RV Krystal Voyager

Here we have a mat for Hamish Kent @clevestone Hamish is a Byron surfer with a deep interest in riding and creating surf craft. I always enjoy building mats for people who are interested in how what they ride and how it works. Hamish is certainly in that group and we had a few calls to get things right.

Hamish has gone for an RB-JMC, as his current go to is a G-Mat RFT. He was keen to get something a little wider with a different feel. This mat and Hamish's RFT are both 70/70 (70 denier nylon deck and bottom) and as Hamish likes to make lots of turns, we settled on a free elastic rocker (flat but flexible) rather than the usual negative rocker used with this design. The other key difference (apart fron the shape) it the venting. The RFT is a restricted breather (wheezer) where as this mat is a free-breather with extreme venting (what I call a super-Free-breather). Fast, sensitive, malleable and inclined to carve through turns. Nice... Oh and we have dyed her with scarlet acid dye. Hamish was after hi vis but not garish and I think this fits the bill nicely.

I asked Hamish about his journey into mats. He said:

“As a bit of a nerd, and a hard core surf and surf history nerd, I have always sought to have a variety of experiences on as many and as varied craft as possible. Not infrequently, I will ride as many different wave riding vehicles as possible in a single session.

I first started dabbling in mat riding around 2013 or 2014. I had watched Crystal Voyager a number of times, and was excited by the challenge of something new.

Some friends had started riding mats, and I saw them having fun, and thought I’d better see what I was missing out on.

I bought the most accessible mat that was on some kind of sale at the time, and started trying to ride it. After 20 or so years of regular brine time, this allowed me to reach a new level of humility and humiliation in the line up- there’s really nothing like sliding out and missing a section on a perfect wave, that you know you could make on almost any other craft you own. It was a strange combination of devastating and wonderful. Some brief low friction, high speed moments punctuated by moments of complete helplessness, getting flogged in the impact zone trying to hold onto a wet plastic bag cross to a balloon, and I was kinda hooked, like a beaten lover in a bad relationship. Clearly I had room for development.

Rather than slash a hole in my wave riding vehicle so that no-one else reach the subterranean depths of ego that I had been able to experience mat riding already, I decided to limit the humiliation to once a week. Once a week the morning session had become a prone zone with bodysurfing being the prone activity of choice. I added in mat riding as another horizontal humility building pursuit.

Fast forward to a trip to NZ; I wanted to take a quiver, but didn’t want to carry a quiver. I took a board, and a mat, and enjoyed a few lonely sessions with seals, started to get the hang of things, and with only seals to laugh at me, I was able to learn a few skills from them; they learnt nothing from me. I rode the mat most days for about 10 days. I improved slightly, but only slightly.

I continued to ride my mat intermittently, with another breakthrough coming on a 70km coastal hike where I decided that the mat was to be my only surf vehicle.

The last few years we have had some excellent mat riding conditions in the areas I frequent, and I have found myself using a mat more and more, and hoping for good conditions to ride the mat. It’s become the vehicle I am often most excited about riding. I’m enjoying the constant learning, the dynamic approaches to wave riding that are afforded a the mat, and the child like glee that comes from riding a wave with your mates new and old. ”

— Hamish Kent

Lovely stuff and a testament to the words of Greenough to ride your mat and nothing else for at least 10 sessions straight when you first start out! Speaking of George, his influence on Hamish is clear with the name of this mat... "RV Krystal Voyager".

At the time of writing I'm waiting for Hamish's hoodie to arrive (Lilo Life print by Ry Akins @ry_akins) and then RV Krystal Voyager will head south.

Have fun Hamish. It's been a pleasure mate.

Cheers

G

Monk Seal

Here's a mat for Blake Snyder-Rogers named "Monk Seal". Blake lives on the Big Island of Hawaii and was after a mat "for riding big gnarly waves"... Roger that.

The Nouveau Racer is a model I worked out a few years ago. It's had some minor tweaks to the base design and we are on the third iteration. The key thing is that it feels very dependable in bigger waves, when other models might start to feel skittery. That's a pretty reassuring feeling! The Nouveau Racer definitely has a bottom end so is a model compliment an all rounder. Blake is covered on that front as he already owns a G-Mat RFT2, the stock version of a 70/70 RB-JMC built by Tom Jennings.

So on to the build, Monk Seal has a 200d deck. I only build the Nouveau Racer for big surf as a 200/70. Combined with restricted venting and the fact that the mat is narrower so the rider gets more deck coverage, this all adds to the stability of the mat overall which on a larger mat would need higher inflation levels to compensate. Blake was also keen to go with a good grip coverage to keep himself stuck to the mat. This also adds to the stability.

