Marellen

Here's a mat for @therollonforever over in California. @therollonforever values his privacy so I won't share his name but he has said his Insta handle is fine.

The mat is an RB-JMC named Marellen. Unusually for an RB-JMC, we have gone for a 200d deck but this is certainly in line with @therollonforever's tastes, plus Marellen is quite a big mat so the influence of the heavier deck is mitigated a bit.

@therollonforever opted for free elastic rocker as he is keen get the balance between turning and out and out speed. We spoke about venting and have gone for my standard free-breather set up. Having only ridden wheezers, it will be interesting to hear how @therollonforever's finds a less restricted mat. I think he'll dig it from our discussion.

Here's what @therollonforever had to say:

“So I ordered because I’d only ridden stock mats up to this point. As a tall, 6’5 rider, I’m hoping this size is what I’ve been missing with a custom fit. I’m looking to boost my mat riding to its pinnacle. I’d say I want to be more serious about mat riding, but that defeats the “fun”of it. So I’m looking for a more serious effort toward fun: making sections, perfecting the cutback, and because it’s red— fast down the line trimming.

The mat name which combines my mother’s name and my youngest sisters name is a tribute to the women in my family. The name Marellen is a variation of Maryellen, which is a combination of the names Mary and Ellen. Mary, of Hebrew origin, means “bitter” or “beloved”. Ellen, of Greek origin, means “light” or “torch”. Therefore, Marellen can be interpreted as “light of the sea” or “beloved of the sea”.”

— @therollonforever

@therollonforever has gone for a bungee up-front for those occasions where a very long swim is the consequence of losing his mat. He's also gone for a mat bag.

Finally, @therolloforever has ordered a G-Mat Apparel Tee. Lovely stuff. As these are printed to order (with sustainably sourced materials and eco friendly ink) I am always stoked when I get to see one in person.

They're ace! You really should get one!

https://gmatsurfmats.teemill.com/collection/products/

Anyhoo, the grip is about cured so Marellen will head off to Cali tomorrow. I'm looking forward to hearing about her adventures!

Cheers

G

The White Tiger

Here's a new ride for Aussie mat surfer Gavin Knowles. Gav lives in Byron Bay and has been riding mats for some time. He has an RFT and got in on this run of customs. We spent a bit of time thinking about options, before settling on a 70/70 RB-JMC.

Gav was keen to make this an all-rounder and opted for free-elastic rocker. As he has been surfing wheezers, we have loosened it up with less restricted air flow. The other thing Gav wanted was to leave the middle pontoon free of grip. I literally wrote "leave the middle!" on the tube of sealant and STILL started to mask up a middle panel. Thankfully my reminder worked!!!

Gav shared a few words:

“Simplistic-Technical, subtly nursing your ride with that grin from ear to ear is why we all mat ride . We have come along way from the old canvas that stripped off your titties and thanks to G and the builders before him we are all blessed to have such beautifully built airbags under our bellies .

With a stroke of luck I got on the short list and here we are the Rb-Jmc built for the east coast point breaks here in Aus!

It has been a seamless process getting this done and I can’t wait to meet the dolphin line on my new ride . Thanks for all your knowledge and input G .. Mahalo!!”

— Gavin Knowles

Thanks Gav!

Gav has named his mat" The White Tiger". Crazily, when he WhatsApped that to me, Becky and I were watching Daredevil Reborn and there was a guy called the White Tiger on the screen as I read Gav's text! Coincidence?... Yes... Still freaky though!

Anyway, the white tiger is being picked up today by the courier. Have fun Gav!

Cheers

G

Happy Place

Say hello to a G-Mat Ute built for Californian, David Connor. David came with a clear idea that he wanted a 200/70 Ute with a grey deck (this grey material really seems to be in vogue), but other than that gave me a free reign. He likes to be fairly low key so the seemingly popular colour combo of grey deck, navy bottom seemed a good fit.

As a contrast, I've added a bit of colour with a deep orange and yellow logo and dedication that I think pops nicely. I'm pretty pleased with it. I'm also pleased that David is pleased with it! The mat is a free-breather with free elastic rocker so a perfect all round mat. I love the Ute for it's versatility.

David has named his mat "Happy Place" and with all the turmoil and nonsense going on around the globe, we certainly all need one. If this mat helps David to inhabit his then I'm stoked.

Have fun David.

Cheers

G

Ponyo

So then, the second mat for a Bennink in this run. You'll recall from the last mat I posted that I built a pair for Yoko and Ben of slideaholics.com and this is Yoko's. Yoko has named her mat Ponyo after the 2009 anime classic:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponyo

That's a pretty solid Tomatometer score so maybe worth a watch!

So back to the mat. In essence, Ponyo and Ben's mat, The Tardis, are of the same ilk as they are both 200/70 RB-JMC's. Both are free-breathers and both have free elastic rocker. The key difference is the scaling. Yoko is a lot smaller than Ben and this mat, like all customs, is carefully tailored to fit. I wish I had taken a photo of these two together but you can see the size difference in the mats I built them back in 2019:

https://customsurfmats.com/blog/2019/2/18/his-and-hers

Yoko has gone for a dark grey deck and navy bottom. This grey material is interesting. It looks great and almost nobody asks for it but I'm really pleased with how Ponyo has come out. The pink grip and branding sit well with the grey.

Yoko and Ben love to share waves and mix crossing-over with running over so I'm really hopeful to see a bit of footage. There are a lot of mat snaps coming out of that part of the World these days so fingers crossed.

Have fun Yoko!

Cheers

G

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

Stinga

Been a little while but Ive been busy with a couple of prototype ideas, a couple of BodyBags and a wee trip away, but I have been cracking on with a couple of custom orders too.

Say hello to "Stinga," a G-Mat Ute lovingly hand crafted for Aussie mat surfer Dany Gruosso. Dany has been riding mats consistently for a while now and has well and truely got the bug. Dany says:

“Riding a surf mat is pure joy, and it’s the camaraderie within our unique brotherhood and sisterhood that makes it even better. I was introduced to mat riding by a local surf legend who turned to mats after being unable to surf on a board anymore. It took me a week or two to get the hang of steering the mat, but once I did, I was hooked. Since then, I’ve never stopped grinning on every wave I catch.

There’s something magical about mat riding—the speed, the connection with the energy of the wave, and the fact that no wave is too small to enjoy. The crew I ride with are all about those early sessions, hitting the water 20-30 minutes before first light. It forces you to tune into your other senses, creating an almost otherworldly experience on some mornings. Mat riding isn’t just about the waves; it’s about the stoke that comes from embracing every moment in the water with like-minded mates.”

— Dany Gruosso

That's a pretty perfect description and sounds like Dany and I favour the same super early sessions. Best part of the day.

So on to Stinga, she's a Ute as mentioned. We went back and forth on models before settling on the Ute. Dany opted for a wheezer to help stabilize the 70d deck. He's also gone for a free elastic rocker to make things super versatile. Stinga really is a perfect all-round lightweight mat.

As you might have noticed, there is a slight bleed on the G logo. AAAAAAARGH! I spoke to Dany about options and neither of us were keen on ditching the skin. I'd have used it somehow but its important to me to be as efficient as I can with these materials. We settled on a free tee. My wife Becky called the blem a birth mark which is a nice touch.

So Stinga is headed down-under and I'm excited ti hear how Dany finds her.

Have fun Dany.

Cheers

G