Landyachtz Dugout Review: A Nimble Sidewalk Surfer

This board came to me in a dream. No, really. I frequently have these complex dreams with their own dream geography. I was exploring a part of my dream city I normally don’t hang out in (it’s a bit too crowded for my tastes) and I happened to win a Landyachtz Dugout just by going to this event. Good things happen when you explore your fictional dream city, right? I had recently written about it, so I suppose it sat in my subconscious, waiting for one of my dreams to involve travel and therefore require a skateboard. Now, a whole bunch of things kept me from getting back to the hills on the east side of the city to try it out—because my dreams never let me do what I want to do—but I did get to skate it a bit through some crowds and liked what I saw. I won’t bore you with dreams, they always are far more interesting to the dreamer than than the reader, so I’ll skip to the part when I woke up absolutely befuddled. Did my subconscious just decide I was going to buy specifically this skateboard?

Well yes and no. I actually got it as a Christmas gift.

I like to spend enough time on a board to really get a feel for it. Because it’s winter, that’s been a bit more difficult. It has limited the days I can skate, and the cold really changes the dynamics of the urethane. Wheels grip more, slide less, and roll more slowly. Plus I can only stay out so long before my eyes water, nose runs, and face freezes solid. Still, since I don’t count dream experience, I spent as much time as I could with just this board. I did a lot of cruising and even bombed a few hills. Really. In doing so, this Dugout, oddly enough, may have toppled the Landyachtz Dinghy as my favorite little cruiser.

Could the Dugout overthrow the champion of the Landyachtz cruisers, the Dinghy?

Since this was a complete, I’ll review it as such. However, I tested out a few other setups on this deck, and you might like something different. A micro-review of each of those setups will be coming soon. It’s tougher to do a review of multiple setups on the same deck when I can’t spend hours in the sun. I’ve really got the winter blues.

Deck

The Dugout deck is based on an older Landyachtz favorite, the Loco. The Loco was Landyachtz’ park cruiser, made for skate parks, ramps, and pools. A similar modern day version would be the ATV series or Sidewalker. However, the Dugout doesn’t look like a traditional popsicle deck. Lazndyachtz chopped off the front and shaved down the sides. The end result is a tapered, almost teardrop-like deck with radial, street deck-like concave and foot pockets, a slightly curved kicktail, and a tiny turned up nose. Under the feet, it feels like the lovechild of a street deck and a pintail. Not as long as a pintail, nor as flat, but it with enough shape to give you the best of both deck styles.

You’ll find a longer wheelbase than most street decks, 17.25″. That’s roughly 2.5″ longer than many street decks. That could make a setup less nimble, but Landyachtz puts a 5º wedged riser up front, to give it a divey, surfy feel.

Before the nose and tail, unlike the Dinghy, the deck curves down towards the ground before coming back up into the tail. The tail has a progressive angle to it, instead of being a flat wedge. The end result is something that feels balanced in a manual, providing a bit more pop for ollies as well.

Rail to Rail

This is a feeling I’ve come to really like. I described it in my review of the Landyachtz Pinner as well. It’s the overhang you get with the narrow portions of a deck on your back foot. It allows you to get a lot of leverage over the rail, pushing out the board with your heel or toes. It’s a board that allows you to feel locked in and really controlled. I wouldn’t compare it to something like the Drop Cat or Pantheon Gaia, which foster a locked-in feeling, but it’s close. It’s also about as close as you’ll get in a cruiser deck.

Not everyone likes the overhang feeling in the back. In fact, many prefer to get this kind of control with a ‘W’ concave or decently sized drops (or both). Overhang can be a bit uncomfortable, and can also be a little unnerving if you’re not keeping your weight on the board. Still, it allows for some excellent control of the rear of the deck, and I really like that.

