AndreasB
Grom
Reged: 10/22/07
Posts: 3
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Has anyone checked out Al's new 2008 models?
I had finally decided to go for a skinny fish but then i saw the fishcuit and now I am lost again. The fishcuit looks quite nice.
How is rocker, rails, bottom and performance compared to the skinny..?
Is it similar to the speed dialer..?
Any info is apreciated
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hallucinogenic_toreador
Phil Edwards status
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 5955
Loc: socal beachbreak barrels
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nice! thanks for the heads-up...been checking the CI site almost daily waiting for the new boards...especially the proton.
http://www.cisurfboards.com/surfboards.asp
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"...we woke up to perfect lefts, and that was our mission."
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andesandrew
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 05/13/06
Posts: 355
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WHO SHOULD RIDE THIS BOARD ::
Dane is a front footed surfer; he drives off the front foot for speed and transitions to his back foot for turns. Designed for one of the worlds most progressive surfers means the Proton has to be ridden aggressively.
...i thought at first the proton was going to be a reincarnation of the V/Five...or like a "90's style" glass slipper....but i find it interesting that they are pretty explicit about it being a front foot oriented board. for the life of me i could never get the m4 to go even in the best of pointbreaks, it felt weird and unnatural...and i feel like i even weave for speed from my backfoot, and i especially feel this on like a backside pointbreak, for example, really backfooted. the m4 is also a front foot design...so i don't think im too interested in the proton after all. funny how i always thought the MBM was the definitive "back foot" board of the merrick line (AL says it himself in the mbm's shaping bay video...'if your a backfooted surfer...you'll wanna ride the mbm')....and dane surfs that board. oanyway, confusing, but as someone said on this forum 'dane could surf like that on a funboard' which is of course true. 
anyway i guess my surfing needs are a tad more basic than danes. i'd be very curious to hear reviews tho, i bet it would be sick for the right surfer/conditions. the "White Dove" Timmy Currans model, does seem to be kinda like the V...actually...it seems sort of the like the V 2.0...
anyway nick carroll claims the front/back foot thing is a classic "false dichotomy" of surfer's understanding...sorta interesting...yet one of the most highly regarded shapers obviously employs the concept to help people pick designs...so i dunno...
the V and MBM i find to be absolutely magic boards. i wonder how both the proton and white dove would ride and compare to the traditional models, front/back foot binaries aside...
THE WHITE DOVE ::
MODEL DESCRIPTION
A high performance shortboard designed to fit Tim Curran’s innovative, aerial surfing approach. The White Dove has extreme rocker with a flip both in the nose and tail. The bottom contours are single concave from the nose to the trailing fin. Rails are slightly tapered and the tail is pulled- in which makes for a high performance shortie.
“I am the type of surfer that once I get something I love to ride, I don't really want to ride anything else or change anything about what I'm riding. The White Dove Model is definitely that type of board. It really is the perfect all around short board for me.” - Timmy Curran
WHO SHOULD RIDE THIS BOARD
A quick, light footed surfer who tends to surf primarily off the back foot. Surf this board as vertical as possible in punchy surf.
....sounds like a straight up rehash of the V...which was also a kind of timmy curran model.
Fishcuit looks cool...but...i could never really justify getting one over a zamora hp quad or one from dk, point concept, etc, etc, etc...for financial and idealistic reasons...the second hand 5'10 x 19 1/4 zamora i have is the best small wave board ive ever ridden. i dont see how the fiscuit could possibly be better than a really thinned out and performance oriented zamora quad...especially if some resin x is thrown into the equation.
i suppose in reality the outlines are different. but still..!
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hallucinogenic_toreador
Phil Edwards status
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 5955
Loc: socal beachbreak barrels
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yeah, i agree about the white dove being the FIVE version 2.0. it sure looks almost identical in outline and description.
i'm on my second FIVE. i freakin' love it...interesting, since i'm definitely heavy on the front foot when pumping, pretty neutral/even overall, and kind of just punch the back foot hard at certain points.
i'd prefer to have a different style, but what the hell, its natural and i have fun.
