Watch: "Demo Tapes: California"

The G Skate Demo Tapes' California edition follows Tanner, Dane and Pat Gudauskas lighting up some raw conditions at home on their signature 2+1 model—and includes a cameo by Lakey Peterson. As you’ll see, this skatey style of board, designed with the G Bros and Britt Merrick, allowed them to draw some very creative lines at high speeds and jam some critical turns with total control in what at times was less than stellar summer surf at their home break. This edit, our 5th installment in the Demo Tapes series, captures the surfing that went down during those sessions.

The goal of the G Skate project between the G Bros and Britt was to create something fresh feeling that turned well in good surf but skated with ease through the not-so-good stuff. There was one major stipulation during its development: the G Skate had to still perform at the highest levels possible. They achieved this by shortening their typical shortboard rail line by 5” and adding curves and contours in key places that would keep them on top of the water and not hinder their turns in any way. Adding a 2 + 1 (twin plus trailer) fin set-up tied the whole concept together.

The G Skate has a lot of get up and go speed thanks to its light single to double concave, low entry rocker, wide point forward—and its contemporary shortboard rails provide all the precision and control you could ever want.

This stoke-infused collaboration also yielded an all-new Merrick / Gudauskas 2 + 1 fin set for the G Skate, and they also found that the AMT (2 + 1) fin set up works very well. The purpose of this twin plus trailer fin set-up was to offer the beautiful “free feel” of a twinnie yet have the refined control of a thruster—which is critical in creating a board that accommodates the broad spectrum of approaches between all three G Bros. For those that prefer traditional thruster set-ups, their favorite 3-fin set will work well in this design—giving surfers twice the options and value.

The G Skate serves as a strong utility piece in any quiver where fun and performance are the goal. Ride this board 3” to 6” shorter and the same thickness as your CI Pro.