“Foot Pockets”

There’s a spot on the Landyachtz Dinghy I really like. It’s where the tail meets up with the rails, creating a flat space to sort of lock your foot in. There’s one up by the nose as well. This is more pronounced on the Dugout, with a slight arch downward before turning upwards. This gives you nice pockets to securely put your feet while you slide. It leads into a more curved tail, to rest your foot on, give you more space for manuals, or more room to pop up high ollies. That tail area is a lot of fun. It’s uncommon to get this kind of locked-in feeling from a cruiser.

Wedged Riser

The riser obviously isn’t part of the deck, but it’s not part of the trucks or anything else either. I also thought it was more fitting here, because I believe the deck was designed with a wedged front riser in mind. That longer wheelbase and wider trucks (than the Dinghy, anyway) could make the deck feel unresponsive. It’s not. Instead, you can dive that nose into turns, whip the back end out, and pull it back in easily. That’s thanks to the 5º wedged riser up front. It contributes a lot to the feel of this board, and I don’t think it would be as good as it is without it.

One thing to note is that, because of this wedged riser, your deck is far more directional. Of course, it already is just a single kick cruiser, but that wedged riser makes it tricky to ride backwards. If you find yourself doing so, you’ll want to spin it around as soon as you can. The nose is enough for a quick shuvit, but you might find the larger tail makes a fakie shuvit easier. You’ll definitely find it’s less stable in reverse, especially if you’re riding switch and not very used to it.

Size, Weight, and Flexibility

Finally, there’s the size of this. It’s longer, wider, and has a longer wheelbase than the Dinghy, and even a longer wheelbase than Landyachtz’ other cruisers. However, it’s still a light deck. It’s got 7 plies of Canadian Maple, but they feel slightly thinner than the plies on the Dinghy. It actually weighs about the same as the Dinghy, and the deck itself, while still quite stiff, has just a little bit more flex than other small cruisers. This lends it self to a comfortable and almost overly confident ride.

The deck never feels too large to bring anywhere, from bars and restaurants to movie theaters and the office. It tucks under a desk, chair, or table, and isn’t hard to carry around. It might be larger than Landyachtz’ typical cruisers, but it won’t feel like it.

As for standing on it, it’s a very comfortable wheelbase and length. I’m quite tall, 5’10”. However, thanks to getting started on a small deck, I’m not overly uncomfortable on smaller platforms. But this is a very comfortable size for my height. I knew I’d have to ride my Dinghy back to back with this deck to really compare the two, but I struggled to put the Dugout down and pick up the smaller deck. It’s just a really nice length.

Designs

There are only two designs for the Dugout right now. Not like the plethora of Dinghy designs to choose from. There’s the Shadow Puppet, designed by Brazilian artist Muretz, and the Grey Skull, designed by Georgia-based American artist David Hale. As you can see from the photos, I went with the Grey Skull. This is a design with a skull, snake, and glittery paint job, that somehow looks both brutalist and pretty. The Shadow Puppet design makes a little bunny shadow out of an obscene gesture. As I skate this to work so I didn’t go with that one, but I do love the design. The options might be limited, but they’re still pretty cool. Both artists have worked with Landyachtz before. The Shadow Puppet below, in fact, came from the same person who made the popular Drunk Skeleton graphic.

I also liked the Grey Skull’s use of color. There are two layers of green wood on this deck. One’s on the top of the deck, under the grip tape, and the other is a few layers down. The sanded wheel cutouts show this green layer on the bottom, while the grip tape cutouts show it on the top. I think it’s a subtle but nice splash of color.

Finally there’s the fact that this isn’t a flat paint job. Oh, the graphic is, no doubt about that, but the wood grain itself is visible under the darker stain. I love a more natural look, a reminder that this is a good ol’ wooden board. It’s more earthy and natural, and I really like that.

Wheels

I like Hawgs wheels. It’s Landyachtz’ wheel brand, but they hold a life of their own. I haven’t been disappointed with a set yet. That could just mean I should take a chance on some of their less known or less popular wheels, but what I’ve tried so far has been pretty decent.

