Channel Islands Retains Its Roots.

Way back in 2006, the famed brand Burton snowboards purchased Channel Islands surfboards from legendary shaper, Al Merrick. But 14 years later, in 2014, an ownership group that included Al’s son, Britt, pro surfers Dane Reynolds, the Gudauskas brothers, and a handful of CI-staff, reclaimed the brand from Burton, thus returning the famed board maker from its corporate parent. The sale price was never disclosed, but word was that they paid around $6m, with the major shareholder as Britt Merrick, who also took the role of CEO. 

That quote is from Britt, who was obviously stoked about the transfer of ownership.

When Channel Islands was purchased by Burton, Britt was still on the come up, ascending the ranks and working on his craft as a shaper. Over the years, he grew into the leadership position that he holds today as a keeper of the flame that his dad first lit.

“I literally grew up in my mom and dad’s surfboard factory, and was there to see how hard they and their whole family of employees worked to make Channel Islands one of the most highly regarded board builders in the world,” said Britt. “When Burton partnered with us, they provided an incredible amount of support and shared their knowledge, which ultimately helped us to keep building the best boards possible right here at home in Carpinteria, California.”

About the new structure that shifted ownership back the the CI staff and team riders, Britt was optimistic and said that it “has us all super pumped for what the future holds.” 

The move was cheered on by the broader surf community.

The first wave of speculation assumed that Burton was offloading CI because the board manufacturer was bleeding cash. But according to Channel Islands, at the time of the repurchase, the brand was enjoying its most profitable year in more than a decade. The industry and larger community of fans applauded the move, especially when the new group announced that the brand would continue making boards in Santa Barbara, as they had since their inception.
   
But the most appealing element of the acquisition was the fact that surfers would be the primary shareholders. 

Lots of pro surfers have gone own to own their own brands. Examples such as Quiksilver, Billabong, and Rip Curl have paved the way for newer upstarts like Rivvia Projects, Outerknown, and Dane’s clothing brand, Former. But the connection to authenticity was even more resonant since the brand was connected to the building of the boards themselves, which the culture regards as a cherished and time-honored craft that is essential to the sanctity of surf heritage.

The new ownership group sets the standard for the surf community.

According to the owners of Channel Islands:


The driving force behind the brand’s success is greatly attributed to its star-studded team of surfers that worked closely with them to create and build the world’s best surf- boards designed to help them win competitions and world championships.

Over the past four decades, Channel Islands Surfboards has helped surfers like Kelly Slater, Tom Cur- ren, Lisa Anderson, Kim Mearig, Adriano De Souza, and Sofia Mulánovich earn a combined total of 20 World Champion titles. Today, surfers such as Dane Reynolds, Lakey Peterson, Mikey February, Parker Coffin, Sage Erickson, Bobby Martinez, the Gudauskas brothers, Yadin Nicol, Eithan Osborne, and many more continue to build on that legacy, with another wave of young talents like Taj Lindblad, Alyssa Spencer and Luke Swanson right behind them looking poised to help Channel Islands deliver even bigger things in the years to come. 

The idea of a crowd favorite winning its independence from a corporate handler has all the appeal of a classic rebel uprising that the surf community idolizes. Putting the steerage and agency back into real surfers hands is exactly what the culture needs. The Chanel Islands story represents a precedent that we’d love to see happen more, if the culture is going to continue to flourish.

At Better Off, this independent spirit and love for the Little Guy is a driving force in our business and culture. As kindred spirits, we wish the Merricks, the staff at CI, and the team owners all the best as the continue to grow the business and bless us all with their boards.