How would you rate the stability of your new board?
Very Unstable
Stable
Very Stable
How would you rate the quality of your new gear?
Poor
Good
Excellent
How would you rate the value of your new gear?
Poor
Good
Excellent
“When I recieved my board from Thurso I was quite surprised if it's low quality (given its cost). Scuff marks across the board with the other accessories also in rough shape. When I enquired about this, a member of their customer services advised they are manufactured and despatched from the Far East and it's likely due to poor packaging. He couldn't assure me that a replacement board would come in better condition.
Save your money, go with another company.”
How would you rate the stability of your new board?
Very Unstable
Stable
Very Stable
How would you rate the quality of your new gear?
Poor
Good
Excellent
How would you rate the value of your new gear?
Poor
Good
Excellent
“I’ve been a huge fan of the Thurso Surf team and boards since 2019 when I got two Waterwalker boards. While I love the boards, some significant changes make my new board feel cheaper, lower quality, with a lower quality bag. It is not easy to find on the site, and I assumed the boards were markedly similar, selling my 2019 to get the 2023 Waterwalker in blue not available in 2019, and for the new electric pump. That is not the case. See the review by Inflatableboarder.com. It is well written and I agree with his points. But the article misses how different the 2023 board feels.
Specifically:
- no manual pump included. This is a $120-150 loss in value, straight up. This company makes the best manual pumps I’ve used. They are exceptional. It sucks that you have to pay extra to get one, now.
- the new bag feels cheaper, and way more flimsy. Thin shoulder straps and waist straps, less reinforced stitching, no cinch straps, and a single exterior strap to tighten up the pack. My exterior strap now broke on a 3rd use without significant or overdone tension. What can be done? Nothing, externally, now. Everything will just flop around inside the bag.
- Marked loss in rigidity in the 2023 models compared to 2019-2022 models. This is what feels the worst, to me. This was the signaturee feature of Thurso Surf boards—some of the highest rigidity for price on the market. It just sucks, that they changed this. It is markedly less rigid at 15 psi. The website and directions included do NOT make the option of inflating to 20 psi, new to the 2023 model, clear. But the board bends inches more than previous models. It still disperses the energy really well, but the loss of rigidity … yeah… feels cheaper.
- the boards are significantly more narrow than previous models, with no width change between a 126” and 132”. The board feels ~2 inches more narrow than past 132 models. The website does not convey this accurately. It is very skinny; stable! But skinny.
- the board’s D rings are half the size, and much hard to clip things to or through. This is frustrating, and feels senseless.
Overall, these synergize into a lot less user-friendly feelings, from the gargantuan bag with no external zippered pouch, to the small d rings, to the narrow bend-ier board. While lighter, I find the weight difference not important. But the loss of the rigidity? The board feels able to hold less, in the water, and feels… cheaper. I’m less confident in it. And it gave up the defining feature of the boards, removed the amazing manual pump, and added a flimsier bag.
I also have had 2 issues with quality: I was sent the wrong length of board, and now my board bag has broken (the only external clip to keep things tight).
I can’t help but wonder if profit margins drove these designs; I see the website has been advertising 30% off the price very frequently. The boards do not seem worth the price, to me, at $850; not even $650. I’ll keep the board, but wish I had my 2019 board bag, board rigidity, width, and other features.”
Hi Ryan,
Thank you so much for taking the time to review the Waterwalker 132 All-around SUP. I'm sorry you were having trouble with the bag and feeling our package did not meet your expectation. We will reach out to you to find a satisfactory solution.
Thanks again!
Best,
The Thurso Surf Team