Often, when someone complains that the Dinghy is too popular, too small, or tries to exert their knowledge of Landyachtz’ lineup, they’ll gesture towards the Tugboat, saying, “Now that’s the cruiser you want.” Well, that cruiser, the Tugboat, and the Dugout both come with Chubby Hawgs.

The Chubby Hawg wheel is a lot like its larger sibling, the Fatty Hawg, which comes on Landyachtz’ ever-popular Dinghy. It’s often used on cruisers like the Tugboat and Dugout, which are larger than a Dinghy. These wider decks would leave a bit of a gap between the rail and the edge of a Fatty Hawg wheel, but that’s not the only reason. The decks are longer, and a narrow truck like that of the Dinghy could make them feel twitchy and unstable. Therefore, Landyachtz uses their 130mm Bear trucks, which I’ll discuss more below. These wider trucks turn more, and therefore need smaller wheels, to ensure you don’t get wheel bite. That’s where the Chubby Hawg comes in. 63mm wheels are far more likely to bite on the Dugout than the Dinghy.

The Chubby Hawg wheel is 60mm in diameter, with a 40mm contact patch. Like the Fatty Hawg, it’s an offset wheel. This means that, despite its large contact patch for its diameter, like the Fatty Hawg, slide initiation still feels smooth. It also means there’s tons of grip available, if you choose to use it. For the Dugout, it could use perhaps another millimeter of height, but no more. As it is, with some taller bushings that allow you to forgo the bushing washer, you can get some wheel bite.

It’s a surprisingly comfortable cruising wheel, given its size. It makes more noise going down the street, but has an okay rolling speed. It’s passable for a cruiser. Fast to get up to speed, resists some small cracks and bumps, and easy enough to kick out when I need to. I know the cold weather isn’t doing the top speed of the wheel any favors, but you can feel when it starts to resist increases in speed. Still, it’s a competent, fun little wheel. However, for skating in traffic or on the road with cars, or even over NYC’s ridiculously rough painted bike lanes, I’d prefer a slightly larger wheel. In fact, I prefer the Fatty Hawg in just about every situation except fitting under this deck. However, it does add 1.5mm to the ride height, and that’s not much, but if you need to also add about 3mm for the risers, you’ll notice that half of a centimeter. I’m not sure I prefer the larger wheel enough to sacrifice the Dugout’s low ride height.

Trucks

Landyachtz’ truck brand is Bear. Bear trucks come in reverse and tradition kingpins, in a variety of sizes, especially for the traditional kingpin trucks. Here, Bear has trucks ranging from 85mm up to 180mm. It’s the widest range of truck sizes they offer. They only very recently began offering Bear RKP trucks under 165mm (their latest Kodiaks come in 140mm!).

The TKP Bear trucks are known for their low profile, with the center of the axle coming in just under 2″ from the base. There are lower profile trucks, but few—if any—with this many size options. It’s a solid and consistent feeling truck. I wouldn’t typically describe it as surfy, but instead as lean-based and balanced. It’s hard to describe it as anything but a “solid” feel. Usually that means a little dead or boring feeling, but the Dugout’s wedged riser helps that front end feel lively. It’s a decent feeling, reliable truck, to be sure. Once it’s under your board, you stop thinking about their problems, especially once you dial in your bushings.

Part of that feel is thanks to the large bushing Landyachtz uses board side. It’s also part of the reason I don’t like to buy Bear trucks.

Bushing Woes

The board side bushings that come with the Bear trucks are just under 0.6″ tall, coming in at 15mm. They’re also about 0.95″ in diameter. This means they’re just slightly shorter and just slightly more narrow than your average longboard barrel bushing. In fact, the height of the bushing with the included cupped washer matches the height of a longboard bushing. So, you could use any longboard bushing from Riptide without the cupped washer, or you could get creative.

