The Tardis

Here's a the first of two mats heading down under for Ben and Yoko Bennink. For those who unaware, Ben and Yoko run the slideaholics.com site and live around Lennox. I built a pair of mats for them many years ago and since then they have been looking to extend the quiver so I was stoked to see them get in on the current run.

This mat has been built for Ben and is a 200/70 RB-JMC Free-Breather with free elastic rocker. Ben is a really big fella, nicknamed 'Bear'. He referred to himself as a hunk when I asked for his body type [NB this may be a slight distortion of what he actually said].

I still had the scaling down from the last mat which Ben said was a good fit so we went with that.

Ben's last ride was a Rubber Bucky and we both felt that the slight down-scaling and different corner templates between this and the RB-JMC would be the right step.

Ben has gone for a deck valve as he and Yoko enjoy running each other over. You will also notice the sparce front corner grip which is designed to offer something to grab but leaving clear nylon for sleeveless arm paddling.

On to the name, Ben has named his mat "The Tardis" because "it's blue and can take me where I want to go, fast!"

Lovely stuff!

The Tardis and Yoko's mat are both heading off with the courier so we'll see how long that takes with the Christmas hecticness. I'll do a post about Yoko's mat dreckly, but for now, have fun Ben!

Cheers

G

Ellie 2

Here is"Ellie 2", a G-Mat Nouveau Racer built for Aussie matsurfer, Peter Abbott.

I agreed to squeeze Pete in for a mat a while back after his first mat from me, Ellie, fell victim to the seemingly increasing peril of talentless loggers getting in the way and either going belly up right in front of someone riding (if you're caught inside paddle for the wash and take what's coming to you) or letting riderless lumps plow through the line up because they "don't need a leash"!

Sorry for the rant but take responsibility for yourselves you f*cknubbins!

[exhale]

So... Onto Ellie 2. She's a 200/70 wheezer built to feel like a trustworthy r stable ide on critical waves. Pete surfs some bigger hollow surf and has found that the Nouveau Racer design fitted this perfectly. He was keen to go with a red deck again. The material I have now is different to the stuff I had before with this red being a deeper kind of cherry colour. It really is very nice. The original Ellie had a black bottom skin but having chatted with Pete we agreed on navy. It's much a little more malleable (a more apt word than "flex" which I've seen a bit lately) and therefore faster.

Other than that we haven't changed a thing.

Ellie 2 is en route right now and Pete has some travel planned so I'm looking forward to hearing about Ellie 2's adventures!

Have fun Pete fun Pete and watch out for the kooks!

Cheers

G

Yin Yang Glider

Say hello to "Yin Yang Glider", a custom G-Mat Ute built for Aussie mat surfer Richard Sandilands.

Richard lives around Byron in NSW and over the years had shared several sessions hidden from the hoards in the less crowded corners. This is where he first saw GG riding a mat. Like many of us Richard bought a mat, got hooked and then suddenly realised that he hadn't ridden a board in ages!

Richard says:

“There was a small coterie of other mat surfers that gathered at Wategos most mornings in George’s orbit, a loose entourage of older eccentric guys, refugees from the more crowded Byron breaks. Sometimes Warren [Pfeiffer] would come up from Yamba and it was always fun to share the waves with him too.

And the year Jamie [McClellan] was living up the coast and would come to Byron to surf from time to time.”

— Richard Sandilands

There is a strong crew of good mat surfers around that way on the better breaks too so I always like sending a mat that way.

So on to Yin Yang Glider. This mat is a 200/70 Ute. Richard was interested in a stable and versatile mat so she is built as a wheezer which can be useful in choppy conditions and also on bigger days.

Richard says:

“I have chosen what I believe to be a versatile and durable set of specs for this mat, leaning on the more conservative side perhaps to allow for a mat that will surf in a variety of conditions here including bumpier surf especially on cross-shore days at the Pass that can confound the longboard riders and create opportunities for mat riders in what would otherwise be impossibly crowded and competitive conditions.”

— Richard Sandilands

The name came to mind for Richard based on the colour. I really do love monochrome mats. Seriously.... I proper love 'em and Yin Yang Glider is the first in a run of three of them. 🖤🤍

So Yin Yang Glider had embarked on her journey down under. I'm excited to hear how this adventure pans out.

