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 …

Always an innovator in surfboard design and technology, Bob has pioneered cutting edge changes to the basic concept of a surfboard since 1965, when he began to refine rail and bottom design to …

1 day ago · Chris Del Moro and Christian "Wispy" Barker test out a fresh quiver from McTavish in new film, The Alchemy of Bob.

Jan 12, 2026 · In today’s episode Bob McTavish shares stories from surfing in an era prior to foam cores and surf wax, charts the path from dropping out of school to surf, to being homeless with only $10 to …

Join us as we discuss the birth of the shortboard era, advancements in board performance with twin fins, and McTavish's reflections on gratitude and privilege in the surfing world.

Dec 7, 2025 · Bob McTavish was a 19 year old shaper/surfer working in Sydney, Australia in 1963 and he had surf on the brain. Walking the streets, every two-story building was pictured as a giant …

Born in 1944 in Queensland, Australia, Bob McTavish started surfing at age 12 on a 16-foot plywood paddle board. Best known as a surfboard shaper, he started working with Sydney’s biggest board …

Bob McTavish is a legendary Australian surfer/shaper and a key figure of the Shortboard Revolution that exploded in the late Sixties. During this time, board lengths went from 10 feet to 7 feet literally …

Cheerful Australian surfer and surfboard designer; inventor of the vee-bottom surfboard, and a key figure in the 1967-launched shortboard revolution.

Bob McTavish began surfing in Queensland at the age of twelve - and for decades, he has written, he slept in cars, eating bread, bananas and the occasional spider and surfing at every opportunity. At …