McTavish
Bob McTavish's Byron Bay label — the heritage Australian longboard brand that invented the modern shortboard in 1967 and still shapes the Fireball, Original and Involvement templates today.
Photo: mctavish.com.au
About McTavish
McTavish is one of the most historically important shaping labels in surfing. Founder Bob McTavish, alongside George Greenough, is widely credited with driving the shortboard revolution of 1967-68 with the V-bottom Plastic Machine — a design that transformed surfboards from 9'6 longboards into 7'0 vee-bottoms within a single season.
Today McTavish is a family-run Byron Bay label with a full range of longboards, mid-lengths and hulls. The Fireball Evo (performance longboard), The Original (traditional log) and The Involvement (single-fin all-rounder inspired by Bob's early designs) are the three flagship shapes.
McTavish boards ship globally and the brand runs one of the deepest dealer networks in Australia. The Involvement in particular has become one of the best-selling single-fin longboards worldwide, and the McTavish/CJ Nelson collaboration boards regularly sell out at Cleanline Surf and Real Watersports.
Popular McTavish models
Sources we reference
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Where to buy McTavish
FAQ
Fireball Evo vs The Involvement — which one?
The Fireball Evo is McTavish's competition-oriented performance longboard — thruster or 2+1, faster and looser. The Involvement is a single-fin all-round longboard inspired by Bob's early designs — glidier, more classic feel.
Is The Original a good beginner log?
It's a traditional heavy-glassed log — glide-first, forgiving, and locked-in on the nose. Great for intermediate loggers, but a bit heavy as a first-ever surfboard. Beginners are usually better off on a foam board or a lighter Firewire longboard first.
Did Bob McTavish really invent the shortboard?
Along with George Greenough, yes — McTavish's 1967 V-bottom Plastic Machine and Greenough's kneeboard hydrodynamics together triggered the shift from 9'6 longboards to 7'0 vee-bottoms in a single season. It's one of the most-cited design pivots in surf history.