Legend
he business, Channel Islands Surfboards, and the master of its creation stand clearly as surfing icons. Al Merrick began shaping surfboards out of his Carpinteria garage and selling them in the late 1960s. Today, Merrick’s company, Channel Islands Surfboards, is the most well-known surfboard shaping company in the world. His shop has been in the same Santa Barbara location since 1971, but he still calls Carpinteria home. A name synonymous with perfection, Channel Islands Surfboards are used by more professional surfers than any other manufacturer’s, according to riptionary. com. (Now in his 60s, Merrick began surfing when he was 10.)
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Merrick didn’t change the world, but with his hands and board designs he revolutionized the surf industry. “He has something in his mind,” says Brian Aresco, Channel Islands Surfboards surf team manager, who has known Merrick for 15 years. “He knows how the water flows and how to put it in a design. He has so many ideas and puts them on a board.” Merrick’s name is associated with the best surfers in the world.
In 1977 when Shaun Tomson won the International Professional Surfing World Championship on a Channel Islands Surfboard, the company solidified itself in the surf world. Kelly Slater, known as the world’s best surfer, has won seven Association of Surfing Professionals championships on a Merrick board. He also has shaped boards for three-time world champion Tom Curren, Santa Barbara native Bobby Martinez and locals such as Aubrey Falk, Blake Howard, Bummy Koepenick, and Henry Mills. But Merrick isn’t just a shaper. “He was always my dad,” says son, Britt, who is a pastor for a local Christian church. “He always took me surfing and fishing. He taught me so much.” His daughter Heidi is enjoying success as a clothing designer. His wife, Terry, is a partner in the business. To ensure the Channel Islands Surfboards’s growth and profitability, the couple sold the business in late June 2006 to Burton Snowboards, the leading snowboard manufacturing company in the world. “It was important to Terry and me to allow employees to find security with our company. (Burton Snowboards) is number one in the world with being able to make a company grow phenomenally by being hard core,” says Merrick. He will continue to design boards and run the show at Channel Islands, and in between you will find him surfing Rincon and going to Jelly Bowl with his family. Meanwhile, his mind continues with new design ideas, such as the standup paddle board. Look for it soon.
—Andres Nuño SPRINGSUMMER2007 85
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Al Merrick, right, with Tom Curren
TOVER NILTON
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