Nautilus

This is "Nautilus", a G-Mat RB-JMC built for Californian mat surfer, Scott Kennedy.

Scott has been a mat rider for some time and surfs around Santa Cruz. For those unaware, SC is an area with a rich heritage when it comes to mat surfing, and some solid points producing some very skilled riders.

Scott came ready prepared with a mat in mind, the grip pattern and even the name. Bosh! Unsurprisingly, with Scott's experience and where Scott surfshe went for a RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker. He also went with full grip panels to ensure that he stays put on the mat.

And so Nautilus set off last week and is with Scott as I type. I'm looking forward to ride reports and maybe do photos or footage (hint hint).

Have a blast Scott!

Cheers

G

Speed Thrills!

A quick in-between-builds mat for Derek Hynd.

Derek has become fully absorbed in mat surfing over the last couple of years or so. We'd spoken a few times over the years and he always expressed respect and appreciation for the craft and people who surf them. One day when I asked the question (not for the first time) "is it time to get you on a mat?" he replied with a yes!

A obvious step really for the master of free friction surfing when you think about it.

After a couple of RB-JMC's, I built Derek a Nouveau Racer (named Evil Twin M) for some of the heavier and hollower waves around Byron. He came back to me saying he loved the more structured feel of the 4 pontoon mat, but obviously being a gunnie surfmat, the Nouveau Racer misses the bottom end of other models. With that in mind I suggested a 70/70 Chino Racer would be a great all-rounder to compliment 'ETM' and we agreed to do it at some point.

And then tragedy...

Some clumsy f*ck ploughed a surfboard fin through Evil Twin F, Derek's RB-JMC, and his Chino Racer suddenly became more of a priority.

Rest in peace ETF - Taken too soon

I had a stack of builds locked in so it was a case of wait until the end or find a day and thanks to the wettest February in recorded UK history and me still coming back from the 'mega-cold', I found that day so here we are.

This Chino Racer is built with free elastic rocker and is a wheezer, to soak up the chop on windy days. Derek wanted to lock in the number 369 and has named her "Speed Thrills", saying the name is:

"... in tribute to my mentor Terry Fitzgerald - his Bells 1981 board was called this. Woo Hoo! "

So Speed Thrills is on the way Down Under. They've had it tough around Byron wave wise apparently but the season is getting going so hopefully will timed.

Have fun Derek!

Cheers

G

NB. locking in numbers usually involves waiting for the number to come up but emergency as we said.

Sysiphus

Please say hello to Sisyphus, a 200/70 G-Mat Ute built for UK based mat newb, Stephen Harrison.

Being new to mat surfing (but an experienced wave rider), Stephen was keen to get something that was going to suit where he is in his journey, and also the South Walian waves he surfs. We considered a stable all-round ride was what was needed and settled on the Ute. Stephen was keen on the red deck which is an inelastic nylon 6 material. That gave us the option of flat or positive elastic rocker and Stephen opted for the latter to help with bottom turns and cutbacks.

Stephen will also be surfing a few spots in front of rocks and also the wave pool so asked for a bungee to give a leash option. As you'll see, he's also gone for a simple bung valve.

When asked to name his mat, Stephen said:

“Name: ‘Sisyphus’ . Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to roll a rock up a hill only to watch it roll down again and repeat the task for eternity. The punishment being both labouriious and futile. Learning to surf (new equipment) can often feel laborious and sometimes futile. However, as Albert Camus observed, Sisyphus does not give up. He returns steadfastly to the task each time. I feel this way about learning to ride a mat. I am looking forward to continuing my mat surfing journey with the resolve of Sisyphus . ”

— Stephen Harrison

Nailed it. I do love the thought people put initio naming their custom mats. Welcome to being a grom again!

So, Sisyphus is heading to Wales. It looks like the Atlantic is going to keep chucking waves our way for a bit so I look forward to a ride report.

Have fun Stephen!

Cheers

G

Rider Knot Driver

Here's a mat for Scott named Rider Knot Driver.

