Design

When Bob called the Beatnik 'the anti-log log'- it stopped us in our tracks. He continues,”Well, its anti-cedent, the Plastic Machine of 1967 was perhaps the most radical anti-log ever, ushering in the most rapid design period in surfboard history. Greenough was right by suggesting Nat and I try adding vee in the tail of our logs of the time. The concept would allow wide-tailed boards to roll more easily onto the rail. Nat was actually the first to incorporate the vee into his 9’5 Aussie Titles winning board at Bells in 1967. See him just rip in Hot Generation.... the vee worked, allowing Nat to carve a wide-tailed Sam/Involvement Template on a six-foot Bell’s face. A real breakthrough! However, vee bottoms softened and morphed into Trackers, miniguns and Bluebirds, almost disappearing for many decades, although soft vee remained in all shapers’ toolboxes for pulling out where necessary, usually to keep a gun in the face or to allow a glider to roll. However, we at McTavish never stopped fooling around with them. 

We returned to this exciting period of design to create a modern longboard that borrows the electricity of the past blended with all the functional elements of the new. After 3 years of prototypes and testing we’re left with an undeniable result. The Beatnik’s DNA is clear; it carries the same vee-bottom gene in the back half, combined with a double-concave in the nose as experimented with in 1967. Plus a similar sawn-off transom. The result is a powered-up longboard that has a lively tail which introduces jazz and verticality to your surfing, with a noseride that’s fast and electric." The anti-log log indeed.