SB_issue55_Digital

news
A new
lease on
life
oceanfoil
Last time we caught up with
surfboard shaping legend Keith
Robinson, he was receiving orders
in droves for his life-changing
Oceanfoils's Gut Sliders. Now, we
explore just how special these boards
really are.
Readers may remember the 74-year-old surfer and
shaper from our last editions as the man eliminating the
heartbreak of retiring from the ocean. Based in Nambucca
Valley, Keith has spent the last couple of years innovating
the original Gut Slider – a board that you can lie on that
allows the rider to paddle into waves easily and perform
cutbacks just as you would with a regular surfboard.
Keith’s Gut Sliders have breathed new life into so many of
his customers who have had to say goodbye to traditional
surfing due to age or injury. Few have felt as joyful to be
back among the waves as 65-year-old Irma Rainford, who
is zipping through sets again thanks to her Gut Slider she
has lovingly nicknamed ‘Candy’. Irma said she used to
surf when she was in her twenties before she moved to
South Australia.
“When I came back to New South Wales I decided to get
back in the water and surf, which was a bit like riding a
bike really, but in my age it definitely became harder to
push up. I ran into Keith, and he told me about these new
boards he’s been making, so I got him to make me one
and I just love it – it’s fabulous.
“It’s such an
enjoyable way
to surf, because
when you are
lying down on
the board it
gives you a new
perspective on
the beauty of a
wave...
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