Blake asked for a bungee. I get asked about these a lot and honestly, leashes and mats are not a good mix. Although I heavily reinforce the front flange, they tug on the mat and get in the way. I sometimes think people have got so conditioned to just letting their surfcraft go and all in all, learning to hang on is better.

There are exceptions of course such as physical issues, surfing wave pools and, of course, "... for riding big gnarly waves" where losing the mat finds you stuck offshore with the sharks!

As for the colours, Blake asked for a grey deck (so popular these days!) with purple logo and grip. The grip is purple, despite my camera trying to convince you otherwise!

Finally, Blake asked for positive elastic rocker to help to drive Monk Seal through turns.

So, Monk Seal is heading off to the Big Island to hook up with Blake. Have fun man!

Cheers

G

Jungle

Here is a mat for Nicholas Wolken and it's one I've really enjoyed building!

Nico is a well known and very talented snowboarder, co-owner of Korua Shapes Snowboards and a very good surfer. He has been surfing a mat for a few years too and very well. He has an RFT and I have built him a Nouveau Racer named San-B for the juicy days, which has seen some heavy waves.

Last year (or maybe the year before), Nico borrowed an RB-JMC named Caligula from Andrew Buck. Andrew is significantly shorter than Nico so obviously the mat he borrowed was... Well... Short!

Nonetheless, Nico was impressed with the speed and glide and ordered himself an RFT2 (the stock version of the RB-JMC) to have a mat that fit him, but then got a deposit in for a custom. So that left us with a question... What to build?!

We considered a few options. Maybe a Chino Racer to add some variety to the all-rounder part of the quiver? Maybe a Rubber Bucky to have a big ol' glider. But after some deliberation the answer because obvious. An RB-JMC Ultralight!

As a 70/40 Super-Free-Breather, this mat feels, and is very delicate. The criminally light grip job only adds to this with this mat being extremodonculously sensitive. I love the slow drifting levitation of these builds. Rarely pulled out of the bag, save for those rare glassy, dry hair, running peeler, under head high days. In those conditions the sensation is incredible! We added 1/4" to the length just to add a bit of lift at the tail. With Nico's other mats, that's some quiver!

And the name of this mat? Jungle

Nico has a trip to Oz planned. He says:

“Hey G,

Really excited to get grooved in on Jungle . Hoping Australia delivers this August — we’ll be taking it on a full East Coast road trip. Mostly, I’m just looking forward to sharing the experience with some fellow mat enthusiasts. Can’t wait to see what it feels like!”

— Nicolas Wolken

I'm really excited to hear about the adventures of Jungle and Nico. Have fun Nico and big up the Jungle massive!

Cheers

G

Ethel the Coronal Explosion

Here's a mat for Matt Baker.

Matt has been riding Surfmats for some time now and is one of those of us who have gone right down the rabbit hole. I first met Matt at a certain reef break that we both surf when it's on. It's one of those spots that need specific conditions, so I tend to expect to see him when it comes together.

Matt likes colour in his mats, so I knew he was going to be after some dye. He had already got an idea in mind to go with a mat that was primarily orange with flashes of yellow. We went for a splattery approach and we're both very pleased with it. The combo is reminiscent of the surface of the sun. Matt was planning to name his mat Ethel, but after seeing her he has expanded the name...

Say hello to "Ethel the Corona Explosion"!

On to the mat, Ethel the Corona Explosion a 70/70 RB-JMC. Matt has a quiver of mats and was keen to have a really sensitive ride so we have really ramped up the internal venting (what I refer to as a Super-Free-Breather). We have also gone for a negative elastic rocker so the emphasis is on hauling ass down the line. Matt wanted reliable grip but not to take away from the colour. We settled on 3/4 strips which really let the colour pop. As there is less coverage, I have gone a bit heavier than I might usually, but the mat feels good and definitely not overboard.

I was hoping to hand deliver but our diaries don't line up this weekend so Ethel the Corona Explosion will be heading off by post. Let's hook up soon though Matt.

Cheers

G

Evil Twins

Having just taken deposits for the next 10 builds, I have quickly slipped in a couple of mats for Derek Hynd as Australia slides into winter. We went for a quiver of two to cover all bases.

This is mat number 1 named Evil Twin F. She is a 70/70 RB-JMC free-breather with negative elastic rocker.

