Dirt McGirt

Ladies and Gents I'm pleased to introduce G-Mat 152 (AKA "Dirt McGirt" is a free-breathing 70/70 G-Mat Ubercat built for Jamie McClellan. 

She has an elastic rocker and is gripped with Sikaflex EBT. Jamie lives in a land of solid, heavy waves so she's a good fit and that grip offered that bit of stability without adversely affecting the pliability.

Hestered valve to protect Jamie's beautiful face. 

As you can see, the Ubercat's deep concave will give a stack of lift, working will to support the slim-Jim plan shape. 

Looking like a run of Atlantic swells this summer so hopefully Dirt McGirt will get plenty of action.  

Always a pleasure building mats for Jamie and it's been a pleasure to build this mat. 😁 

Sometimes you build one that's just that bit too hard to let go.

Have fun Mr McClellan!

Cheers

G

5 Star General News

Quick update as I realised that UK Mat Surfers have been telling all the news about the 5 Star Generals and I'd forgotten to share it on here.

I'm doing the 5SG in both 70/70 Free-Breather and 200/70 Wheezer models now. I'm also doing them in three sizes, Small (fits riders from 5'4" to 5'8"), Medium (fits riders from 5'9" to 6'1") and Large (fits riders from 6'2" to 6'6"). 

You can get them in the UK Mat Surfers online store.

I'll be building these every couple of months or so in between custom mats. If you want one I'd suggest getting on the UKMS Mailing List.

Cheers

G

G-Mat 151 (AKA "Grenadine")

This is G-Mat 151 (AKA "Grenadine"). She's a G-Mat Ute built for Tony Ryan over in San Diego.

Tony has a bit of a thing for Surfcraft with a bit of a bubble gum feel and Grenadine is no exception. The fade from black, through grey and into pink looks good and emerged up from the black bottom too.

Grenadine is built with a 200/70 construction. The internal venting is slightly restricted so she is a little wheezy to help keep her shape. The grip is clear Sikaflex EBT which really pops the colours.

Grenadine will be setting sail shortly so should make it in time to be able to get in to some of this decent run of swell that Southern California has been getting.

Ride reports to follow.

Have fun Tony! 

G

Bumbarreler - Getting Deeper...

Say hello to my 150th custom mat!!!

This is a 200/70 G-Mat Ute named Bumbarreler by her owner, ex-pat Maddie Gordon. 

Maddie hails from the sarf eas' of the England but has given up her life as an Essex Girl to move to the US West Coast. Specifically, Santa Barbara. 

(Disclaimer, G-Mat Surfmats has no idea whether Maddie is actually from Essex, has ever lived in Essex or has ever visited Essex).

So, why Bumbarreler? Well, Maddie seems to have the bum-barrel really nailed down and felt that the name might spur her on to going deeper. 

mADDIE GETTING A bUM bARREL AT HOME. pHOTO BY wILL aDLER

Bumbarreler will be setting sail for the US dreckly and will be Maddie before the end of the week. Loks like some decent surf over there at the moment so it shouldn't be long at all before we see some head barrels from Maddie!

Also, people might not be aware but Maddie is a super talented artist. Take a look at her work via her Etsy shop here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/maddiegordonart

Cheers

G

Important G-Mat News

Hello again all.

Another update on the waiting list. Unfortunately, the complexities in my life are ongoing and it doesn't really look practical to keep building custom mats commercially, at least for the foreseeable future. Given that, I will need to wrap up the waiting list and won't be taking new custom orders for the time being. I am going to build mats for the 10 longest waiters on the list.

Beyond this I will be focusing on building the 5 Star General and Bodybags for UK Mat Surfers. I can just work on them as and when I have time and they are MUCH quicker to build using templates and also saving time on collaboration and design from scratch.

My plan is to build these in 3 scaled sizes to cover riders between 5' 7" and up to 6' 4" which covers most people and means people can get a perfect fit.

The 5SG is basically a Ute with a teeny bit more length to extend the bottom end of it's range. I am really proud of it. It's fast with great hold and covers pretty much all conditions. I sold the last one I owned and have missed her ever since! The construction is exactly the same as with custom mats. Ask Adam "King Waka"  Williams from Scumm if you want more info on them.

http://kingwakaskorner.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/officer-on-deck.html

In time I'll build them in 200/70 and 70/70 construction. I'll be doing some different colours too.

