Channel Islands Mav’s Gun

“This is the best gun I’ve ever ridden,” explains iconic big-wave surfer Peter Mel, who rode what many are saying is the best paddle wave ever at Mavericks. “It’s not only the fastest gun I’ve ever had, it is the most user friendly.”

The Mavs Gun was designed between Peter Mel and Britt Merrick to do what any good big-wave board should: Paddle extremely well, make crazy drops with great hold and control, then fly down the line and drive through heavy sections with unrivaled confidence.

Rocker is something Peter is very passionate about, and he credits the Mavs Gun rocker as a key aspect to the design’s performance. “There has been a gun design trend toward lower entry rocker among some of the leading models out there. My issue with lower entry rocker is you are sacrificing the curve needed to fit your board into some rather precarious situations.”

Peter says the five-fin placement on the Mavs Gun is a significant feature that makes this board magic. Peter and his son John have put a lot of time into dialing in the fins. “The five-fin cluster is put further forward than other standard guns out there,” explains Peter. “This allows the board to turn with greater control, positivity, and overall sensitivity to make the most subtle of adjustments when you need it most. You run quads when speed is all you need and go thruster when the conditions are more rugged, and you need great control on your take-offs.”

Don’t let the name fool you, Peter notes the scalability of the Mavs Gun down into sizes you’d want for big beach breaks (think OB San Francisco or Puerto Escondido) is seamless. He says its rocker profile at any length, like the 8’0” or 8’6” stock dims we offer, works very well in hollow surf, and the proportions are just right for most common body types in your average double to triple overhead zone ++ zone.