Derek puts a lot of pressure on his mats, taking late drops in solid waves. We talked about grip patterns and opted for diagonal strips to give grip both length ways and across the mat, whist still maintaining maleability as Evil Twin F is Derek's all-rounder out of the 2.

Mat 2 of 2 for Derek is Evil Twin M is the gun of the quiver, ready for the solid winter swells at The Pass.

Evil Twin M is a Nouveau Racer; a mat with a lot of hold. As is standard for this model, ETM is a 200/70 wheezer, meaning the ride is stable with the mat holding it's shape more. It also means that when cutting back you have air in the outside rail (when in trim) for longer when you make the turn, giving more hold. The narrower, rounder outer pontoon, more acute curve in the rail and rounder corners also help with hold.

I personally think the RB-JMC and Nouveau Racer are pretty much the prefect quiver combo. I'm looking forward to the feedback on the Evil Twins.

Have fun Derek.

Cheers

G

Joni

Say hello to Joni, a G-Mat RB-JMC built for Aussie mat surfer Madi Farrelly.

Madi has been riding mats for a while now and is a very accomplished surfer. Madi is mates with our Antipodean RFT Series stockist Johanna Brebner (to be fair, Jo seems to be mates with everyone) and chatted to her about what to get.

Of course, Brebsy recommend a 70/70 RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative rocker. Fast and lots of glide... Perfect fit for Madi's style. Madi also had colours in mind. After a bit of acid dye fiddling (the colour on the pot and what comes out aren't always the same) we have a kind of mint bottom with teal deck.

The mint was meant to be more like the teal, but was so nice that the combo was a must! I have pigmented the grip too, to match the bottom a touch, and it's really made the logo pop. All in all, Madi is happy and so am I. Madi has also gone with a bung style valve to keep things simple.

Here's what Madi had to say:

“I named her Joni, after Joni Mitchell and her album Blue. The mat itself isn’t strictly blue, it’s a blend of teal and sea-glass, like the ocean under changing light. But this colour has been following me like a ghost lately. I see it everywhere, and I find myself drawn towards it, in the ocean, in the clothes I reach for without thinking, even in the music that drifts into my days. Maybe it’s just a colour, but it lingers, and feels strangely familiar …”

— Madi Farrelly

Lovely stuff! I'm really looking forward to hearing how Madi finds the ride with Joni. I really enjoy building mats for skilled matsurfers as the feedback is priceless.

It's been a fun build this. Have fun Madi!

Cheers

G

Marellen

Here's a mat for @therollonforever over in California. @therollonforever values his privacy so I won't share his name but he has said his Insta handle is fine.

The mat is an RB-JMC named Marellen. Unusually for an RB-JMC, we have gone for a 200d deck but this is certainly in line with @therollonforever's tastes, plus Marellen is quite a big mat so the influence of the heavier deck is mitigated a bit.

@therollonforever opted for free elastic rocker as he is keen get the balance between turning and out and out speed. We spoke about venting and have gone for my standard free-breather set up. Having only ridden wheezers, it will be interesting to hear how @therollonforever's finds a less restricted mat. I think he'll dig it from our discussion.

Here's what @therollonforever had to say:

“So I ordered because I’d only ridden stock mats up to this point. As a tall, 6’5 rider, I’m hoping this size is what I’ve been missing with a custom fit. I’m looking to boost my mat riding to its pinnacle. I’d say I want to be more serious about mat riding, but that defeats the “fun”of it. So I’m looking for a more serious effort toward fun: making sections, perfecting the cutback, and because it’s red— fast down the line trimming.

The mat name which combines my mother’s name and my youngest sisters name is a tribute to the women in my family. The name Marellen is a variation of Maryellen, which is a combination of the names Mary and Ellen. Mary, of Hebrew origin, means “bitter” or “beloved”. Ellen, of Greek origin, means “light” or “torch”. Therefore, Marellen can be interpreted as “light of the sea” or “beloved of the sea”.”

— @therollonforever

@therollonforever has gone for a bungee up-front for those occasions where a very long swim is the consequence of losing his mat. He's also gone for a mat bag.

Finally, @therolloforever has ordered a G-Mat Apparel Tee. Lovely stuff. As these are printed to order (with sustainably sourced materials and eco friendly ink) I am always stoked when I get to see one in person.

They're ace! You really should get one!

https://gmatsurfmats.teemill.com/collection/products/

Anyhoo, the grip is about cured so Marellen will head off to Cali tomorrow. I'm looking forward to hearing about her adventures!

Cheers

G