Scott lives in California and is a very experienced mat surfer. When we discussed what Scott was after. He was pretty clear he wanted a mat to fill out the top end of his quiver for bigger and hollower waves. We settled on a 200/70 Nouveau Racer as the base design is much gunnier than most mats. The 200d deck and wheezy venting adds to stability. Scott has also gone for a bungee to add a leash. Leashes are a hassle on mats but there are times when they really are a helpful back up when the alternative is a swim in to rocks in heavy surf to get them back.

Scott is proud of his Celtic heritage. He was keen to celebrate this in the design and sent a Celtic knot design with a sketched design including pinlines. We had a lot of fun turning it into the real deal. People may know, I love clean monochrome mats and I really love this one!

I asked Scott about his choice of name and he said:

“Elements of a name…

1) Obvious need for a knot pun.

2) Depict a return to the ocean from what my main role has been in driving my kids to sporting events (Sailors knot overlaying Racing Stripes)

3) Subtle nod to a Surfmats ability to do some of the figuring for the rider. As you put it “The wave and mat kinda get together and agree!”

This mat shall be named “Rider knot Driver”

— Scott

Puns and everything... I love them too! Perfect!

So, Rider Knot Driver is heading off to Cali on Monday. I'm excited to hear what Scott gets into.

Have fun mate!

Cheers

G

Sunset Cliffs Frother

Say hello to "Sunset Cliffs Frother", a G-Mat Ute built for Californian Tio Suenos.

Tio got in on the current run to buy his first mat having made the decision that he wanted to go for a custom rather than stock mat. He's ridden waves for many years and told me about how he'd become mat curious:

“I’ve surfed most of my life, and I had seen clips here and there of mat surfers squirting through lineups, which always made me curious about mats.

But what sold me was seeing a lone bikepacker in the channel islands with just some snacks and a mat rolled up and strapped to his frame. He pulled up to our remote beach camp, parked his bike, pitched a tent, then blew up his mat and paddled out to catch a few kelpy peelers. He was frothing—not to mention the only person with a surf craft on a remote and idyllic beach. We were envious.

That moment of freedom, the apparent ease of travel, and the thought of surfing unlikely spots made a strong impression on me—a seminal moment that led me to order my first mat!”

— Tio Suenos

Mats certainly make an impression on the open minded.

We discussed our options and as a first mat thought straight down the middle all rounder was the obvious choice... A Ute.

Anyone with a G-Mat RFT will know what Tio has let himself in for. Sunset Cliffs Frother is a 200/70 construction. She's a wheezer with a positive elastic rocker which will create a smooth curve through turns. Tio has also gone for a low profile spring valve to keep things flush.

All in all, I love the love green and black combo on the deck. Photos never really do this material justice.

So, Sunset Cliffs Frother is heading west as I type.

Have fun Tio!

Cheers

G

Take Away

Here is a mat for my friend Rachel named “Take Away”, built in fits and starts during my down time. We started on Take Away in September last year!

Rachel has been surfing a mat for years now, originally getting into them surfing spots around her beloved South Devon in the UK. Rachel and her family have been living in Oz for some years now, but she periodically comes home to visit, and that’s what led to the creation of Take Away.

Rachel was involved in the Phileas Project (Phileas was a white mat I built which was sent around the world for people to surf and add their artwork too), surfing in an episode with me when Phileas came home for some TLC, and also in an Australian ep. This planted the seed for Take Away: a white mat that many people build into a work of art. In this case, Rachel’s friends and family in South Devon have drawn her a takeaway meal of all the things she loves about South Devon for her to take wherever she goes.

As you can see in the photos, the art piece is well underway and Take Away is heading to Oz. Rachel has a plan to add to this over time, including coming back to the UK to get more added by friends over here. I've left the centre pontoon clear to give more canvas. I’m really excited to see how Take Away turns out in the end.

Perhaps there will never be an end point…

On the tech side, Take Away is a 70/70 G-Mat Ute wheezer with free elastic rocker. Rachel wanted a mat for all days so this was a good choice. I’m super-stoked to finally get Rachel on a mat that properly fits her as her previous options were that little bit too big or little bit too small.