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"...we woke up to perfect lefts, and that was our mission."
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Heavyfooted
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 10/17/06
Posts: 2669
Loc: Orange County
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Quote:
the m4 is also a front foot design ...
For what it's worth... I've checked out a couple of M4's and they struck me as a back foot design.... deep single off the tail w/ low entry rocker, wide point a few inches back.
Quote:
funny how i always thought the MBM was the definitive "back foot" board of the merrick line
I've seen guys that definitely drive with their front foot surfing MBM's very well. From what I recall they had a decent amount of smooth continuous rocker, with mild concaves starting behind the wide point blending to flat off the tail. Seemed like they would be really neutral... if not front foot driver friendly.
I think some of the big brands are a little off with their marketing. A few years ago (with a lot less knowledge), I bought a JC Moody which was marketed as a FF board. Felt good under my arm. Horrible board. I have never felt so confined to driving/turning off the tail. Low entry + WP back and narrow nose meant catching nose rails constantly.
Just .01 coming from a heavy front-footed guy that has figured out how to make his own performance thrusters that work pretty damn good... after buying way too many dogs.
My apology for continuing the hijack.
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andesandrew
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 05/13/06
Posts: 355
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interesting thoughts on the mbm being neutral. maybe i need to try and think about surfing on my front foot more...i dunno...could be a good thing to think about when i go surfing. I guess on the M4 I was just going by the shaping bay videos on the website...he says its a popular front foot board.
i agree with HT about the V accepting front-foot input, i used it once on the east coast in basically unsurfable waves and it responded suprisingly well...
i remember the sean moody model being advertised as a front foot board too. funny to hear you found it a backfoot only dog...haha...i think your right about the marketing of some of the big companies being off...it seems like drawing an oversimplified distinction b/w front and back footers might actually convolute whats already a lot of variables at work.
another reason i might be wary of too front footed an approach (personally speaking) is because all too often i miss the sweet spot on the my board and end up standing a bit too far forward...which i think makes heavy front foot input [in that case] cause bogging..but if your in just that right spot on your board consistently, im sure being front footed works
its funny because on the fish level...i always found this front-foot bogging to be a problem...and i tried 3 or 4 fish templates, including the original CI Fish, before finding one that worked, and it worked perfect i felt off the backfoot, off the tail rail. (Zamora HP Fish @ 5'10)...wierdly, i sometimes feel i can push harder and with more backfoot power through a cutback or hack on the zamora than i even can on my shortboard...maybe as a result of the LB1/LB4's and the excellent design/outline just locking into the line of the turn and letting you really push.
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BrownFish
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 2686
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I like this outline. Wouldn't mind trying this one out.
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www.brownfishhandplanes.com/
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Heavyfooted
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 10/17/06
Posts: 2669
Loc: Orange County
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Quote:
another reason i might be wary of too front footed an approach (personally speaking)
Shoot... if you can do full rail turns and don't have problems in bigger conditions, I definitely wouldn't be looking to surf more off your front foot. It's basically a technique flaw given todays hp thrusters. Seems that it can work for you in certain conditions.... but definitely has more than it's fair share of times working against you. I'm sure HT agrees.
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greysuit
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 11/16/06
Posts: 2502
Loc: My god..it's full of k00ks
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That is lookin' pretty sweet. I might bite.
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kian33
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 06/15/05
Posts: 166
Loc: World citizen
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[image] [/image] 
Anyone try one yet ?
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pickles
Miki Dora status
Reged: 08/18/03
Posts: 4922
Loc: Ventura, CA
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Quote:
For what it's worth... I've checked out a couple of M4's and they struck me as a back foot design.... deep single off the tail w/ low entry rocker, wide point a few inches back.
Have you ridden one? If you drive an M4 from your back foot, it sinks. It has a deceptively large amount of tail rocker that goes way up the board (so for example an SD2 seems like it has more tail kick, but is actually much flatter until you pass the side fins). All that tail rocker means no drive from back there.
