About

Eastside Longboards from Portland, Oregon.

A local brand that has been making longboard skateboards since 2003.  Owned and operated by Portland native Robin McGuirk.   He is a longboarding resource for the area with a wealth of knowledge about all things downhill skateboarding.   Robin also teaches lessons and classes called Longboarding 101 at Mt.Tabor Park on the Eastside of Portland.  Feel free to give him a call anytime during business hours to ask questions or give advice.  He has a passion for longboard skateboarding and been doing it for over 20 years now!   He will gladly help guide you and always happy to help!   You can also visit our Instagram and Facebook page to reach out.   And check out all our YouTube Videos about learning how to longboard.   Ride safe have fun!

We are a PRODUCTION SHOP (Not a Walk-In Shop) who makes and sells longboard skateboards since 2003. We offer Curbside Service near S.E. 65th and Foster in Portland, OR. Order Local Pickup on our website – Call in to order with custom requests – Make an appointment to see our boards and/or try out demo boards.  We answer calls everyday 8am-8pm.  The owner Robin also teaches Private Lessons and classes for skateboarding and longboarding in the Portland area. He has a superior knowledge of how to ride safely downhill and for transportation.  He can assist in gear and make great recommendations for you or for someone you know.   Robin is always happy to help and will even give free advice and riding tips on the phone and in person.”

History

Eastside was started in 2003 on the Eastside of Portland, Oregon. A group of local skaters in their early 20’s sought a board that could do it all. Skating downhill in a city park called Mt.Tabor we discovered the joys of rolling smooth on soft wheels to gain speed and grip.  As our local hill, this has always been the place for testing out and refining each new model. Back then most boards available on the market were too short to control speeds over 25-30 mph or too long to make sharp inner city turns. Having the feel of a short board combined with the stability of a longboard – the perfect sized board was born with a strong focus on efficient transportation.   As the flagship model that many know us by it was named The Tabor.   And featured Eastside’s signature carry handle that can be seen all around Portland by all kinds of riders getting around town.   This model is still our most popular board great for beginners and small enough for kids learning and big enough for adults too.   It’s still in production and available today from local retailers or direct from our production shop near S.E. 65th and Foster Blvd.   Our other most well known product made for the rainy NW weather are the Eastside H20 Rain Wheels.  They are specially designed to grip better on wet pavement and make riding safer during the fall and winter months.

We are very proud to have partnered with Daddies Board Shop in 2005 as the first retail shop to carry our boards.  Daddies Board Shop started in 1995 and was the first shop in Portland to carry and introduce longboard skateboards to Portland.  Now they are the biggest on-line retail shop for longboards in the world and have been for many years!  In addition Muir Skate has been a fan of small skater owned longboard brands and have been supporting them for many years including Eastside since 2013.  Check them out online or in Seattle, WA at Motion Board Shop.

As a huge supporter of longboarding in the NW, we have sponsored most every event in Oregon and Washington over the years.   We also support many others around the country like the Muir Skate Downhill Disco in San Diego, California and the Ditch Slap event in Albuquerque, New Mexico.   We also show our love to various Eastside Ambassadors around the globe as far as Australia and here in the states on the East Coast as well.   Our Portland riding team has been formed by some of the most talented and dedicated riders from the Northwest.  Some of them have used us as a stepping stone to become pro and move onto bigger companies such as Billy Meiners, Alex Tongue, and Casey Morrow.

Being around for so long now, we really enjoy continuing to progress the sport, coach and support many riders, and see longboarding steadily growing everywhere!   We encourage anyone who lives or visits Portland to take one of our longboarding Lessons or classes.  We are up at Mt.Tabor most every Wednesday afternoon in spring and summer riding with locals and setting up cone courses, special events, and all around good times longboarding!

The Handmade Process

Each board is hand laminated using thin plies of ecologically harvested hard maple.   We only choose the most sustainably sourced wood to help the industry make sure there will always have this unique material to make the best skateboards.  All of our boards are laminated with a specially formulated non-toxic water-proof glue that is water based and more environmentally sound. Original molds are designed, programmed and cut by CNC for each of its our models. The molds are put into hydraulic presses that laminate each board and press the thin plies of wood and adhesive into shape. Once the blanks are heat cured, they are placed onto the CNC machine programmed to cut out the outside shape and drill the truck holes perfectly. Then each cut blank is routed on the edges and sanded down by hand. Three coats of environmentally friendly water based sealant are sprayed on in between cycles of sanding.  And then finished with silk-screened and heat transfer graphics for the various models.

The CNC Machine

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