Encinitas, Ca., (October 10, 2011) – Putting him in rarefied air with Florida’s Ricky Carroll, Santa Barbara’s Wayne Rich won his second Tribute to the Masters Shape-off Competition presented by US Blanks. This year’s  competition was unique in that the six shapers were tasked with creating an asymmetrical design inspired by legend and honoree Carl Ekstrom.

“Wow! I’m over the moon. This is humbling, exciting, truly an honor, because the five other shapers really brought their A-games,” said Rich. “This year’s format created a design environment for all of us to get creative, and it that helped make this event the best one yet. These five craftsman, and all of the surfboard builders here today, proved to me one very important lesson; hand-shaped surfboards are in a really good place. We’re not going anywhere.”

Carl Ekstrom, Rusty Preisendorfer and Stanley Pleskunas judged the final shapes which included a  five minute proof-of-concept Q and A with each shaper. The other five competing shapers included defending champion Matt Biolos of LOST surfboards in San Clemente, and San Diegan’s George Gall, Tim Bessell, Ryan Burch and Daniel Thomson . All six shapers were selected by Carl Ekstrom.

Daniel Thomson of Tomo Surfboards in Encinitas won “Best of Show” with a surfboard that combined unique carbon fiber construction with a quasi-rectangular outline and extremely sophisticated applied theories. “Best of Show” finalists included a Barry Kanaiaupuni chambered balsa quad-fin gun, a Donald Brink asymmetrical fish, a futuristic asymmetrical channel bottom from Ryan Burch, an exquisite Holmsey ‘Sidewinder’ inspired longboard by Nick Palandrani, the 16′ ultra glider from Chris Christenson and one of Gene Cooper’s ultra-gorgeous and highly refined ‘pig’ longboards.

“There were some incredible boards on exhibit and it made picking just one very difficult,” explained expo director Scott Bass. “Each and every craftsman created something special. We’re fortunate to have a committee of respected industry insiders who select “Best of Show” and they are above reproach.”

On Saturday evening, Billabong’s Art of Shaping LA County Edition Auction raised tens of thousand of dollars for SIMA’s Humanitarian Fund. Jeff Ho’s “POP” Zephyr gun was the top auction item garnering $7,100.

The upcoming Sacred Craft Consumer Surf Expo has something for everybody – even antique collectors. The Collectible Surfboard & Surf Memorabilia “Antique Roadshow” is modeled after PBS TV’s highly successful “Antique Roadshow” series.

“The power of the “Roadshow” lies in the ‘buried treasure concept,’” said Scott Bass, Expo Director. “Many of us possess, in our garage or attic, or perhaps under the house, a collectible surfboard; a board that for whatever reason holds intrinsic value above and beyond the value of a regular or ‘normal’ used surfboard. If the board has a strong provenance, well, this generally increases its value. Perhaps it was on the cover of a surf magazine, or George Greenough pulled into the barrel on it during filming of “Innermost Limits of Pure Fun.” Whatever the case, our appraisers want to see it.”

But ‘roadshow’ isn’t just about surfboards. Surf ‘paper’, as the experts refer to it, is also of import to the collectors and appraisers. Maybe you possess an old Rick Griffin surf movie poster from the Santa Monica Civic, or a Malibu Pro surf contest program, or perhaps a business card from Tom Blake or signed photo of Duke Kahanamoku Any item that you think may be worth something, the appraisers would love to see it, and to help you better understand its provenance and possible market value. The more information you can bring to the discussion, the more accurate the appraisal.

We all probably have a bit of buried treasure; we just may not know it! The Collectible Surfboard “Antique Roadshow” appraisals will visit the Del Mar Fairgrounds one day only, on Saturday October 8 from 10am-4pm as a part of the 2-day Sacred Consumer Surfboard Expo. Expert appraisers, including Bird Huffman from Bird’s Surf Shed and experts from the Surfing Heritage Foundation and the California Surf Museum, will be on hand for surfboards, surf ‘paper’, surf posters, surf magazines, surf art, surf books and surf memorabilia. Please bring out your surf collectibles for appraisal – and a great time.

Saturday only Oct 8 10am -4pm!

The concept was inspired by a recent event that SurfAid International held at the last Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo in Santa Cruz, called Shapers 4 Humanity.  At this event, several of the worlds top shapers were invited to take part in a live shaping event and donate the finished boards to SurfAid.  The Board Art Benefit simply extends this concept to the artists and invites some of the leading artists from the surf community to lend their unique aesthetic vision to the surfboards as well.