Quote:
funny how i always thought the MBM was the definitive "back foot" board of the merrick line
MBM is a very neutral design and works well for pretty much any style. Also remember, everybody's style changes in bigger waves, we all pretty much surf more "backfooted" in bigger waves and on our backhands. So Dane might use a lot of front foot in small waves (when he would ride an M4), but trust me, when its good, he's an extremely solid back foot power surfer.
Its funny reading all this, since after watching Dane surf in person a lot this year, it has made me give up on underfinning and maybe even want to move to an even drivier board next time around. Yes he launches insane airs, but in between it is all smooth and classic power surfing. Really inspiring.
Oh yea, the fishcuit? Looks horrible to me, but I guess you never know. Even Rob's surfing is ugly and unrefined on the biscuit, and he's one of the best there is. I'm sure he likes it since he's done it all and just wants something new. But it really looks like a bad call for you and me.
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No longer accepting offers to surf for money.
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andesandrew
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 05/13/06
Posts: 355
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good info pickles!
thanks! 
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npsp
Billy Hamilton status
Reged: 12/30/03
Posts: 1472
Loc: down the hill and to the right
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Just another 80's kneeboard. 
I had over a dozen kneeboards throughout the 80's just like the Fishcuit shaped by either Shawn Ambrose or Eric Schoelkoph. They all worked great as stand-up boards.
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greysuit
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 11/16/06
Posts: 2502
Loc: My god..it's full of k00ks
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I haven't been able to get one. It seems that, over here at least, they won't be coming in with any regularity until late spring/ early summer. One shop got a couple of 'em but they had FCS and I passed.
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hallucinogenic_toreador
Phil Edwards status
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 5955
Loc: socal beachbreak barrels
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Quote:
Quote:
another reason i might be wary of too front footed an approach (personally speaking)
Shoot... if you can do full rail turns and don't have problems in bigger conditions, I definitely wouldn't be looking to surf more off your front foot. It's basically a technique flaw given todays hp thrusters. Seems that it can work for you in certain conditions.... but definitely has more than it's fair share of times working against you. I'm sure HT agrees.
probably so!
it's interesting, but one thing being front footed does get you is down-the-line drive and speed, and if you can transition to the back foot effectively, you get a lot of power out of the deal.
merrick considers slater a heavy front footed surfer.
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"...we woke up to perfect lefts, and that was our mission."
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andesandrew
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 05/13/06
Posts: 355
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for sure HT. thats what I meant when i said i should think about being more front-footed...more speed/drive obviously = more freedom, more speed, more powerful turns when you do actually switch to the backfoot...
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Mr Doof
Tom Curren status
Reged: 01/23/02
Posts: 10364
Loc: San Francisco, CA
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Looks a little like a "perfected" version of the fish I made.
And I am just talking about the planeshape similarties.
Edited by Mr Doof (03/06/08 10:14 AM)
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greysuit
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 11/16/06
Posts: 2502
Loc: My god..it's full of k00ks
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Ok all you AB3-fishcuit -riders. Time for a review!
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20W-50 and blood
Duke status
Reged: 02/04/04
Posts: 16764
Loc: SOCAL
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not to knock any of teh shapers who made them or rippers who signed off on them..i rode a fishcuit for my size (6'2) and it felt liek teh biggest piece of #&*#* Ive touched in awhile. Have SEVERAL 80's junker boards which do the same intended thing only way better.
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Jesus was Mexican, Ronald Reagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9-11.
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goldenarmes
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 03/31/05
Posts: 3035
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i didnt have a chance to ride one (because i'm layed up in a sling right now) but i did check 'em out at AB3 and they look like a doo-doo  i mean if drad shaped that thing and posted it up here everyone would be clowning him for dayz....most of the reviews i heard were not too favorable...but i can think of one or two who liked them. just goes to show you there's no one surfboard for everyone.... "different strokes for differnt folks"
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SouthCoastSurfer
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 02/23/07
Posts: 1931
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Quote:
not to knock any of teh shapers who made them or rippers who signed off on them..i rode a fishcuit for my size (6'2) and it felt liek teh biggest piece of #&*#* Ive touched in awhile. Have SEVERAL 80's junker boards which do the same intended thing only way better.
