Welcome to our full review of the Channel Islands G-Skate which I have been riding as a custom 5'8 x 19 3/4 x 2 5/8 - 33.2L
The G Skate is built to inspire you with the signature Gudauskas brother energy - Pure stoke.
This fast, skatey and responsive swallow-tailed hybrid design was born of a collaboration between Britt Merrick and the three Gudauskas brothers-Dane, Pat & Tanner.
Their goal was to create something fresh feeling that turned well in good surf but skated with ease through the not-so-good stuff. There was one major stipulation during its development: the G Skate had to still perform at the highest of levels possible. They achieved this by shortening their typical shortboard rail line by 5” and adding curves and contours in key places that would keep them on top of the water and not hinder their turns in any way. Adding a 2 + 1 (twin plus trailer) fin set-up tied the whole concept together.
The G Skate has a lot of get up and go speed thanks to its light single to double concave, low entry rocker, wide point forward-and its contemporary shortboard rails provide all the precision and control you could ever want.
This stoke-infused collaboration also yielded an all-new Merrick / Gudauskas 2 + 1 fin set for the G Skate, and they also found that the AMT (2 + 1) fin set up also works very well. The purpose of this twin plus trailer fin set-up was to offer the beautiful “free feel” of a twinnie yet have the refined control of a thruster-which is critical in creating a board that accommodates the broad spectrum of approaches between all three G Bros. For those that prefer traditional thruster set-ups, their favorite thruster set will work well in this design-giving surfers twice the options and value.
The G-Skate serves as a strong utility piece in any quiver where fun and performance are the goal. Ride this board 3” to 6” shorter and the same thickness as your CI Pro.
In the G-Skate I checked out a few fins by Futures Fins, but landed on the AMT twin + Stabiliser from Futures Fins.
From futuresfins.co...
The Al Merrick Twin +1 (AMT) generates maximum speed, drive and hold through big carves to perform around pointbreaks or lined up beach breaks. The AMT's honeycomb construction gives this fin a medium flex pattern, while the large area provides ample hold in overhead surf. The set is equipped with the option to ride with a small trailer fin for increased drive and stability, creating more of a thruster feel.
Template Category | Pivot (tight-turns/loose)
Construction | Honeycomb
Size | Medium Twin +1
Thanks for watching, and thanks to Channel Islands and Onboard Store for the chance to check out the G-Skate.
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Thanks!
17 сен 2024
