The Boardroom Show rolled in to Del Mar, California, this Saturday and Sunday and a warehouse full of surfboard gurus packed the place to capacity. The conversation was surfboards – from design to resins to fins to glassing, roughly 15 hours revolved around what’s underneath our feet.
After speaking with probably more people over the course of two days than I do in a week, I asked eight shapers one question: “What is the one thing you haven’t done with board design that you’d like to?” Some balked, some scratched their head, one continued to browse his Instagram feed, and others talked about their greatest board building ambitions. Almost none of the board builders I spoke to make the same kinds of craft – though they all end up underneath our feet – and, for the most part, their answers varied wildly.
As Sunday drew to a close, I couldn’t help but ponder what new designs we’ll see next week, next month, next year and at the next Boardroom. In something as complex as surfboard design, there is no ceiling. So many people told me their own iteration of, “Everything’s already been done and there’s no such thing as ‘original’ anymore.” But after this show, I’m not sure I agree. From minute details to new outlines and combinations of details, it seems to me like there’s no end to the innovation left in the tank. We shall see, won’t we?
