Furthering a relationship that goes back twenty years and eight world titles, Kelly Slater and Channel Islands’ Al Merrick today announced that Slater will work with the company to develop new surfboard technologies that will benefit the progression of the sport.

Slater says, “I am still excited about every board Al and I work on, even after 20 years. With Jake and crew coming into the company and with the depth of resources they can bring to the table I feel that we can create something totally unique in the industry.”

Kelly currently has several signature boards with Channel Islands. Combining efforts is the next logical step for both as they work to progress the sport. Channel Islands was purchased by Burton Snowboards founder Jake Burton Carpenter in 2006, which has allowed Merrick the opportunity to concentrate on the craft and develop new and better surfboards. Having Kelly provide feedback on the development of new technologies is also in line with Burton’s own “rider-driven process” of incorporating athlete feedback into each one of its products.

“Kelly and I have a great longstanding personal and business relationship,” says Merrick. “I am excited now that we have the resources and technologies to develop new and better boards. I know that Kelly is going to play a massive part in this and his involvement will help lead surfboard design into the future.”

“It’s our goal to work with Al to see that surfboard technology progresses faster than ever,” says Jake Burton, Founder and Chairman of Burton Snowboards. “We have all known that Kelly is an integral part of this process, and not merely because of his standing in the sport, but also because of his unique understanding of what makes a surfboard work, his determination to make it better and his commitment to finding ways to accomplish all of this in a more environmentally friendly manner. I look forward to being around and benefiting from Kelly’s involvement and leadership.”

For more information, visit: www.cisurfboards.com