The Shaman was tested by Windsurf in Tenerife, here is what they had to say:
LOW-DOWN
The Shaman is an all-new offering from Witchcraft for 2013. Designed specifically as an on-shore wave board, it shares design features from both the Chakra (FSW) and Wave (full-on wave) models. Available in a broad range of sizes in either standard or HD (heavy duty) constructions, which they to be the most durable on the market…….
AT-A-GLANCE
A very compact out-line, at just 221 long with the trademark Witchcraft rounded, wide nose but with a squared-off squashtail. The deck is fairly flat and comes with quality footpads. The ProLimit footstraps do take a bit of getting used to as they are quite large and solid, but once you do they’re super comfy. Underneath it has a fairly flat rocker profile with some nose kick and the hull features a combination of Vee into double concaves. The Thruster fin set up, Witchcraft’s speciality, comprises of a 15.5cm US Cox centre fin and two 13.5 Mini Tuttle box fins – each set with 5mm of toe-in.
PERFORMANCE
At rest the stability is good due to the volume packed into the short overall length. It gets going very quickly off the mark and the position of the sailing stance gives a very connected feel to the board. On a wave it turns super quick and generates heaps of speed through every turn. The fins grip extremely hard – it feels like you’re turning on the rails, so there’s never any sign of slide. Even if you bust out the fins at the top, it very quickly regains traction so you can wind it up into the next bottom turn. There’s good top speed that can be put to good use when it comes to launching jumps and the short shape is easy to throw around in the air.
THE VERDICT
The Witchcraft Shaman is an awesome on-shore wave board and also a very capable all-rounder. It can make the most of even the smallest and weakest waves and is a lot of fun to ride. If you ride a lot of on-shore or choppy conditions and want to really tear them up, this is the board for you.