Have fun Richard!

Cheers

G

Cliodnha

Meet Cliodhna, a mat for the final of the three very local people in this run.

Mags Harding (mother of Joe Harding whom a good number of readers will know) lives pretty close to me and is a regular long-standing fixture at the local South Devon surf spots. Mags has ridden mats a bit in the past but these have usually been too big for her (most recently borrowing a XL G-Mat 5 Star General from Alex Williams  which is basically a camp bed for Mags!)

We talked about what Mags was after and she said she wanted an all rounder that would work well in surf around 2-3ft having mulled over the options we settled on a G-Mat Ute as this will cover everything and comfortably accommodate bigger surf as Mags develops her mat riding.

We went for a 200/70 build with a pink acid dyed deck and navy bottom. Mags asked for grey grip and I was wondering how it would look with the pink... Great is eanswer!

Internally we have restricted the airflow. "Wheezers" retain their shape well offering stability, along with the 200d deck, so offers Mags the opportunity to get by the inflation down.

As for the name, Mags tells me that in Cork Cliodhna is known as the Goddess of love and beauty.. She was also a Queen of the Banshees in Irish folklore and seems a perfect name for a mat that will be screaming down the line!

We said we really must have a South Devon matmeet so putting the call out to any mat surfers hiding out there!

Have fun Mags! It's been a fun build and I'm looking forward to seeing you out there!

Cheers

G

Sandpiper

Say hello to G-Mat 270 (AKA "Sandpiper"), a 200/70 Ute built for Sam Arkinstall.

Sam is a UK based surfer who is fairly new to mats but he is friends with Ethan Greenwood who has been riding mats for a few years now so it was only a matter of time.

Sam came with a clear colour scheme in mind for his mat so I had to crack out the dye. Lighter colours like those towards the tail can often be a bit fickle but I think we've got away with it!

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

“My journey in to mats started with my friend Ethan who introduced me to it. I had never seen or heard about it before. I was definitely sceptical about it at first , then when I used a mat for the first time the feeling of riding a wave was very different to any form of surfing I have done before!

It’s nice for me because I can add another Watersport to my quiver as already windsurf, surf, paddleboard, sail and wakeboard. I like to think I am an all round waterman, so I have a water sport for near enough every weather condition.

My go to places are usually Crooklets or Widemouth but recently moved to North Devon so been exploring some spots round there.

There’s not much meaning behind the name really. basically went on a long google search around Monterey bay as that’s where the colour scheme derives from, and found there was a movie called Sandpiper filmed there and though it sounded cool.”

— Sam Arkinstall

I was stoked to build a mat named Sandpiper myself as it was my Dad's CB Radio handle when I was a kid!

So back to this Sandpiper, as I say we have gone with a 200/70 free-breather. This offers stability in the deck so the mat maintains it's shape more readily which will be useful for Sam as he develops as a mat rider whilst maintaining the ability to morph responsively to the wave and rider input. Sam has gone for a free elastic rocker for versatility.

Have fun Sam. I hope we get to share some waves one day.

Cheers

G

Mimosa

This is Mimosa, a mat built for Welshman Huw Beynon. Huw has been a mat surfer for some time and has been riding a stock G-Mat and pretty well at that. Living on the Gower in South Wales, Huw has some great mat waves on hand so when he got his deposit in for a custom mat I was over the moon!

Mimosa is definitely a step up from Huw's current ride being a 70/70 super-free-breather so much more sensitive and responsive than the 200/70 wheezer RFT that he currently rides. We discussed elastic rocker options and Huw opted for free rocker, given the wide range of conditions he will be surfing. With some very peaky waves in the mix, Huw felt a mat that would respond to hard cutbacks was handy whilst flattening nicely for the points. The bungee has also been added to cover nipping over the Severn to jump in the wave pool.

Huw has also gone for pigmented grip and logo. They say blue and green should never be seen. Well... I beg to differ.

The only downside is my spelling of Beynon! Sorry Huw... As a fellow Celt I feel suitably ashamed. Huw seemed to find my balls up funny though so all's well that ends well.

