Holiday Gift Guide: How To Choose A Surfboard
Find the right board for your wish list or put a smile on someone else’s face by surprising them with the best gift ever. For more ideas check out our Holiday Gift Guide.
Building a quiver with one or more hybrid, groveler, shortboard, and step up will ensure you have the right board for small weak waves, big strong barrels, and everything in between. Below you’ll find the boards our team and customers are most excited about right now. Each model is available in a variety of constructions, fin setups and systems, and can be custom ordered.
HYBRIDS
Released last fall, the CI Fish has proven to work year-round in a variety of conditions, and this summer it emerged as a favorite for surfers of all skill levels. The board is thinned-out and tuned-up for added performance, making it a versatile craft that can energize your average grovel sesh one day then have you screaming down-the-line on clean, head high points the next.
The Ultra Joe is the ultimate board for truly small wave ripping. The full nose and flat rocker make it easy to catch waves and generate speed. Its double bump squash increases performance and hold through turns.
GROVELERS
In a wide range of waves whether it be small and soft or a bowly, punchy wave…the Rocket Wide can do it all. Fast down the line. Good on rail. Loose off the top. Good in the air. Good in the barrel. Just a solid go-to everyday board.
For performance above the lip surfing, the Neck Beard 2 is insane. Good in the air. Good on rail. As long as there’s a bit of the curve to the wave, the board goes great!
SHORTBOARDS
The Happy is a performance shortboard model built to give surfers the freedom to easily go wherever their mind takes them. Low entry rocker and strategically placed forward volume allow the board to paddle well, get up to speed quickly, and perform extremely well in the tube.
The Fever has its roots in Al Merrick’s trusted and proven high-performance shortboard designs. The goal in designing this board with Mike Andrews and Patrick Gudauskas was to create a more accessible tour level performance board that anyone who jumped onto it would “instantly feel the speed and zest for creativity.”
STEP-UP
The Happy Step Up builds on the performance our standard squash model delivers by making subtle updates to the bottom contours and utilizing a round pin tail to hold even better in big, powerful waves. Low entry rocker and strategically placed forward volume allow the board to paddle well. The Happy Step Up is a staple in the quivers of CI team riders on the pro tour and has put countless smiles on the faces of tube seekers around the world.
For more tips, check out our guide to finding the right surfboard fins and browse the Holiday Gift Guide for more gift ideas.
