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True Ames
3.6" CI Channel Islands Side Bites
$73.75
new customer discount · True Ames · applied automatically at checkout
True Ames
3.6" CI Channel Islands Side Bites
The Channel Islands side bite template at 3.6", FCS compatible in solid fiberglass — a pair to run either side of a centre fin.Side bites turn a single-fin board into a 2+1: the centre fin still does the steering, and the two small fins add hold through a turn and drive off the bottom.
★★★★★5.0 (9)
In Stock
$73.75
new customer discount · True Ames · applied automatically at checkout
Fin SystemFCS
Color — clear
Designer: Al Merrick
The Fin
The Channel Islands side bite template at 3.6", FCS compatible in solid fiberglass — a pair to run either side of a centre fin.
Side bites turn a single-fin board into a 2+1: the centre fin still does the steering, and the two small fins add hold through a turn and drive off the bottom. This is the Channel Islands template, drawn under Al Merrick’s name and cut by True Ames in solid fiberglass. At 3.6" it sits in the middle of the side bite range — enough fin to be felt on a mid-length or a longboard without committing the board to a thruster feel.
How that reads
True Ames describe the CI set as adding bite, drive and extra hold without giving up speed or flow, and point it at bigger or steeper surf where a single fin on its own starts to slide. That is the usual trade with a mid-size side bite: more rail engagement and a tighter, more confident arc, less of the free drifting feel a single fin gives you in small waves.
Who it suits
A 2+1 longboard or mid-length surfed with some commitment, particularly when the surf has size to it — and anyone already running a Channel Islands centre fin who wants the sides drawn by the same hand.
If this is not the one
Riding a CI Mid? The True Ames CI Channel Islands Mid: 2+1 Combo (FCS) buys the centre fin and the sides together. Want a three-fin CI set instead? The True Ames CI Channel Islands Tri Large - FCS Compatible (Solid Fiberglass).
Specifications
ConstructionSolid fiberglass
ConfigurationSide bites — pair
Height3.6"
Made byTrue Ames, Santa Barbara CA
Colors1 option
Price Range$73.75
AvailabilityIn Stock
From True Ames
The foil and outline are tuned to feed a center fin rather than dominate it, so the board still turns off the back foot instead of tracking like a thruster.
Our take
The subtler half of the CI side bite range: extra hold on the drop and through steep sections while the board keeps its loose, pivoty single-fin character. If the tail still slides on bigger, steeper days, you want the 4.0" instead.
More About This Fin
The 3.6" CI Side Bites are FCS-compatible, solid fiberglass side bites from True Ames's Channel Islands template line, the same family the CI Mid program was built around with Devon Howard and Channel Islands. The 3.6" is the smaller of the two staple sizes True Ames offers in the line, the other being the 4.0". They are sold as a pair for 2+1 setups on mid-lengths and longboards, typically run alongside a 6.5" to 7" center fin.
Similar Fins
Mentioned in the review — True Ames 4.0" CI Side Bites — not something we carry.