Bob McTavish
Australian surfboard designer (born 1944)
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Bob McTavish (born 1944) is an Australian surfboard designer. He is often credited with the invention of the V-bottom surfboard and was one of a number of pioneering shapers considered instrumental in the development of shortboard surfing.
Bob McTavish | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1944 (age 81–82) Mackay, Queensland, Australia |
| Known for | Shortboard design |
Early life and education
Born in Mackay, Queensland in 1944, Bob McTavish began surfing at the age of twelve.[1]
He dropped out of school at 15, and moved to Sydney, New South Wales.[2]
In 1963, McTavish famously stowed away in an ocean liner bound for Hawaii.[1] He spent five weeks in Hawaii before being deported.[3]
Surfing
McTavish began surfing on a 16-foot (4.8m) plywood paddleboard.[2]
McTavish won the Qld State titles in 1964-66 and finished third in the Nationals behind Midget Farrelly and Nat Young, after which he abandoned competitive surfing.[1] McTavish was a dynamic surfer eschewing the longboard style of surfing that was dominant at the time.[2] Greg Noll, Joe Quigg were instrumental to him in his surf board shaping.[4]
Shaping
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From 1961 onwards McTavish worked for surfboard labels including Scott Dillon, Dale, Hayden, Bob Davie, Morey-Pope, Keyo, and Cord. He worked alongside the Australian foam-core innovator Barry Bennett at his factory in Brookvale in 1972.[5]
Meanwhile, he was developing his eponymous brand, 'McTavish'. His 1972 model, the 'Bluebird', has been described as the world's first production short-board, resulting in thousands being produced until 1979.[1]
In 1989 McTavish introduced Pro Circuit boards, which created machine-moulded replicas of the boards ridden by professional surfers.[2]
In the mid-1990s McTavish began producing 'Big M' longboards, which have a factory and retail operation in Byron Bay.[1]
McTavish was the inaugural recipient of the FCS Legend Shaper Award.[6]
Shortboard evolution
It is the generally accepted view that McTavish, influenced by California kneeboarder George Greenough, was responsible for starting the shortboard revolution with the development of the short, wide-tailed vee-bottom design of surfboard in 1966.[7][8]
The vee-bottom design allowed surfers to go up the face of a wave rather than simply race away from a breaking curl.[9] It has been suggested that without his contributions, the revolutionary nature of shortboard surfing wouldn't have been as effective.[10]
Hawaiian Dick Brewer claims the vee-bottom design originated with him in Hawaii.[11] Midget Farrelly claimed he shaped a vee-bottom prior to McTavish; however McTavish's central role in the shortboard revolution is acknowledged by the American surfers Greg Noll, Skip Frye, and Mike Hynson.[9]
Recognition
McTavish appeared in around 10 surf movies in the 1960s and 1970s.[7]
In 1992, Australia's Surfing Life magazine named McTavish the "Most Influential Shaper of All Time".[7][2]
In 1996, he was inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame.[7]
Personal life
In the 1970s, McTavish became a Jehovah’s Witness.[2]
Publications
- Stoked! (2009). Hyams Publishing. ISBN 978-097-757-986-0
- More Stoked! (2013) Harper Collins. ISBN 978-073-229-676-6