Jonny Manak Skateboards
I've been skating for 40 years. Less frequently as I've gotten older, but it never fully leaves you.
When my 15-year-old son started skating, I went to help him find a great board. That's when I started reflecting on my teenage years - the shapes, the feel, how boards used to ride. Modern popsicle shapes just aren't as functional for the way I learned to skate. Old school shapes had purpose: wider noses for grab tricks, deep concave that connects you to the board, proper shapes.
The Search
You can find expensive reproductions of old pool boards or street decks from the '80s and '90s, but I wanted something different - modern, thoughtful construction with classic geometry. That's when I found Jonny Manak.
Jonny Manak
Jonny fronts Jonny Manak and The Depressives - a garage punk n' roll outfit out of San Jose that came to life in 2006. The band rips through full speed ahead, non-stop sets of 2-minute bangers and power surf ditties, blending influences from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Jonny handles guitar and lead vocals, with Neil "Endy" Young on bass and Chris Estep on drums.
Jonny's been deep in the punk scene - he's played guitar, bass, or drums in The Cliftons, Clay Wheels, Fang, Texas Thieves, The Forgotten, The Odd Numbers, and The Resistoleros. The Depressives have released 6 full length albums since 2007 and toured throughout the Western US and Europe, sharing stages with The Adicts, Giuda, DOA, Agent Orange, Dick Dale, and The BellRays.
Their music has been everywhere - skateboard, snowboard, and surfing videos, TV ads for Pepsi, Wahoo's Fish Tacos, Vans Shoes, and Spitfire Wheels, plus MTV shows like Jackass, Ridiculousness, and Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory. Dickhouse Productions (the makers of Jackass) commissions Jonny to write music for their TV shows and films. You can hear them on Spotify or Bandcamp.
The Boards
Jonny, his father, and his children make skateboards using cold press technology in old school shapes - Manak Skateboards. A family operation doing it right. The skateboarding and punk ethos are intertwined here.
The boards are amazing. The deep concave and proper shape of his Double Shovel just connects you to the board in a way that modern decks don't. You can carve deep with a Manak skateboard. It's made to flow, not just get you from place to place or kick-flip all over the place.
The Range
They offer more than just Double Shovel - popsicles from 7.75" to 10.5", pool and cruiser shapes like the Dump Truck and Jughead, Street Shovels, and Stingers. They understand different skating styles.
Graphics have a retro-psychedelic vibe: Electro Cat, VooDude with Hawaiian shirt energy, Iggy Stardust, Excel Skull, Creep. Art that doesn't take itself too seriously.
They've got an "Old Bones Therapy" collaboration series - clearly connected to the older skater community who never stopped rolling.
The Price
Decks run $84.99–$94.99. Reasonable for handmade cold-pressed boards, especially compared to the expensive "nostalgia" reproductions from bigger brands. You're supporting a family, not a corporation.
The Build
I got one for my son for Christmas. We built it up with as many old school parts as we could find:
- Trucks: Independent
- Wheels: OJ Plain Jane
He's been having a ball with it.
So I got one for myself too - a 9" purple Excel Skull Double Shovel. My current quiver includes a 20-year-old Santa Cruz Which is boring as hell and boring to ride, and a Dogtown Red Dog throwback which has sub prime compnents and is nearly dead flat (it's more of an art piece). There's something about supporting a small family operation that gets it right. Jonny corresponded with me when I bought my Son's board and we vibed on our similar past skating - while we've never met I consider him a friend. Jonny made this board for me when I told him what I was looking for - we're cut from the same cloth and come from the same vintage of skate culture. This or some iteration of it may be my last ride...
