The Magic Carpet is a longboard in all of its dimensions, bar one. It's a lot shorter. As a result it is particularly cherished by longboarders but ridden by all levels of surfer. It's a great way to enjoy the tight turning arcs of a shorter rail line without loosing all the cruising benefits of a longboard.
The design at a glance
SIZE RANGE: 6'.10" to 7'.8"
TYPICAL DIMENSIONS: 7'.2" x 19" x 23" x 16" x 3"
ROCKERS: fairly flat
RAILS: low and soft up front, hard in tail
BOTTOM SHAPE: vee
IDEAL CONDITIONS: small to medium
BEST SUITED TO: beginner to advanced
The design in detail
The Carpet is loved as a great all-round performer because it has a lot of the characteristics of a longboard (paddling, planning etc) in small surf but also the ease of handling of a much shorter board when the surf gets bigger.
Starting in the tail, the Magic Carpet has a very full rounded pintail with a 2 plus 1 fin set up. That means you have the choice to ride it as a single fin or as a 2 plus 1 depending on your riding style. The rounded pin also gives that little bit of extra control at higher speeds.
Because the board is so thick and wide it is foiled thinly, not just in the nose and tail but also in the rails. This means that for a wide board the Carpet remains high performance and sensitive to small adjustments.
Of course the width is why most surfers like the Carpet. The nose is as wide as a traditional noserider and with good technique it is quite possible to get some decent nose rides.
Finally, as with most wide boards it has a vee bottom to help the board go from rail to rail more easily and flatten out bumpy conditions.
Magic Carpet by Jose Walker
Ive always ridden a single fin long board (also made by Gulf Stream) and I love it, but felt that I wanted to try other boards so I could feel more confident getting out in bigger surf and a wider variety of conditions as I would normally just take my longboard out all year round. I also wanted something that would move about easier, turn faster but would still suit my surfing style. I came into Gulf Stream not really knowing what I wanted but knew that I loved the style, movement and the buoyancy of a longboard. I had a great long chat with Will over a few weeks and he pointed me towards the magic carpets, which have the features of a longboard but at a mid length, they are stable and easy to paddle. You can catch alot of waves which makes me very happy indeed- the shape of the tail allows you to turn more easily and get move movement on the wave, I love the lightness of this board and I have so much fun it's a very happy addition and has really progressed my surfing whilst retaining the style I love.
