Published March 7th 2020

A Melbourne skateboard company has popped up and they aim to keep things local whilst drawing on influence from the roots of skateboarding here in Melbourne.Bottle Boards was created as a passion project by a group of young designers in an aim to produce a range of high-quality, sustainable and handcrafted skate decks.With an understandably hard task of manufacturing in Australia, the boys over at Bottle Boards don't believe in mass production. They are using traditional methods of skate manufacturing by cold pressing individual boards for 24 hours, which increases the strength and longevity of the veneer, compared to the currently preferred method of heat pressing which is a quick and cheap solution.There is currently a range of 3 board shapes, aptly named after different Aussie drink standards, The Schooner, Middy and Stubby. Each board is finished with a screen-printed graphic and weatherproof coating. The shapes bring back a sense of nostalgia linking to the style of 80's decks.After testing out the boards, I can say they have found the perfect balance between traditional Vert decks and long boards. Underfoot they provide comfort and familiarity whilst handling easily and having a good amount of comfort through the strength and flex of the material. Each of the boards could be used as anything from a commuter companion to the more hardcore bowl riding (not that I'm at this level).In true shop local style, Bottle Boards are taking initiative to work with local artists to begin to develop the graphics for the underside of the boards.Whilst they continue to use quality products, the team at Bottle Boards have sustainability and environmental impact at the forefront of their minds. For each board that is sold, they have made the commitment to plant one tree in Australia's Tasmanian Midlands through the One Tree Planted initiative.Their range of boards and apparel can be picked up on their online store , as well as a growing range of local skate shops. It's great to see passionate people working on creating more opportunities within our local space.Got any ideas? Get in contact with them, the team are super friendly and love collaborating with people so I'm sure they would love to hear from you!