Venom’s street bushings will fit in here, as will Thunder Truck’s bushings, but they’re both double cone setups, which you may find leans too easily. I’ve found the closest barrel match that can still used the cupped washer is the Orangatang Knuckle barrel bushing. The cone portion of the setup Orangatang sells won’t fit unless you cut it down, but the barrel will fit in place of the standard bushing, sitting only a small amount taller. It also has a bit of an insert portion. You’re likely not thinking of reducing slop much on your TKP trucks and cruisers, but it will help reduce side to side motion.

You could keep the stock bushings as long as they’ll last you. They’re a bit on the softer side for most riders, coming in either 87A or 89A, but they’re not terrible feeling. If you want a bit more snappiness though, or if you’re a heavier rider, you’re going to want to swap them out for something a bit harder, or simply a different formula (like Riptide’s highly responsive Krank formula).

The road side bushing is a “short street cone” from Riptide and many other bushing manufacturers. It’s just what it sounds like, a short cone. This one’s easy to replace and find different versions for. You may want to replace just the short street cone, if you find your setup only slightly too soft. It’s a lot easier to find the right bushing option there.

The only last thing I’ll point out is that the bushing seat on Bear trucks is incredibly restrictive. You’ll struggle to push 1.0″ (standard) bushings into the seats. It’s possible, just a little frustrating.

Pivot Cups

I’m at the point where I frequently swap out the included pivot cups in my trucks for WFB pivot cups from Riptide. These are smooth, self lubricating, and long lasting. Unlike the pivot cups that come in Bears, which often squeak by the end of a week. Even using lube or soap leads them to squeaking a short time later. It’s not a necessary upgrade, but it’s one you’ll feel instantly. Your trucks will feel smoother and they’ll be far quieter as well. Once you try it, other pivot cups just won’t feel as nice.

Too Loose?

I found that when I first got this setup, it felt a little too “loose.” I’ve since added harder bushings, and that fixed the problem for me. I think it was the fact that the bushings are on the softer side. Combine that with the wedged riser and the leverage you can get over the trucks, and the front end can feel a bit too loose at speed. Almost squirrely. Getting a stiffer set of bushings on the deck greatly helped.

Axle  S p a c e

One of the things you’ll notice with the Dinghy, Dugout, Tugboat, and many of Landyachtz’ cruisers is that the wheels line up with the rails on a complete. This is a problem because the wheels are quite wide and offset. Fortunately, the axles on the Polar Bear trucks, at least the 130mm size, are a bit longer. You can use speed rings to give yourself a few extra millimeters. Set up two or three towards the hanger and you can get somewhat narrow centerset cruiser wheels to just about line up with the rails of your deck. This can help you dial in the leverage you have over the rotational axis, as well as remove some shakiness that a narrower platform can introduce.

Bearings

Landyachtz decks come with Spaceball bearings. I’ve spoken about them before in a previous review. They’re not the worst bearings, but I’ve found they lose speed faster than Bones Reds, and can’t get up to the same speeds as Zealous. For a push cruiser, you want quick acceleration more than a high top speed. For that, I recommend Bones Reds over the Spaceball bearings that come with the trucks.

Dinghy vs. Dugout?

That’s a tough thing. But I guess I promised such a comparison in my opening. These are two different skateboards. The Dinghy maximizes control on a short wheelbase and small platform. It’s all about compact fun that never feels too out of control, given its size. The Dugout maximizes fun on a longer cruiser platform. It purposely gives you a lot of control, letting you do dangerous and fun things with it. Which is better? That’s for you to decide.

The Dugout is more narrow in the back, by the tail, but, like the Dinghy, the concave still flattens out to give you a pocket for your foot. This is slightly less comfortable for cruising, but gives you a lot of foot control over the rails. The Dinghy has a wider, flatter tail, and puts more of your weight right above the rear wheels. This makes up for its smaller size by giving you a place to rest your back foot at an angle when bombing a hill. The Dugout’s tail is more progressive and a little shorter. It’s still great for controlling the deck and popping it up, in fact, perhaps better than the Dinghy for that purpose. The nose is also smaller on the Dugout, likely to keep the length of the deck down. The Dugout design feels more technical, the Dinghy more simplistic.