If you want to get a 5 Star General then get on the UK Mat Surfers mailing list:

https://www.ukmatsurfers.com/mailing-list/

I'm really sorry for any disappointment caused to anyone missing out on a custom mat. Hopefully a time will come where I have the space to get back to doing them commercially, but with my day to day work being stretched between employed work and self-employment plus needing to make time for increased family demands that's not practical right now.

Cheers

G

Boogie Woogie!

Say hello to G-Mar 149 AKA "Boogie Woogie". Boogie Woogie is a G-Mat Chino Racer built for Vincent Ulmann. Vincent is lucky enough to live in South West France, close to Biarritz. 

Lucky Vincent!

Sooo... He was after a mat that would see him right in most size waves but with a penchant for hollow waves with power (remember where he lives!). Given that, we agreed that a Chino Racer would be a good fit. 

Vincent has gone for a 200/70 build with free rocker, a Hestered valve, and leash bungee fitting.

In addition, he has opted to go with restricted venting (ie. Boogie Woogie is a "wheezer") to keep things stable.

She set sail today so should be there early next week. The Western Coast of Europe is full of waves right now so hopefully Vincent will be able to get into some soon!

Cheers

G

Waiting List News

Hello all. 

First off, I want to wish everyone a happy new year. 

Secondly, I have a bit of news. I need to close the waiting list for  custom mats for a while so won't be able to take new orders.

People who have been waiting for a custom mat for a long time will already be aware but the waiting time for a Custom G-Mat is currently around 2 years! This is due to having a various and increased demands on my time plus just having a really long list! (and needing to resist the urge to sacrifice needed down time) 

I'm blown away by the demand but it is a long wait by anyone's standards and I can't give any clear time scales to people waiting. As a result, I am going to have to close the waiting list whilst I catch up.

Once I get the waiting list back under control then I can work out where I am and how to manage things. Maybe a first-come-first-served set-up. Anyway, that's something to think about down the line.

I will still be building 5 Star Generals and Bodybags for UK Mat Surfers periodically so you can still get hold of G-Mats.

Thanks for all the support and have a great 2018!

Cheers

G 

Tangerine Dream

Say hello to G-Mat 148 (AKA "Tangerine Dream"). She is a Ute built for Matt Cox over here in the UK. 

Tangerine dream has a 3 tone acid dye dip with clear Sikaflex EBT deck grip. The front corners have black EBT to help when dragging her under sets. Matt has also gone with a Hestered Valve to protect his beautiful face.

Tangerine Dream is a 70/70 construction. Free-breathing ventilation in combo with the lightweight construction and free rocker means this gal is gonna be pretty quick! 

Matt riding his old G-Mat - Pic by Kana Wraith

Matt will hopefully get a go out at the end of this week. We have some swell on the way and a windo of favourable wind (although that's more changeable than words can say these days!)

Anyone interested in getting together for that should get to the Black Rock end of Widemouth Bay Nr Bude for first light this Friday. Looks like a few mats might be getting together!

Ride report coming soon...

Cheers

G

Shearwater - Custom Surfmat Taiwan Bound!

This is Shearwater, a G-Mat Ute built for Chris Goodwin. I'm sure people will remember the classic shot of Chris riding his Chino Racer The Onion on a Typhoon Bomb in Japan.

Photo by AJ Goodwin

A Shearwater glides over the open ocean. Pic By John Harrison

Shearwater is a 70/70 build with free rocker and complete free breather. Chris was keen to add some range to his quiver so we figured a lighter mat with an all round configuration would be a perfect addition.

I'm really stoked to have been able to build another mat for Chris. He and his wife AJ are a cool as it gets. Living the dream and travelling around East Asia, soaking up the culture and introducing the lineups to the joy of Surfmats.

Currently they are in Taiwan. I have to admit, I did enjoy the irony of sending a custom surfmat over there!

Chris is a really solid (or floppy?) mat rider and I really value his feedback. I'm really excited to hear about the adventures he has with Shearwater.

Cheers

G

Rattler... Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie!!!

Say hello to G-Mat 145 (AKA "Rattler"). Rattler is the third mat I've built for UK based Ozzie, Henry Marfleet. I was over the moon to build this mat as Henry's previous mats have both been built for solid waves. He goes on annual trips to Indo so you can see why.

