Are Alternative Surfboards Just A Trend? | Surf100 Mexico

Over time boards have gotten smaller, wider, and in some cases softer. All these changes, whether slight or severe, have been a direct response to consumer demand. Britt Merrick at Channel Islands surfboards gave us his take on the two categories.

[@vegetables3004]

stab is just one of those angry fellas on his thruster when the waves are 2 foot and everyone else is on logs

[@SOVESOVE3]

Hahah i do the same shit get mad at log riders doing one paddle to get on a wave. When im riding a shortboard. But also laughing at short-boarders struggling when i am chilling on my log

[@zareh805]

Pumping so hard they’re having strokes.

[@Nebulation]

@@SOVESOVE3 but they get theirs in the winter time when you can't make a paddle out on a long board

[@SOVESOVE3]

@@Nebulation yeah legit hahaha. Although ive seen some of the local older guys charge huge days on the longboards while me and my mates are all on shortboards

[@SOVESOVE3]

@@Nebulation crazy shit. Imagine going over the falls and a 9ft log hits u in the head

[@evangillespiemusic8805]

I would love to think unconventional surfboards are here to stay, look at what Tomo is doing with his design’s, who doesn’t love a twinny with a bit of extra volume for the older guys ha,

[@SkipperSurfReview]

I love alternative boards Lovelace, Album and NPJ. They come with better quality and I find them working much better delivering amazing glide than high performance hybrids from the shelf. I’ve recently got CI Twin Pin. That’s the only board that I was interested in big brand lately. It’s a great board however the glass job is poor. So many pressure bumps after 3 sessions. Anyway, I think the alternative boards have a bright future🤙🏼🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@joeboonmusic4004]

100%, NPJ and Lovelace are masters.

[@thebaronofbelco2615]

NPJ.... the foam Druid... and top bloke

[@John-tg5vn]

Wasn’t the thruster an alt board when it originally came out?

[@noexpectations17]

No, the thruster wasn't an "alternative." It was new, but not an alternative to riding a single fin. The thruster was superior to a single fin and progressed surfing because it solved a lot of the single's problems: not accelerating out of turns, not staying on rail when turning at the top of the wave, having to do cutbacks in stages, not being stable in white water, etc. All those things, they're easy to do on a thruster, right? Check out some footage from the ʻ70s, single fins sucked.

[@tomyoungman2983]

@@noexpectations17 'single fins sucked' shut up ya peanut

[@ifanemyr4975]

I personally hope he's right, that everyone will go back to struggling on thrusters and I'll be the only twinny/log/quad guy out having a blast. I preferred to be the alternative guy whereas now, I'm the same as everyone else.... 😲

[@glennsak]

Only 5% of the surfing population can even ride a high performance shortboard well. They are the pros. If you are an intermediate surfer, expect lots of missed waves, arm flapping and butt humping.

[@taradead]

Hpsb don't work at my local spot. Waves are too slopey/ mushy...can't make the flat spots without flapping your ass off. Round nose fish-type with 5 boxes works best here (not that "alternative", but close)

[@ross2358]

I’m in my 30s and have had a bunch of shoulder injuries. I still ride a HPSB on good days. But I’m not going pro any time soon so alternative boards make it much easier to get into waves on smaller weaker days.

[@bradwalker4762]

Open your minds people. It's not one or the other. We are entering a new realm of surfing where you can literally have 5 or 10 boards and love each of them equally. The board design simply dictates the way in which you wish to approach the waves on any given day, depending on the conditions.

[@sharkfinsurfchannel]

The problem is thrusters don't work very often in some places like........Florida. I own at least 25 boards. The thrusters mostly just sit there.

[@adamwaz5615]

He does realise that only a minute % of surfers can actually utilise a performance surfboard and the vast majority of surfers just want to have maximum fun out in the surf. More foam=paddle power=more waves 🤙🤙

[@AlleyTrashBoards]

Not to mention that those boards suck when the surf sucks.

[@vaughnsigal4560]

If every wave was exactly the same, you could ride the same thruster all year long. Different waves need different boards

[@thomevans4018]

I think that there is a time and place for both, there are different conditions that ask for different boards and also if you have a very well made, high performance alt board, they can go just as well as standard shorties but they do different things

[@mattbgraves]

always nice to see Britt!

[@joeboonmusic4004]

Every culture has it's 'master race'... In surf culture it's the thruster cult. This era of surfing is beautiful because of how many different (many young) shapers there are, trying new things... I love how many great surfers are out there riding logs, fishes, twins, quads, alaias, finless boards, asyms... We have surf films being made by super stylish masters like Ryan Burch and Torren Martyn, and crazy aerial-heavy performance surfing. They both have a place.