Have fun Rachel and keep us updated!

Cheers

G

Totally Killin' It!

Say hello to "Totally Killin' It!", a 70/70 RB-JMC for Matt Healy. Matt lives and surfs around Encinitas and has been riding mats for the last decade or so. There is a strong mat community around there with a long heritage and some good waves to surf them in.

Matt came pretty clear on what he wanted, a lightweight RB-JMC custom with super-free-breather venting and neg rocker and a low-profile spring valve. That's a good choice and I'm visualising super-fast high line speed runs on some Swami's peelers. Dreamy stuff!

Matt also had another request... He wanted it to look like a whale shark, having fallen in love with them during encounters in Mexico. Matt already has a surfboard painted like one in brown with white spots but after some to-and-fro with designs we settled on a navy shark. Not biologically accurate but looks pretty fancy.

I asked Matt about his journey into mats and he said:

“I began riding waves getting dropped off at the beach for a day of boogie boarding and body surfing and shenanigans with the neighborhood bros. We grew up and morphed into stand up surfers. But the prone zone has been calling me, and I got on the mat about ten years ago. The pure joy and simplicity. From local mushburgers, to Baja close out barrels, to one particular pumping southern Mexico point. And now this beautiful custom piece of art. Glide on, brothers, glide on…”

— Matt Healy

I love building mats for experienced matsurfers and I'm looking forward to feedback and hearing about her adventures with Matt.

Thanks Matt and take care.

Cheers

G

Osprey

This was the last custom mat build of 2025. A 70/70 G-Mat RB-JMC for Rincon local, Matt Simon.

Matt is one of a solid crew of mat riders from around the Santa Barbara area. He has been riding mats for many years and has had a mat from me some time back, an RB-JMC named Dragonfly that he had built after the long-term loan of a mat named the Rincon Rental Raft that I bult for Andrew Buck years ago.

Matt got in on this run and an had a clear idea what he wanted... Exactly the same! Well, not exaclty. He wanted a copy of Dragonfly, but with a bungee to give the pool option, but more importantly, to surf a certain high tide spot where losing the mat would mean, well, losing the mat! And so "Osprey" was born.

Osprey is a 70/70 RB-JMC as mentioned. She has a negative elastic rocker and is built with super-free-breather venting to maximise glide and speed. Matt has gone for a Hestered (positioned below the seam) mini-Boston valve and a clean white logo on the middle pontoon.

Have fun Matt. Always a pleasure!

Cheers

G

Toblerone

Here's a Christmas mat for Kiwi Surfmat wizard James Tanner in December, 2025.

As I'm sure people have noticed, JT is something of a standout when it comes to riding mats, with his active rail to rail approach. Also popping off the mat for a quick body surf at times before jumping back on. If you haven't seen that, check the G-Mat YouTube channel.

I've been lucky enough to build a few mats for James over the years, and his feedback is always really helpful. It dawned on me that I haven't built him any 4 pontoon models and I reckon he'd dig the hold in the rail from the Chino Racer so here we are.. . A mat that James has christened "Toblerone" because the Swiss tend to keep inflation low.

Lovely pun.

Toblerone has been built as a 70/70 wheezer, so opening up the bottom end in terms of glide but holding shape more, with restricted air flow. We have also gone with free rocker to get the balance between down the line speed and responsive turning (perhaps a nod to that famous Swiss neutrality... Hello... Is this on?)

I'm taking a punt on pre-Christmas shipping. To be honest, I'm mostly hearing people around JT's neck of the woods grumbling about terrible waves right no so probably not a huge rush, but

Anyway, Godspeed Toblerone.

Have fun James!

Cheers

G

Mr Bubble

Here's a mat for my good friend and mat surfing legend, Andrew Stephen Buck (AKA ASB or "Buck").

Andrew has played a huge part in the evolution of my designs over the years. The Rubber Bucky model was designed based on his feedback over a number of prototypes. Following this the design was further tweaked based on feedback from Jamie McClellan to create the RB-JMC, and this is what Andrew has been riding since.

