Plastic Machine

After writing about D-fins I feel that a section should be dedicated to highlight the incredable design achievements of the late 1960's. By this I am refering to the teaming up of Bob Mctavish, George Greenough and Nat Young to develope the V-Bottom or otherwise know as the "Plastic Machine". This design has been acredited with starting the shortboard movement that created a shift in the norm and hence the progression away from the longboard.

• http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000003.html
• http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000026.html
• http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000107.html
• http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000115.html
• http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000168.html

With the innovative fin designs of George Greenough the keel fin design was laid to rest... combining this knowledge with the likes of Bob McTavish and the skill and aggressive surfing of Nat Young the shortboard era commenced; hence the early retro shortboards took over as the norm. A good movie for anyone interested in George is CRYSTAL VOYAGER. For now here is a clip of George mating: YOUTUBE

There is a fair bit of infomation within the links above... The following statement was taken from the Surf Research site: "The short board just didn't suddenly 'happen' in sense - although it did in another. In the 1967-68 season the innovators (primarily Bob McTavish and Midget Farrelly) came up with an 8 to 8' 4" board with a vee bottom, a wide tail and a full nose. This started the slide away from the classic 9-footers. The Vee-bottom lasted just one season. Then it was the year of the Pintail and the Tracker. And the surge to shorter boards was on!". Note the high aspect George Greenough influenced fin in the photo to the left that were incorporated into the design.

The following statement was taken from the Surf Museum site: "In the beginning of 1967, McTavish concentrated on an entirely new bottom design. The design consisted of a deep “V” shaped into the back third of the board, and a wide tail. He called this surfboard the “Plastic Machine.” For seven months, these boards got lighter and smaller; down to 7'6" with a weight of 14 pounds. All had the new type of fin invented by George Greenough. These “high-aspect ratio fins” came from the template of a blue fin tuna. For the first time, fins gave turning leverage to surfboards rather than just steering them."

This design is a tribute to team work and the inspiration of others. By working together and sharing ideas great things can be acomplished.