I rode the same 6'2" and it seems like they just took their chip quad outline and added 3" of foam all the way around. Nothing blew me away and it didn't feel like I was riding a fish - just a quad shortboard with weird rails.
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23rdstMB
Phil Edwards status
Reged: 11/14/02
Posts: 6975
Loc: S-41.32 W174 44.83 - East Pe...
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I'm coming from a different perspective in never having ridden a "true fish". I have the 6' and I feel that the board has opened up some new doors I never thought i'd walk through again. It paddles well for my size (6-1 205) and catches waves with ease (like a fish i imagine). I need to experiment with some different fins configurations but the standards seem to offer lots of speed and drive, especially off of my bottom turns...its a squirty feel. I've had two sessions on it, one really glassy and overhead and one shoulder high windswell slop. Didn't go so well in the sloppy weak stuff but went insane in the waves that had some push to them. I never felt like I had to pump the board in order to get it up to speed. But Like I said, who knows, I need to get on a true fish and compare. I bought it for summer time and I think it'll serve me well.
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BrownFish
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 03/04/05
Posts: 2686
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I think a review of any board in those conditions is completely pointless. I rode boards that I know work, but felt like dead sea logs in those conditions. I didn't get to ride a Fishcuit because they were always out, but was lucky enough to borrow one from a friend for the next week. Should be able to try it out this weekend in decent surf.
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www.brownfishhandplanes.com/
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goldenarmes
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 03/31/05
Posts: 3035
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true to what brownfish said...they waves were not too happening
...however, brownfish's tailgate was very happening. i think i can say it was the best one i've ever had the pleasure of sitting on. i woulda gone in the camper and taken a nap but the tail gate was so epic there was no way in hell i was getting off it. brownfish really knows how to stoke out the bros!
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Lankameese
Billy Hamilton status
Reged: 09/26/06
Posts: 1741
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Quote:
...Didn't go so well in the sloppy weak stuff but went insane in the waves that had some push to them...
Sounds like Al really nailed it; I'm the same size as you and I've seen one of these in a shop that was like 5'6 or whatever, way too small for me but was really just checking it out and the tail on this thing seems like its as wide as a bus... how it could not get up in small surf  ... this brief review sounds like a standard thruster review, what board if shaped halfway decent doesn't go well in waves with some push?... not a slam on you at all, just seems very mediocre to shitey... I do not think I've seen a wider tail on any fish design than this board, maybe its just a visual hallucination I might have had in the shop but the tail looks like the center point of a 23' log... haven't surfed it, cannot say its a piece of shite, but I'm very unimpressed with this and the other "new" models... seems like instead of R&D and pushing the envelope, Al and crew are 2 yrs behind the curve on issuing their "new" shapes by watching the erBB on recorded re-runs... there is nothing very new or exciting to me that I see in this design/model, maybe I'd think different if I tried one; Grif's 5-fin hp fish and quad fish blows the freaking doors off this thing as far as I can see, and there are many others like Shimbawa, and the list is pretty damn long of more exciting things I've seen and surfed  Sure as hell are a lot more choices I could think of for 700-800 otr, order custom, etc.... Channel Islands seems to be riding nostalgia and branding way too hard, they are great boards, but have become imo just another good brand, they were once the gold standard from which all others were measured, but I'm not feeling that from their boards myself anymore... I know most on here worship at the Merrick alter, I've knelt at the same alter for possibly decades, and yes I currently have one, have owned many, but I'm over it, its starting to be too much hype and not enough substance.... I know I know... SL9R, T knox, Mob, Bobby, etc etc... but lets not forget they aren't riding models, Al is shaping their boards personally and giving them exactly what each of them wants and frankly at their level of surfing they could make my local shaper a living legend if they rode his boards... we're all too eager and the praises have come too easy for so long it has had a negative effect once he sold to Burton, there's a very noticeable downturn in the excitement of Merricks as far as I am concerned... only one man's opinion. My opinion of his team riders skills are completely the opposite, my comments are more centered on the masses... a 45 board shipment just arrived today at my local shop... all never even seen by Al I'd guess, I have this vision of some cheesy Disney childrens cartoon of an assembly line and talking half-witted machines laughing a giggling as the next piece of foam travels by them and they turn the wrench on the same bolt all day long...just not where I'm at presently and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. Its actually bumming me out that I hav this opinion of CI
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just lanky
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sjc
Nep status
Reged: 06/30/04
Posts: 821
Loc: so. cal.
