Icons of Foam

Although it is organized as a competition, and its heart the Icons of Foam Shape-Off is a tribute to exceptional shapers who practice this sacred craft.

LEGENDARY SHAPER

ERIC ARAKAWA

2025 Icon of Foam Honoree

Shape-off Competitors

  • Michael Arenal – Ventura
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ICONIC SHAPER ERIC ARAKAWA COMING TO DEL MAR

Hawaiian shaping legend to be honored at the 2025 Boardroom International Surfboard Show

Del Mar, CA, January 2, 2025 —

Born and raised in Hawaii, Eric was taught to surf by his father at the age of 10 in Waikiki on a 7’0 round-tailed Barry Kanaiaupuni mini-gun. At the age of 14, he’d shaped his first board, a 5’8 round pin out of his family’s Pearl City home. Today with 40 years of experience and having shaped boards for over ten World Champions, Eric Arakawa is a designer dedicated to the innovation and advancement of performance surfboards. As a lifelong surfer, it is his hope to spread the stoke that surfing has brought him by producing boards that get you excited to surf, whether it is a shortboard, mini-simmons, or longboard. Used regularly by both local and touring pros, his boards have been ridden to victory in countless Triple Crowns as well as WCT and WQS events worldwide, including Longboard and Big Wave World Tours. He has also been honored by the surfing media for his achievements, including Surfing Magazine’s Shaper of the Year in 2003.

It all started with his passion for surfing and the chance to save money on new boards, but he soon discovered he could also make it a professional career. By 1977 he was shaping for Hawaiian Island Creations, and in the 80’s he started his own surfboard company, Island Classics. The company grew and became host to a world champion surf team, but Eric realized his role in Island Classics required him to head in a direction away from his roots: surfboard design and shaping.

In 1995 he agreed to shape for HIC, who in return purchased Island Classics and its licensees, thus freeing Eric to concentrate not only on shaping and surfing, but also to spend more quality time with his young family. Today Eric resides on the North Shore of Oahu with his wife Sue. Nearly all his children have now grown up, and he is still as passionate as ever about creating the perfect board.

Eric Arakawa will be the Boardroom’s 24th honoree.

 

PREVIOUS ICONS OF FOAM HONOREES

2007 – MIKE DIFFENDERFER

2008 – BILL CASTER

2009 – JOHN BRADBURY, VENTURA

2009 – DICK BREWER, DEL MAR

2010 – RENNY YATER, VENTURA

2010 – SIMON ANDERSON, SAN DIEGO

2011 – DOUG HAUT, SANTA CRUZ

2011 – CARL EKSTROM, DEL MAR

2012 – MARK RICHARDS, DEL MAR

2013 – RICH PRICE, ORLANDO

2013 – TERRY MARTIN, COSTA MESA

2014 – BEN AIPA – DEL MAR

2015 – RUSTY PREISENDORFER, DEL MAR

2016 – GERRY LOPEZ, DEL MAR

2016 – JOHN MEL, SANTA CRUZ

2017 – AL MERRICK, DEL MAR

2018 – MARC ANDREINI, DEL MAR

2019- WAYNE LYNCH, DEL MAR

2019 – JAPAN

2020 – COVID

2021 – PAT RAWSON, DEL MAR

2022 – TIMMY PATTERSON, DEL MAR

2023 – BING COPELAND, DEL MAR

2024 – BOB MCTAVISH, DEL MAR