G-Mat 49 (AKA "LiLo") - One good turn and all that...

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Paipo by Chris Hartop

So then, let's start with the back story.  A while back, surfboard shaper, Chris Hartop, suggested a board/mat trade. Now, I've long been an admirer of his work and am a sucker for a paipo so that deal was too good to miss.

The race was on...

Who would get their surfcraft built first?...

Obviously it was Chris. My waiting list is AGES long! 

Anyway, Chris hooked my up with my beautiful new board at the Slyder Cup a couple of weeks ago.

Anyway, I wasn't too far behind (turns out Chris is busy too) and I've just finished Chris' G-Mat Ute which he's christened "LiLo".

G-Mat 49 (AKA "LiLo")

G-Mat 49 - Bottom Contours

For Chris....

So then. Chris is a relative newb to mat surfing but a man with a wide range of experience as a waterman so I'm sure he'll 'get it'. I can't wait to here how he finds his new ride.

Also, for those interested, Chris runs a shaping workshop so if you're interested in building your own stick then take a look at the Love Foam Facebook page.

Cheers

G

The Approaching Lines - Slyder 2.0

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This weekend saw me and the family take a wee trip to Cornish beach, Porthtowan for the Approaching Lines Slyder Cup 2.0.  This is the second of an annual event celebrating all forms of skeg-less surfing.

The Slyder Cup has a tongue-in-cheek competition element to it but the conditions weren't exactly supportive of this.

Flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.....

Nonetheless, it was really good to hook up with everyone and to promote mat surfing as best I could. A few other UK matters were planning to pop along. Phil Sinclair made a showing, but a combination of injury, domestic crises and it just being too far to travel with no surf meant that me and my lad, Webbo, were the only regular mat surfers in attendance. 

Let's hope the surf comes together so we can get a gaggle of matters together for the re-arranged splash-a-thon due to take place in the autumn (TBC).

Anyway, I had a table set up and enjoyed some great chats with interested people. 

There were some truly beautiful creations on show. The spirit of the Slyder is getting in and having a go with all of the creators of various surfcraft having stuff to try.

Most Stoked!

Anyway, despite the lack of surf we all went surfing. And despite the lack of mat riders, there were people riding Redbacks and having a blast.

Great to see a collection of finless craft in the water together with a great vibe all round. 

Webbo had some good waves riding various craft, including the paipo he shaped for the day (second from the right above) and he managed to snag himself an award for being the "Most Stoked Surfer".

All in all, this was a great day and I'd urge anyone to make these. The organizers, Demi and Chris from Approaching Lines, put a ton of work into this and they deserve support.

Keep an eye out for more info on approachinglines.com

See y'all there next time!

G

PS I rode a Redback. Not a design I'd rush to look into but perfect for the shin-high wind chop.

G-Mat 48 (AKA "The Flying Egg Plant")

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Finally managed to get this finished, wrapped around a hideous throat and chest infection.

G-Mat 48 (AKA "The Flying Egg Plant")

This little lady has been built for Californian surfboard shaper and artist, Graham P Day. For those unaware of him, Graham is the man behind Driftwood Caravan Surfboards. His site can be found here:

http://driftwoodcaravan.com/

He also bashed out some pretty sweet mat related art pieces featuring the the character "Mat Rat".

Talented man. Talented mat rider too.

Back to the mat, she is a 200/70 G-Mat Ute scaled to Graham's size. He said he wanted a versatile mat but one that will handle the juice.

Hopefully, that's what he's got...  Looking forward to the feedback.

Cheers

G

Surfmat Art

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Very, VERY happy to be showing off this fantastic bit of art from Bryn Dampney. Bryn is the man behind the new banner over at UK Mat Surfers and recently picked up a G-Mat named Bombina.

Artwork by Bryn Dampney

I'll be getting this little thing made into a banner ready for the up coming Slyder Cup at Porthtowan. If anyone would like a print or some such then let me know. Profits to the Dampney foundation for beer.

Thanks Bryn

G

SEA MONSTER!!! G-Mat 47 (AKA "Midori Mirage")

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Here is the latest out of the workshop...  A mammoth build, in more ways than one.

G-Mat 47 (AKA "Midori Mirage")

I was extremely honoured when a genuine member surfing's royalty asked me to build him a surfmat. For those unaware of him, Prof Greg Deets is a legendary bodysurfer and one of the pioneers of The Wedge in Newport, SoCal. Greg is also the man behind Voits reissue of theoriginal Duckfeet and UDT swimfins and the brains behind the most recent incarnation of these in high-tech rubber with and bio-mimetic flex (like being a mermaid!)