I'm going to get to surf with Huw and Mimosa in April at The Wave on Bristol. Can't wait to see them in action!

Cheers

G

Circe - Heading to Noosa

This is the first of two mats going to Australia for a matting couple in Noosa. "Circe", a 200/70 Ute built for Rachel Scarff. Rachel says she has named her mat "Circe" beacause:

“I’ve always loved mythology, in particular Circe, and always find myself coming back to her. Thought it would suit as her legend is based around water. Her dad is the sun god and mother is a sea nymph. She also represents femininity in the stories about her in a way that’s scares men, so thought it would be funny to have a mat called that in a sport that’s fairly dominated by guys who don’t always give women respect or the time out in the ocean. It’s like if they were mean I’d just channel Circe (she’s a goddess of sorcery) and put a spell on them and turn them into a sea cucumber or something 😂😂”

— Rachel Scraiff

Notice the mistake here?

That is perfect!!! I always love building mats for women. Unlike much of the mainstream surf media, mat surfing tends to break down the gender barriers and just welcomes mat surfers as mat surfers and we really do need more women to be surfing mats.

I asked Rachel about her matting experiences the journey into mat riding. She said:

““I’ve been living in Noosa for the last 7 years, originally from South Australia. Started out on a log, but downsized to an 8’2 V bottom made by local board shaper Ado (Maren surfboards), because I just want to trim and turn. I’m fairly new to the mat game. I started using my partners spare mat more seriously last year and have been enjoying it so much that I decided to get myself a custom mat for my size (I am very short haha!). My partner has been wanting to order a g-mat for a while now, so perfect timing!

I’ve found myself hardly surfing my board these days and only taking out the mat because I just love it so much - I can go out and even if I only get a few waves I have a blast, as opposed to taking the board out and not getting that same feeling.

Love riding the mat out at Tea Tree and always fun to mat with pals James T, Matt C and my partner Ben. Still a few other mat friends that I’m wanting to catch waves with….””

— Rachel Scraiff

That's such a familiar story. Mats get you like that!

So then, on to the tech bits. Circe is a 200/70 wheezer with free elastic rocker. Rachel has also gone with a Hestered valve. As with all customs this has been specifically scaled to meet Rachel's body size so will hopefully feel like a good fit.

Circe is on the way to Oz now along with her partner Ben's mat... but that's a story for another day.

Have fun Rachel! It's been a pleasure.

Cheers

G

Kamoenahoʻokalakupua

Hello all and a happy bit between Christmas and New Year to you all.

Here is the latest RB-JMC to go out of the workshop for Anthony Olayon over in Hawaii. This is the first of 2 for Anthony although we have agreed a few months between the 2 so that he can get the feel for this mat, a 70/70 super-free-breather with free rocker named Kamoenahoʻokalakupua which translates roughly ot Magic Towel.

Anthony and I were discussing his mat surfing exploits. He has one of my AirPlanes (stay tuned on them and the RFT's by the way... honest!) as well as a collection of other modern mats and was keen to get onto the RB-JMC. Here's a bit more about Anthony:

“I come from a bodyboard background surfing the imperfectly perfect slabby waves of Hawai’i island. Bought my first mat around ten years ago. Was hesitant to ride for fear of losing the mat and it washing up the lava lined shoreline...and honestly never quite figured out the mat riding technique a hundred percent. Fast forward to 2018. Volcanic eruptions covered our home surfing spots. That was pretty depressing as the waves lost were what a lot of us built our lives around...uncrowded waves and a tight knit crew. I lost motivation to surf and bodyboard for a good year and a half or so. Eventually started dusting off the mat and really got hooked on it and figured out how to properly ride over the last couple years. The past two years I’ve ridden the mat far more often than the bodyboard and other surf craft. Just love the speed you get on the mat and the weird comments people give you when they first see you.”

— Anthony Olayon

Sounds like the perfect time to get on this mat then!

Kamoenahoʻokalakupua sets sail tomorrow, despite being built before Christmas. We just didn't want to take the risk of shipping with over-stretched couriers.

Have fun Anthony!

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FEEDBACK - 8th JANUARY, 2022

Crazy Horse!

