Channel Islands Bobby Quad 5’6 x 19 ¾ x 2 ½ Surfboard

Bobby Martinez challenged us to build him as short of a board as possible with the goal of maximizing his fun in Santa Barbara’s tiny summer surf. He also added that it had to be a quad, and it still had to live up to his high-performance standards. Bobby’s shortboards are 5’8” but for this customized four-finner he was thinking Channel Islands ought to take it down to 5’2”. By shortening the rail line and distributing the volume into the width throughout the plan shape he’d be able to skate over the flats and carry enough speed to still fit in his signature gauges.

The Bobby Quad has a low entry rocker that goes into a flat planing surface under the gas pedal portion of the board that provides the speed to get into waves and over those flat sections. The exit rocker and bottom contours are designed to be all business – with performance oriented flip and generous double concave for added lift to help Bobby boogie down the line in gutless waves. Its tail rocker profile, combined with some width in the tail and modified swallow, provide speed and hold during quick directional changes.

The model is designed to be ridden 3” to 6” shorter and a quarter-inch to a half-inch wider than your shortboard. For reference, Bobby’s dimensions are 5’2 x 19 x 2 5/16. From other team riders Channel Islands since learned that the Bobby Quad is versatile enough to be scaled up for those wanting to increase their wave count. The rail stays nicely foiled (not chunky) at fuller dimensions, so to maintain the integrity of the design Channel Islands recommends adding thickness over width to hit your volume. As for fins, Channel Islands recommends you run your favorite quad templates.