The organizers of the Sacred Craft events have always gone out of their way to invite artists from the surfing community to be a part of the event in a space dubbed “The Art Grotto”.  Many of the artists have done some great live art on site during the event.  The Board Art Benefit will bring a better focus to the artists at the event by integrating the core theme of the event, the sacred craft known as the surfboard.

The aim of the Board Art Benefit is to provide a great venue for the participating artists to showcase their work, to provide the public with a great chance to witness some of their favorite artists at work, and to support SurfAid International. The finished boards from this event will later be auctioned, with the proceeds benefitting SurfAid International.

Artist/Shaper Collaborations taking place at SACRED CRAFT on October 8 & 9:

PHIL ROBERTS

Phil Roberts is teaming up with the legendary Gerry Lopez to create his work of art for this event.  For the past 3 years the two of them have been collaborating to produce the trophy board given to the winner of the Billabong Pipeline Masters event.  In the shaping bay, Gerry draws upon his years of unparalleled mastery of the wave at Pipeline to create an authentic hand-shaped board from the era in which he stamped his soulful approach on the mind’s of an entire generation.

Phil Roberts then draws upon his years of creating artwork and illustration at the highest level (he began doing art on boards in 1976 at the age of 15) to produce a masterpiece of homage to Gerry’s contribution to the sport and lifestyle of surfing.

Encinitas, Ca., (July 18, 2011) — – Six shapers will design, shape and craft unique asymmetrical surfboards during the ‘Tribute to the Masters Shape-off’ honoring Carl Ekstrom and presented by US Blanks. The six shapers hand-picked by Ekstrom include defending champion Matt Biolos (San Clemente), Tim Bessell (La Jolla), Ryan Burch (Cardiff-By-The-Sea), George Gall (Point Loma), Wayne Rich (Santa Barbara) and Daniel Thomson (Australia). The Tribute to Carl Ekstrom takes place during the Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo October 8 & 9, 2011.

At Ekstrom’s suggestion this year’s shape-off will not be exact replications but rather new variations of the asymmetrical design. Anything goes! The only parameters are that 1) the finished blanks be asymmetrical and that 2) the fin placement be drawn onto the finished blank.

The finished blanks will be judged by a trio of design legends: Stanley Pleskunas, Rusty Preisendorfer and honoree Carl Ekstrom. The trio anticipates having each shaper discuss with them the ‘proof of design concept’ during the judging process.

“With the asymmetric design it is very important for the judges to fully understand the shapers design concept, and just looking at them won’t do the shaper and his design justice,” said Ekstrom. “These boards are so unique that it’s important to discuss the boards design with the shaper.”

The winner will receive $1K and have their name etched onto the Mike Marshall Perpetual Trophy alongside past Tribute to the Masters winners Ricky Carroll (x2 Mike Diffenderfer, Bill Caster), Marc Andrieni (John Bradbury), Pat Rawson (Dick Brewer), Wayne Rich (Renny Yater),  Matt Biolos (Simon Anderson), and Ward Coffey (Doug Haut).

EARLY BIRD EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION AND FLOOR PLAN

Early bird registration is OPEN. The floor plan, booth space contracts, and general information are available online at:
http://sacredcraftexpo.com/exhibit .

• Tribute to the Masters Shape-off honoring Carl Ekstrom presented by US Blanks
• Billabong Art of Shaping Auction LA County Edition
• Golden Ticket  – One attendee will walk out with the board of their choice
• Future of Surfing Shaping Bay & Laminating Showcase
• The Soul Project Quivers Lounge
• The Art Grotto benefiting Surf Aid International
• KorduroyTV Vid Shorts Lounge
• Antique Roadshow Style Surfboard & Memorabilia Appraisals
• PRIMO Beer Flowing
• Music by Surfers for Surfers featuring Seth Pettersen
• Longboard Skate Zone Demo Tarp/Ramp/Cone combo
• Demo morning – ride the boards!
• Tons more to on tap!

Sacred Craft brings together surfboard lovers in what has become the surfboard industry gathering. Passion for surfboards and the authentic culture that flows forth never goes out of style.

• WHO: Surfers, shapers, and surfboard manufacturers
• WHAT: Two days of surfboard heaven
• WHEN: October 8 & 9, 2011
• WHERE: Del Mar Fairgrounds
• WHY: Because surfers care about two things: waves and the equipment to ride them with
• HOW: $10 at the door; kids 12 & under free

To exhibit/reserve booth space at Sacred Craft click here now to download the booth space contract.