So back to Rattler; she's a 200/70 Rubber Bucky. Henry wanted to get in touch with his Ozzie roots so opted for a bit of colour... Green deck, yellow logo and yellow bottom. We went for clear grip to to add a touch of frosty goodness and let the green really show through.

Rattler has a subtle neg rocker to work with the deeper concaved of the Rubber Bucky design to make what is going to be a fast and slippy mat. Perfect for Henry's frequent trips to Cornwall. (We always prepare ourselves for a week of onshore choss when he says he's coming down!).

Henry has also ordered a sexy green tee with a yellow logo. That's currently in the works so will be sent on later. Looking forward to getting in with Henry and Rattler next time he's down.

Cheers

G

Hush Hush... Top Secret...

Every now and then a customer pops up on the waiting list who is a subscriber to the pre-mainstream approach to mat surfing of keeping your head down. No fuss. Low key mat. Just go surfing.

San Diego's Barry Palmatier is one of those people. He got in touch asking for a mat to ride heavy and hollow waves. It didn't take a great deal of chit-chat to come to the conclusion that a Nouveau Racer was the way forward. 

"What colours do you want mat?" 

"Black." 

"What about the grip?" 

"Black." 

"Logo?" 

"Small... Black." 

And the name? Well, it had to be "Top Secret" obviously!

Black on Black Tee

I know it doesn't look it but these are actually colour photos!

So then, Top Secret is a 200/70 build with free rocker. She's a free breather to up the responsiveness and has Puraflex 40 grip. The front corners have also been gripped to help Barry to pull her under heavy sets. 

You might see Barry if you surf around SD. If you do, the password is "the mats are flying in the fall." In fact, he's keen to meet other mat surfers so if you want to get in touch with him, give me a shout and I can pass on details.

Have fun Barry!

Cheers

G

---

UPDATE 30/10/2017

Word from Barry. Top Secret has landed:

I got it Friday, and have been meaning to write and let you know. 

I am THRILLED with the mat!!! It's exactly what I was looking for. 

I haven't had a chance to ride it yet....Saturday was small junk, no form and I didn't even want to spoil the experience by taking it out in crappy surf. 

Sunday the swell came up and it was really good size off the beach, but closed out. I could have gone down to the Sloughs (google it) where it was breaking at first notch (12 to 15ft faces) but I was short on time due to my daughter having a flying lesson at noon. I would have to be out of the water and ready to drive her out by 10 am, which is really not possible when surfing the sloughs. It's a long walk down to the river mouth and then a loooooong difficult paddle out. 

Now, it's raining in San Diego, so I will probably have to wait for the weekend to give it a try... 

I'm really looking forward to riding it!

Super thanks for the mat...I can tell it's going to be exactly what I needed for hollow days. 

---

UPDATE 11/11/2017

Barry has managed to get some waves. Seems pleased. 

I got to ride top secret for the first time today. Mixed south swell, foot or two over head on the sets..very hollow, breaking hard in shallow water. WOW what a mat! First wave was a heavy late takeoff left, that would have put me out in the flats watching the shoulder peal away on any other mat. Top secret pulled in nicely delivering up a beautiful in n out barrel with quick exit and down the line speed run. I'm so stoked right now, I can hardly wait to get more. I love the way it rides, and I don't feel like I really have it dialed in yet. Super thanks for the mat, the wait was definitely worth it.

I really like it. At first I was concerned the deck would be a little slippery. It felt that way with a flat hand on the deck while walking out, but once I hopped on all my concerns were gone. Very comfortable, and it stays put nicely. I ride with low inflation 180 deg before firm, which can make it difficult to keep under you, but it was no problem. 

Super happy with this mat!

Barry

Spitfire - A Bit of Bling for TVC

Say hello to G-Mat 144 (AKA "Spitfire"). She is a 200/70 Ute built for Aussie mat surfer, Tom Carroll.

I've been eyeing this build as it's crept up with an air of excitement. Doing what I do, I have the privilege of building surfcraft for a number of people who have influenced my surfing over the years and this is one of those times.  I have never been a stand up surfer, but as a youngster, Tom Carroll's powerful, direct, no bullshit approach to riding waves had a huge impact on me.

I know what you're thinking.... That video looks just like my kneeboard surfing, right?! :D

Anyway, Tom has a pretty open mind when it comes to riding waves being well known for ripping on his SUP these days as well as charging monsters tow surfing. Part of his open mind has seen him find the surfmat.  I'm sure many people will have seen the images of Tom riding a Krypt mat at Uluwatu so there is no doubt that he has an aptitude for it.

