Now ready to slide - this Fat bugger. Should be interesting.

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For the past few weeks I've been working on a stand-up Spoon concept Flex-tail. Something that flexes and winds up like a Spoon, but you can stand up on it and paddle it in with ease. Heres a few progress shots, its got a groovy swirl on the bottom too!!

Bob

5'11" x 21 1/4" x 2 7/8" and dead flat - should be fun on the small days! 

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Matty Chojnacki is heading to the North Shore later this month and is taking a couple of sweet new shooters with him. The Bluebird and the Tracker will be in there with the Involvement and the rhino gun that Bob shaped for him back in December. Can't wait to see some photos of Matt at Sunset on that Tracker! 

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Full volan Tracker complete with heart-shaped deck patch

Single fin and super-pinched rails, rolled hull bottom

Big deep raked single

Beige pigment deck and classic tapered pinline

White pigment in volan for the bottom + rails

Stubby 7" wide based single in this one

Its always great to get some photos from a customer who's been out enjoying their new board. This week I got these 2 beauties from Ken Conrick from Melbourne. Ken's just returned from the Mentawai islands where he spent some time surfing Pitstops on his new 7'4" Bobsled and it looks like they got some great waves. Both pics courtesy of John Barton from Pitstop Hill.

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Ken on his backhand on the Bobsled quad

Ken lines up to get shacked

Last night was the first ever Kirra Surf Tradeshow, where vendors were invited to showcase a range of product and do a presentation to over 300 'Black-label' VIP Kirra Surf customers. The night was a great success, with a ton of pro surfers in attendance including Parko, Mick, Taj, Bede and Richie Lovett. We were showcasing our new Sumo and NEO models and everyone was keen to organise a ride! At the end of the evening there was a board giveaway and a brand new custom McTavish was won by Kana, a super stoked young Japanese surfer living on the Gold Coast for the next 12 months. Next years event promises to be even bigger and better and may even coincide with the Kirra Pro so stay tuned.   

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McTavish VIP Rod Boyce with Bob and 2X World Champ Mick Fanning

McTavish Wholesale Manager Greg Tilley shows Hat-dog Hatten the new Sumo model

Glen 'Rocky' Rawlings interviews Bob on the future of board design

A super stoked board winner Kana, all the way from Japan!

Bob and Kana talk through her new custom

Its been a long time coming but the first 2 of the Balsa Collectors boards are ready to go. These are some of the most beautiful boards we've ever had come through our factory - solid balsa, double glossed, laminated timber D fin (thanks Piers!) with a beer tinted halo (thanks Wiz!), and a numbered copper plaque, that we can mount on the deck or on the bottom depending on how the board will be displayed. There will be just 12 made, all hand finished and signed by Bob. 

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All todays pics by Samuel Lindsay!

The Egg has been a popular McTavish staple for over a decade now, but we often get asked for a high-volume board that will still handle mid size 3-6ft beachies and point breaks. The wider tail on the Egg makes it a bit skatey on the bigger days so its kind of restricted to smaller surf. Enter the Sumo - all the volume you need, and none of the tail width you don't!! Tail widths are around the 14" mark, which really makes this model fly off the tail, and your rail-to-rail transition is easy and flowing. The nose width and high aspect rails keep plenty of volume forward under your chest, so paddling is a breeze. The board retains the same reliable 2+1 fin set-up as seen in the Egg, and comes with a 6" centre fin and GX side fins. We'll be making these from 6'2" up to about 8'0", and the first 3 are available from stock now - check them out here.

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The Sumo - available now!

New models are always exciting and this one is no exception. The NEO is a post-retro log, that still manages to perform. The board is flat and very heavy (the 9'9" weighs in at 9.8KG) so they trim, pivot and run on small waves like you wouldn't believe. The board has a 6x6x6oz deck and a 6x6oz bottom, a flat bottom-shape with just a hint of nose concave. The rails are full and forgiving, not knifey like a lot of boards made in this style. They're easy to ride, and love the smaller waves, under the 2-3 ft mark. All NEO's that we build here will have a top-spec glass job too, and these 3 stock boards look amazing, with fabric inlay decks, resin stripes, and some of the best lamination work that you'll see anywhere - Billy has really outdone himself of these badboys. So if you're looking for a small wave tanker/work-of-art that you can still do a decent cut-back on this is where its at. Check out the first 3 stockies here.

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This one is 9'9" and has the most amazing fabric inlay in metallic gold

Hard to capture the richness of the colour in a photo, but it looks great

With added sunshine - a bit more sparkle