Wielding a balance ruler the size of a small child, Al Merrick scrupulously examined the minutiae in the foam blanks. Like a Moroccan merchant, the Santa Barbara shaping legend inspected the goods ...

Three generations of surfing’s Merrick family: father Al, left, founded Channel Islands Surfboards in 1969; son Britt, middle, is buying back the company from Burton Snowboards; and grandson Isaiah is ...

“I surf like Curren.” First of all, that statement is bullshit. Nobody surfs like Tom Curren. But every surfer from Kelly Slater to your neighbor’s kid has wanted to at some time. Since they can’t ...

This is the shortboard for surfers with champagne taste and a box-wine budget. The six-foot-plus Glider was designed by Al Merrick, the revered shaper at Channel Islands Surfboards, and then ...