CHANNEL ISLANDS VS. JOE SCHMO SURF INC.

As a South Africa based surfer, I really only intuitively understand the nuances of this surfboard environment, and I have been super interested in the introduction of Channel Islands (CI) Surfboards into SA, people who have shelled out the $$ for them have raved about them and will not be swayed by the argument that any local board manufacturer can dare equal the ride of a CI. To the disagreement of other local shapers that claim, its marketing scam.

I have never ridden a CI, although is it the “best board ever”? Surly its foam, glass and fins, does the brand make your ability to ride a wave that much better?

At the same time, I am grinding my teeth keen to try out a CI Dumspter, Pod, Proton, Black Flag, Motor Boat (I want to do the Motor Boat mmm mmm mmm) CI really is a revolutionary company based on the worlds most radical test drive team, and the beauty of it is that Al Merrick attributes all his ideas to his team riders.

The Dumspter was Dane Reynolds idea, wanting a chunky summer fun board that they hacked the tail of a bigger board and he liked the look of it and just rolled with the super wide square tail, and wham we have one of the fastest selling board design in donkeys years (so they story goes), a model which has been scanned and attempted to replicate by hordes of other international and local shapers. Good on ya, Dane and Al, for moving the shaping boundaries. I don’t even want to get into the progressions that Kelly Slater has introduced to the sport, that dude is crazy.

To be honest in my own cash strapped way, I went to local shaper Vaughn and tried to get a Dumpster style board shaped for me, we used the basic premise of the Dumpster, chunky all through to the nose (2 ½’ ), wide (20’ ) and short 5’10, with a nice square wide tail. I weigh 90kg’s and this shape helped me paddle into mush, get through sections better and yes my surfing improved! Why, because my new Fat Girl was a board more suited to me than the whipper stick I was surfing, the dimensions of my old board were not far off, but what was far off was how far up the nose the volume was pushed, haw far back the tail kept the chunk, and the extra width which helped me get onto the wave. I am now going shorter, I have just ordered a 5’9 ½ x 20 ¾ x 2 ¾ with a diamond tail so that the rail of the board will actually only be 5’8, and the tip of the diamond tail will be the full 5’9 ½ (I will get into tails, that’s a whole different vibe). What’s insane is that throughout the 90’s/early 2000’s we were forced to ride 18 ¾ wide boards, the shaping mind shift has changed so that we can now go wider, fatter and it doesn’t slow down the turns, the vert, the slide or glide, I have more confidence in the water, because I can get onto waves that grom’s could only paddle onto. What’s priceless is that I have kinda found what works for me and I feel like a grom again! Imagine how I am going to feel when I continue exploring…

Bottom line is CI is the world leader of design at the moment in my mind, due to his crazy skilled demo team, his genuine ability to attract and keep these guys on the CI programme, his willingness to listen to them. What this does is push the general Joe Schmo Shaper and surfer. I know I am stoked, but I can’t justify the price, its gnarly, do I want one, YES! But I trust my shaper and we will draw on CI elements when I slut myself again for another board.

Slyde Mcglide.

Links:

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_Dumpster-Diver.asp

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_proton.asp

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_Black-Flag.asp

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_Motor-Boat.asp

MY FAT BOTTOM SCHTICK