Channel Islands Bio

Since 1969, Channel Islands Surfboards has been dedicated to performance and quality through hard work, innovation, and originality. Over the last 38 years, Channel Islands has grown from a local grass-roots operation to a cutting edge organization, catering to the best surfers in the world. It started with hard-core surfing and quality in mind and these guidelines have brought us through three decades of constant change in the surf industry. Channel Islands will shape the new millennium with innovative design and quality as our main focus.

“The driving force behind Channel Islands Surfboards is the demand on design created by the world’s greatest surfers, allowing for the highest performance surfing possible. To provide the most dedicated surfers with the most advanced, performance designs is my passion” – Al Merrick, Designer/Shaper

In July of 2006, Channel Islands Surfboards was acquired by Burton Corporation. This is a marriage of two like-minded companies; both being privately held organizations focused on rider-driven product and manufacturing the best possible equipment available. At a time when the surfboard industry was undergoing massive changes, the added resources brought to CI from Burton allowed us to renew our focus on design and board building in our home of Santa Barbara California. CI promptly moved to a larger facility just blocks from Rincon Del Mar, setting the foundation for developing, testing, and building boards in Santa Barbara for many years to come.