Check out the Premiere for The Crossing a Documentary Film about Blake Carmichael & Team BLU3s experience in The Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, the 80 mile paddleboard race from The Bahamas to Florida. The net proceeds [&hellip... Read More

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The following is from an article written by Zander Morton for Surfer Magazine,If You Could Only Travel With One Surfboard, This Would Be The Model: An in-depth review on The Happy Traveler from Channel Islands Surfboards>>>>The one board quiver is an oxymoron. And its also a unicorn, because it doesnt exist.No surfboard is indestructible. Nor does any single model work in every type of waves. Its why our garages overflow with surfboards of all different shapes and sizes. Its also why we pay exorbitant airline fees to lug 5 boards halfway around the world for a 10-day trip.That said, if you were theoretically forced to travel with only one surfboard somewhere you were guaranteed to score waves in the head-to double-overhead range, what board would you choose? With that question in mind (and a solid forecast for a quick strike to Sumatra), I grabbed a stock 510" Happy Traveler byCI Surfboards off the rack at theOnboard Storein Bali and headed for the airport.Why the Happy Traveler?After watching former pro surfer (and Hollow Trees Resort manager) Liam Turner rule flexing HTs during multiple swells this season while riding his 62" Happy Traveler, it seemed like a solid choice. If you were just gonna buy one board [for Indo] itd have to be the Happy Traveler, Turner saysin this clip. They paddle really well, they hold really well, and theyre never gonna do anything wrong.Happy Traveler SpecsDimensions:5'10" x 18 3/4 x 2 3/8Liters:27.6LTesting the Happy Traveler Day 1: Left SlabI'm 5'9" and 150 pounds, and I ride shortboards around 25.5 liters. The 510" Happy Traveler I chose is three inches longer with an extra 2 liters of foam. Size wise, its a classic step-up: A board with a bit of extra length and thickness, but not so much to sacrifice performance.The first morning we pulled up to a fickle left slab. I watched a backless set unload in slow motion. Without overthinking it, I grabbed the HT and paddled straight out.While Channel Islands says the HT maximizes your paddling power and ability to catch waves with more thickness carried in the forward deck and rail, and a fuller outline in the front third of the board, I quickly realized I should have grabbed the stock 62" for a session like this. There was a lot of water moving. Way more than it looked from the beach. So while Ihadstepped it up, Ihadntstepped it up enough for a wave that more closely resembled Teahupoo than anything I expected to surf.Still, I had to ride a bomb. After 45 minutes waiting my turn, a proper 6-footer appeared, and I paddled as hard as I could. Attempting to knife the drop straight into the tube on my backhand, instead I got launched out of the lip without my board. The only thing I remember is thetingof my leash snapping underwater before getting absolutely annihilated.While the board wasnt broken (fortunately), my spirit was. I took the rest of the session off, deciding to test the HT again the next day in the type of waves where its meant to be ridden.Perfect from far, but far from perfect. And much bigger than it looks.Testing the Happy Traveler Day 2: Right SlabPulling my tail out from between my legs, I paddled out on the second morning into a much more manageable slab than what Id surfed (err, tried to surf) the day before. A 4- to 6-foot right, with a tube section off the takeoff a nice, tapered wall. On my forehand, it was a much more approachable wave.With less energy in the water, it was so much easier to paddle the HT. The extra foam under my chest was extremely helpful as I scratched into meaty waves, but once I stood up, the board felt like a normal performance shortboard, except without any chatter or slide. Channel Islands claims the board's "decreased concave between the fins, straighter pulled in outline in the back third, and leading fins placement closer to the rail optimize hold and control in quality surf.I can attest to that. As hard as I pushed, the board pushed back. Not once did it slip out (even while knifing late under the lip), nor did I ever lose a rail through a carve. The way Turner described the Happy Traveler as a board thats never gonna do anything wrong felt spot on. Unlike yesterday, I made a few tubes, and never got launched out of the lip.Thats more like it.Testing the Happy Traveler Day 3: Left PointAfter two days of nerves and anxiety, the swell dropped. While I did pack a shortboard for the trip, in the interest of sticking with the one board quiver concept, I still paddled out on my Happy Traveler at a 3- to- 4 foot, peeling left point.I was skeptical. Even though the HT is only three inches bigger than my performance shortboard, I thought it would feel too long on a smaller wave with a tight pocket. While the HT carved super well on the open face in bigger waves yesterday, could I also jam it in the pocket?While it took a few waves to find my feet, once I did, the board performed beautifully. The day before, I was mostly driving though tubes and turning out on the face, so my back foot was always up between the fins. For smaller surf, I had to keep my back foot directly over the back fin, which then allowed for pivot in the pocket, and freedom and release through the lip. After an hour, I was so in tune with the HT I totally forgot I was even riding a longer surfboard.Waves under head high? The HT still works.The Verdict: Is The Happy Traveler the elusive one board quiver?As we already mentioned, there is no single surfboard for all waves. But, for 90 percent of surf trips, the Channel Islands' Happy Traveler is about as close as youll get to a board for every wave the ocean throws your way. That said, its not unbreakable, so at the very least, you want to pack two of them. And if the forecast shows a swell over 6 feet? Definitely step up your step up. You dont want to be like me, flying through the air on the wave of the trip, cursing yourself for not packing a board with a just little more length and foam.

Check out the highlights from the Team at Starboard while attending the 2023 ICF SUP World Champs! Races in the anticipated Sprint, Distance and Technical categories were all shown here in Pattaya, Thailand! The 2023 ICF [&hellip... Read More

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Hollow Tree's resort manager and surf guide Liam Turner explaining his perfect four board quiver for the waves in the Mentawai Islands.

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The post Monthly Round-up of SUP / June 2024 appeared first on SUPboarder Magazine.

Watch this short video to see what boards Britt had with him upon return from WSLs Margaret River competition. Britts board bagknown as the Team Traveler Wheeledcan accommodate 6 to 8 boards, has internal straps and a few pockets to stash extra gear. This bomber-built bag boasts more 20mm foam paddling walls than any other travel board bags on the market. Britt typically travels with two or three of his own boards, which run on the thick side due to his 66 frame. Additionally, he often takes fresh boards over to an event for our teamriders, or brings back their magic boards for use at a later event or for reference when they reorder boards.You can see our newly updated line of Travel Board Bags at a surf shop near you or here:https://cisurfboards.com/collections/travel-bags

Dave West is back in this video explaining his biggest downwind paddling mistake. Bouncing the board far too early when paddling up creating a whole load of unnecessary drag.Have you ever experienced this? I had to [&hellip... Read More