@jimfrandisco there’s a range of different things that are sold as “surfskates”
At one end you have what is basically a shaped deck with soft bushings in normal skateboard trucks and soft wheels. Basically what is sometimes termed a cruiser skateboard. These roll well and carve around like a normal skateboard. Exactly how depends on length and wheelbase but the “feel” of turns is the same. Anything from a 70s reissue 29” slalom board up to a 4 foot longboard you can cross step and “dance” on.
In the middle you have more specialist trucks. Still with a single pivot point but often different geometry. You often see the pivot point being in front of the truck hanger with a more horizontal kingpin rather than behind the hanger with a vertical kingpin like a “normal” truck. These boards still feel like a (very turney) normal skateboard. So less stable, more carvey but normal feel.
Finally you have the “true” surfskates. These have a normal rear truck but the front truck has a double pivot point. Yow make some nice ones, Carver, Penny do one and you can turn a normal cruiser into one with a “waterborne” adapter. These boards feel quite weird to begin with & mimic surfing body movements much more closely. The double pivot front truck means you can “pump” them with body movements very close to pumping along a wave and they allow you to practise the body movements for surfing snaps and cutbacks. They are easy to generate speed with and you barely need to push at all. They are hard to ride at any speed and you have to ride them “actively” – you can’t really just stand there and cruise along. People do ride them in bowls but believe me it’s hard!