So then, on to the mat.

This kind of patterned grip takes and age but Greg's vision has certainly made an eye catching reality.

Greg is a big man, and as such needs a big mat. Bigger than I have ever built! We engaged in a great deal of conversation around this: 3 pontoons? 4 pontoons? Leash fittings and where to put them? 

Oh and grip patterns of course.

Bungee leash attachment. The leash is attached to the middle part of the bungee (hidden under the edge lap) with a loose loop allowing the leash to move freely. This ensures that the forces a spread evenly across the bungee with it's elasticity, the elasticity of the leash and the natural pneumatic suspension in the mat dispersing the load effectively.

In the end we even looked at the inflated dimensions of Greg's favourite mat and guess what... A scaled up Ute fitted the profile nicely. Phew!!!  It is proportionately shorter than the base design but that should be fine with the volume. The corners also use a rounder template to compensate for the height of the rail and ensure a continuous curve.

The leash attachment (a necessity when faced with over-zealous Californian Lifeguards) ended up at the tail leaving arms and hands free to work their magic shaping this free-breathing form of the mat.  

Hopefully we will have a gliding, bombing, maneuverable surfmat which is befitting of her owner. I am really grateful to Greg for his candid approach to this process. An open mind and a willingness to experiment is always a joy to work with.

My breath is well and truly bated... More news as it comes in.

G

Poetry

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California mat surfer, John "Bagjuan" Mann is currently borrowing Ken McKnight's 70/70 Ute, "Blue Thunder".

G-Mat 33 (AKA "Blue Thunder") Photo: Ken McKnight

I got this email fter his first go out:

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From the moment I pressed my lips against her orifice, tasting a salty sweetness,I it was self evident that we were going to get along just fine.Matter not whose lips had been before, they were all good men.

Though she had been ridden hard, and put away wet many times, I took her under my arm. Too  much rubbing had worn her traction to the nubs, but I dismissed that, and affectionately renamed this stallion of a mat" Razor Wind".   She liked to roam outside of the pocket, but was quick to return to her rightful place , deep in the sweet spot. A satisfying blend of the Gross Mini-Mat, and one of Dales last offerings not one to burn off speed, and nimble in all ways side to side .

I enjoyed being able to tweek her valve, whilst wearing 7ml.lobster claws. Its not summer, till the big rubber comes off....,soon ?  All told, the Razor Wind won my heart, and I will return her to The Doggy Lama, with hopes that she has a sister, or something passable, that I might procure from you, Provider of Inflatable Joy.

I will get my house in order, for her coming.

Bagjuan

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Mission accomplished...

G



Bombina

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Here's the latest out of the workshop, a G-Mat Ute named "Bombina". She has been built for UK Mat Surfer, Bryn Dampney. 

G-Mat 46 (AKA "Bombina")

Photo: Ollie Howe

Bryn is a relatively new convert to the way of the mat having picked up a couple of 4GFs over the last year or so. He is a very talented kneeboarder, notable lneeboard shaper, highly experienced bodyboarder and, as it turns out, is quickly developing into a skilled mat surfer too.

Being one of the most natural tube riders I have had the pleasure of surfing with, it is really exciting to see Bryn out in the water on mats.

Bryn has decided to get in touch with his sensitive side with Bombina, going for a 70/70 construction. I'm really excited to here/see how she goes for him.

Stay tuned.

Cheers

G

Surfmat Maintenance: Topping Up Grip

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I've put together a little video on topping up grip. Now apologies for it being a bit boring but it's difficult to make this exciting! Still, I hope it's useful for those who need it.

You will need:

1) Good quality masking tape.

2) Flexible plastic spreader - DO NOT USE METAL!

3) A tube of Sikaflex FC11 Sealant (or your preferred alternative)

4) A nail brush.

5) Gloves

6) A bin close to hand.

Any questions then feel free to get in touch.

Cheers

G

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EDIT: US readers please read this article: 

http://customsurfmats.com/blog/2014/8/24/sikaflex-news

G-Mat 45 (AKA "Zeno")

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I've just finished building a mat for Australian mat maestro, Warren Pfeiffer.  For those unaware of his surfing, here is an edit of him surfing at Gnaraloo.

Warren has been having fun riding a second hand G-Mat for a little while and was keen to get onto something with a wider range. Having discussed what he was after, a Ute scaled to his tall frame seemed to be the right choice.

G-Mat 45 (AKA "Zeno")

G-Mat 45 (AKA "Zeno")

Zeno is a 200/70 construction and, a free-breather. Warren had some particular ideas around the area of coverage for the grip. Most notably, taking the coverage on the central pontoon far further forward than I would normally.  

