Channel Islands’ ‘Happy Family‘ Aims to Revolutionize Surfer Quivers
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Channel Islands Surfboards’ new “Happy Family” line promises a seamless transition between boards for varying wave conditions, offering surfers a consistent feel regardless of the swell. The collection, designed by Britt Merrick, seeks to address a common frustration among surfers: the jarring shift in performance when switching between a small-wave board and a step-up.
A core challenge for surfers is adapting to drastically different board feels when conditions change. As one designer explained,the goal is to “have a continuity in the rockers and general feel of the board,so that as you move from your small wave board to your good-wave board to your step up,you want to have a continuity of feel between those boards.” This continuity, they believe, will allow surfers to maintain performance and flow, rather than having to recalibrate with each board change.
Did you know?– Britt Merrick,the designer,aimed to create boards with consistent “rockers” and “foils.” This design choice allows surfers to maintain their performance and flow, regardless of the board they are riding. The goal is to eliminate the need to recalibrate with each board change.
Introducing the ‘Happy Family’ Lineup
The “Happy Family” consists of four distinct models, each tailored to specific surfing needs:
- Better Everyday: A versatile, step-down daily driver designed for consistent performance.
- two Happy: A high-performance shortboard built for maximizing speed and maneuverability.
- Big happy: A performance board specifically designed for larger surfers seeking optimal control.
- Happy Traveler: A step-up/travel surfboard engineered for bigger waves and portability.
These boards were recently put to the test by a team of Channel Islands riders – including Cam Richards, Peter Mel, Shun Murakami, Kyuss King, and Kian Martin – in the playful pointbreaks of indonesia. Footage of the team showcasing the boards’ capabilities highlights their adaptability and performance in a real-world setting.
Pro tip:– The “Happy Family” line offers a board for various conditions.The “Better Everyday” is for daily use, “Two Happy” for performance, “Big Happy” for larger surfers, and “Happy Traveler” for bigger waves.This allows surfers to adapt to changing conditions with ease.
The Pursuit of Seamless Transitions
The underlying ideology behind the “Happy Family” is to minimize the adjustment period when switching between boards. According to the designer, “What’s hard about those circumstances sometimes is that the boards feel so different and now you have to adjust. What we’re trying to do is eliminate that by,again,having a continuity of rockers and foils and feels so those traditions are seamless.”
this focus on consistent rockers and foils aims to create a unified experience across the entire line. The result, as demonstrated by the surfing of Richards, Mel, Murakami, King, and Martin in the Indonesian archipelago, appears to be a collection of boards that perform reliably in a variety of conditions.
While the board
