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True Ames
CI Channel Islands Tri Large
$128.50
new customer discount · True Ames · applied automatically at checkout
True Ames
CI Channel Islands Tri Large
The CI Channel Islands Tri Large is the big-area Al Merrick three-fin set — high rake, lots of area — in solid fiberglass for FCS boxes.A set of three in solid fiberglass, FCS compatible, in smoke or blue.
★★★★★5.0 (2)
In Stock
$128.50
new customer discount · True Ames · applied automatically at checkout
Fin System
FCS
Construction
Solid Fiberglass
Color — smoke
Designer: Al Merrick
The Fin
The CI Channel Islands Tri Large is the big-area Al Merrick three-fin set — high rake, lots of area — in solid fiberglass for FCS boxes.
A set of three in solid fiberglass, FCS compatible, in smoke or blue. All three fins are the same size, and the template traces back to the glass-on fins True Ames made for nearly all of the Channel Islands boards through the 80's and early 90's. High rake and a lot of area throughout: it favours bigger riders and power surfers, and it comes into its own once the surf has some size and some push behind it.
How that reads
Area is what this set trades on. More fin in the water is more hold: the board will sit in a big turn under heavy load without the tail letting go, and it holds a line across a fast face instead of skating over it. The high rake stretches those turns out long. What it costs is looseness — the tail will not come around quickly, and in weak surf all that area reads as drag.
Who it suits
Heavier surfers, and anyone who leans hard on a rail, riding thrusters in solid powerful waves. Not the set for a small day or for a board meant to feel skatey. The medium set is the same template with less area for medium-sized riders; the small set takes area out of the rear fin to free the tail up.
Specifications
ConfigurationThruster — set of 3
Height4.75" / 120 mm
Base4.60" / 117 mm
Area16.17 sq in / 104.34 cm²
Made byTrue Ames, Santa Barbara CA
Colors1 option
Price Range$128.50
AvailabilityIn Stock
From True Ames
Hand-finished and designed in conjunction with the CI team, with balanced flex and a clean foil delivering dependable drive and effortless release -- best in waves with some down-the-line power.
Our take
The thruster set for a heavier or more powerful surfer who loads the fin in waves with real push -- the solid glass stiffens under hard drive and holds where lighter sets wash out. Lighter surfers or smaller, weaker waves call for the CI Tri Small or the softer Hexcore build instead.
More About This Fin
The CI Tri Large is a three-fin thruster set designed with the Channel Islands team and foiled by True Ames, here in solid fiberglass with FCS-compatible tabs. The template carries a CI-inspired foil with moderate rake, descending from the thruster sets Chuck Ames foiled for Channel Islands through the high-performance shortboard era. The same large template is also offered in Hexcore construction, and the set comes in a small size. It is sized for heavier surfers on shortboards.
Similar Fins
Mentioned in the review — CI Tri Small · CI Tri Large Hexcore — not something we carry.