In October of 2011 the Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo will honor Carl Ekstrom during the ‘Tribute to the Masters Shape-off’ presented by US Blanks. The forward thinking Ekstrom’s rejuvenated asymmetrical surfboard concept (germinated in the ‘60s) is the focus with a verve entrenched in the design’s proven performance.

Ekstrom’s suggestion is that this year’s shape-off not be replications, but rather new creations. In honoring the iconic Windansea Surf Club member, a selection of shapers will be asked to create whatever board they desire, the only parameter: it must be asymmetrical. The winner will receive $1K.

“This is great, I’m very stoked,” said Carl Ekstrom. “The asymmetrical design is obviously unique. There is a renewed interest, and it’s all very fresh and interesting. I’m shaping a lot of boards these days: experimenting, tweaking, changing. It’s what I love, so it’ll be fun to see what these extraordinary craftsman come up with.”

“Wow, Carl Ekstrom has been shaping boards since the ‘50s, and the stuff he’s shaping now is extremely relevant,” said Jeff Holtby of US Blanks. “US Blanks is elated to be a part of Carl’s continuing legacy.”

WHO: Surfers, shapers, and surfboard manufacturers
WHAT: Two days of surfboard heaven
WHEN: October 8 & 9, 2011 Sat 10-6, Sun. 10-4
WHERE: Del Mar Fairgrounds
WHY: Surfers care about two things: waves and the equipment to ride them with
HOW: $10 at the door; kids 12 & under free

On tap at the Fall 2011 Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo is the “Art of Shaping Los Angeles County Edition presented by Billabong.”

The fourth installment of Billabong’s stalwart program to recognize the crucial role that shapers and board builders play in building our culture. Twenty four shapers have been selected from the Los Angeles area to build gorgeous and iconic surfboards for public auction at Sacred Craft on Saturday evening, October 8th.

All proceeds from the auction benefit the SIMA Humanitarian Fund.

Previously Billabong recognized shapers from Hawaii, San Diego and Orange County.

The “Art of Shaping Los Angeles County Edition presented by Billabong” invitees include Scott Anderson, Joe Bark, Clyde Beatty, Phil Becker, Matt Calvani, Lance Carson, Con Colburn (Bruce Grant), Bing Copeland, Robbie Dick, Tyler Hatzikian, Brian Hilbers, Jeff Ho, Hap Jacobs, Dennis Jarvis, Don Kadawaki, Glen Kennedy, Greg Liddle, Casey McCrystal, Greg Noll (Jed Noll), Pat Ryan, Mike Starvos, Rick Stoner (Jeff Stoner), Dewey Weber (Jerry O’Keefe) and Michael Zippi.

Public auction October 8, 2011, Saturday evening,  6PM @ Sacred Craft Consumer Surfboard Expo – Del Mar Fairgrounds

For more information check out http://www.billabong.com/artofshaping/

Bill Caster

Bill Caster was an innovative San Diego shaper known for his progressive channel bottom rounded pins and humble demeanor. Caster started shaping in 1958 under the Select Surfboards label for his Uncle LLoyd Baker. Caster also shaped under distinguished labels such as Olympic, Challenger and Hobie.

He started his own CASTER surfboards label in 1965.  Bill Caster was drafted into service in the Vietnam War in 1965 just as his CASTER label was taking flight. He was released from service in 1967 and came home to find the shortboard revolution brewing up new ideas about surfboard design. It was an exciting time to be a surfboard builder. Caster was highly demanding of himself and adapted quickly to the shorter boards, both in the water and in the shaping bay.  A quiet, confident and extremely skilled craftsman, Caster let his boards do the talking.

At the peak of his commercial success in 1981 CASTER surfboards could be found up and down the coast of California and all along the Eastern seaboard. Surfers that rode Bill’s boards were extremely loyal, most notable among them was La Jolla professional Chris O’Rourke. But Caster was a humble man who deferred compliments to others.

Sadly Bill Caster died at the age of 44 from colon cancer. He left behind a legacy of quality hand crafted performance surfboards and a legion of friends. However, Bill’s greatest legacy is the family he left behind: daughters Heidi and Heather, and sons David and Daniel. Shapers honoring Bill Caster in 2008 included Matt Calvani, Chris Christensen, Ned McMahon, Timmy Patterson, Ricky Carroll, and Ward Coffey. Florida shaper Ricky Carroll was a repeat winner of the Tribute to the Masters Shape-off honoring Bill Caster.*

* Courtesy of Matt Warshaw’s Encyclopedia of Surfing