CCS x Stuart Jones

CCS talks to shop employee Stuart Jones, the man behind Rat Skates and two new CCS decks, along with the best chalkboards in Oregon!

Where are you from?

Milton-Freewater, Oregon

How long have you skated? How'd you get into skateboarding?

I went to my friends birthday in kindergarten. Everyone knew he liked skateboards I guess. So he got like 5 and gave me his old one.

What was your first set-up? 

That one. I think it was a Nash Ninja Turtles board or something that he spray painted into a No Fear board. I was just making stuff up and kneeboarding in the driveway. That was in 1992. But I didn’t know about pros or tricks or anything till later. I got a 70’s Logan Earth-Ski from a yard sale and eventually got a Muska Kamikaze Sun. When I found out it was a tribute to Hosoi I became obsessed with 80’s skating and never looked …forward.

When you were a kid, did you see a CCS catalog? If so, what do you recall about it (covers, gear, etc...)?

They just started manifesting at some point. Ed Templeton’s 180 nosegrind cover is burned into my brain. He might be the reason I’ve worn tall thriftstore trucker hats for the last 20  or so years. Minnesota is Big Cock Country.

How long have you worked at CCS? Is this your first time doing graphics for CCS? Are you stoked on the boards?

Since 2019.  Yes. Yes. But I can’t take full credit for the catalogue kid. I just drew the guy. Shout out to James and Matt for turning it into something.

When did you start drawing? 

Since before I had a concept of time or age. I grew up in a ranch/rodeo family and my oldest sister was a cowgirl and an art student. She would paint western scenes on cow skulls and I was fascinated by it. Hanging out drawing with her was pretty influential. My mom crafts. My dad’s a carpenter and tools were always around. My whole family makes stuff. When my brother and I learned about all the punk/diy culture in skateboarding it was a no brainer. A perfect escape route from joining society at large. Get the skill saw and a bucket of paint, we’re building a ramp and starting a fuckin’ band.

What mediums do you work in?

 Well like… What have you got, man? Spray paint. Paint pens. Water color. Acrylic. Wood. Metal. Tattoo machines. Guitars. It’s all fair game.

What's Rat Skates? When did you make your first deck? What's the process, and how long does it take you to make a deck? How can someone order a Rat Skates deck from you?

Rat skates is my “fake” company. I read an article by Lance Mountain in an old Transworld about making fingerboards from toy cars and cereal boxes and started making them for my friends. I would collage “rat” on them with whatever goofy pictures I could find in newspapers. At the time I had just dropped out of 8th grade and had lots of time on my hands.  One time I didn’t have money for a board so i stenciled a piece of scrap flooring and put griptape on it. Rode it for a week. Maybe that was the first one? 

Eventually I got some screen printing supplies and made some shirts and printed a couple boards. Then I got some uncut boards and made some shapes cause no one was making what I wanted to ride. I’ve been working on a bottle jack press and have some veneer so I can make some skateboards fully from scratch. 

Rat skates is both the raddest company out and never even existed depending on what mood I’m in when you ask me. There not really up for order. Sometimes. Maybe. You gotta be a real one to get one. Or tip me off to a pool. It’s not really for money… When things are made for profit it feels too slimy. I just do it for the experience and if I break even that’s cool. I talk to a few other people that make their own boards and it’s really fun to see what they come up with. That’s why handmade boards got way more soul than a factory skate. 

What's your current set-up?

I have a quiver of 20 something boards. But mainly I ride Indy’s. I like the stage 4’s. Loose! And 60mm Spitfires in fun colors. I ride old school boards. When Rat Sk8’s is not in service I usually go for Black Label or Scram. I always wear Vans sk8-Hi’s and have griptape art, no exceptions.

CCS x Stuart Jones: Shop Now