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Channel Islands Flyer |
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Surfboard manufacturing is going through a renaissance with more shapes and materials available than ever before. Sam George, global editor of Surfer Magazine, on how to pick the best Click to view Top 5 Surfboards.
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Best Performance Board (Channel Islands Flyer) |
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 The 6’4” Channel Islands Flyer, shaped by Al Merrick, is an all-around high-performance model - with increased centre width and slightly increased volume - that blends power and trim speed with manoeuvrability. If you rip, this is the one. |
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 Face it: if you were going to make a splash on the ASP World Surfing Tour, you wouldn’t be asking me about surfboards. And ok, so you’re not the next Kelly Slater . . . or even the next Tom Whittaker. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to rip, nor does it mean that you don’t rip.
Still, to emulate those stars by riding the boards they require for their highly-rotational — and occasionally aerial — attack is to seriously hamper your own progression. That’s why for all-around, mortal high-performance surfing I’d go with the Channel Islands Flyer. |
Time to Rip |
 Renowned shaper Al Merrick’s most popular design, it features a sleek foil profile and outline template (with a 2.5” centre thickness, 11.5” nose and 14.5” tail) that makes vertical surfing a snap, yet its centre width of a generous 19.5” provides enough curve to facilitate clean, powerful turns, while carrying speed through those flat spots on average waves that, truth be told, seldom resemble eight-foot Teahupoo.
You might not win a WCT event on this board, but you can still be the best surfer out 99.9% of the time and try to tell me you’re not interested in that.
My second choice in the high performance category would be the 6’6” Pro 1G by Timmy Patterson. Impeccable lines and performance that accommodates the bigger surfer. |
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WHY TO BUY
- If you want to be the best on the beach
- Excels in small to medium surf |
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| TYPICAL PRICES - from £450/$850 |
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