[@noahg-123]

so psyched for this one, especially the focus on the equipment. I think no matter how much media gets put out on pros boards, it's never really gonna be enough...

[@zareh805]

I mean I’ve been surfing “Alt” boards since day 1 and love them. My style just compliments them.

[@nickwoodward1511]

I like both!!

[@jordysanchez6551]

They been here for a while now , 55 x 19 1/4 remember ? , and they are here to stay ,

[@dylanrobertson5010]

Simon Anderson’s thruster is over 40 years old. at what point does it become retro?

[@bradtremble6728]

The average surfer will always need something that makes his senses come alive with the least amount of effort. With that said I believe there will always be a balance. We’re not going to go backwards to the pre-2000’s thruster age ever again.

[@devinsupera]

From my experiences trying different shapes and styles in different conditions, it just feels like i'm doing more on my less high performance boards most of the time. I think if I was a lot better and had access to better waves more often it would be hard to get me off hi-fi but as an average surfer with below average conditions, taking out something odd just makes more out of the slop to me.

[@sawoszao]

Well that aged great with CI releasing single fin midlengths etc

[@paulisexpensive]

this is a great advert - i wonder if channel islands want people to buy a new performance short board?

[@adamwaz5615]

Or if they want people to buy their boards since Slater and others have left the brand 😂

[@jimmyggreg8999]

Says the crew who put a fishbeard into the EAST. More a whinge about not being able to pump out cookie cutter shorties XD

[@ronaldbronson1285]

"cookie cutter short boards" lol just cause you cant tell the difference doesn't mean it's not there

[@AlleyTrashBoards]

Performance is great and all for pros, not so much for the average surfer. It also doesn’t help when 200 days out of the year you got crumby surf that those high performance boards can’t handle.

[@craig8638]

I like alternative boards because I can get the dimensions I want. I would love a Lost performance board appropriate for my age and weight but they are impossible to find right now.

[@adamwaz5615]

JS have them all day long 🤙

[@sdsurfs]

100% agree, everything moves in cycles. Alts and thrusters are sick, but if all you ride are alts, doesn't it make a thruster your alt?

[@wolf-yw9wk]

when you average waist high waves it makes sense that as you learn more about different types of boards you realize trying to pump down the line isn't as fun as being able to fly on waves that don't have as much power. i had all thrusters at one point, now i have 2 and i rarely ride them because the waves are not usually good enough to warrant it. i'll stick to my twin fins and enjoy not working for speed. when its head high + i'll break out my thrusters but that's few and far between.

[@ShaneOConnorRec]

Joel Tudor would ride a thruster shortboard back in the day. He tends not to anymore, but he was still good at it. The beauty of where surfing is at right now is diversity. I have no problem taking a 6' shortboard out on a day that it will work, and then ride longboards on 1' days and fish shapes on 3' sloppy days. It makes the process more artful. Watching someone struggle to surf a 6' HPS on a 2' wind chop day is not exactly graceful. Even Dane rides different boards for those days.

[@hbrhbr7113]

I mean the way a see it is you need both.. the "alternative" boards bring you enough revenew to keep you profiting and trying out new systems and shapes and thats positive. Sadly not everyone who enjoys surfing live nearby the sea. In my case its 1hour driving which makes it impossible to surf during week days in the winter. Yep you can still go on the weekend but you still have to time with your personal life + weather & sea conditions. An "alternative" board is allways a good thing to have to go for a fun session with some out of shape friends or family and for those small summer days :) .. riding an alternative board is like going to the spa.. you're aiming for a nice fun and relaxing session nothing more. On the other hand a performance board is a MUST HAVE. Someitmes you just feel like you want to drestoy some waves and go crazy (or at least feel that way) and the short boards make you feel pro even if you just an average surfer and thats ok as long as you are aware of that and dont act like a wannabe

[@bonefishboards]

At the speeds surfers travel at, alternative boards are fun to play with. However, the best performance for most surfers in most conditions are pretty standard fare across a few general planshapes, rockers and volume.

[@benwoods9650]

How can something be alternative if its the mainstream 🤔

[@John-tg5vn]

🤔

[@Dicko301]

Classic one of the best candidates for alternate boards is Machado , who road performance boards by channel islands in the day.

[@indigokinzey6185]

U just put my three favorite surfers in surf 100 and im just learning about this now? Damn im behind

[@SterlingSigurdsen]

I have that Voodoo child Mason is riding. That board is really good.

[@stevencaldwell838]

Personally, after 40 years of surfing, the last board I’d get is a thruster!