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it is what it is. 
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Lankameese
Billy Hamilton status
Reged: 09/26/06
Posts: 1741
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Quote:
it is what it is.
apparently, 3092 hits and this is what the thread about the fishcuit produced so far 
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just lanky
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J_P
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 08/09/05
Posts: 2916
Loc: Redondo
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Quote:
we're all too eager and the praises have come too easy for so long it has had a negative effect once he sold to Burton, there's a very noticeable downturn in the excitement of Merricks as far as I am concerned...
i thought al was heading into the shitter until i heard he 86d anacapa and was focusing on keeping things on US soil. negative since he sold to burton? like you say, it's one man's opinion (and you're completely entitled to it). mine is completely opposite. for the first time in years, i'd consider buying a new merrick.
jp
Edited by J_P (03/28/08 08:43 PM)
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Lefthander
Gerry Lopez status
Reged: 10/23/06
Posts: 1233
Loc: San Diego
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I can already see the 2009 FISHTIT model and what it's gonna read like, and it reads something like:
Al spent countless hours on the 2009 fishtit with team riders and what he came up with was basically to increase the tail and nose rocker, thin out the rails and ride it even shorter than the 2008 model for a truly magic ride 
I love how the mbm of 2007 was just totally revamped and improved on for 2008, basically what AL did to create a whole new updated model of the mbm was to make it narrower in the nose and make the rails even lower and boxier to improve your sinking not surfing
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DougMoody
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 05/04/06
Posts: 449
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Quote:
I can already see the 2009 FISHTIT model and what it's gonna read like, and it reads something like:
Al spent countless hours on the 2009 fishtit with team riders and what he came up with was basically to increase the tail and nose rocker, thin out the rails and ride it even shorter than the 2008 model for a truly magic ride
I love how the mbm of 2007 was just totally revamped and improved on for 2008, basically what AL did to create a whole new updated model of the mbm was to make it narrower in the nose and make the rails even lower and boxier to improve your sinking not surfing
The MBM was never updated. It's the same board it's always been. I think you're confusing it with the MBM 2 or the Bobby model which is very different.
The Fishquit is just an alternative shape that he worked out with Machado, just like with the Bisquit.
Believe it or not Channel Islands doesn't pay their riders what people think they do. The riders make their money getting a piece of signature board sales. If Channel Islands was paying these guys to ride boards you wouldn't have seen Kelly on a Simon Anderson, or Bobby surfing Bells on a DHD. These guys get hundreds of boards a year from a bunch of shapers. Channel Islands has always been a Board company. Al never had the retail clothing revenue where the real moneys made. He was a guy building great boards and making a decent living out of it. As a board builder he knew he didn't have the capital to take material design to the next level so he found a way to partner with a solid company and protect his brand, not to mantion being able to retire finally after being in the business for decades.
Al Merrick has earned his reputation. Don't hate the man because he is and has remained on top for so long.
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Lefthander
Gerry Lopez status
Reged: 10/23/06
Posts: 1233
Loc: San Diego
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sorry I seem to have split the hair here too much with the M-BM of old with the MBM-II which is based off of the old model
Now below is a link to the bobby model(MBM-II which is off of the MBM, a little redundant here but I think you get it) which is off of the M-Bm of the past ,hmmmmmm....