We managed to get Tom's trademark sash into the design on the deck. We talked about the logo and settled on a bit of bling with a holo effect using glitter in clear sealant. My friends Matt and Ian over at Warpmats have been messing about with this for a bit. It gives an interesting finish.

As you can see from the shot below, Tom has opted to have his initials below the G on the central pontoon. Being a custom G-Mat, Spitfires needs a number which has been set in to the deck towards the back right corner.

Spitfire has set sail for Down-Under and should be there really soon. One thing I've learned over the past few weeks communication is that Tom gets EVERYWHERE so hopefully it won't be too long before he and Spitfire can hook up.

It's been a real honour for me building Spitfire for Tom. With his experience as a waterman, I'm really excited to see where he takes the mat.

Cheers

G

---

UPDATE: 05/10/2017

Some pics of Tom from Ben Chipper over in Sydney.

Tom says he's off to France and Spain and Spitfire is going along too. Lets just hope the Atlantic can send some waves.

Cheers

G

Little Dinky Winkles!

BIRTHDAY TIME!!! That's what Chally bey Rick Kenyon said to me when he said he wanted to order a mat. Who's birthday? Well, Jasper Newitt, son of another Chally local gone AWOL, Jim Newitt. 

Jim works as the Artistic Director of Surfer's Journal (done well!) and lives in the US these days but occasionally comes to back the South Devon for a visit. His lad, Jasper, is turning 6 and apparently, had a mat which Rick managed to pop so it was only right that he got a new one.

Talking to Rick, is only seemed right to go custom so we went for a Ute scaled to the average size of an 8 year old to give some growing room.

The mat is called "Captain Jasper's" which will amuse Plymouthians. As you can see, compared to a 5 Star General, she's tiny!

Captain Jasper's is a 1000/70 wheezer so super managable for a youngster but she'll go really well. The grip is really light and primarily aesthetic to look like a big boy mat.

Have fun Jasper! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

G

G-Mat 142 (AKA "Michael Stripe")

Having taken a little time off for a wee trip away, I thought it would be nice to build myself a new mat for my personal quiver. It's been a while since I built myself a mat that wasn't a proto but I decided to treat myself.

So, what to have. Well, I've been missing my old Ubercat and it has been a really long time since I've had one. Bryn Dampney has one named "Kessel Run" and I have really enjoyed riding her when we've surfed together so 70/70 with rocker seemed the way to go. 

As you can see, I fancied a bit of colour and had surfed with a fella on a hull with stripes which I thought would look good on a mat so I got busy with the acid dye. I'm pretty pleased with how she looks, although Paul Mason did ask if I was going to "Police the lineup" (Perhaps I should have called her Nina!).

One interesting observation is the optical effects of the horizontal stripes... They make the narrower/longer Ubercat look short and fat! I did check in comparison to my Rubber Bucky though and as you can see, all is as it should be. 

Anyhoo, Michael Stripe has been surfed in waves at Gwenver in West Cornwall, that were less powerful than really warrant this design but she went well.

We also had a session in slightly bigger surf which really let Michael Stripe open up. Rail to rail surfing at speed... I forgot how much I love Ubercats!

Suffice it to say, I am really stoked to welcome this mat in to my quiver.Here's hoping for a winter of solid hollow waves! 

Cheers

G

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

Been busy knocking out 3 mats of late. I'm building myself a new ride and didn't want to slow down the waiting list so thought I'd pull out all the stops. The third in the set is a "little" bit different so I'll post about that down the line. For now here's some info on the first two.

G-Mat 139

To start, here's Shi Shi. The latest addition to the quiver of my oldest customer, Pete D'Ewart.

Pete is a Seattle Seahawks fan, being from Washington State. He gave me free range on the logo and I thought it might be fun to go with blue, grey and green to match his team's colours (the white on the logo is actually grey, believe me).

Anyway, Pete is an extremely experienced mat man. By which I mean one of the elders who kept mat surfing alive, riding Neumatics through the barren years.  He has a Rubber Bucky and loved the speed so the next step had to be negative rocker. As you can see, Shi Shi has it in abundance! 

That rocker combined with a 70/70, free breathing construction and very light Puraflex 40 grip job means this mat is very pliable and will be very, very fast! 

Pete has some travels planned so Shi Shi is going to get a good run out in a range of good quality waves in the hands of a master.