I'll be really interested to hear how this goes down.

Stay tuned.

Cheers

G

G-Mat 45 (AKA "Zeno")

More Mats For Ya Buck!

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Don't get excited... G-Mat's are still cripplingly expensive, although Stirling seems to be wobbling a touch (yes!). Oh, and they're still half the price of a custom surfboard so....

OK, now it IS time to get excited! I've just finished a pair of mats for ASB. These are the next step in a project that that we have been working on to develop the perfect surfmat for Rincon. ASB rated his last ones as "A+++" so it's safe to say that further tinkering is really about fine tuning.

G-Mats 43 & 44 (AKA "Accept Join Mr Torn III" and  "Accept Join Mr Torn IV"

Oh yeah... ASB still likes his mats black. He also likes them to breath freely with 200 denier decks and 3/4 grip patterns which both have.

Anyway, we have pushed out the width and accentuated the bottom contours a little on G-Mat 43 and pushed out G-Mat 44 a little more thus slightly accentuating to inside contour of the rail pontoons (thus reducing the hook) and slightly dropping the concave (although it still has a solid concave).

I can't wait for feedback on these and plan to build myself one once ASB finally hits the target.

Baited breath....

G

G-Mats 41 & 42 (Glider XR)

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I've just packed up a mat going to Californian skateboarding legend that is Henry Hester.  

G&S Hester Model Logo

Henry recently tried out my G-Mat Glider and enjoyed the ride but, having come from riding round-tail mats, found the tail a little loose. After a little arm twisting, Henry talked me into building him a modified Glider with my original XR corner template at the tail and an extre 1/2 inch of length. I used this template on the first two mats I ever made.

Other than that, this is a Glider with Tweener template front corners and completely free-breathing (I'm done with wheezers).

So, here's introducing G-Mat 41 (AKA "Stinkles").

G-Mat 41 (AKA "Stinkles")

G-Mat with valve fitted to bottom skin.

Henry tells me that his face is too beautiful to risk damage so he has opted to have his valve below the seam at the nose of the mat. I've tucked it up under the edge-lap to ensure that it stays clear of the water.

How well this arrangement works out remains to be seen but it should be fine. All in all this is a really experimental model which will need to be field tested.

Given that, I just have to try one myself so have built the monochrome sister of Stinkles: G-Mat 42 (AKA "Big 'H'"). I've named the mat after Henry. 

G-Mat 42 (AKA "Big H")

G-Mat XR Corner Template

So then, that's two of us trying these out so lets see how they go. It'll be really interesting for me to get back to the XR corner and see how it performs with my current dimensions and I can't wait to hear Henry's thoughts.

Cheers

G

G-Mat 40 (AKA "Richard")

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My new ride and I'm pretty pleased with her. 

G-Mat 40 (AKA "Richard")

Richard is a 70/70, free-breathing Ute and is likely to be the last mat I'm going to be making for myself for some time. I really fancied a clean look and am pleased with the results, with the giant G logo not looking too OTT. 

I personally love the responsiveness and speed achieved through 70/70 construction, combined with easy air transfer. I've had a go out in small, sectioning waves so far and she's got into waves early and displaces very little water. Richard made sections well, holding a high line but releasing well when asked. 

Fins out and off... A thoroughly pleasant afternoon.

The 70/70 Ute is a different creature to the 200/70 set up (well, 70/70 mats are completely different to their heavier counterparts full-stop) and aren't for everyone, being very sensitive. But for me, nothing really comes close to the feeling.  

Got some more waves about at the mo and I've got time off after Tuesday so should get plenty on my new go to mat. 

G

G-Mat 39 (AKA "Grace Cajones")

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This is Grace Cajones, a G-Mat Ubercat built for Dan Lawrence.

G-Mat 39 (AKA "Grace Cajones")

One of Dan's local breaks

Dan lives in Mid-Cornwall in the UK and has to wedges and shallow breaking beach breaks close to home so spends a lot of his time having to get his act together and find a line pretty sharpish! Given that, the obvious choice was an Ubercat. Dan has opted for a 200/70 set up and Sikaflex grip. The is a free-breather.  

As you can see, he's gone for the sleek and subtle approach being the suave man of style that he is.  This is a very small mat because... well... she's a custom surfmat so you work it out!

Anyway, it looks like a reasonable run of swell over the next week or so, so I'll be interested to hear (and see) how Dan and Grace Cajones get on.

Cheers

G

G-Mat 38 (AKA "Matilda")

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G-Mat 38 (AKA "Matilda")

G-Mat 38 (AKA "Matilda")

Something of an experiment here...

