Olivier's Blog: kayaking, skating, etc...

Mojo Rojo (aka. DaReds) freeboard wheels for 2026

June 14 2026 , Written by Tournolive

I just received my new Mojo Rojo wheels, which are similar in shape to the DaBlues, hence the nickname "DaReds". I bought them not because I was out of wheels and absolutely needed new ones, but to see if they'd work better than DaBlues on my carbon flangers....

Two carbon freeboards ready for the season

May 23 2026 , Written by Tournolive

I continued working on my carbon freeboards over the last few months. I had already introduced them in a previous post and also explained my building techniques. Now, exactly two years after the first prototypes, I have reached a major milestone, with...

Freeboard: To have a rocker or not to have... this is the question

April 23 2026 , Written by Tournolive

Freeboard (or FREEBORD as per the name of the pioneer manufacturer) is a 6-wheel skateboard that reproduces the sensations of a snowboard on the road. Traditionally, the edge wheels are off the ground, creating a "rocker" when transitioning from edge...

Building a carbon freeboard: Details from behind the scene (2024-2026)

February 20 2026 , Written by Tournolive

I already wrote about the current "final" version of my carbon freeboard there. Up to that point (early 2026), the board had already been for almost 2 years in the making. So here, I want to give more info about the building techniques which I have used,...

Skateboard suspension (2021-2022)

February 14 2026 , Written by Tournolive Published on #Skateboard, #composite, #suspension

It all started through a Kickstarter crowdfunding for a skateboard suspension: the cruz control boost plate. When I received it, I was disappointed because these metal pieces were super heavy (500g each if I recall well) and completely stiff, at least...

Light Carbon Freeboard

February 1 2026 , Written by Tournolive

How light can a freeboard get? Freeboards are notably quite heavy, owing to the fact that they have 6 wheels and bindings. The FB 5 and 5x are respectively roughly 5.5 and 6 kg. This is quite a weight to carry around and under your feet, so I set myself...

25 years of custom kayak building

January 9 2026 , Written by Tournolive

I started kayaking in 1995 (I was then 13 yrs old) in Toulouse, southern France. The region was a breeding ground for some famous kayak shapers and manufacturers, in particular ZigZag (competition composite kayaks) and GuiGui Prod (maybe the most successful...

Freeboarding is like finless (kayak) surfing

August 4 2025 , Written by Tournolive

I love freeboarding, but probably not exactly for the same reason as most freeboarders do. The sport was invented in the late 90's, it is a 6-wheel skateboard that reproduces the movement of a snowboard on the road, to "snowboard the streets" during the...

Longboard 2.1: tuning for carve & slide

November 10 2019 , Written by Tournolive

It's time for updates about longboarding (meanwhile rather shortboarding, because of the turn :-)). Nothing revolutionary has happened since the last article which I wrote after discovering the carver surfskates. This year (2019), I've just been doing...

Building a surf & freestyle kayak (2019)

April 20 2019 , Written by Tournolive

My quest for the optimal "surf & freestyle" kayak blend is continuing. This is an evolution from the previous shape from 2016, and from the first one in 2012. The picture below shows the new profile (brown cardboard template) compared to the previous...