It was a heavy rainy day in Leucadia that Tim Crozier, of Blackbird Surfboards and Icons of Foam Shape Off Director, and I sat down to recap the Boardroom Show held in Del Mar this past weekend. We meandered into the conversation with a recollection of Chris Christenson’s 14’ yellow glider-fish featuring a custom board rack attached to the nose, to hold a red 5’6 flared fish on top, whilst knee-paddling the remote breaks of Point Loma. Upon arrival to desired break, the motherfish could be anchored to a kelp paddy, whilst the short fish could be paddled into the lineup. Talk about surfer-shaper ingenuity.
Boardroom Show
Dan Mann deservedly won the Icons of Foam shaping competition, in honor of Eric Arakawa, after facing stiff competition from a talented array of invited shapers. He beat Alan White, of Coco Beach, Florida, in the final by best recreating a 6’6 shaped for none other than Andy Irons at Pipeline. The other boards featured were a 6’0 Pipe board for Michael Ho, and a 9’6 Waimea Gun ridden by Michael and Derek Ho, as well as Ronnie Burns, in the Eddie.
In the Best of Show division, Steve Farwell, of Farwell Surfboards, took home the people’s choice for best fish amidst a tough school of beautiful designs–including the honorable mention, Lunatic Surfboards who came all the way from France with an epic BASSFISH.
The rain marked the arrival of winter and what better time to talk about boards than the onset of swell season and on the heels of an event which keeps on proving itself to be the most relevant of the surf tradeshows. Where else can a surfer go and find everyone from Mikey February to Marc Andreini, and Eric Arakawa to Dane Reynolds, in the same room? Where you can talk with up-and-coming legends like Nick Heinrich and Shea Somma while also rubbing shoulders with heavies like Gerry Lopez, Rusty Preisendorfer, and Wayne Rich, and diving deep on the fin designs of Ryan Burch, Skip Frye, and George Greenough, thanks to the True Ames crew.
With all sidewalk tables and patio areas out of commission, every indoor cafe was packed. We settled on Coffee Coffee and, after we ordered our drinks, we set up a makeshift “office” next door in Bing Surf Shop. It felt good to be inside and amongst one of the best displays of surfboards in all of San Diego, a proper setting for a righteous chat.
Chris Dodds
On the execution and turnout of the show, Tim shared, “I’d have to say it’s one of the top 3 shows that we’ve done and that’s based on multiple layers. For me, the first thing is how well it came together on the first day. We had a great crew, multiple returning guys, which made the building of the shaping bays real smooth. Secondly, Eric (Arakawa) and his team, Sean and Nat, were super organized and on it. Their communication with Scott (Bass), Founder & Executive Director of Boardroom Show, and I was great and that helped set us up for success.”
“Lastly, attendance was solid from the get-go, starting Saturday morning and all the way through the end and the energy was great from the top down–the shapers, the attendees, everyone felt like they were stoked and enjoyed it. That’s all we can ask for, a good event for both sides. The shape off is obviously such a cool experience for so many surf fans and I really think the Best in Show event has brought an awesome element too.”
CI
“This year had great energy. It was cool having Mikey February and Dane Reynolds hanging with us, basically two surfers who’ve shaped so much of modern surf culture.”
Devon Howard, Channel Islands
My own experience at the show was memorable in its own way, from seeing old friends to getting to have deep talks on boards, fins, and the longevity of fun with Marc Andreini and nerding out with the guys from True Ames.
Devon Howard added that, at Channel Islands, “We look forward to The Boardroom Show every year—it’s where design meets reality. It’s one of the few places where our culture really comes together around the thing we love most: surfboards. That’s what makes Boardroom so special—it brings everyone together to share that stoke in person. The Del Mar Fairgrounds pavilion gets transformed into a rad space for like-minded people to connect, talk story, and celebrate design, history, and craftsmanship.”
CI
“This year had great energy. It was cool having Mikey February and Dane Reynolds hanging with us, basically two surfers who’ve shaped so much of modern surf culture. People were stoked to meet them. Mikey’s surfing connects across generations and styles, while Dane will forever represent that pure core-lord approach. Both have amazing instincts when it comes to board design, and it was a treat to be a fly on the wall watching people interact, ask questions, and sneak in a quick photo with those guys.”
Lastly, Devon hit the nail on the head when he said, “No matter how much we live online, there’s still nothing like putting a board under your arm and feeling it for yourself. The Boardroom keeps the craft alive—it’s a celebration of where surf culture comes from and where it’s headed.”
Related: Michael Arenal and Nick Heinrich Take Home the Honors at the Boardroom Show