The longer wheelbase on the Dugout makes bombing a hill feel a little less insane (bombing a hill on a Dinghy is, after all, how I broke my wrist this summer). Also, the mold is slightly different. On the Dugout, after the bolts for the trucks, there’s a slight dip down, towards the road, before going back into the tail. This really does create a pocket for your foot, though it’s a smaller one than you’d find on the Dinghy. It’s also further back, putting more of your weight behind the rear axle. I find this makes doing small manuals a matter of shifting your weight just a little.

For me, I think I like the Dugout more. It’s more rewarding for experienced riders. Still, the Dinghy has better clearances for larger wheels for cracked sidewalks and roads, a flatter, wider platform across the entirety of the board, and it can fit in an overhead bin. It’s better for distances, even incredibly long ones. It is smaller as well, easier to tuck under a table or under a movie theater chair. But the Dugout’s liveliness and longer stance really make it a more exciting ride, and I tend to lean towards that. I’m glad I have both, but if you could only buy one, I’d likely recommend the Dugout.

vs. Tugboat?

What about the Tugboat? Many people critical of the Dinghy due to its small size and wheelbase will recommend the Tugboat instead. The Tugboat, Dinghy, and Dugout are actually very different cruisers. The Tugboat isn’t a larger version of the Dinghy, though it shares a lot of its DNA. The Dugout, while also a cruiser, is perhaps even more different than the Tugboat and Dinghy. If you really want a larger Dinghy you’d go for the coffin-shaped Dinghy Relay, which is slightly larger, or the Schooner, which is essentially the classic Dinghy in every way except a few inches bigger in every direction.

The Dugout is slightly longer than the Tugboat, by an inch and a half. However, the wheelbase is over two inches longer, 2.25″. That’s a difference you’ll notice. The Tugboat is also half an inch wider, so if you have longer feet, you might want the extra space along the length of your back foot. That width also comes with wider 155mm trucks, 15mm wider than the Dinghy’s. That’ll give you a more stable ride, but it’ll also increase the turning radius. It won’t feel as divey or surfy as the Dugout, having a more “solid” feel. A number of people have pointed out that the Tugboat feels easier to balance on, but less nimble than the Dinghy. That’s especially true of the Dugout. The Tugboat also has a flat, more Dinghy-like nose and tail, so you’re not going to get the same kind of rail pushing action during slides, but will have more of a comfortable spot for your back foot.

I don’t personally own a Tugboat (yet!). I can’t make a direct comparison. But I think you’d choose the Tugboat over the Dugout if you want a more stable, less lively cruiser. Maybe you just prefer having more wood under your feet and don’t mind the shorter wheelbase. For me, the narrow shape and narrower trucks is a feature, not a bug, so I went with the Dugout.

But I do love the neon glow of the “Midnight Snek” graphic and the cute little snake in a jar. But while a cute design can break a tie, I’m a functionality-first kind of gal.

Summing it Up

All the little pieces of this design compliment each other. The deck is longer and a bit wider than a Dinghy, so Landyachtz gave it larger trucks. Those larger trucks move more, so it got smaller wheels. But those larger trucks and longer wheelbase could also make turning feel a little less lively, so Landyachtz added 5º risers to the front trucks only. That liveliness would be fun to play with a lot of rail control. This gives the Dugout its signature feel. It’s a narrow, long, nimble cruiser, that feels like riding a shortboard on the oceans, or perhaps a tiny snowboard on land. It’s fast to turn in, quick to recover, and dives into carves, eager to swoop through and back out. You can really snap it in and out of a slide with ease. Though I was a little reckless in testing it, it’s some of the most fun I’ve had on a cruiser in some time.

