The construction of a LongJohns Longboard begins with Baltic Birch plywood. We chose this particular plywood because it is harvested from managed forests, and, unlike other plywoods, Baltic Birch plywood has no voids. It is solid wood through and through. A standard board is 1/2″ for optimum strength and is made up of 12 plys. If you prefer a stiffer board, a 5/8″ deck with 15 plys is also available. The multiple plys, put together with a non-brittle glue, contribute to the flex and rebound of a LongJohns Longboard. For the bottom of our boards we use a variety of exotic wood veneers, anything from Fiddleback Maple to Zebra Wood. The veneers are hand selected for their dramatic coloring and figure. A shellac base coat is used to bring out the figure of the wood. This is followed by a polycarbonite urethane for an extremely durable finish. All of our glues and finishes are water born, making them the most earth friendly finishes available. Every LongsJohns Longboard is molded during construction to be both concave, side to side, and convex (camber), front to back. The concave helps cradle your feet, adds stiffness, and aids in putting weight on the edges for turning. The camber counteracts the sag that happens with the weight of a rider and deep carving and makes the board more resilient (springback). A LongJohns Longboard is designed for a smooth, responsive ride.