The question that started it

The Happy Everyday quickly became one of the most loved boards in the Channel Islands range. It did the hard thing well: made average waves fun without giving up performance. Which led Britt Merrick and the team to an obvious question — how can we ride this even more?

Not "how do we make it better in one condition." How do we make it the board you reach for on more days of the year. That's the Better Everyday.

What is the Channel Islands Better Everyday?

The Better Everyday is a step-down performance shortboard built for 2025. It keeps everything that made the Happy Everyday a great step-down — the speed, the looseness, the ease of wave-catching — and refines the outline and rocker so the board holds together in slightly bigger, better surf.

Think of it as your daily driver: the board that handles waist-high beachbreak on a Tuesday and still feels right when it jumps to overhead on the weekend. For how it sits in the rest of the lineup, see our Channel Islands surfboards guide.

The design breakdown: what changed and why it matters

Three outline and rocker changes, plus a dedicated quad set, are what separate the Better Everyday from the Happy Everyday — and what open its range.

A relaxed hip

The Happy Everyday's trademark hip has been relaxed in the Better Everyday. The effect is immediate off the bottom — the board draws a smoother bottom turn instead of pivoting hard off the break in the outline. Less hip means a more positive, connected feeling as you set your rail and project up the face.

Crucially, this is what opens the board's range into slightly larger waves. A pronounced hip is fantastic in small, gutless surf and starts to feel twitchy when there's real power under you. Relaxing it buys you the top end.

Swallow tail for bite and hold

The Better Everyday runs a swallow tail, which does two jobs at once: it gives more bite and hold through turns while preserving the loose, playful feel the board is known for. You get the drive and grip of a narrower tail through the pin points, plus the release and planing area of a wider tail overall.

It's the classic reason swallow tails have survived every trend cycle — they hold when you need it and let go when you ask.

Increased flip out the tail

The Better Everyday has increased flip through the tail rocker, and this is the change you feel most in the lip. More exit curve means the board loosens up out of the top, releasing cleanly rather than tracking through the turn. Combined with the more positive feeling off the bottom from the relaxed hip, you get a board that connects bottom turn to top turn without any dead spot in between.

Five fin boxes and a purpose-built quad set

The Better Everyday comes stock with five fin boxes — but it's worth knowing it was designed as a quad first. Britt also created a special quad set built specifically for this board.

That fin set combines:

More upright front fins — for pivot, tightness in the pocket, and vertical response

Raked rear fins — for drive, hold, and drawn-out projection through a turn

The result is the zing and hold to take the board to the next level. You can still ride it as a thruster if that's your preference, but the quad is the configuration the shape was engineered around.

Better Everyday vs Happy Everyday vs The Solution

Happy Everyday: Step-down groveler with the trademark pronounced hip. Best in small to average surf, as a thruster or quad.

Better Everyday: Everyday step-down all-rounder. Relaxed hip, swallow tail, and increased tail flip. Covers small through slightly larger waves. Designed as a quad, and this is your baseline sizing board.

The Solution: Small-wave specialist with a fuller outline and rounded tail. Knee-high to head-high, weak surf. Ride it as a thruster, quad, or 2+1, about 2" shorter than your Better Everyday.

How to think about it: The Better Everyday is your reference board — the one you size everything else from. The Solution steps down about 2" from it for the genuinely bad days. A high-performance shortboard steps up from it when it's pumping.

How to size the Better Everyday

Because it's designed as your everyday board, most surfers ride the Better Everyday at or very close to their standard shortboard length — not dramatically shorter like a pure groveler. Sizes run from grom dimensions all the way through 7'5", so there's a fit for every surfer and every wave range.

If you're stepping onto it from a Happy Everyday, staying at the same length is a sensible starting point — the relaxed hip and swallow tail already give you more range without adding inches.

Who is the Better Everyday for?

It's a great fit if you: - Want one board that covers the most days of your year - Surf a mix of average beachbreak and occasional good days - Already love the Happy Everyday but want more range in bigger surf - Are curious about quad setups and want a board designed around one - Are an intermediate to expert surfer building a practical quiver

Look elsewhere if you: - Only surf tiny, weak waves — The Solution is the more specialised choice - Mostly surf powerful, barreling reef — look at the CI Pro or a step-up - Are a beginner — start with something higher volume and more forgiving

Board attributes at a glance

Wave size: knee-high through double overhead-plus Wave power: weak/mushy through medium/steep Break type: point, reef, beachbreak Skill level: intermediate to expert Tail: swallow Tail rocker: increased flip Outline: relaxed hip Stock setup: five fin boxes, recommended as a quad

The verdict

The Better Everyday earns its name. It isn't a redesign for the sake of a model year — it's a targeted set of refinements to a board people already loved, all pointed at the same goal: ride it more often, in more conditions.

The relaxed hip smooths out the bottom turn and buys range. The swallow tail adds hold without killing the looseness. The extra tail flip keeps it free out of the lip. And the dedicated quad set ties the whole thing together.

If you're only buying one board this year, this is a very strong argument for which one.

Frequently asked questions

Sizing, fins, and how it compares to the Happy Everyday and The Solution — the questions that come up before you buy.

What is the Channel Islands Better Everyday best for?

Everyday surfing across a wide range — from small, weak beachbreak up into slightly larger, better waves. It's a step-down performance shortboard designed to be your most-ridden board.

What's the difference between the Better Everyday and the Happy Everyday?

The Better Everyday relaxes the Happy Everyday's trademark hip for a smoother bottom turn and more range in bigger waves, adds a swallow tail for extra bite and hold, and increases tail flip for a looser feel off the top.

Should I ride the Better Everyday as a quad or a thruster?

It was designed as a quad, and Britt Merrick created a dedicated quad set for it — upright front fins with raked rears. It ships with five boxes, so thruster is available, but quad is the intended setup.

What size Better Everyday should I get?

Most surfers ride it at or near their normal shortboard length. It's the baseline board in the quiver — The Solution is then ridden about 2" shorter than it.

Better Everyday or The Solution — which should I buy first?

Buy the Better Everyday first. It's the wider-range everyday board. Add The Solution afterwards if your local waves are frequently small and weak.

Who shaped the Better Everyday?

Britt Merrick and the team at Channel Islands Surfboards, introduced for 2025.

Ready to ride it?

Browse used Channel Islands Better Everyday boards on Reswell. The Better Everyday is also available in stock sizes or as a full custom build through Channel Islands Surfboards.