Stephanie Gilmore Rips A Custom Single Fin Asym From Bob McTavish
The word “timeless” gets thrown around more than a bar of sandy wax when describing the style of Stephanie Gilmore. But time is a relevant factor in the recent collaboration between the eight-time World Champion and pioneering board sculptor Bob McTavish.
McTavish was born in 1944. In 1967, he unveiled his Plastic Machine, which featured a unique vee bottom hull that proved pivotal in progressing the shortboard revolution. Gilmore (age 36) is 44 years younger than McTavish. Yet both have a giddy sense about them in the shaping bay.
Gilmore seems to be embracing change this year. She’s taking the season off from the WSL’s Championship Tour, and after 13 years with Roxy, she recently switched her headline sponsor to Rip Curl. Now, Gilmore appears to be rethinking her quiver by embracing the box-breaking designs of an 80-year-old shaping legend.
“All I’m trying to achieve when I’m surfing is speed, to be honest,” Gilmore tells McTavish in the new edit above, highlighting the recent collab. “If I can go fast and feel the wind in my face, that’s all I’m going for.”
McTavish has seen a lot in his time. By his estimate, he’s sawed between 30,000 to 40,000 blanks. It’s easy to get jaded when you work for that long. But Gilmore still gets him excited.
“Been one of my favorite five surfers for about 10 years,” McTavish said. “I reckon in the last two years, she’s number one. I love that she’s not chained down by her thinking. You see that in her surfing. She pulls things out of the bag that blow your mind.”
In addition to gushing over Gilmore, McTavish shares insights on his custom shaping philosophy.
“You’ve got to dig into their quiver, what they’re thinking, and what they’d like to try,” he said. “You pull all the elements out of the ether and put together a package for someone. That’s the most satisfying shaping because it’s a definite one-off.”
McTavish delivered on his promise with a one-of-a-kind single-fin, and his first hand-drawn logo since 1967. So how did Gilmore's new hand-shaped asymmetrical 5’8” x 19” x 2 3/8” work? Watch the recently released edit above to find out.
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