Too far forward though had me pearling on one take-off, but as I popped up I weighted back and the nose resurfaced without incident. From then on catching waves was no problem. Dammit, what have I done? But I readjusted, moving forward a little and finding a better balance point. And on a 9-3 longboard catching waves should be no problem. At first I was paddling from a position too far back on the deck, and wasn't easily catching waves. So, how does it ride? It always takes me a bit to get the feel of a new board. (This has never actually happened though. The "tongue depressor" nose is so cool looking and always makes me think I'll be the nose rider I always wanted to be. I just think they work great and are truly a "one size fits all" tail design. Rounded pins have always been my favorite tail. There's a lot of rocker in this stage and the bottom is still double concave, but with decidedly more vee in it than the center stage. The rear stage is the steering wheel and makes the board surprisingly maneuverable and loose. The center stage or "engine" is double concave which adds lift and drive. The nose is fully concave to enhance paddling and nose riding. McTavish calls it a three stage bottom (rocker), and each stage is distinctive. McTavish designs have always intrigued me, and this board (especially the bottom) was no different. The bottom contours on both boards are very similar too, so perhaps not surprisingly, the boards share some of the same wave riding characteristics. In the end, a traditional ride, with more modern longboard design elements was what I was looking for.Īs I was paddling out for the first time, I kept thinking, "hey, this thing's only 7" shorter than my Angulo SUP!" And since my SUP is EPS and light for a standup paddleboard, the weight felt a lot the same. Even though there was an EPS/epoxy Fireball in the rack, I went with the polyurethane (PU) old school construction, again for that weightier longboard feeling. But in the end I decided for a little more length (9-3) for better paddling, and more of that longboard feel (read glide). He's an articulate guy (not just a salesman pushing his boards) so I watched them all.)Īt first I was going to go with the 9-1 (me at 150 pounds). (Bob has a lot of videos on You Tube, covering almost all his boards. That pretty much turned the tide towards the Fireball. So imagine my surprise when the Walden Magic measured up with more rocker than the Fireball. Without adequate rocker, the board is just too stiff for my preferences. Yeah, they're fast down the line, fast paddlers and very traditional, but what I like to do, is as much climbing and dropping as I can. Also, I really don't like boards with straight rocker. The board had to be more of an all-arounder. Balancing that out though was the fact that I wasn't going to be able to surf "that wave" very often, and I couldn't afford to be that wave specific. We were talking in the context of a specific wave we've surfed, and I wanted to use my new purchase to surf that wave, so his opinion was important. My friend Jeff had cautioned me about the McTavish boards.too much rocker, too hard to paddle and therefore not the best wave catcher. So I took my time and really enjoyed checking out the two boards that made the finals: the McTavish Fireball, and the Walden Magic.įreeline had both boards in various lengths in stock so I could lay my hands on each, and fully measure them out. I've long been an admirer of Steve Walden and Bob McTavish as surfers, shapers and designers (and astute businessmen too). I wanted to add a longboard to my quiver for fun, a change of pace, and to surf places where my SUP is not welcome. Half the fun of buying and surfing a new board, is doing the research and deciding which one to get. Polyurethane foam core.ĭesigned and shaped by Bob McTavish built by GSI. Glassing: 6 and 6 on top 4 and a 4 oz patch on the bottom.
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