G-Mat 192 (AKA “Crazy Horse”) is a new mat for San Francisan, Josh Edwards.

Josh told me that he was looking for a mat to get in to fast barrels. Chunky Central Californian waves where getting a good line and holding it are paramount. To this end, there was only really one candidate that came to mind after our discussion.

Crazy horse is a 200/70 Nouveau Racer built with 200denier white taffeta weave deck and light weight 70d I-beams and bottom skin. The grip is Sikaflex EBT with a strip pattern. As well as looking sexy, the aim of the strips is to reduce resistance (a bit) end to end and to maximise grip laterally. In short, easy to get on, harder to slide off!

The corners are gripped and I’ve run it back a little further than usual along the rail to account for Josh possibly being back a touch on the mat in hollow waves.

Back to Josh, I wasn’t aware of his work prior to collaborating with him over Crazy Horse but through this process I came across his artwork. Here what Josh has to say about it:

“My work has been all over the place for so long, mostly because I have always tried to be more than a one trick pony. It gets a little tricky to tie it all together, but the pieces always tell a story of normality through industrial symbols.

These usually come in the form of things we encounter on a daily basis; workers, vehicles, household objects, buildings. The process in which these get created, and the people who create them, tend to fall by the wayside while the name of a brand sits in the spotlight. ”

— Josh Edwards

Amazing work.

Cheers

G

PS. I’ve added a gallery of some of Joh’s work bellow and please take a look at his Instagram feed @one.time.twice

Little Wing

It's been a little while since I've built an Ubercat but when Claude Ricord got in touch that was exactly what he was after. What's more, Claude was after a 70/70 free-breather. Vroom vroom!

This is "Little Wing". Claude was unfortunately bereaved recently losing his wife to stomach cancer. Of course, Claude is grieving but he is bringing a real positivity to his life, mat surfing with his son in the breaks around their home in Southern California. 

Claude says that his and his wife shared a favourite colour scheme of green and white so this was Claude's choice for Little Wing. The deck has been acid dyed in 2 tone green with clear grip which is set off with a clear logo with a mix of holo and green glitter. Claude has gone for the option to have a leash just for those big rippy days.

It's been a real honour to build this mat for Claude. Ride on mate. 

Cheers

G

G-Mat 180 - Beluga

This is Beluga. She is a G-Mat Ute built for French mat surfer, Frank Fellous.

Frank hails from France but is something of a multi-national surfing phenomenon, travelling the globe in search of waves. Frank currently has Phileas (don’t worry… we have news on the way regarding Phileas) and is going to whisk her away on a trip to Israel.

As you can see from Beluga, Frank likes to keep things understated. Clean white mat with clean white lines. The observant ones amongst you will notice that the backdrop for these shots is white rather than my usual black background. The reason being, the attempted shots with a black background were so contrasted that it was really had not to blow out the white and lose the detail!

Speaking of detail, Beluga is a 200/70 Ute. She is a wheezer (restricted breather) with free rocker, so stable and predictable and responsive to all conditions. The grip is white Sikaflex EBT. Front corners are gripped which really is the best option for keeping hold of your mat.

Beluga has set off to France so should land very soon. S’AMUSER FRANK!

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

Some Thoughts on Rocker

This way, that way, both ways, no way...  Rocker in mats is a tricky subject. 

Since first starting to build mats I've been really interested in bottom shapes. Curves across the bottom have a huge impact on the performance of mats, affecting hold, lift, rail to rail transition, etc. But what about end to end? 

In the past I have built a few mats with rocker built in to them by shaping the I-beams. This gives a curve for sure, but also leaves excess material when the mat at low inflation is flattened which causes form drag and cavitation so slows the mat down. No more of that then!  

Dale Solomonson Neumatic Advanced with an extreme elastic rocker 

Dale Solomonson experimented extensively with "elastic rockers." This is where one skin (usually the bottom) and the I-beams have an ability to stretch and the other skin doesn't (as much). I have moved into using this technique for some time now too when putting rocker into mats. The advantage is that at rest at low inflation the mat is flat. As inflation is increased (ie by squeezing the rail) the rocker comes in to effect. Also the nose of a mat is pretty much always fully inflated to the curve in the bottom is always in operation as water comes into contact with the mat and starts to flow around it.

