Gwahir

Meet Gwaihir, a G-Mat Nouveau Racer built for New England mat surfer, Ryan Kleinert.

I'm sure people are aware of Ryan, but in case you're not, he absolutely charges on a mat. Gwaihir is the third mat I've built for Ryan with his first two (Starchaser and Starchaser 2) being RB-JMC's. Starchaser was blown out to sea when Ryan was surfing solid 10ft barrels, hence the second coming. So you see what I mean when I say Ryan charges on a mat!

With these days in mind, Gwaihir was born..The Nouveau Racer is my gunniest model and with the 200d deck and restricted breathing will feel much more stable. It is a design that gives you a lot of confidence on big days, so is perfect for those dredging winter New England waves. Although the Nouveau Racer definitely had a bottom end to it, in bigger and more powerful surf it's a very fast design so I think naming Gwaihir after the King of the Great Eagles in Tolkein's Lord of the Rings is apt.

As you can see, Gwaihir is in Ryan's trademark hot fuschia with white grip. We've Hestered the valve too so all in all a pretty good looking mat. I showed Gwahir at the Fish Fry in Crackington Haven, North Cornwall, so thank you so much to Ryan for being kind enough to let me show Gwaihir there before shipping.

Finally, people might be wondering how Ryan has got in on the order book so regularly. Well, he said that after missing the first email of two when I opened the order book last, he just sat on his laptop all night ready to pounce on the second email! With dedication like that I'm stoked to build Ryan a mat!

So as I say, I'm excited to show Gwaihir at the Fish Fry on Saturday (it will be great to see people and both Tom @rftsurfmats and I will be there). Following that, Gwaihir will be flying off to the US East Coast to get into some winter swells.

Have fun Ryan!

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

Zawn

Here is a mat built for west Cornwall-based mat surfer Matthew Geyman.

Matt surfs way down west getting into some of the short, sucky beach breaks down that way so wanted a mat that would get in and get hold quickly. Matt has a 4GF Omni from PG so we settled on a Nouveau Racer to concentrate on hollower or bigger days. Matt opted to name her 'Zawn'.

Matt says:

“Zawn is named for those secluded places along the Far West’s remote North Coast. Coves accessible only via a scramble, or by canoe, are a treat to explore. Packing a mat on a summer coast path walk, in the hope of spotting an unexpected wave is real treasure hunting. Originally a temporary way to stay on the water after a back injury, mats quickly became a source of joy for my whole family, often replacing more traditional craft: boards and hand planes. Because a mat’s so easy to transport, its rewards were multiplied.

Our closest break (a lesser visited spot in the far west) has waves better suited to short craft and bodysurfing. We snag treasured family memories here: daughters hooting and skidding on mats down the face of Christmas Day growlers, with no other soul about.

‘Zawn’ joins a stable including a 4GF Omni, Catherine’s G-Raft (a birthday gift when she fell out of love with surfing), and a behemoth Redback with chunky handles that the kids love (a great summer mush machine, sent by my brother from some godforsaken town near his home on the east coast of Australia). A mat’s joined the annual Morocco pilgrimage a few times in 20 years, but usually stays rolled up as it’s unlikely to replace a board for the long paddle out to Killers. Zawn will feature more heavily and it’ll love Cathedrals.

After a life in the water, it’s only a surfmat that makes me giggle uncontrollably and I’d do anything to keep the maniacal cackle factor.

Cheers n gone

Matt”

— Matthew Geyman

Zawn is a 200/70 Wheezer. We had some debate around elastic rocker versus free rocker. The new red material kinda made the choice for us being pretty inelastic. I suspect this might loosen up after a surf or two. I'll be checking in with Matt. Matt has also gone for a bungee for long Moroccan swims!

Have fun Matt!

Cheers

G

Ziran

So then first build of this run and this is a mat for Dom Davenport.

Dom has an RB-JMC already and was keen to think about how best to add to the quiver. After some discussion weighing up the benefits of an Ubercat or Nouveau Racer we settled on the latter (Dom has a 4GF @4thgearflyer Lotus Blue Streak so has that area covered).

With a trip to surf Moroccan points on the horizon the Nouveau Racer is the perfect addition. To be honest, the Nouveau Racer is the perfect partner to the RB-JMC anyway. There's a bit of overlap between the two and the Nouveau Racer extends the scope handling bigger and more critical waves better.

So onto this mat and Dom has named it Ziran which means "to push away outside influence and embrace one's authenticity, while living natural, spontaneous, and free".

Perfect.

Ziran is a 200/70 Wheezer built with free elastic rocker. Dom asked for a bungee for a leash. We are both in agreement that leashes are an absolute P in the A and should never substitute good form and keeping hold of the mat but some of those swims in Morocco can be pretty long and/or sketchy so nice to have the option.

Ziran is heading off to hook up with Dom now so I look forward to seeing how things go.

Cheers

G

Pinkoflage

Another between runs build, this time for my partner in deflation, Tom Jennings.

With the winter nearly upon us and some solid Autumnal swells lighting up the South West UK, Tom was keen to score a G-Mat Nouveau Racer. I had a dyed 70d skin (see pic 2) that Tom had his eye on and we decided to go with grip to match (as far as you can match fluro pink!). With all this flamingoesque blotchiness going on Tom came up with the name "Pinkoflage". Perfect! 🩷

Pinkoflage is a 200/70 Wheezer as is standard for a Nouveau Racer. Some of the North Cornish reefs have the kind of swims that would turn your hair white at size so we have included a bungee for leash attachment. We have also gone with elastic rocker which emphasizes the concave and and tightens driving turns on the rail. I'm looking forward to having a go on this mat!

I've made a start on the next run of custom orders now. Thanks to everyone who got in with their deposits.

Have fun Tom!

Cheers

G

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

Ellie

Say hello to “Ellie”, a Nouveau Racer built for Aussie matter Peter Abbott. Peter has been riding a mat for around 12 years having been inspired, like many of us, by the Innermost Limits of Pure Fun.

Peter lives in Northern NSW, a place with excellent waves. He has every day covered with his existing quiver, but wanted a mat for those days where things really get cooking and the local spots really light up. With that in mind we felt that a Nouveau Racer tailored to Peter was the order of the day.

Given the conditions Ellie is aimed at we went for a wheezer with a 200d deck. Ellie has free elastic rocker to offer plenty of flexibility. Peter opted for a red deck and black bottom with black grip. I have to say, I dig this look!

So why Ellie? Ellie was Peter’s old red cattle dog who loved the beach and the water. What a perfect name. I am really honoured to have been able to create the tribute to what sounds like a really special girl.

Have fun Peter. I can’t wait to hear how you and Ellie go down there.

Cheers

G

FEEDBACK - 20th Jan 2024