I'm not a hater i just think that it's interesting to see updated models get thinned out and then have some forgiveness shaped back into them a year later which is then called a new model.
that's all
http://cisurfboards.com/sb_bobby.asp
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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20W-50 and blood
Duke status
Reged: 02/04/04
Posts: 16764
Loc: SOCAL
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while those waves werent anything to judge a good wave board by...I have to argue they REALLY let the small wave baords prove themselves. I rode four boards that were all intended for small/weak ass vato waves. Cool. the waves suck and the crowd blows, but lets see what board makes the most of it. I rode four baords total, 2 stood out to me, and one board stood out to two peopel watching me ride it. The fishcit stood out as a lop of crap, meant for small waves but sucked in comparison to MANY small wave boards, let aloen what i rode that day. The griffin stod out big time as somethign other worldy, as it was narrow for me, but made better use of the foam, getting in teh dinkers easier (im 240 now biatch paddle is key) going through the gay sectiosn easier, and felt great on one carve and one weak smack. The sputnik i rode was WAY diff than the small wave fish I am used to, VERY diff to the point where I wasnt neccesarily digging because it didnt cater to me (ie fat kook style). However, I got some fun turns on it and most def felt teh advantages of those entry rails. A homie and another scary poster from here both commented that I had a more than decent (for me) ride on it(saw teh same wave i think). The feel didnt siut me, but others say I was rockin it. Kind ofliek teh first time you travel downstairs....ya may not enjoy..but if the noises are chochina somethign must be going right! ORALE! 
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Jesus was Mexican, Ronald Reagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9-11.
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SouthCoastSurfer
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 02/23/07
Posts: 1931
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Quote:
I think a review of any board in those conditions is completely pointless. I rode boards that I know work, but felt like dead sea logs in those conditions. I didn't get to ride a Fishcuit because they were always out, but was lucky enough to borrow one from a friend for the next week. Should be able to try it out this weekend in decent surf.
I disagree - the Fishcuit is supposed to feel "fast & skatey" in "knee high to head and a half" waves and the 5 or so waves I caught on it I can't say I can agree with their assessment.
California isn't head high & glassy everyday (duh) and to be able to try boards like the 6'2" fishcuit and swap in the water with 20w for the 5'11" Zippi Twin Fin Fish in below average conditions and absolutely fly down the line BACKSIDE and annihilate the wave is a true testament in the very same conditions speaks volumes.
Looking for a board that's fast & skatey in knee-high to head high waves? Call up Zippi and have him shape you a twin fin fish.
The fishcuit does neither and to me only fills a void in the Channel Island fanboy's quiver so he can tell his bros that "he has a fish too" even if it doesn't work as intended.
You can disagree with people's opinions but to call them pointless? Hmm...
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DougMoody
Legend (inyourownmind)
Reged: 05/04/06
Posts: 449
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Quote:
sorry I seem to have split the hair here too much with the M-BM of old with the MBM-II which is based off of the old model
Now below is a link to the bobby model(MBM-II which is off of the MBM, a little redundant here but I think you get it) which is off of the M-Bm of the past ,hmmmmmm....
I'm not a hater i just think that it's interesting to see updated models get thinned out and then have some forgiveness shaped back into them a year later which is then called a new model.
that's all
http://cisurfboards.com/sb_bobby.asp
There's no such thing as an MBM of old and a new MBM. The MBM is still and always will be what it is. The MBM 2, or Bobby, is a lower rail volume, single concave, higher rockered board good wave board. They are both still available. The original MBM isn't going anywhere for a long time.
Personaly I don't know of an example of Al rehashing a shape over and over again. I suppose the only example could be the flyer which he took the V out behind the back fin and ran the double concave all the way through.
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Big Brother
Nep status
Reged: 07/14/03
Posts: 557
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hey anyone notice bm wasn't riding a ci at bells? also kelly was riding a stickered board from another shaper. no?
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ShShSh
Miki Dora status
Reged: 04/27/06
Posts: 5000
Loc: Santa Barbarea
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Quote:
hey anyone notice bm wasn't riding a ci at bells? also kelly was riding a stickered board from another shaper. no?
