The other forums did not have separate categories for these builds, so what differentiates a mountain board vs a carver as I wait for my Haero board from batch three to ship?
Is a carver defined as a mountain board with channel trucks built for streets where ground clearance and treaded tires are not high on the priority list? Torque vs top end is builder preference and usually dictated by how much incline you want the board to handle (street or mountain). Is there actually a difference to how they ride and handle? Is the difference between the two as simple as the terrain the board is used on or just the title the builder assigns?
While I wait for my haero deck, I mounted etoxx adjustable base plates to my longboard to use channel trucks to fix wheel bite with pneumies. So is my ride a frankenboard carver now?
Generally a carver is a board designed for street riding. AT wheels make long distance road riding at traffic speeds safe and comfortable on most road conditions. Carvers are usually designed to be sleek urban assault vehicles. Carvers are usually geared for 30+mph and may be able to ride over grass and light off-road terrain but the primary use is fast smooth road riding. They have under-slung battery and don’t usually have bindings.
An eMTB is designed more for off-road use, allowing the rider a “go anywhere” board that is able to traverse changeling terrain. They are often designed for function over form, moving the battery / electronics to the top improves ground clearance and bindings help keep you planted on rough terrain. eMTB’s also usually have a higher reduction ratio to to get more torque for steep hills and soft terrain.
I have always defined them simply as:
Underslung enclosure = carver (usually)
Top box = eMTB (usually)
No bindings = carver (usually)
Bindings = eMTB (usually)
Questions of torque, gearing, speed, etc are all preference, and always will be. I pretty much assume “enough torque to do a backflip” for both build categories, and so far y’all have not let me down.
This sums up how I would currently seperate the two categories, but I wanted to be able to sound like I know what I’m talking about. Just like how @ducktaperules replied.
To me, I’ve never actually owned a “carver” because I just see “carvers” as mountainboard decks with urethane on them. I think of these with underbelly enclosures as well.
Mountainboard - if you can take it offroad without it obliterating itself. This kind of rules out underside enclosures because ain’t nobody want to pick up broken plastic when you hit the first rock
I will say that no street deck counts as a “carver” in the sense of how I’ve seen them in the past? Maybe if you slapped on some spring trucks with some wacky angles?
To be fair the oldest reference to “carver boards” that i know of was made by Trampa. I think they originally intended to the term to mean boards with MTB components but set up for street riding.
They seem to refer to urethane carvers as “street carve board” and their pneumatic boards as “urban carve board”.
With this urban carve board style being adopted by kaly and gaining popularity in the DIY community i think this is where the carver term originated.
These days it seems more fitting term fitting for pneumatic boards but it would be hard to argue that a nazare on thane is not a carver.
I agree with this. Whether it be skate trucks on mtb decks or mtb trucks on skate decks or any combo with adjustable plates… As long as it falls in this angle range.
How about deck length?
I’d say around 90cm is the minimum for a carver. Anyone want to challenge or just accept my word as law?
This sums up how I would currently seperate the two categories, but I wanted to be able to sound like I know what I’m talking about. Just like how 
