Clearing Out the Quiver

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Although mats clearly don't take up much room, I'm letting one go from my quiver because she's just not getting a look in.

G-Mat 34 (AKA "Bongle")

Bongle has seen some action, having gone on loan to a few people in California for a while. She was built with a subtle rocker and has hooked rails and concave.

The Glider has now been superseded by the new Rubber Bucky design but is still a very good mat. It is really quick and super loose, having a slidy, skatie feel. 

This particular mat would suit an experienced mat surfer of 5' 10" - 6' 1" looking for a lively mat to make the most out of medium sized surf.

Bongle was built as part of a test of a change to my welding table and as a result one of the welds has a very slight wobble to it. This has gone as far as it ever will and certainly will not cause a problem or affect performance. Due to the wear on the I-beam weld I'm going to let this mat go for £90 plus shipping.

The grip is warn as I type this but I'll freshen it up before I ship it so that will be like new.

Cheers

G

​PS Here's Kendog on a mat of the same size and dims:

Kendog - Photo: Lance Smith

4 More...

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This is G-Mat 61 (AKA "Turd Surfer"). I've named her in honour of South West Water to thank them for the gnarly gastric infection they gave me recently.

G-Matt 61

There are some slight changes from the last 4 pontoon mat. The cant has been dropped on I-beams 2 and 4, thus loosing the main pivot points and slightly reducing the concave. It still has a solid concave though.

Turd Surfer Concave

This is a low volume, flatter mat with rounded corners. Hopefully lots of hold too so should be better for solid waves, both paddling out and riding them. 

No shortage of swell on the way. Me hooking up with it is another issue but I shall try my best.

G

Catching Up with the Master

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I've just spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone to my Sensei, Dale Solomonson.

For those who don't know (and I guess I'm talking to the minority here), Dale is the man behind the legendary Neumatic Surfmats and the man who pioneered the use of lightweight, weldable nylon. 

Dale Solomonson Photo: Ken McKnight

It was so good to finally hook up with Dale after so long. For the many who will surely ask, he sounds pretty good. Focused on getting healthy after his illness and sounding pretty positive about life in general.

As always, Dale has shared some info with me. To be more precise, he re-shared some info but some 40 mats down the line it made a lot more sense and has changed some over-complicated thinking for me.  I'm not going to go into anymore detail than that and apologise for being cryptic. The key lesson today is one that I so often preach in other areas of my life... The solution to compexity is simplicity.

Thanks again Dale.

G

Dale Solomonson Photo: All About Surf

Introducing the Rubber Bucky

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I recently posted about "Hestered" valves on a new mat. Well, now I've ridden the mat in question in conditions ranging from walled up solid peelers to rippy junk and now it's time to go public...

Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! I give you, the G-Mat Rubber Bucky. 

ASB's Rubber Bucky Proto's: 200/70 top, 70/70 bottom.

Apart from having possibly the funnest name to say out loud of all the G-Mat range (I bet you just tried it too) the Rubber Bucky is a contender for the Ute’s all-rounder crown. Developed in partnership with Santa Barbara mat-meister, Andrew Stephen Buck, this mat emphasises traditional high speed mat surfing, quickly finding a plane and favouring controlled drifts and subtle rail control, whilst still holding well enough on steep walls to get your fins out of the water and let loose.

This three pontoon mat is slightly narrower than the Ute, but has a fuller feel due to having slightly more depth (thickness). The I-beam positioning draws heavily from the Ubercat giving a deep concave and pronounced rail hook. The overall feel is very different though with a greater width to length ratio and slightly enhanced bottom contours.

Photo: Jon Shafer

ASB Photo: Olivia Sabedra

Slightly rounder parabolic corners fore and aft work together with the bottom contours to give a clean progressive curve to aid hold. Well vented internal structures allow easy air transfer letting the mat to change shape rapidly, increasing speed and responsiveness.

The Rubber Bucky works well with a 200/70 configuration (200 denier deck and 70 denier bottom skin) or 70/70 for increased sensitivity.

Check it out in action from 1:10 in the following video.

Cheers

G

Hestered Away on an ASB... Erm... Paddow?

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OK. I will be the first to admit that the pun in the title of this post is flatter than one of Andrew Stephen Buck's mats, but I have some early feedback of my own on my scaled up version of ASB's favourite G-Mats. Namely, the valve position.

Hestered Away Valve

This valve has been tucked away under the edgelape at the nose to give a clear deck so as to reduce the likelihood of unwelcome union during duck dives and wipeouts. This positioning wasn't my idea. My first go at this was on a mat for the living legend that is Henry Hester on his mat "Stinkles", so I call this "Hestering" the valve away. 

I don't know if Henry is keen.

Stinkles

Stinkles Valve

My initial concerns were that the valve would catch but, as you can see from the shots, the valve is clear of the water at full inflation and the nose of the mat is always fully inflated. It's easy enough to get at the valve to reduce air by twisting the valve and the air pressure during deflation seems to prevent water from getting into the mat.

All in all, I think it works pretty well. Henry has given positive feedback as has Ian Wraith regarding his mat "Badger of Honour". I think my personal preference is still to have the valve on the deck but this is certainly a valid option for those who are into it.

