AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE MAKING OF ONE OF CHANNEL ISLANDS’ TOP PERFORMANCE SLEDS
“FEVER VOYAGE” EXPLORES THE LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAT GUDANG AND CI
JULY 22, 2019 BY ZANDER MORTON
Pat Gudauskas has been riding Channel Islands surfboards for 17 years. In 2017, when he was gearing up to make another run at the ‘CT, he collaborated with CI shaper Mike Andrews to create his own signature model, The Fever. “It all started because I had a bunch of designs in my quiver, and I wanted to have a one-stop shop, a board that could do it all, from 2- to 10- feet,” says Gudauskas in the video above. “That was our drive and inspiration to create The Fever. After being on the team for so long, getting to create a signature model was one of the biggest accomplishments of my career.”
As it should be. Gudauskas joins the likes of Curren, Slater and Reynolds as surfers with signature CI models. In the skateboard world, getting a signature deck is the ultimate sign of respect, and skateboarders aren’t actually considered professional until that happens. While surfing is different in that regard, having a surfboard model with a respected brand like Channel Islands certainly puts Gudauskas in elite company.
“Channel Islands is a family, it’s the heritage,” Gudauskas continues in the film above, which explores the relationship he has with CI, and shows him shredding his signature model through South Africa, Mexico and Lower Trestles. “From Al [Merrick] and Tom Curren, to the current day riders and board builders, when I think about it, I’m just grateful to be a part of it.”
