Here is a mat for my son, Joe.

Joe is a talented skater and has ridden a mat a bit. More recently has got out on the mat a lot more and has really clicked with the more nuanced aspects of riding, dropping his inflation levels and getting on a high line to make fast sections. His current mat, named “Treble”, is a 200/70 Ute with free elastic rocker and wheezy internal venting. Treble has a bungee fitted for a leash attachment and is also gripped with ClearFix.

Having spent more time on his mat, Joe has a clearer idea of what he wants. 2 key things were more grip and to ditch the bungee (they have their place but he never uses a leash and the extended and reinforced front flange is noticeable. With that in mind, Joe’s new ride is the same build essentially but with Sikaflex EBT grip and no bungee. The additional change is that the red deck material is inelastic so we are restricted to either positive or flat rocker. With those options it is nice to put some variety into the quiver so a positive rocker was the way which will support turns off the rail. We often surf wedgy waves and the stable deck, restricted breather and rocker will really support tighter turns.

So on to the aesthetics. As mentioned, the deck is red and the bottom has been acid dyed in red too.

Red goes faster, right?!

In our house we are big Liverpool FC supporters and Joe wanted to honour this, so a red mat with white trim does that perfectly. We also added a small Liverbird (the Club’s crest) on the left rail along the edge of the front corner grip. The name, which came from Becky (Joe’s mum), is “Kopite”. For those unaware, a Kopite is someone who stands in the Kop, the iconic stand behind the goal at the Walton Breck Road end of the Club’s stadium, Anfield. Perfect name! Not everyone is into football (soccer) and football fans are tribal, but for us as a family, our love of LFC is something that bonds us and we have so many amazing memories supporting this Club, so it means the World to me build this mat for my son.

Kopite is a Christmas present so will be boxed up. Here’s to getting some swell over the Christmas period.

Have fun Webbo. YNWA

Cheers

G

Yaroomba

Say G'day to G-Mat 274 (AKA " Yaroomba"). Mat 1 of 2 built for Adam Goldin.

Adam got in with a double-barrelled deposit drop in the last run and came with a clear idea of what he wanted to have for a balanced quiver. More on the other half down the line but for now let's focus on Yaroomba.

Adam says:

“I was born in South Africa but have spent the majority of my life living in Australia. I am currently based in Coolum Beach, situated on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. I mostly only surf prone whether it be body surfing, belly boarding or mat surfing. Occasionally I’ll take my finless foamie out for a bit of knee sliding too.

I’m fortunate to have an abundance of great surf spots in my vicinity, including my local beach breaks in Coolum and Yaroomba, as well as the renowned points in Noosa just a short distance away.

I first got into mat surfing about 3 to 4 years ago after seeing some locals flying down walled point breaks. I already knew of mat surfing and was highly intrigued but after seeing the speed and glide with my own eyes I just knew I had to get involved. I immediately bought my first mat. Although I’ve been mat surfing on and off since then, I’d say it only “clicked” about a year ago when I finally committed myself to really low inflation.

I now mostly only take the mat out with me.”

— Adam Goldin

A true example of jumping off-board.

Yaroomba is a 200/70 Ubercat with elastic rocker. Adam has some heavy wedgy beach breaks nearby and this really is what the Ubercat loves. The narrow aspect ratio encourages lively rail to rail transition and the rocker really supports hard carving turns so getting off the bottom and cutting back high into the pocket are much easier and assured. Ubercats definitely have waves they don't go so well in, but Adam is buying 2 so something more specialised makes sense.

I'm still working on Yaroomba's quiver-mate so Adam will have to wait but that's all part of the fun, eh mate?! 😂

Back to the workshop I go for round 2...

Cheers

G

FEEDBACK: 5th October, 2023

San B

Here's a mat named San-B built for Nicolas Wolken. Many of you may know Nico already as a professional snowboarder, Patagonia Ambassador and co-founder of Korua Shapes snowboards. As well as being a hugely talented snowboarder, he is an excellent surfer and has developed a love for the mat.

Nico says:

“I grew up in the Swiss Alps with snowboarding as a big influence, but my interest in surfing was sparked when my Australian Grandma sent me and my brothers a surfing VHS. Although I pretty much only got to surf during summer vacations. I’ve always been in to activities that offer a different sensation from snowboarding so I liked climbing and when I saw the movie “Come hell or high water” by Chris Malloy, it really got me interested in body surfing.