You may have noticed as well that Andrew is a big fan of animal themed mats and this one is no exception. Andrew was keen to go with a crab this time around and this is the design we came up with. In consultation with his nieces, this mat was named Mr Bubble. Pretty much the perfect name for a mat!

As for all the technical jimbo-jambo, Mr Bubble is an RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker... About as fast and sensitive as possible. We have also gone with a low profile spring valve for Andrew to try, as well as a bungee for potential pool encounters.

Mr Bubble gets collected tomorrow and should be in Carpinteria before the end of the week so going well. Not that there's any surf by the looks of it but hey ho... The waves will be back.

Have fun Andrew.

Cheers

G

Shell Yes!

Here's a mat heading to the US Virgin Islands for Mariah Ernst.

Mariah is a mat surfer of long standing who knows how to ride a mat well. She is on the team at Emocean Magazine and has a close effinity with the ocean and natural world, so no surprises then that Mariah rides a mat!

Having recently hung out with Andrew Andrew Stephen Buck talking mats, Mariah was pretty clear that she wanted an RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker and, a particular Buck influence, an animal theme. As Mariah has always had a fantasy of skimming across a wave face on a giant clam shell her choice was simple and "Shell Yes!" was born!

Shell Yes! is a nice addition to the quiver for Mariah. Over the years she has had a Nouveau Racer and a free (flat) rockered RB-JMC that has more restricted venting so Shell Yes! will give a very different ride to both. Very technical and very fast. Perfect addition. Shell Yes! also has one of the new low profile spring valves so I'm excited to hear how Mariah finds it.

So, shell yes will be heading over to the US Virgin Islands and I can't wait to hear and see how she goes.

Have fun Mariah.

Cheers

G

PS Mariah also recently picked up a G-Mat Mini from my partner Tom Jennings She says you should definitely get one too.

Hold & Grunt

So, Covid hasn't gone anywhere and still sucks it seams. Thankfully, after a week of feeling like death I've finally been able to do the finishing touches to this mat.

This is a mat built for my good friend Henry Marfleet who got in on the list for a mat a few runs ago and wanted to be super sure he has the right model. With careful planning I think we're there now and Henry has a Nouveau Racer named "Hold & Grunt" to round out his quiver. Henry has a Rubber Bucky and a 70/70 RFT so adding a gunnie mat is the perfect model, especially as we move into winter. Henry was also really keen to secure the number 308.

Henry says:

“I’m calling the mat “Hold & Grunt”, how this name came about, which is related to number “308” as I have two classic Australian Holden utes which both have 308 cubic inch V8 engines ……. from the email I sent to you with Build Sheet -> “if it is to have a name you can call it “grunt” as that is what a 1970’s 308 ci V8 Holden engine has…… and hopefully the mat will have enough grunt to make it through fast sections, actually maybe aka “Hold & Grunt” as should have hold and grunt!”

— Henry Marfleet

Well, the Nouveau Racer certainly has a huge amount of hold, making waves that might be tough to surf a mat in mattable. The design certainly has a bottom end to what it will go in, but in solid waves, she'll go like a greased shit so I'm confident meets the brief.

On to the build, Hold & Grunt is a 200/70 with panels of PU grip to add stability. Internally she is a wheezer (restricted airflow), again to help keep things steady and dependable.

Henry has also asked for a bungee to give the leash option for those rare days when it is needed. He's also opted for a Hestered (below the flange) mini-Boston valve.

I surf with Henry a lot and as we get properly into the Northern Hemisphere winter, I look forward to seeing Hold & Grunt in action!

Cheers

G

Albert

Here's a mat for Alasdair Newby from West Cornwall, UK. Alasdair has surfed all sorts of boards for many years and ended up picking up a mat a little while back and is now in deep... That's how it goes with mats...

He got on on the current run and came with a clear idea what he wanted. A stable mat that will work in a range of conditions. Alasdair surfs the waves I first got in on as a young lad, so I had a decent sense of things.

We've gone for a 200/70 Ute. The red deck material is made with Nylon 6 which is a little heavier. The combo with the white 70d gives a nicely balanced feel. We've gone for restricted wheezy venting and a bungee for bigger days. Alasdair also opted for one of the new low profile valves too.