(1) Kelly WAS riding an Al Merrick board at Bell's. He had his 5'10" swallow Flyer & 5'11" K with him on most days. He probably had a Simon Anderson floating in the background, but he didn't ride it.
(2) Bobby is sponsored by CI. He was riding a DHD. I don't think it means anything, other than he found a good board from Darren and chose to ride it in conditions it was meant for. Maybe he's leaving the team and will take $$$ from DHD to ride his boards. I hope not, but... maybe. So what. The MBM is a great board.
It's been said before, but it bears repeating. CI doesn't pay their sponsored riders -- none of them. It's true, not even Kelly is "paid" by CI to ride their boards. Rather, the best riders get a royalty off boards bearing their names, so it pays for those guys to ride the best board they can. It would not pay for them to ride a piece of sh!t just because it says, "Al Merrick." CI is what gives them cache value, and they stick with Al because he can consistently produce for them a winner. I don't want to be sticking my neck out here, but I respect Al Merrick & CI for what they've done. They produce consistent surfboards; no, they don't produce the latest flavor with all the bells & whistles -- rather, they produce what some may call a vanilla surfboard, but one that you know will work for you every time.
From time to time their riders may try other shapers boards because they can, but it doesn't mean that CI is on a downward spiral. It just means that the riders want to keep their minds and eyes open to trying other stuff. Chances are they're paying full pop to try that out, but so what. [Example: Andy Irons was sponsored by HIC for a while. He'd get boards at full price from other shapers, too (including Al Merrick, you might recall), and just put his HIC sticker on there.]
Now, with that done: I like bells & whistles, too. It's why I try different boards. What it comes down to is what you like, and what you're willing to try!
CI bashing simply for the sake of trying to cut the tallest poppy is senseless. They produce boards in the US, with US shapers and US glassers. They've made mistakes along the way to growth, but who hasn't? Try to keep an open mind. CI is not flooding our market with cheap Chinese pop-outs which will kill our domestic shapers. Rather, they're charging top dollar for domestically produced boards, which in turn probably HELPS our other domestic shapers by pulling up their prices but still keeps them reasonable to the average buyer.
Just another angle at which to view the landscape. 
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Gone. Send hate mail to me at: ShShSh
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Dawn_patrol
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 04/17/06
Posts: 2392
Loc: HB
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Reverend!
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goldenarmes
Michael Peterson status
Reged: 03/31/05
Posts: 3035
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" I don't want to be sticking my neck out here, but I respect Al Merrick & CI for what they've done. They produce consistent surfboards; no, they don't produce the latest flavor with all the bells & whistles -- rather, they produce what some may call a vanilla surfboard, but one that you know will work for you every time."
i have to disagree 100%. is surfride getting factory 2nd's or something? when i see off the rack merricks i see alll kinds of weird shit....uneven rails...flat spots... one board was even wider on one side than the other.
i've owned plenty of merricks and i've had 1 good one. unfortunately it was my second CI and i just kept chasing it. never had a good one since and that was probably 5 boards. to be fair i havent bought a CI in about 10 years.... im sure if you are a pro you are going to get the best the shaper can offer but if you are joe blow buying a board off the rack you are not going to get the attention to detail...you are getting a computer cut (which i personally have absolutely no problem with) blank thats finished off by ????
just my opinion and experience with CI YMMV
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otf
Tom Curren status
Reged: 01/11/02
Posts: 11138
Loc: clownburg the OC
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Quote:
I think a review of any board in those conditions is completely pointless. I rode boards that I know work, but felt like dead sea logs in those conditions. I didn't get to ride a Fishcuit because they were always out, but was lucky enough to borrow one from a friend for the next week. Should be able to try it out this weekend in decent surf.
I disagree G. I was lucky enough to steal your light turquoise[sp] green speed dialer and had a freaking blast.
If you ever get bored with that thing, let me know.
As for the fishcuit board, never got a chance to ride it. I rode so many other boards that worked really well in the small mushy surf. Some way better than others. Seen "Oceanslide tear it up on some wierd quad fishy board. Don't have a clue who shaped it.
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Getting old is not for wimps ~ O.T.
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