First Longboard, NSP coco mat or Walden magic

[walkmanysteps]

Hey so I made a post earlier in the year about this. I finally found two longboards for sale, a 9'2 NSP coco mat and a 9'2 Walden Magic Longboard. I'm 6'1", 190 lbs, about to turn 22 and primarily surf Rhode Island/Cape Cod/Long Island. I've been surfing for about 2 and a half years, started on an 8 ft soft top, and switched to a 7' fish which i've been on for 2 years.

Both boards are slightly used, and I'm fairly certain I can get each for 500. At this point I'm leading towards the Walden but if anyone has any experience with either board I'd love to hear some opinions.

[dtc]

Either one should be fine; the Walden is a higher priced model I think - so perhaps is higher quality? I have seen people surfing other Walden boards and have tried one myself once and it was fun (mega magic rather than longboards); the Walden does have a wider nose which some people like (generally more stable, easier paddling) and some people don't (it can get in the way of turning) and looks to have slightly more nose rocker. The Walden is probably better for nose riding than the NSP (which I think you mentioned is something you might want to try out)

I would probably go for the Walden because it look better - although you are up for the additional cost of wax I guess. Also, Waldens are 'cooler' than NSPs any day of the week!

But whichever you get I'm sure it will suit you well.

[waikikikichan]

Also, Waldens are 'cooler' than NSPs any day of the week!

Hmm, very interesting since the GSI Waldens and the NSP Cocomats are made in the same factory. What would be really cool is a Walden shape constructed out of the Cocomat technology. Those things are super light.

I use to compete on a Walden Magic model. Great performance longboard if you ARE a performance surfer. Beginners will get bucked off the wave if they can't control the edges and chines. For a beginner to novice surfer, I feel the NSP is more rider "friendly".

[dtc]

Huh, I knew someone would pick me up on the 'cool' comment. NSP has traditionally been a beginners board, so 'not cool' (ie the board the backpacker is falling off in front of you having just dropped in...) whereas Walden is a real person. But, yes, they are made in the same place/by the same company nowdays and NSP (GSI) seems to have picked up its game and no longer targeting the very bottom of the market.

However, I just cant get past the look of the coco mat - I know form over function and it may be a great board and material, it just looks wrong!

Interesting that the Walden is more a performance board; from what I could see on line it didn't look too much different to a general longboard. I think the OP has been surfing for a while so isn't a total beginner.

[walkmanysteps]

So I'm pretty decided on the walden, thanks for the advice. Just want to make sure I'm getting a good price on it though. 500 for a lightly used 2008 walden magic 9'2"?

[waikikikichan]

2008 ? that's 7 years old, so if it's Polyester , be careful. If it's a GSI molded epoxy, Okay. If it's a Boardworks molded epoxy make sure to check the Future side bit boxes that the lock pin in the back is secure ( they used some bandit boxes at one time ) and make sure the center box doesn't leak ( they had a batch where they were glued up only on one side )

[walkmanysteps]

It is a Polyester build. Do they deteriorate faster than epoxy models?

[jaffa1949]

If the board has been lightly used and there is no obvious water damage or browning where water has entered .
Lifespans for board are depends! how you treat it and what happens in it surfing life will determine life.
Usually a long time, I have poly board that are twenty years old and others that fell apart or broke much earlier.
Don't think about it too much just go surfing

[CheaterFiveSurfBum]

I think you should definitely get a real fiberglass board made by a shaper. New or used. Go at least 9'6". Get something with a fin box so you can change things around. A real, non pop out board will be worth more at resale. Go with a pig shape with plenty thickness. You ain't light. When I was 190 pounds (for about 3 months) I found a 10 foot old school nose rider with plenty of rocker caught just about any wave (clay Bennett tipparillo) . When I went back to 227 pounds, it still caught any wave with a little more effort and could turn on a dime. I ride mostly small wave's in cocoa beach florida, average 80 degree water so I don't own or wear a wet suit with it's extra weight. Also, throw away your leash.

[lloyd]

Out of the 2 boards you are looking at ,go the walden at least it has a real name to it and that will help if you ever want to sell it later on,the nsp boards were only ever a begginer style of board,not much resale in those ones,and at 500 bucks it should be like brand new,ive ridden both those brands of boards and the walden wins every time,, if they are epoxy make sure they have no dings in them because they suck up water like a sponge, if they do have had repairs make sure they look like a pro repair.ive seen many epoxy boards wrecked by some goose fixing epoxy boards with poly resin,it will eat away the foam inside and sometimes its painted over so you cant see the ding only to find out later your board his big spaces of nothing under the paint,both boards are probably made in the same factory in tailand or china like 80 percent of epoxy boards on the market,they look flash but not worth the money they ask for, the best boards out of those asian factories are the surftec models,ive seen used and sold lots of epoxy boards from thoses factoies in my shop i had a few years back and they were the best of the lot,and i think surftec do the walden boards under their logo so you might have a half decent board if you go with the walden,but that only my opinion,

[waikikikichan]

Lloyd - have you ridden the NSP's with the Cocomat technology ?

[312T4]

Also, throw away your leash.

why? to kill someone??
It's like saying don't use seat belts, just don't crash your car..

[Big H]

Personally for the waves I've seen posed up here of that region (and having been to that area several times including scuba certification on Rockport harbor in light snow), I would go for the NSP....strong, light, flatter rocker....I have a performance longboard that really doesn't work very well unless it's at least shoulder high....we get that or better here consistently so except for weeks like the one I'm mired in currently, it goes well here. If your waves are weakish, performance longboards will push more water and be harder to get into and stay in those weak waves than a flatter rockered board.

[312T4]

I don’t believe in the fairy tale of the local shaper.

I spent a day in Byron Bay visiting all of them. I was a beginner with my accent. They saw a foreigner kook to rob. Most of them tried to sell me expensive sophisticated, unnecessary stuff. One suggested an old style, single fin, no rocker board! They didn’t ask me who I was, what I needed. To them I was a 1 off customer/turist never to be seen again.

Great experience I have to say.
They really wanted to know my needs...

Fortunately the guy from Maddog shop was honest. He said: “look, by the cheap one, it works fine, see if you really like surfing, then you’ll see”.

I had the NSP 9’2 for 2 years. I still have it. My friend instead bought a second hand progressive longboard from a well-known name in Noosa. I don’t think they did him a favour.
I always got more waves than him. No doubts.
Also, in 2 years he had to repair the extremely fragile square tail 3 times, = 4 months without board and -300$...
I bashed mine everywhere and never had to repair it. Once, the worst I did, I went over the rocks and made 5cm long cut in the middle of the bottom. I took the resin, splashed it a bit over it, and that was that. nsp have 3 layers of stuff around the epoxy core, so you’d need a knife to be able to reach the core.
Moral, my friend never loved his board and now he has a 7’ something. I’m still keeping mine and I still strongly recommend it to begineers.
If I’ve been able to overcome the extremely painful start, in part it was thanks to this board.

Also, I sold my partner’s 8’2 in 4 days. Hard to sell??

Overall, if you are a beginner, you are not a teenager, and especially if you don’t live near the beach, an epoxy longboard/funboard is the best way to start.