New For 2020: FishBeard & CI Mid
We’re thrilled to announce that today we’re releasing two new board models that draw two totally different lines. This FishBeard is a spicy, high-performance twin keel fin fish that looks set to create a whole new category in performance twins, and the other is a modern midlength that blends the best of the old with the new.
FISHBEARD
Parker Coffin said it first: “A Neck Beard 2 would work sick as a twin-fin fish!” So we got to work redesigning the back half of the NB2 template and rocker, paired the board with our Al Merrick Keel Fins (AMK), and the FishBeard was born.
A sleeker, more performance-ready design than the CI Fish, the FishBeard is pure business in the front and all party in the back. Get forward on this user-friendly board and drive from the center and you’ll have all the speed and flow you always desired. Step back on the tail to engage the fins and rails, which provides you hold, pivot, projection, and the freedom to rip as hard as ever. To keep the party going, we dug into the archives and found some vintage mid-’80s, fluorescent logos and recreated CI’s iconic layup from that era.
AMK Keel Fins: Make no mistake, this fin ain’t retro. Although inspired by classic keel outlines, the all-new AMK template boasts a modern rake shape, graduated tip flex and flat inside foils finely tuned for fast, high-performance surfing. This keel-fin design is built to rip but also ideal for those that just want to groove.
CI MID
The CI Mid is a modern-classic design resulting from a fun collaboration with Devon Howard a southern California surfer that has spent the past two decades riding and refining boards of this genre.
Inspired by the clean, longer-railed lines drawn by traditional eggs and single-fins, the CI Mid infuses that vibe with the crispness, sensitivity, and freedom made possible by modern features synonymous with Merrick design principles. Boasting a moderate midlength template with low entry rocker and foam forward for ease of paddle and effortless trim speed, the CI Mid scoots, squirts and swivels thanks to contemporary features like double-barrel concave, graduated rocker, and hard, slightly tucked rails through and off the tail.
A reliable all-arounder that flies over the flatter, smaller stuff, the CI Mid really stands apart from other midlength designs in shoulder-high to nearly double overhead point surf, where surfers are able to lay down flowy, arcing turns with total confidence, speed, and control.
The minimalist logo is out of the Channel Islands Archives—a handmade lam Al put on his boards in the early ’70s. And all CI Mids are stocked with high quality, colorful resin craftsmanship (6-4oz. decks with 6oz. bottoms). We’ve also designed an all-new custom 2+1 fin template for this board with our neighbors and friends at True Ames Fins in Goleta, California.
CI Mid 2+1 Fins: As we know, fins can make or break any surfboard. For the CI Mid, we worked closely with SoCal surfer Devon Howard and our friends at True Ames Fins to custom build this 2 + 1 set that enhances our new midlength’s high-performance characteristics, as well as proving to be versatile in a wide range of conditions with just a simple adjustment of the center fin. Thanks to decades’ worth of knowledge, as well as countless rounds of R&D, Devon and True Ames founder Chuck Ames landed on this beautiful, tidy, well-balanced outline with full base and moderate rake that was hand foiled for medium flex—making for a very responsive ride with just the right amount of hold and lift that helps you accelerate through turns. Shaped from clear fiberglass panels, the CI Mid’s 6.5” center box fin is available with either 4” FCS two-tab side bites for medium to bigger sized surfers, or 3.6” for lighter weight riders.
