G-Mat 114 (AKA "The Narwhal")
/This is Mark Garcia's new mat named, "The Narwhal". When I was talking to Mark about his mat he said:
"When my girlfriend bought me my first mat just over a year ago, there was a popular AT&T commercial that had a catching tune about narwhals swimming in the ocean and causing a commotion because they’re so awesome. We have associated our matting sessions with the Narwhal ever since, which is why I thought it would cool to go with the Narwhal theme."
The challenge was getting the blotchy fade from black at the nose to white at the tail right. I've had a good go. Whether or not it is a good match might be up for some debate but Mark says he's happy.
Perhaps more Arctic Camo than Narwhal print but Mark did make the point the those two things are maybe one and the same.
The most tricky bit of the build was gripping right around the valve to get the black nose. Fiddly stuff!
So then, some technical jimbo jambo. The Narwhal is a 200/70 Ute. She is scaled to Mark so may feel like a little less mat than his current mats, a G-Mat 5 Star General and a 4GF Tracker Round Tail, but should fit him nicely. She is a free breather with free rocker and I expect her to be quick. The grip is Sikaflex EBT to offer some durability and stability to the deck.
As I said, this is going to be a lively and fast mat so I'm looking forward to hearing how Mark gets on with The Narwhal. Certainly a different experience to what he's ridden to date.
Cheers
G
UPDATE: 28/04/2017
Word from Mark:
"The Narwhal is going great, absolutely love it. Great travel companion. Just got back from a week in Maui. The swell was small, long rights in warm water was like heaven. Heading to Taiwan at the end of the month, hopefully my timing is good and we catch a bit of swell. it is either awesome or it is nothing. I'll try to get some pics from Taiwan to send along."
Sounds sweet!
G