G-Mat 51 (AKA "Desperate Dan") - Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

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Me catching a little lump of chop on a Redback. Photo: Mat Arney

We have been having one of the worst summers I can recall in the UK in terms of surf. Weak, dribble has been the order of the day for the most part. I've been spearfishing and riding my bike but enough is enough.

When I was at the Slyder Cup a few weeks ago I had a go on a Redback. Not great mats by any stretch of the imagination but the big, traditional 4 pontoon design was able to get into a glide which smaller, lighter mats couldn't in the the knee high wind slop. It dawned on me that it might be good to build myself something similar, so I started work "Desperate Dan" as a side project whilst building Phileas. 

Big Boys! G-Mat 51 and a Redback

G-Mat 51 Deck

Now, I was sent some assorted samples a while ago. In the mix was some 800 denier Taffeta. Too heavy for my liking for my usual builds, I figured that I might try to make some bags out of it but an 800 to 800 weld was just too much hassle. However, this was perfect for building an 800/70 retro mat as huge decks require heavy material to manage the air movement. A lightweight, huge mat will just leave you chasing the air around like a game of whack-a-mole! The heavier material also has a textured canvas finish so did not need my usual grip, especially considering the waves I have in mind. Instead I applied a hot wax finish as developed by Paul Gross to grip up his Fourth Gear Flyer mats.

G-Mat 51 Bottom

As I say, the Redback went OK (ridden backwards) but needed work so I went back to the drawing-board and updated the design. Square as Sponge Bob, with no fade into the corners, but an XR Tail corner, rather than the drawn out curve. Essentially, I've cut 3-4" off the Redback's 'rounded-pintail'.

I've also increased the venting a touch.

So then, an interesting deviation from my norm and not a mat that will get a huge amount of water time, but something to open up the bottom of the bottom end and hopefully, fun for my wife to get on too!

Cheers

G

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