Big, Bright & Sexy!

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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.

Surfmat G-Mat 136 Jesse Witthoft Flying Carpet Custom

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

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.

Surfmat Custom G-Mat 136 Jesse Witthoft Flying Carpet

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!)

Surfmat Flying Carpet G-Mat 136 Jesse Witthoft Custom

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

Word from Jesse Witthoft - Big Mat, Big Man, Big Smiles!

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I recently received word from Jesse Witthoft about his adventures with his Ubercat named the "Eggbeater."

Jesse surfs some interesting waves (finless due to his huge feet!) and has told me about a sneaky little micro-barrel in San Francisco. It sounded like fun so I was stoked when I heard from him telling me about the fun that he'd been having with Eggbeater.

Matsquatch spotted in San Francisco!

Jesse says:

"I rode a board once the other day for the first time. It was no fun so I got out got my mat and then I scored.   I've been experimenting with the go pro. Today I put it on top of a broom stick that was zip tied to a fishing rod holder. I put it on the bar on the inside point break that I told you about last time."
 

That looks like fun and a real testament to these floppy bags we love so much.

Thanks Jesse!

G

G-Mat 105 (AKA "The Eggbeater")

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This is G-Mat 105 (AKA "The Eggbeater"), so called because she has the task of helping Jesse Witthoft to negotiate Egg Rock. Jesse says:

"This point I will surf her atthe most is called Eagles. There is a rock that if you get a real good one you make it past called the Egg Rock."

Eggbeater pretty much named herself then!

So, about the mat.  Jesse is 6' 6" tall and long. He wanted a mat that would go fast, hold well and managed the smallest of conditions but still go in juice. The holy grail!  The other thing is that with his size 16 US feet he can't find fins to fit properly (although perhaps doesn't need to).

Given all that, we went for an Ubercat basic design to make the most of the concave and rail hooks. I also extended the length to width ratio slightly to help Jesse to get in to waves more easily.  Eggbeater is a 200/70 construction with Sikaflex EBT grip to add stability to the deck, given the larger size of the mat.

Jesse has also opted for a bungee. Whether this gets much use remains to be seen but it's there if needed.

So there we have it. Long mat for a long chap. She will certainly be a different ride to his current mat and hopefully will beat the Egg Rock.

Cheers

G