Ian Wraith's "Badger of Honour"

Back to the ASB mat, I've ridden it once in very nice walled up glassy reef surf and she went really well. I need more sessions but am confident that it's a good design. To be honest, if I thought it was bad then I would be questioning my riding rather than the design as ASB is a far more able mat surfer than me.

More to come.

G

4 Pontoons

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Generally, I'm a fan of 3 pontoon mats. Personally, I find them to be generally more versatile with less of a structured feel and will usually require less air. However, the flatter feel can be an advantage at times and more pontoons allows width without depth, so lower volume when required. Also, some people just prefer the feel of four pontoons.

I built a couple of four pontoon mats a while ago. The best one being an all white mat named Casper, now owned by Cornishman, Phil Sinclair.

Casper

Casper was a lot of fun and Phil swears by her, but I found the mat felt very full and flat, a feeling that didn't really work for me. I left 4 pontoon mats alone for some time but started mulling an idea over a little while back and thought it was time to try it out with ever willing guinea pig, Ian Wraith.

G-Mat 58

I've tried to take the things that work in 3 pontoons and apply them to 4. First off, More stagger (the depth of the channels). I-beams 2 and 4 are slightly over half the height of 1 and 5. It's not evident in the photo but I-beam 3 (the central one) is taller than than 2 and 4 so there is more stability through the middle.  This also moves the pivot points out towards the rail so will provide a different feel.

I may have gone a bit too deep with the concave so might put more volume in the middle of further mats. I think we might need more grip up the middle but Ian rides toward the tail so we'll see.

The corners are pretty round to help with hold, rather than hacking down the length. We've also gone with Henry Hester's preferred valve placement. 

The Drawing Board

The Drawing Board

G-Mat 58 - Hester valve placement.

I'm excited to get some feedback on this. We just need waves over here now!

Cheers

G

G-Mat 58

Back to the 70's

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The thing that really got me into building surfmats in the first place was the quest for light weight rides. No surprise then that the two latest rides to come out of the workshop have had me smiling, both being 70/70 construction (lightweight 70 denier material on the deck and the bottom).

First up is G-Mat 56 (AKA "Slop Humper"), a Flying Carpet. It's been ages since I build one of the flat, thin, square speed machines and I've tired a couple of new ideas, specific to this design which look like they will work well. These take more work than the other mats that I build but well worth the effort for those days where you just need to tweak the trim and fly!

G-Mat 56 (AKA "Slop Humper")

G-Mat 57 (AKA "Black Betty")

Next is G-Mat 57 (AKA "Black Betty"), a 70/70 Ute built for Stuart Marshall. Stu seems to constantly be off to warmer climes, charging endless bowling points and reefs. He's also a man who enjoys a flacid, lightweight mat so I'm really excited to hear about his adventures with Black Betty.

As you may have noticed, there seem to be a lot of monochrome mats coming out of G-Mat Towers at the moment... That seems set to continue. 

Black is the new black it seems. 

Cheers

G

Sikaflex News

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For some reason which I really can't get my head around, sealant manufacturers periodically change the name of their products.  I put a video together a while ago on topping up grip using Sikaflex 11FC.

I've recently had an email from a US mat surfer saying that he has struggled to find Sikaflex 11FC over there. Having done a bit of research it looks like Sika have renamed it SikaBond Construction Adhesive. 

As I say, I have absolutely no idea why they do this. The sealant I use for logos has changed it's name 3 times in the time I've been building mats.

Anyway, as far as I can see, this change is only in the USA at present. Anywhere else, just look for Sikaflex 11FC.

Cheers

G

UPDATE: 31/05/2017

My personal fave for topping up is Sikaflex EBT. It bonds to everything and is durable. What's more, you can get it in the UK from Screwfix!

Project Chiledub

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Peter D'Ewart (AKA "Chiledub") has just jumped on the Ute train with his new mat named "The Breeze".

Pete has opted for a slightly squared tail corner. This should speed things up a touch whilst loosening the tail but that's something a mat surfer of his standard will relish. We've also worked the bottom shape a little to support the squarer corners.

Free-breather (as always), 200/70 with the emphasis of the grip in the middle of the mat with the middle pontoon clear for 12" to help with getting up on take offs.

G-Mat 55 (AKA "The Breeze") - Deck

G-Mat 55 (AKA "The Breeze") - Bottom

Pete is a real mat connoisseur so I'm always keen to hear his feedback.

She's boxed and sets off tomorrow. Have fun Chiledub. 

G

G-Mat 53 (AKA "Zeb")

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Aussie matter Henry Marfleet (commonly known as Bluey) has a plan. This plan involves some heavy hollow waves. He came to me after a mat for such circumstances and, having tried a prototype Ubercat some time ago, was pretty clear on what he wanted.

So it was, Zeb was born...

G-Mat 53 (AKA "Zeb")

Zeb is an Ubercat. 200/70 construction with a white deck and black bottom and a very light rail rocker. She also has a bungee leash attachment as you can see for those heavy waves I was on about.

She's en route to Henry right now.

G

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

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:

------------

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