What can we say about Al Merrick's shapes that hasn't already been said.  In Al's own words, "I have never drawn on fads or trends to dictate my ideas and directions.  Instead, the driving force behind Channel Islands Surfboards is the demand on design created by the world's greatest surfers, allowing for the highest performance surfing possible."  Team riders include Taylor Knox, Lisa Anderson, Dane Reynolds, Tom Curren, Cory Arrambide, Sage Erickson, Kalani Robb, Rob Machado, Zach Keenan, Skin Dog Collins, the Malloys, Timmy Reyes, Tim Curran,  Benji Weatherly, Rochelle Ballard, the Gudauskas brothers, Kamalei Alexander, and Kelly Slater.

New for 2012, The Neckbeard Squash is the latest from the Dane/Al series of collaborations.  Compared with the Neckbeard of 2011, this one still has a very skatey feel, but the newly designed tail shape lends itself to more back foot sensitivity.  Usually you'd choose one these about 4 - 6'' shorter than your own height.  We've decided to stock the quint version which gives you the ability to experiment with it as a thruster, quad, or twin fin.

In both 2010 and 2011, The Dumpster Diver has been the most "sought after" model in the CI stable.  It was originally designed for Dane Reynolds to ride gutless summer surf.  This model has gone through a variety of stages and subtle design changes, but what has remained constant is its 80's-style volume, its kick in the tail, its overall round template, and its ability to catch and destroy small waves.  It really is both floaty and drivey, yet it is still very loose.  It should be ridden about 6" shorter than your regular shortboard.  Normal dimensions for a 5'6" would be 12 3/4 x 18 3/4 x 15 1/4 x 2 1/4.

The Semi-Pro 12 is a Kelly Slater designed shape for 2012.  Throughout Kelly's 2011 tour experience, this board was tweaked and refined.  The result is a wider forward outline and more volume throughout than the previous version.  It performs best in decent to very good surf.  We're stocking this with a five-fin configuration so it can be adjusted to accommodate lots of different wave conditions.