Hey Swellinfo. Has anybody here actually ridden a Channel Islands K Step-up boart, and if so, can you provide some feedback? Extra points if you can compare/contrast it with the Merrick KS12 or other Merrick shortboart model. I like the rounded pin look of it, but I can find very little actual information on how it rides in practice.
I used to own one, (custom made for me, size etc.) several years back. Very fast radical board; I used it well in waves that were quite large (12ft faces). But......it paddled like crap, heading out to break it was hard to get that board moving with the water moving around, swirling during large surf, when that board is called for. The center of thickness is down at your belt line; I like it at chest level. When you lunged forward to paddle stroke, the nose dived; often; too often. And that never happened to me with any other board, ever. Got rid of it. I sold it and custom ordered a similar board from Mike Baron (Byrne) with thickness at chest level--it is one of my all time favorites. That was the last CI board I ever bought. Never again.