If a Dinghy is a tried and true, stable but small platform, and the Tugboat is a larger version of that, then the Dugout is not just something in the middle, it’s something a bit more adventurous.

I’ve got a number of cruisers in my quiver now. I’ve even turned my street deck into a sort of cruiser. My close to stock Dinghy is a reliable and small cruiser. My other Dingy is a taller, carvier thing. My Bustin Boards Bonsai conquers cracks like they’re nonexistant, and does so on tall trucks with a lot of lean. My Nickel splashes through rain, turning skating into watersport. But my Dugout? That cuts a sharp line down the hill like a certain Mexican hero carving his initial into the side of a building with a rapier. It’s fast, snappy, and an exciting bit of fun. Swish-swish-swish!

After trying a variety of setups, which I’ll describe in another post, I’ve come to the conclusion that the well-known skateboard company with a team of skaters helping to design setups knows what they’re doing. I’m as surprised as you are. The Dugout, as it comes as a complete, feels excellent. Each part works so well together, it’s as though they were designed together, though it’s more like the deck was designed around the trucks and wheels. I do still wish Landyachtz didn’t use such strange bushings on their trucks. They’re large street truck sized, somewhere between standard Indy-like street bushings and longboard bushings, and no third party bushing feels quite right in those trucks.

Who’s the Dugout For?

This is a carvy, fun, surfy cruiser that feels longer than it is. It’s snappy and fun. I recommend it for skaters looking for a small, nimble, and fun cruiser with a longer wheelbase, usable kick tail, and lively design that gives the rider a lot of control. Pick it if you want a longer and more stable platform for sliding, but still want a compact single kick cruiser.

Like the Dinghy, it might not be perfect for beginners. That dipping and diving might not appeal to someone learning to balance. However, most of that comes from angling the front trucks. That means a beginner could swap out the angled front riser for some 1/4″ soft risers for a more stable, slower turning ride. It would be taking a lot of the fun out of the Dugout, but it would make it a much easier ride. They could then swap that wedged riser back in when they’re ready.

Beginners can learn on the Dugout more easily than a smaller cruiser like the Dinghy. Many more experienced skaters will like the narrow rear for a lively rail and lots of foot control in slides. They’ll also love that divey nose. The Dugout, just by swapping out the front wedged riser for a flat one (you can buy it separately or just go without risers, beginners), turns from a beginner-friendly deck into something more skilled skaters will really appreciate. In short, it’s for everyone. This is an exciting cruiser deck that I think many people are going to truly enjoy. It’s a staple in my quiver now, and I really hope Landyachtz keeps making decks with this shape.

Check it out on Landyachtz.com! It’s $140, which, really, isn’t too expensive for a cruiser of this quality. The deck alone is $55 if you want to build your own setup off of this platform.

Dugout Bonus Review: Other Setups!

This review was getting a bit long, and this section in particular began to take up half of the review! So, I’ll be moving it to its own post. Be sure to check back at QuickQuiver.com, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook, to get updates on when that additional review is posted. Thanks!

To give you a quick preview though, the Dugout is a good platform for playing with. Its longer wheelbase and width mean you can put a variety of parts under this deck. I tested it with a variety of TKP trucks, different wheels, and even one test with RKP trucks. Not just any RKP trucks either, but the Paris Savants. Really a fun little test. My recommended setup would be similar to Landyachtz’. Go for low profile trucks with around a 130mm hanger, offset cruiser wheels around 60mm in diameter, and a wedged riser up front, around 5º. However, you could also throw on 140-150mm trucks with narrow centerset wheels like the Orangatang Skiffs or street wheels. You could also set it up with something like the 150mm Paris V3 trucks and Skiffs or other such narrow wheel for sliding. This is a fun little platform and you can do a whole lot with it, as I’ll discuss more in the bonus setups article.