A Performance Blade Made For Dane Reynolds

Two years back, Dane Reynolds went to his long-time shaper Britt Merrick with a strange request. 

“I want a performance shortboard,” Dane said.

“A what?” Britt replied. 

“A performance shortboard – like what all the folks on Tour ride, with the longer outline, slimmed rails, and pulled-in tail…”

“But we haven’t made you anything over 5’7 x 19.5 in a decade,” Britt responded. “Are you… sure?”

“Yes,” Dane said, “just make it fun.“

Maybe that’s not exactly how the conversation went, but it’s probably damn close. The second half of Reynolds’ career has been built upon the short, stubby pillars of Dumpster Divers and Neck Beards, with their “high-performance” sistren being cast aside for the sake of enjoyment. 

But riding a standard shorty needn’t be a melancholy affair. Certain tweaks can be made to improve the functionality of a blade for everyday surfers, while maintaining all the hardline performance attributes. 

That’s where’ CI’s new Happy model sits. 

With low entry rocker and strategically placed forward volume, this board is designed to paddle well, get up to speed quickly, and drive through tunnels. To harness all that speed, the Happy’s refined rails and thinned out tail make for a highly responsive board – or so says Britt.

We’ll let the surfing above speak for itself, at least until our resident board tester has his chance on the Happy. The test board has landed in Costa Rica with a sparkling complexion and Team-lite glassing.

We won’t wait to wax it like Owen Wright. 

Here the Channel Island team gives Happy a go.