I spent a couple of summers trying to figure it out which was a blast. Then a few years ago I met Rasta at a Patagonia Ambassador summit in California. I already admired his board surfing and saw him ride a surf mat. The waves were small but long and he was just flying down the line having the best time. I couldn’t believe my eyes, the speed he generated just blew my mind! He was getting the best and longest waves jumping over people! He actually let me and others have a go but I didn’t get it instantly. However after witnessing his surfing I knew I had to figure this out as it looked so fun!”

— Nicolas Wolken

Since then Nico has scored a couple of mats, most recently a G-Mat RFT which he has ridden a few times now and has become his favourite ride. He had already got on the list for a custom when he bought the RFT so was already clear on what he wanted... Something for the juice! A Nouveau Racer was the obvious choice and is a perfect quiver mate for the RFT.

Nico was keen on a mat that cuts-back into the pocket and turns off the bottom so we went for positive elastic rocker. The internal venting is restricted to make San-B more wheezy which along with the 200d deck will keep the mat relatively stable when things get hectic!

As for the colour... A nod to snow and the Yin to the RFTs Yang.

I'm looking forward to seeing what goes on with Nico and San-B. Have fun!

Cheers

G

The Widow Maker V6

This mat is an Ubercat build for one of the English South Coast’s prone stalwarts, Mike Steele. Mike has been a body boarder for many years, seeking and charging some of the phenomenal hidden gems on the Jurassic Coast. Mike says:

“Got the bug when I was 10 when my dad bought me a polystyrene board for the summer and then progressed to the Mach 7-7 and was a devout Morey fan until they sold to Mattel. Grew up surfing Bournemouth Pier, then discovered the local reefs and was completely sold on boogin’. One of the spots was in an M.O.D. training range and we got arrested for trespass for walking back from the break after we had been told to get out by the range boat. In and out of court for two years and the day before judgement they dropped the charges. The whole thing was very underhand by the M.O.D., false evidence etc. Anyway, after that ordeal we decided to buy a boat so we would never have this problem again and we discovered a few spots that were literally made for bodyboarding. We had a few eventful boat trips in the surf, one in particular was witnessed on quite a big day, my mate driving hit a big wave too fast and we were apparently fully vertical and the ‘prop was 10ft clear of the water’. How we all survived is beyond me and hence we named the boat ‘The Widowmaker’. Most of our crew has their own boat now, mine is the Mk 5, and now the mat is the Mk 6. Re: board progression, had many boogs over the years, and I know the guy who imports NMD and VS and he is very pally with Nick Mezeritz so been getting customs with experimentary tails for about 10 years. Then saw Noah Lane in Ireland riding Guy Butcher wooden boards and went down that route, again experimenting with shapes with Guy. 3 boards in and started following the fringe element and saw some clips of fellas on mats going exponentially fast and have been trying to get my grubby mitts on one of yours for a couple of years. And now I have one!”

— Mike Steele

Mike and I spoke about the amount of adjustment needed to switch from a bodyboard/paipo to a mat. He is up for the challenge!

So on to the mat, WMV6 is a wheezy 200/70 Ubercat with positive elastic rocker so has good hold and is well set up for tight S-turn surfing on slabby waves and wedges. Mike has gone for the bungee leash option as a lot of the waves he surfs involve tricky swims if losing the mat. You will notice the 2-tone blue and white bottom skin and logo. This was based on a design Mike sent me and we’re pretty stoked on how it’s come out.

Widow Maker V6 is with Mike now and with a winter of south swells looking to be on the cards we’re pretty hopeful that they will get plenty of action!

Have fun Mike. Can’t wait to hear about your journey into matting!

Cheers

G

Z-Brah

A bit of a weekend project here building a mat for myself. It was flat and absolutely freezing cold so a warm workshop and podcasts seemed very appealing. I've had a big hole in my quiver for some time now with a Nouveau Racer named "Steady Eddie" and a RB-JMC Ultralight named "Featherweight Fordy" and nothing in between. Basically, if it was ether solidly overhead/heavy or upto shoulder high glass I was golden. The 80% in between I was having to work a lot more and poor FF had been taking a right pounding!

