Channel Islands’ New Performance Blade Is Like A Shot Of Pure Dopamine

It’s remarkable how many aspects of a surfboard can be altered to affect its performance.

To name a few, there’s: outline, rocker, rails, tails, thickness, width, concave, and construction. 

That’s why every year, without fail, the world’s best (and worst) shapers set out to combine these elements in a novel fashion, leading to the creation of unique crafts that, they believe, are better than anything that’s come before it. And I think we can all agree that surfboards have improved over the years. Rare are the days that people complain about buying a “plug” or being completely bummed on their vessel. So we all benefit from shapers’ constant drive to design.

Take, for instance, Channel Islands’ new performance shorty: the Happy.

The Happy is a Britt Merrick design, and its main features include low-ish rocker through the front (for paddle and board speed) with a bit of flip through the tail (for a tight turning radius). 

You might be wondering what’s with the blue patch. It’s a strategic fiberglass patch placement that allows for maximum flex in the tail for tighter turns and quicker reaction times, while still providing protection where you need it most.(Stock boards come with the same patch on opposite side but in clear).

But that’s just tech talk. For Britt, this new model has one purpose: to put a smile on your face. 

“We believe at Channel Islands that if you surf better, you’re gonna be happier. And this board’s been helping a lot of us surf better.”

The Happy started as a handshape for Dane, but it’s been used by several CI elites, from Zeke Lau (who won Sunset on a Happy step-up), Mikey February, and Conner Coffin. 

While we’re clearly excited about this new design (as we are with almost any new surfboard), we’ll reserve judgment of the Happy’s quality until Stab’s official board-tester puts it through the Joyride gauntlet.

Coming soon(ish)!