[@xwhite2020]

Put a standard thruster fin cluster on most mid lengths and fish type things and they go sick. Never forget the thruster fin setup is far more maneuverable in every situation.

[@davidmoore8397]

@@xwhite2020 Two plus one go even better in fish type boards!

[@krokus1972]

more money in pumping out shorties that last 6 months than making the right board for the right surfer.

[@SOVESOVE3]

Having both alt boards and performance boards in ur quiver is the way to go. Alt boards are defs here to stay as they appeal to the average surfer more than a 5’8 stick shaped for only the best waves on the planet

[@AlexMartinez-rz9yi]

Im confused it's a ci board but homie has a mayhem?

[@Hotwire_RCTrix]

If you're under 50 and surf several times a week performance boards are great. People come in all shapes sizes and abilities. PS CI mid lengths have always been a half hearted effort. Slow stiff with limited glide.

[@joeboonmusic4004]

Tbh I’m 24 and surf every day but I still prefer twins and logs… I’d rather focus on style than being flashy. I love that surfing allows us to be individuals

[@markcreamer4649]

I completely agree

[@Hotwire_RCTrix]

@@latentsea How old are you, if might ask politely.

[@Hotwire_RCTrix]

So I wonder what Al Merrick is riding now. Maybe 5'6" dumpster diver. Na

[@Hotwire_RCTrix]

@Dan Hancuff Al is 77 Skip is 79. If you're lucky you get to live that long but you won't be riding a 5'6" performance thruster the week before. It all depends on luck not how many pushups and green milkshakes you consumed. Stop putting down people who need alternative board designs. Stop putting down people because your sh!t hasn't hit the fan yet. Smug and lucky quickly becomes poor me.

[@whatrulookinatmygusforonin4542]

Personally, I think those forgiving performance board designs like the two happy and the sub driver are the future for average joes

[@charleshawk6668]

Nope

[@CODhawk27]

Never saw the appeal of alt boards, they just seem to complicate matters when you're trying to turn or go vertical. maybe for mushy waves but for me a thruster has always been the go-to.

[@CODhawk27]

@Tim Rolle I've surfed twin fins. they're fun to change things up, but it's just extra effort for no reason when you want to hit the lip or fast, responsive turns. alternative shapes are for eternal intermediates like you.

[@CODhawk27]

@@ashhartling9713 they're exceptions to the rule, clearly. twin fins are fine, my main point was that i never saw the appeal of alt shapes like midlengths and eggs.

[@joeboonmusic4004]

@@CODhawk27 Mainly trim... Surfing a well shaped mid-length by thomas bexon or ryan lovelace is a totally new feeling... You work with the wave, not against it, effortless trim, big carves, getting into a wave earlier and drawing different lines, that's what it's all about.

[@CODhawk27]

@@joeboonmusic4004 I guess if that's what youre into, go for it. But that kind of surfing never appealed to me

[@joeboonmusic4004]

@@CODhawk27 That's fair! Aerials never appealed to me, the beauty of surfing is the variety.

[@zachsmith3299]

I wonder what Britt would think if he looks through these comments?

[@dougiereid5001]

Most people I see riding a 'performance thruster' shouldn't be.... Britt's of course interested in shaping for the best surfers in the World but the rest of us need to open our minds and find shapes that work for us, and are most importantly, fun.

[@squirewinter7186]

💦I have been shaping for 50 years.. depends on the surfer and his desires and the wave..constant evolution is the key to success of our lifestyle 🌅🌊💦🤙

[@taradead]

If by "alt", he means those super wide-tailed keel fins boards, then, yeah... everyone I see on those can't surf worth a crap. RNFs are good...make the flats, but can still go vert.

[@dan1e1473]

I feel like Britt's statements are taken out of context here. The first one is probably a joke, and the second one is probably what satisfies him as a shaper, not as a surfer.

[@dorthysavage6660]

yeww

[@greghart6310]

Retro = retrogressive. I surfed a lot in the 70's and 80's on single fins. Then quit. Then took it up again in this century - the equipment is night and day apart. Performance thrusters are SO much better in every single respect. Dont go backwards, trust me, you are wasting precious surfing time and robbing yourself of the best experience available. People keep telling me they "want to feel something different" - try getting your lazy ass into a gym, do yoga, improve yourself then go do some rad airs. That is where the feeling you are looking for lies, not in some funky, retarded, out of date stick.

[@stantonmcduffie8034]

kook

[@joeboonmusic4004]

How about people do what they want in the water? Surfing is beautiful because of its variation. I don’t want to see everyone pulling airs on a wafer thin shortboard

[@greghart6310]

@@stantonmcduffie8034 Far from it. Only a doos would make a comment like yours

[@greghart6310]

@@joeboonmusic4004 You ever done an air?