So then, on to this mat. It's called "Z-Brah" because the name makes me laugh and works however you pronounce "Z". Z-Brah is a 70/70 Ubercat. Standard free-breather with positive elastic rocker to get tight on the turns. I've also added a bungee for leash attachment for night surfs and wave pools so all in all... I'm covered! Weight off my mind to be honest!

I've actually finished another mat before this one for Mike Steele which I'll post dreckly.

We have waves at the mo so Z-Brah should see some action pretty soon.

Cheers

G

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UPDATE/FEEDBACK 06/03/2023

Well after all that I sold Z-Brah to Chris Cavey over in Santa Cruz. I ended up building my son and myself mats over Christmas and needed money for a trip so with heavy heart let Z-Brah go.

Here’s feedback from Chris. It’s good to see that the Ubercat does what it says on the tin.

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UPDATE - APRIL 2024

A little edit of Chris Cravey riding Z-Brah at the Kelly Slater wave pool.

Poodleface - Hi Vis Is The Biz!

Go Poodleface!!! That’s what this mat is called. Built for Santa Cruzer (sounds like a sleezy sleigh for Father Christmas) Ryan Holmes. This mat is a replacement for his previous mat named “Transmogrifier” who took an unfortunate trip across the rocks leading to a big ol’ slice up the belly and numerous other triangular punctures. I’m sure that’s nothing to worry about.

The other difference is in the design. Although matching dimensions, Poodleface has been built with an elastic rocker leading the mat to be more inclined to form a smooth curve through the rail when air is squeezed into it. Helpful for cutbacks in peaky waves. The second change is that we have moved from a super-free-breather to a free-breather. The slightly slower air transfer will help the mat to maintain shape in the chop that Ryan often encounters. We did consider the option of an Ubercat, but Ryan was keen to keep the glide and looseness in the tail that the RB-JMC offers.

Finally, why Poodleface? Ryan says:

“When my best surfing buddy and I first met we were sitting by our selves at this lineup up the coast that you have to paddle about a half mile to get to, or trespas on some farmland. This was in the 90s when the methed out Santa Cruz locals were wreaking havoc. I figured all we needed was some gnar gnar nicknames to earn our spot amongst the Fleas,Ratboys, Skindogs, and Rodents of the scene. I thought Scott could be “Pudboy” and I can be “Poodleface” and it stuck!”

— Ryan Holmes

You can read the article HERE
(Reproduced with the kind permission of TSJ.)

So, Poodleface is en route to Santa Cruz and will hopefully be there by the weekend. Looks like a crappy short period swell and on shore winds will be waiting for her but the only way is up!

Have fun Ryan

Cheers

G

UPDATE 28/07/2022

The 70/40 Experiment Goes On...

The experiment continues and I am very excited to send this mat off to her new owner.

As a mat builder I have always been a believer in testing things out before imposing them on the general public (or ‘going to market’ I guess if I want to sound fancy).  I believe I am a reasonably good mat rider but certainly not the best and aside from anything else, it is important to get things under the bellies of talented mat surfers who are able to give me detailed feedback. That’s no different for this 70/40 construction.

So far, Andrew Stephen Buck has an RB-JMC built with these materials. He’s had a few waves as Rincon has had the worst winter you can imagine but the feedback to date is “best yet”. The next test pilot is Kiwi James Tanner.

For those who don’t know him, James is one of those watermen who just hit the flow whatever they are riding and that’s no different with his mat riding. James has a really dynamic style getting a mat right onto it’s rail and really defining S-turn surfing, without losing an iota of speed. He has an RB-JMC in his quiver but we talked about an Ubercat given his style so we’re both excited to see how this mat named “Chinook” goes.

The 70 denier deck is dyed salmon pink with the bottom and I-beams being cut from orange 40d taffeta. Chinook has an elastic bottom hiving a natural inclination to create a smooth progressive curve into turns. Perfect!

So lets see how she goes. My 70/40 RB-JMC has been surfed 15 to 20 times. She has developed a super-slow leak. It doesn’t affect inflation when surfing but it is there. I think this is due to a scrape with a reef but I can’t be 100% sure. This is why we test... to see what happens over time with different mats, different riders and different conditions.

Exciting though!

Cheers

G

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FEEDBACK 25th JANUARY 2022