WHAT MAKES A GOOD SURFBOARD?
Hailing from Western Australia, Jack epitomises the quintessential surfer-shaper, drawing inspiration from the golden era of surfing. In his pursuit of mastery, he turns to local legends Billy and Pete, weaving traditional craftsmanship with modern techniques to create surfboards that transcend mere tools, becoming extensions of a surfer’s soul. As cherished friends of our brand, we recently caught up with them, reminiscing about the past and envisioning the future. Dive deeper for their enlightening perspectives.
Bill Gibson — Margaret River based pro surfer of the 70’s. Still adding to the trophy cabinet as recently as 2018. Photo courtesy of Surfing Down South.
Peter Bothwell — Yallingup based pro surfer and full-time shaper of the 60’s and 70’s. Photo courtesy of Ric Syme, 1969.
Jack, tell us a little about Bill and Pete. How’d you meet these two icons?
The guys are good friends of mine. It was an honour to have them in the bay and introduce them to Rhythm. They’re super humble guys that are well known by all of the core crew here in the south-west. I’m constantly drawing inspiration from their stories about the golden days. When surfing was being pioneered in the south-west they were out there surfing new breaks on different equipment, kind of ahead of their time.
I met Bill in early days, competing in longboard titles and events like Whalebone and the Yall Mall Classic. We’ve stayed super close as we both share a love for restoring old boards. Met Pete cruising around at Yallingup where I surf mostly. He doesn’t surf everyday but you’ll always catch him luring around as he lives on the hill at Yallingup and has done since the 70s.
Bill, Pete — it’s been a pleasure to meet you! Any advice for our surfers and readers?
Each wave is a new adventure for the rider, according to surf icon Bill Gibson. He goes on to say, “Good surfboards are a balance between a surfer’s dreams and their abilities. Being able to interpret this is a skill that all surfboard manufacturers should aspire to.” As someone who has been riding for well over 40 years, Bill reinforces that, “Mastering this approach will produce a piece of art that is beautiful, functional and desirable.”
During our conversation with Pete he speaks highly of surfing in the sixties. Noting that Western Australia was a little behind the east-coast at the time, and didn’t catch up until later in that decade. However he did “benefit from the mid-sixties, surfing all over the south and east coast of Australia and seeing the best of that era.” Surfing has played a large part in Pete’s life, he mentions “being able to own a handcrafted piece to ride in suitable waves as a log is such a worthy experience.”
What about you Jack? Tell us what you think makes a good surfboard.
In my opinion, a good surfboard is something that you have the most fun on. It doesn’t have to be the most high-performance or the fastest, but a board that reminds you of the best rides each time you pick it up. If you are picking a log up for the first time, sometimes you just know by putting it under your arm- the outline, the foil and the rail profile all seem to trigger something in that froth-out section of your brain.