[@Jesterian]

Oh, that’s Greg Hart. He only lives to get radical - he doesn’t have any real understanding of the sea, so he’ll never get the spiritual side of it.

[@adamharrington6888]

When you’re the biggest guy in a crowded lineup surfing average waves a high performance board will make you angry and wanting to go back home and enjoy some warm coffee (Specifically Folgers Classic Roast with hazelnut or French vanilla creamer ) #Sesh sucked bro I’ll try again tomorrow with a bigger alternative board

[@DustinKeiser]

I disagree, there will always be a time and a place for a fun board (fishes, mid lengths, asyms, etc.) especially in California where the waves aren’t that good for high performance boards most the time.

[@user-yz7ux1qj1v]

get a longboard, a soft top, and a fish...and youre set

[@user-rt5zv1fh9k]

3 min al meric ad...

[@debaucherizer]

riding a weird board or fins makes you surf differently. that way if you surf like a kook at least you look different than everyone else.

[@khanjones9390]

No one cares what you look like

[@debaucherizer]

@@khanjones9390 thats not what your sister said

[@khanjones9390]

@@debaucherizer guaranteed my sister would look at you and call you a poser, we'd probably do a little imitation voice of how you talk, you'd come across really breathy and self obsessed

[@debaucherizer]

@@khanjones9390 i thought it was spelled posuer

[@LG-db8cu]

Alternative boards are great for disguising or compensating for your lack of ability. that's why they're so popular these days because 80% of the lineup are kooks. Sorry to say but it's true.

[@charleshawk6668]

Kooks on hpsb’s in 1-2 foot surf 😂

[@user-tp3vx9gj3l]

average joe just wants boards that work for them. we are not all dane reynolds or mason ho. who give a sh*t whether it is thruster or alternative?

[@John-tg5vn]

China Islands

[@khanjones9390]

Eh, wgaf. If waves are good it would be weird to ride an alt board, like what for? So I guess he's right

[@joeboonmusic4004]

That’s just not true at all… it’s not weird to do anything, ride what you want. Single fins work beautifully on point breaks, mid lengths are incredible in bigger surf. Why limit yourself? I get bored of seeing people doing the same shit.

[@khanjones9390]

@@joeboonmusic4004 well I've got Merrick on my side so

[@joeboonmusic4004]

@@khanjones9390 And? I've got Neal Purchase Jr, Thomas Bexon, Dead Kooks, Ryan Lovelace on mine... Surfing is beautiful because of it's diverse range of craft... Who gives a fuck what shape it is or how many fins it has, as long as you surf well.

[@khanjones9390]

@@joeboonmusic4004 as long as you surf well. Synonym; perform well. To perform well use performance surfboard. Your belief extended by basic logic

[@joeboonmusic4004]

@@khanjones9390 Surf well/perform well is based on a lot more than sheer modernity of manoeuvres... To perform well means different things depending on what you're riding. If you want to perform well on a log when it's small, that includes style, nose-riding and millions of other factors that surfers like Joel Tudor exemplify... There's so much more to surfing than this boring world of assuming that only the thruster is 'performance surfing'. The 90s was a trash-heap of people only riding little thrusters because of some master race of shortboarders that thought everything else sucked. We're in a wonderful era of free-surfers riding so much different equipment. Young shapers are trying new things, it's exciting. Style is in fashion again with surfers like Torren Martyn and Harrison Roach not wasting an entire wave just for one air reverse or some shit. Open your mind and enjoy surfing and stop trying to shove it in a box.

[@RideTheTideSurfSchoolBarbados]

Seriously at this stage it’s like whatever. But honestly F@&! Competitive surfing and anyone getting frustrated riding the wrong board for their ability & conditions. Love the progressive progressiveness of elite surfers but I don’t enjoy surfing becoming a coffee table sport as per the direction of WSL, It’s boring.

[@whatmemories3728]

The topic seems a little suspect coming out of his mouth.

[@100chickeneggs5]

the hippies are angry in the comment section! cope!

[@jimzzful]

It's just clickbait you can tell by the tone in his voice that he's talking shit, stab and c.i are just trying to get you all talking and they're succeeding hahahah c.i dumpster , the pod , mtf , twin fins , average Joe's , fish beards and mid lengths c.i has always been into them . I love al boards but of it's head Height or + wedging beach or reef then it's hard to beat a thurster with the appropriate rocker and volume . Each to there own really

[@Gontran_Courtjoie]

Are caveman beards just a trend? I mean, how can you live a normal life with this thing attached to your face? Eating, drinking.. your beard gets involved in everything you do! That would annoy me alot!