---

UPDATE: 24/08/2017

Email from Pete with a story about the spot that was namesake for this mat:

"Shi Shi"arrived in prefect condition.  I love the feel of 70/70.  Looking forward to some long glides. Thanks & me keep me in the queue if you will.  

Shi Shi is over an hour walk through the forest, usually muddy or a 20 minute boat ride from Hobuck.  We almost hit a gray whale returning from Shi Shi a few years ago in a Zodiac.  That trip resulted in the mat pack being made by Diane, my wife.  An herring net pouch with a draw string designed with a 2" back-pack nylon belt to stuff a rolled up deflated rolled mat into making it possible to swim out and under strong inside surf.  Dale commented at the time that if it is too big to get out with an inflated mat, you probably shouldn't go out.  I had rode to far inside on a blustery big day and had to deflate the mat and swim with one arm (the other hand gripping the mat to get back out to the boat.  The mat pack frees up both arms. Fun.

Pete

---

G-Mat 140

On to the second build, this time a 200/70 Ute named "Blackfish" for Julia Graham who lives near Santa Cruz, CA. Inspired by the important documentary of the same name. 

Julia has spent plenty of time riding G-Mats with here partner, Mark Garcia having both a 5 Star General and a Ute named "The Narwhal", so it was high time that she got hold of a custom fit! 

Blackfish is built with free rocker as Julia is going to be surfing a wide range of conditions and was keen for a mat that would get her moving down the line quickly. The grip is Grey Puraflex 40 so offers that reassuring sticky feel whilst having minimal impact on the overall pliability of the mat.

Things are pretty sharky around Santa Cruz right now, but that won't deter Julia! I think she's planning on just out-running them anyway... Move over Michael Phelps!

I'm really looking forward to hearing about how Julia and Blackfish get on... Stay tuned!

Cheers

G

---

UPDATE: 31/08/2017

Email from Julia. Sounds like she's having fun:

Waves weren't too great this weekend but managed to catch a few on Saturday at Manresa. Love it! Really fast down the line and I love the maneuverability...and not as much mat to wrangle around :)

Thanks!!

G-Mat Goes Renewable & You Can Too!!!

Surfmats are about as eco-friendly as it gets when it comes to Petro-Chemically based surfcraft. Since the days of early headaches from Vulkem 116, I have always prided myself on seeking out the most functional sealants for gripping mats with the lowest VOC ratings. 

However, welding mats is an energy thirsty exercise with my welding table running at 750 watts and a 300 watt welding iron for corners.  There's no getting away from it, that's a fair bit of energy! 

But now the workshop has gone 100% renewable!!!

That's right. I've shifted over to an energy supplier called Bulb who provide 100% renewable electricity. Also, 10% renewable gas.  You can see where their energy comes from here:

https://bulb.co.uk/energy/whereitsfrom

Pretty sweet and here's the really good bit. Their tariffs are pretty low AND if you live in the UK, you can switch over to them via this link and get £50 credit on your account. They'll even pay any early get out fees from your current supplier!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP AND GET £50!

That's £50 towards your next mat! :-)

So... Get on it!

Cheers

G

5 Star General 70/70 Proto

Little proto here. As you can see, this is a 5 Star General, my "off the shelf" model that I build for UK Mat Surfers. This one is different though. No, not the colour. That's just cause I had some sexy material lying around and this is a prototype.  

The 5SG is a well tested design. There are a few floating around our there and I've had nothing but good feedback from the people who own them. This one is different because of the materials. This is a 70/70 build so has a 70 denier bottom skin as normal, plus a 70d deck rather than the usual 200d. That means this mat is super light weight so gives a really sensitive and fast ride. 

I've tested this mat in small weak waves and shapely hollow racie shoulder to head high surf (see below) so far and she has gone great! 

So, all good. What this all means is that I will be adding a 70/70 5 Star General to the mix with the next batch that go to UKMS. A great addition to the quiver, if I do say so myself! 

G

G-Mat 127 (AKA "Isabel")

This is Isabel. She's a 200/70 G-Mat Ubercat built for Paul Lorello over in New Jersey.

Paul is an experienced mat surfer and got on the waiting list after getting hold of a 5 Star General from UK Mat Surfers.

Isabel has been built with a free rocker. Paul surfs hollow, fast breaking beach breaks (well, he is in NJ after all!) so free rocker seemed the best bet to get down the line whilst still benefitting from the Ubercat's hold.