Much better! 

So,  on to the types of rocker. 

FLAT ROCKER (ROCKERLESS)  

One option of course is no rocker at all.  

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Flat rocker

A mat with flat rocker basically has no elasticity in either the top or bottom skins. This means that the mat's default position is flat and flat means fast. Minimal drag. What this also means is that the mat has a wider turning circle so flat rocker is best suited to people who want to get down the line at speed. 

Of course, with mats being mats it is possible for the surfer to bend the mat into any shape they want (I am a builder. The rider is the shaper). That said, mats seem to "remember" their dimensions even at low inflation. It is important point to remember is that when bending a rockerless mat, the lack of elasticity in the skins means that there will be a small excess of material on the shorter side (ie on the deck on bottom turns and on the bottom when bending the mat the other way.)

Rockerless mats are best suited to surfers who want to get down the line and have complete control over what the mat does.  The lack of elasticity end to end makes the mat far more predictable in the way it behaves. As predictable as you can get with mats anyway! 

POSITIVE ROCKER 

Positive rocker (what people generally mean when they say rocker) gives increased maneuverability when turning off the rail by introducing a curve. 

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Positive rocker 

The elasticity of the bottom skin gives a smooth, progressive curve, rather than a bend so turns such as bottom turns and cutbacks can be tighter but still smooth, maintaining and even generating speed. 

The downside is that rocker slows the mat down. That's not to say that rocker results in a slow mat. Just slowER than a flat one. With an elastic rocker, you are able to flatten the mat so that the elastic bottom skin returns to a flatter plane, but that magical surfmat memory will still remember and act accordingly. Also keep in mind that, unless you are almost totally deflated, at least some of the mat will be at full inflation as the rider's weight pushes air into other parts of the mat. On a flat plane, this is the nose so the rocker still has an affect. 

Positive  rocker is great in steeper, peaky waves needing a more maneuverable mat. 

NEGATIVE ROCKER  

Negative rocker basically means that the mat is built to "bend the wrong way." A lot of people find it aesthetically displeasing to the eye but function should always win out over form. 

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Negative rocker 

The idea of negative rocker can seem counter intuitive and it is certainly a rare build but it gives a very quick mat by producing additional lift (I think in large part due to keeping more of the bottom in contact with the water). What's more, the rocker profile helps when catching waves so mats with negative rocker can get going earlier. 

The potential problems with the design are clear of course. Mats with negative rocker are less inclined to naturally want to turn up on the rail and there is always the risk of catching a rail and unexpected instantaneous pearling is far from unheard of! Rounding front corners can help with that but they can become sticky, negating the point of having a negative rocker in the first place. The advantage of surfmats over other craft is their malleability of course and surfers can manage the outer front corners to deal with these issues.

It's certainly not a design for everyone, but is an interesting, fast option for those who are happy to put the work in.

FREE ROCKER     

Saving the best 'til last? Maybe...

I've coined the name "free rocker" after some reflection on the characteristics of mats that I've built over the years. Free rocker is essentially a flat rockered mat but with elastic top and bottom skins. The majority of mats that I have built have had elastic decks and bottoms because I have not always restricted the elasticity. I'll be honest, this was incidental initially, rather than a deliberate decision on my part.

As I have said, at rest a mat with a free elastic rocker will be flat, even at higher inflations. The difference between free and flat rocker though, is that free rocker can stretch either way to produce a smooth positive or negative rocker when needed. At times this will be because the surfer has chosen to put it in, eg on a bottom turn or pressing down on the nose to get into a wave or over a flat spot. At other times, the mat will develop a positive/negative rocker (or both) of it's own accord because it just needs to.  The wave and mat kinda get together and agree!  

The more I think about free rocker, the more I think it is probably more "surfmat" than any of the above three because it is the only one that is completely unrestricted. That is not to say that it's always the best bet but fans of surfmat magic just have to dig it, right?!

At the end of the day, the decision on what's best will be down to the surfer, the waves they ride and where the mat sits in a quiver.

Lots to think about though.  

G