Santa Cruz, California based surfboard shaper Nick Palandrani won the Boardroom Icons of Foam Tribute to the Masters Shape-off presented by US Blanks in Santa Cruz on October 9, 2016. Six shapers competed to create the best John Mel Freeline Design keel fish model surfboard.
“I’m super stoked,” said Palandrani. “The other shapers crafted gorgeous fishes and it was very inspiring to watch their techniques and approaches. I want to thank John Mel for his decades of service to the surf industry here in Santa Cruz and for his early years in San Diego and Hawaii. This board was a challenge, and with everybody watching you. Wow, it makes the process tough but very enjoyable.”
Palandrani walked with a $1,000 prize and his named added to the Mike marshall Perpetual Trophy. For the official word from The Boardroom International Surfboard Show, please follow the jump.
SANTA CRUZ’S NICK PALANDRANI WINS ICONS OF FOAM SHAPE-OFF
Jam Packed Arena Celebrates Surfboard Industry; Hess, Coletta, Wallace Take “Best In Show” Honors
Santa Cruz, Ca., October 10, 2016 — — Surfboards were the focus over the weekend at The Boardroom International Surfboard Show presented by Santa Cruz Skateboards at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz. Thousands of surfers paraded through the aisles of the one and only surfboard industry trade show which honored Santa Cruz’s own John Mel in the Icons of Foam Tribute to the Masters Shape-off presented by US Blanks.
Icons of Foam Shape-off Winner Nick Palandrani honoring John Mel.
Six shapers competed, each attempting to best replicate a classic John Mel Freeline Design keel fish model surfboard. After the foam had settled Santa Cruz’s Nick Palandrani walked away with the $1K prize and his name etched into the Mike Marshall Perpetual Trophy. All six shapers (Ward Coffey, Kalu Coletta, Ashley Lloyd, Nick Palandrani, Ryan Lovelace and Michel Junod) showcased the sacred craft of surfboard building by honoring John Mel in the shape-off.
“I’m super stoked,” said Palandrani. “The other shapers crafted gorgeous fishes and it was very inspiring to watch their techniques and approaches. I want to thank John Mel for his decades of service to the surf industry here in Santa Cruz and for his early years in San Diego and Hawaii. This board was a challenge, and with everybody watching you. Wow, it makes the process tough but very enjoyable.”
Three boards were selected as “Best In Show” presented by Bubble Gum Surf Wax: Danny Hess’s Redwood Mavericks gun; Mike Wallace’s finless with edge board characteristics; and Steve Colletta’s magnificent Red & Blue rhino chaser.
Danny Hess, one of the three Best In Show winners.
The Entropy Resins glassing demo featured abstract colorful resin tints, a pin-line and cut lap tape-off demonstration, vacuum bagging techniques, and state-of-the-art materials including the Connora Resins revolutionary epoxy resin system, Recyclamine®, enables the next generation of performance composites and adhesives to be recyclable for the first time. In a very cool moment during the event, NBA player and Golden State Warrior James Michael McAdoo stopped by to have his new E3 longboard laminated.
The weekend long surf lifestyle celebration featured exhibits, demos, seminars, and hundreds of state-of-the-art surfboards from the surfboard industry’s finest craftsman, designers and manufacturers including Pat Taylor, Firewire, Rusty, Patagonia, Wayne Rich, Entropy Resins, O’Neill Wetsuits, Douglas Surf Products, Album Surfboards, Mystic Surfboards, and many many others.
John Mel was the consummate honoree watching all of the shape-off competition and really taking in the various shaping approaches. “The Boardroom Show is really a cool event. I want to thank Scott (Bass) for bringing the show back to Santa Cruz.” said Mel. “This is a small town, but we rarely all gather together to celebrate the surf culture here in Santa Cruz. This show highlights shapers and companies in our area, new companies and companies that helped start it all like O’Neill and NHS, and these folks continue to provide the simple things that make it all happen, our surfboards and our wetsuits…so this show is for the surfers and that’s pretty cool.”