The deck is 200d in royal blue and the bottom 70d navy. The grip is Puraflex 40 and covers the front corners.  The livery looks yellow in these pics but that's down to some kind of interaction with the blue I think. The logo is actually green, as you can see from the bag.

Paul has gone for a free breather to add a little more zip and a standard deck valve placement.

As for the name. Isabel is named after Paul's new Granddaughter.

CONTRATULATIONS!!!!

So off she goes. I reckon Isabel is going to be the perfect companion for Paul's 5SG. Looking forward to hearing back. Have fun Paul!

Cheers

G

UPDATE 04/08/2017

Word from Paul:

"Isabel arrived yesterday and  I lucked out  because the wind turned offshore and the 2-3 ft closeouts I’ve been riding the past few weeks turned into glass, with some punch.

Mat rode great and I was able to get a feel for how good it will be when the size bumps up, which should be soon.

Can’t say enough about the excellent quality and really appreciate the fact that these are handmade…kind of a rarity these robotic  days.

Paul Lorello"

Glory Goes Deep...

Sounds like someone scored....

"Graeme...

On Sunday, while the northern California surfing world formed a huge circle in the waters off Pleasure Point to honor the life of Jack O'Neil...I paddled out at Steamer Lane on Glory. No disrespect to Jack as he was a hugely honorable man and I have been an advocate of his products for over 40 years, but the opportunity for a perfect wave with minimal crowd conditions was too tempting (I think Jack would understand and approve, as he was larger than life on the outside but a true waterman on the inside).

To make things neat and tidy here is the deal...started off inside at Middles...caught a handful of mid-size (2-4' face) waves and got some nice long rides. Then I graduated myself out to the main break in front of the looming dark cliffside where the waves were considerably larger with 6' faces. I waited in the line up as the handful of board surfers got waves...then eased towards the deeper section behind them. Soon enough I caught a set wave, carved a nice arching bottom turn, pulled into a deep barrel section, came out as the wave rounded the point and was immediately hopped by more than 3 longboarders who had no idea I was there.

I tucked underneath the white water and returned to the line up to await the next set which came soon enough. I caught another wave with equal result except for the hoppers part as I yelled my fool head off from inside the barrel which caused them to hesitate...100 yards later I kicked out over the dwindling wave face and returned to the line up once again. As I passed through the cluster of guys who were hanging on the inside all of them commented on my ride positively.

From that point onI didn't have to say a word...just kick like hell and commit! All in all, I caught over a dozen set waves in short order and burnt my matches...legs like noodles, I caught one last wave and let it carry me to within 30 feet of the egress rock pile at the bottom of the cliff. I exited almost gracefully except for one bobble while removing my fins, walked up the steps, and found my way home.

Thank you for your part in this story...no photos this time...as I wanted to stay low key. I will go back Thursday to a much larger south swell and will shoot some video.

Alan Whitsett"

Big, Bright & Sexy!

A bit of colour on this one then! This is G-Mat 136 (AKA "Jah-Sea-I") built for San Franciscan, Jesse Witthoft. Jah-Sea-I is a Flying Carpet designed to get the juice out of even the slightest swell.

Jess is an interesting fella to build mats for. First off, he is huge!  Secondly, he has a unique riding style way back on the mat (As you can see in the pic below) so there is a lot to think about regarding grip placement. As you can see, the grip is towards the back following a design by Jesse. There is also a bungee for a leash.

Photo by @steevsea - Click the pic to follow him on Instagram

When building mats for lager riders you have to consider the weight of material. 70d fabric feels like 30d on a jumbo mat. As a result, we have gone for a 200d deck rather than the standard 70d on a Flying Carpet, but Jah-Sea-I still feels super light.

The other issue was that the original plan was for a red bottom skin. We tried and tried and tried with dying a sheet but the size of the fabric meant I just could not get an even finish around the edges. It was bigger than my work bench!  

In the end, we settled to build the mat and go for an all yellow dip dye which has come out great! I now also have a bit of red 70d fabric in the bank now (it's enough for a less massive mat!)

Finally, given Jesse's riding style and the neg rocker in Jah-Sea-I we have gone with slightly more rounded corners than normal to prevent catching.

So, Jah-Sea-I is heading of as soon as UPS get her. Can't wait to hear what the SF locals make of her! She's a fast mat.

Cheers

G