is 0.15″. This is a less traditional barrel/cone setup, but you can find bushings that will fit.
The boardside bushing is the height of a standard barrel bushing if you forego a washer. If you do want to use a washer, you’re going to have to shave the bushing down. The closest size are Venom street bushings or Thunder Trucks bushings. Riptides are a bit wider, and the bushing seat on the Polar Bear trucks is incredible restrictive, but it can work. Streetside is easy, it’s a short street cone from Riptide, or other such short cone. I like to use Riptide’s Krank formula there, since the strange size of the boardside bushing means there’s less customization, while Krank bushings become far more stiff with a few turns of your kingpin nut.
You can use Venom’s double cone street bushings, but I don’t like the feel as much with them. It’s just a little too easy to turn and hit the edge of your turning capabilities abruptly, sometimes with wheel bite. I really prefer this with a barrel/cone setup.
I found that you can use a short street cone (I love Riptide’s), along with an Orangatang Knuckle barrel bushing. However, it’ll still be a fraction of a millimeter to tall. You can use sandpaper to shave it down, but you risk messing up the geometry and having a less stable ride. You could alternatively just keep the stock bushing in place, and go with a far stiffer bushing on the roadside.
I also recommend swapping out the pivot cups. In every Polar Bear truck I’ve used, the pivot cup becomes a squeaky mess after just a few days, especially if you’re trying third party bushings that aren’t quite the right size. Use Riptide’s WFB pivot cups and you’ll have the quietest trucks in town. Or keep them in, and put either a drop of bearing lube or some soap shavings in there every week.
Honestly? This is a frustrating mess. Grab some Indy 109’s instead, and throw in Riptide’s Street Barrel and Short Street Cone bushings. Your Hawgs will stick out about 2mm more on each side, but at least your bushings will be dialed in properly.
Wheels
I actually bought a second pair of the Fatty Hawgs that come with this board. Hawgs are the wheel brand from Landyachtz, and they’re quite unique. The Fatty Hawgs, as well as many other Hawgs, are w i d e. These are stone ground with a rounded lip, which normally would mean a lot of sliding. But they’re also a whopping 53mm wide. They’re 63mm tall! That gives you a contact patch of 43mm. They grip, and, as a beginner, they can be a little hard to let loose. Not that you’re going to want to slide with the Dinghy much, as the short and narrow platform with a subtle rocker does not bode well for beginner longboarders. But, to cut speed, you may want to. It’s going to take quite a bit of speed and a commitment to slide these, but you can do it. As with everything, once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how it was ever difficult. Keeping your weight forward and your back foot against the tail really helps with this.
They’re offered in a 78A durometer. It’s comfortable. However, we can’t forget that this is a 63mm wheel. It’s still going to be a little rough, and you’re going to have to learn to tackle cracks and bumps with speed or a little hop. These aren’t beginner tactics, but you’ve got to learn them eventually, so why not right away?
I like Hawgs wheels, especially in this durometer. They slide smoothly, and that wider shape makes them just a bit better at tackling cracks and rocks.
Setting Sail
If you’re comfortable on a skateboard already, the Landyachtz Dinghy is a delightful little thing. It’s certainly more than the sum of its parts. The wheels might be a little rough and make sliding to cut speed a little tricky for beginners but more experienced riders will note that they have a smooth and predictable slide. The trucks can feel a little mushy with the stock bushings. The deck is short and narrow.
But my god it’s a blast. It’s lightweight, nimble, and agile. I hop up and down curbs, fly down roads, dodge traffic and phone-distracted pedestrians, and can commute faster than a car, bus, or even train! It, to me, feels like freedom. On a day when I can take up the whole road, I can fly. On a day when it’s packed and busy, I’m as nimble and delicate as I am on my feet. Dodge a car by hopping up on a curb, dodge a pedestrian by hopping back down. It’s fast, convenient, and I rarely feel out of control.
To me, the perfect cruiser board is one that feels sturdy, you can go fast on it, it’s agile (TKP trucks), it has a kick tail, and it can comfortably fit under a desk, table, or bar. It’s something you can take just about anywhere with ease. That’s the Landyachtz Dinghy in a nutshell. It’s not the only board in my quiver, but if I ever had to save just one, it might be the one I save (but you’re going to have to fight me pretty hard to get me to leave my other boards behind).
Other Setups
I have more than one Dinghy. I also have one with Orangatang’s fantastic Fat Free wheels and Bennett Vector trucks. It’s a funny story. I saw Landyachtz had begun selling the “Birds” Dinghy again. I love this graphic. I love birds and it’s delicate and pretty. I wanted it for my wall, and, one day when I retire my current Dinghy, it would go under my feet and my retired deck, likely broken to shreds, would become my wall art. But then I got two shipment notifications from Landyachtz. They had accidentally shipped me two decks. What’s a girl to do? Well, naturally, build an alternate Dingy, obviously, a FrankenDinghy.
I loaded it up with some old school Bennett Vector trucks (4″), and Orangatang’s Fat Free wheels, great for freeriding and cruisers. Some small soft risers and hardware I had laying around, and I was off. The board has a super carvy feel. It’s not fast, and going fast on it would be dangerous, but it’s fun and chill. Go out on a hot day, pump a little, take up the whole road, and just enjoy swaying in the breeze. It’s a chill yet slightly unstable setup, and I absolutely love it. Those Fat Free wheels (65mm, 80A durometer) are playful, sliding a little when I want them to and gripping when I need to push off. They’ve got a fun bounce to them.
You could also go for Paris’ wonderful 149mm trucks, which are taller and don’t need a riser. I have them on two of my other boards, and I’m happy with them. The Frankendinghy actually started out with them. Their height and responsiveness give it a snappy, surfy feeling.
The Dinghy is versatile, and it’s a fun deck platform to go off of. Can you use it as a beginner board? Yes, but only if you’re willing to dedicate yourself to skating. If you’re not willing to get a lot of bumps, scrapes, and bruises, you might be better off with another board. In fact, I might recommend the Pantheon Pranayama, Trip, or Ember for beginners who don’t want to fall much. But, if you’re willing to grow, the Dinghy is a board you’re only going to grow more fond of as you improve. The better you skate, the more you’re going to love this setup. There’s a reason skaters rave about the Dinghy, almost to an obnoxious level. It’s a ton of fun in a small package.
Thanks for swinging through! Get skating!