Meet Matilda, a 200/70 G-Mat Ute:

Matilda features some beyond the norm features. First off, coloured grip, which has been done before by my friend and mentor Dale Solomonson using Vulkem, but I have tried using the stink-free Sikaflex. 

Next, some people have asked about designs on the bottom of mats... Tricky...

Dye can't do this in the right way because it bleeds. Also, the sealants used for the lettering on decks aren't suitable because they would seriously affect pliability and would feel like an anchor.

So, a foray into the world of spray paint. I wasn't entirely into the idea of this initially and time will tell whether this has worked or not. Right now, it isn't something I would really want to do again but it has given an interesting effect on the bottom of the mat one way or another.

So, we'll have to await feedback from whoever ends up with this mat but it'll certainly catch a few eyes, that's for sure!

Matilda is currently up for sale and being something of an experiment is available for:

£200 GBP plus shipping.

Please email me if you would like to be the one to break her in.

Cheers

G

G-Mat 38 (AKA "Matilda") - Spray Paint!


The Bullet is Dead... LONG LIVE THE UTE!

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G-Mat Ute - 200/70

As people will be aware, I was keen to work towards an all-round mat that would be an option in almost any conditions. Following that train I recently developed the G-Mat Ute which certainly seemed to hit that spot. 

A few went out to various experienced mat riders and the feedback has been really positive.

For example:

I went faster yesterday on two different waves then I have ever gone before. On the blue mat [below]. I rode two waves almost a quarter mile each. Super winter spot I know of. Local knowledge in Southern California is worth gold.
 
No shit! Those that saw it commented and there were only five of us out. I can't tell you how fast that little fucker went but I was hauling ass. Two career waves in one session. Both about six feet, or double overhead to stand up surfers. Total strangers paddled up afterwards and commented.

G-Mat Ute 70/70

My personal experience has been the same, that the Ute really likes solid, sizable surf and making long drawn out turns. Oh, and it goes like a greased turd!

The thing is, that's the G-Mat Bullet''s job. But my experience is that the Ute actually does the Bullet's job for it, and better. It also beats the Bullet at the bottom end of it's range.

RIP the G-Mat Bullet

So where does that leave the Bullet?

Well... Redundant! 

It's not to say that anyone with a Bullet has a bad mat because the Bullet has performed well in all sorts of conditions and is a good mat, but it has been superseded.

The Bullet's slightly rounded corner is certainly something that could be looked at on the Ute, I have a Standard corner template called the "Tweener" (used on the Glider, Ute and Ubercat) and then the rounder Bullet corners...  

A little more maneuverable and a touch more hold at the expense of a little speed might be someone's bag. Custom is as it says!

G 

PS Of course, any Bullet lovers can still have one for old time's sake. 

PPS COMING UP... The does the Ute leave the Flying Carpet?!

Non-Stick Problems

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I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to use some new fabric samples and I said that I noticed that this 200d Oxford weave appeared to have seen treated... It has... And as feared, grip can't stick to it as I discovered on a South Devon reef yesterday. Even the logo is touch and go.

So it's back up plan time. I've had some Non-Stick mesh kicking a round so have made strips for the deck and fixed them with strong glue (Stormsrure). This is the glue used on the valve which has held up fine. I could have left a bigger gap at the tail. That's a weak point for sure.

Now, I don't think this is a grip I would want to do as a rule but it will be interesting to see how it goes. I could have just applied more Sikaflex to the glue but it's nice to experiment now and then. Will this be robust enough? Probably not but there's only one way to find out.

Suffice it to say, I won't be buying any of this fabric any time soon.

G

Trouble with treated nylon.

Trouble with treated nylon.

Sikaflex periods straight off!

Sikaflex periods straight off!

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G-Mat 36 (AKA "te Ika-a-Maui")

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I'm really stoked to be sending my first mat to New Zealand. Lee Morgan has named his Ute "te Ika-a-Maui", the Maori word for the North Island.

G-Mat 36 (AKA "te Ika-a-Maui")

G-Mat 36 (AKA "te Ika-a-Maui")

As you can see, this 200/70 free-breather is set up for an optional leash. The leash is attached to the middle part of the bungee, under the extended edgelap at the nose. This provides an even distribution of stress across the mat, maximising the shock absorbing affects of the bungee and the mat itself. 

The grip is Sikaflex 11FC. I've given this a really light grip with plenty of space at the tail to help Lee to get up on to the mat on take-off. He is a practical fella who is more than able to top up his grip later if need be.

I'm looking forward to hearing how Lee gets on with his new ride. This has been a really fun project to work on.

G