Alasdair has named his new mat Albert. Albert is one of a number of Utes I've built lately. Lots of Utes and lots of mats in the UK which is unusual.

Anyway, I'm building one more in this run and will do a team mat or two and then the order book will be open again for the next 10.

But back to Albert, she's heading West tomorrow. I'm hoping to get down there soon myself too so hopefully can see Alasdair and Albert in action.

Have fun Alasdair!

Cheers

G

Blackbeard

This is Blackbeard, a 200/70 G-Mat Ute built for UK based mat surfer, Steve Holmes.

Steve has been surfing mats for some time now and is keen to take him mat riding forwards, including some bigger days. We spoke about what he was after and Steve was keen for a mat that world cover all bases. The Ute seemed a solid option as the perfect all rounder. Steve has added a bungee for those rare particularly tricky conditions.

We have gone with a wheezer with free elastic rocker so Blackbeard will really have a wide range and will keep it's shape in bumpy and chunky conditions.

Steve said:

“Looks perfect fella can’t wait to try it,

My first experience of Mat surfing was about 25 years ago, A mate and myself bought a couple of Tiki mats and surfed killers in Morocco with them, Then a few years ago when mats started re-emerging, I bought a mat which I’ve been using in North Devon on Smaller days so now looking for something to use on bigger days as well. ”

— Steve Holmes

Blackbeard is heading off as we speak and I'm looking forward to hearing how she goes.

Have fun Steve!

Cheers

G

Black Back

Here's a mat for Tom Carter, a UK based mat surfer from West Cornwall. Tom has been riding mats for a while now and has a narrow mat that really has seen a lot of action and needed a few repairs. He came to me wanting something to open the bottom end up a bit more with better glide through softer sections, but also to keep the rail-to-rail feel. We talked a bit on the phone and eventually settled on a G-Mat Ute. Our thinking was that this mat will become Tom's main ride, with his current mat being saved for the heavy and hollow days.

The mat Tom has been riding has a canvas deck so, although Tom was up for more maleability, we didn't want to go too full on so have gone with a 200/70 build. In addition the the 200 denier deck, we have gone with panels rather than strips of grip which will add a little more structure. The mat is also a wheezer, with the restricted airflow adding further stability which will help with keeping shape through turns.

We talked about names. No custom mat has left my workshop without the new owner giving it a name. Tom said:

“I was thinking Black Back - a little nod to the gull. Nothing philosophical, it’s just there were two nesting on the roof at work so I saw them most days this summer! Stunners !
Have been on a wave specific mat so looking forward to surfing some different waves. Love to boot it around the coast path, and super excited to exploring some coves with the new mat!”

— Tom Carter

That sounds amazing, eh?! We're lucky to live where we do.

So, Black Back is off to hook up with Tom. We've just moved into Autumn here and it's landed with a bump, including swell, so looking forward to hearing about Tom's adventures.

Have fun mate!

Cheers

G

Zippy

Ahhhh-aaaah-aaaaah! That's right George! This is a mat built for Dave McAllister.

Dave lives over in the Channel Islands (not those ones) and has been the only mat surfer that he knows of on Jersey (not that one) for some time. Dave surfs the spots on the island's West Coast, and also takes trips to South West France fairly regularly.

Given that, Dave was after a mat that will surf a wide range of conditions.

We spoke about his existing mat and the waves Dave surfs. We settled on a mat that was stable, and fast down the line! Sorry that in mind, we went for a 200/70 RB-JMC. Dave was keen to keep things versatile so we opted for a free elastic rocker to keep the default rocker in the mat flat. I also slightly tweaked the length to make the mat feel a bit more familiar to him.

As we were going for a focus on speed, Dave has named his mat Zippy. That will bring a certain puppet to mind for people from the UK of a certain age! Dave also went for a sexy tee-shirt. He's got the HiLine Tee, so that will make Andrew Buck happy.

After a bit of a faff, I finally got Zippy shipped to Jersey.

Have fun Dave!

Cheers

G

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