Got a ‘board advice’ type of question for whomever wants to chime in…
My girlfriend and I are taking a road trip to Mexico (down to PV and back) in the spring and would like to get a board both of us can use. I’m 5’11" 175 and she’s 5’9" 140. I’m an average surfer, comfortable up to head high (maybe a bit more if it’s not too steep…) and she has no experience. We’d like a board that she can learn on primarily. Something that will get her into waves easily and is fairly stable - you know…a beginners board. I’m also bringing my 9’0" Stewart for myself, yet would like to use the Walden to sit a bit further out than usual, and to have something a bit bigger for a more traditional longboard feel.
Would a 9’4" Walden Magic fit the bill? There is one for sale in my area for a good price, yet have never ridden nor know anyone who has one.
Any advice, as always, is appreciated. Gracias - Peter.
I rode a Walden Magic 9’6" for two years and loved it! Those boards can handle anything that you throw at em’. I’ve ridden it in everything from 2’ slop at the point to DOH reef breaks here in Ventura. They are a quite forgiving board and still surprisingly maneuverable. Walden has created quite a unique bottom contour that works well in a variety of conditions. It doesn’t have the “Classic” longboard planshape which turns off some of the retro followers but hey, it works!
A friend at my local break got one for himself and one for his wife who was a beginner. She’s surfs real well on it after only a short time.
I used one in Hawaii one year, surfing shoulder high Queens, and I found that it turned extremely well, trimmed a little on the slow side, caught waves fair, and nose rode well. I think it’s one of the best all-around boards there is. Doug
Aloha, I have been using a 9’ 6" Walden Magic for 5 years now . I am 49 yrs old and 200 lbs . It is the best board I have ever owned . Been surfing here in S. Florida for 35 years and have had a lot of boards but the Walden Magic is the first one to do it all for me. Paddles well. Turns good , suprisingly it works like a much shorter board . And it also noserides for me in the right conditions. I have bought and tried other boards in the past 5 years but allways go back to the Magic . Steve Walden has been working on this model for a long time and now has it really refined. They call it a “High Performance” longboard . And I do belive it to be just that…
Thinking of getting an epoxy version of the De Soto 9’4" magic model for heavier days OH ++, caught up between that a a glass performance longboard 9’2 X 22 X 2 5/8. How will Waldens bevelled rails and contours handle juice ?
That’s where the “Magic” kicks in! These boards really turn on in big waves. Just look at Duane DeSoto. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with them. They’re really easy to pump down the line and pull quick direction changes. I’ve enjoyed mine.