AL MERRICK G-SKATE SPINE-TEK

This fast, skate-inspired and responsive hybrid design was born out of a collaboration between Britt Merrick and the three Gudauskas brothers – Dane, Pat and Tanner. Their aim was to create something fresh, which rides well in good waves and weaves effortlessly through the less-than-ideal ones. There was one key stipulation during its development: the G Skate had to consistently perform at the highest possible level. They achieved this by shortening the rail length of their typical shortboard by 5" and adding curves and contours in key areas that would allow it to stay on the water without hindering their turns in any way. The addition of a 2+1 fin setup (twin plus trailer) helped to solidify the overall concept. The G Skate has plenty of speed thanks to its single-to-double concave, low nose rocker, wide forward nose, and contemporary shortboard rails, offering all the precision and control you could wish for. This collaboration also gave rise to a brand-new set of Merrick/Gudauskas 2+1 fins for the G Skate, and they also found that the AMT (2+1) fin set worked very well. The aim of this twin-plus-trailer fin set was to offer the wonderful ‘sense of freedom’ of a twinnie whilst retaining the refined control of a thruster – which is essential for creating a board that suits the broad spectrum of riding styles of the three G Bros. For those who prefer traditional thruster set-ups, their favourite thruster set will work well in this design – giving surfers twice as many options and value for money. The G-Skate is a highly versatile board in any quiver where fun and performance are the goals. Ride this board 3” to 6” shorter and the same thickness as your CI Pro.