RIP Scott Reeder

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This post is hard to write.

I woke this morning to an email from Scott Reeder's wife, Pam, saying that Scott has passed away.  For those who were unaware, Scott had been living with a rare  form of cancer since 2012. He never let that get in the way of living his life though, carrying on mat and stand-up surfing, snowboarding and spreading his infectious joy for life to everyone he touched.

I first got to know Scott when I worked with him and Ken McKnight on his HERE & NOW INTERVIEW for UK Mat Surfers.  Anyone who has read that has been blown away by it, and anyone who hasn't read it should. We obviously spent a lot of time talking about mats and I was honoured to build Scott a Ute named "Wiggleworm" last year. We spent well over an hour talking on the phone about all sorts and I was struck then by Scott's energy and joy. He regularly gave me feedback and clips via email, in amongst just talking shit.  Scott's sense of humour was a good match for mine, and I enjoyed many long email conversations with Scott putting the world to rights (and wrongs). People who have been following the Phileas Project will remember how much work Scott and Pam put in to Phileas' stay in San Diego and the comedy of it all. You can see all that HERE.

Recently, Scott was readmitted to hospital to undergo surgery and unfortunately passed away after a period in ITU. Scott sent me an email just before going into hospital with a couple of clips entitled "Small Wave Hellman". He said:

“ I surfed Wiggleworm a bunch during the leadup to surgery. The last day, Sunday, was sublime. Probably snagged 40 glassy little racers. These clips are not from that day. I’ve been having a blast lately trying to build speed through the cutbacks. Surf mats are the best. Goodwill to all matkind! OK, gotta rest for the big day tomorrow. Cheers. ”

And that sums Scott up for me. He never stopped living and he never stopped loving. My thoughts and heart-felt wishes go out to to Pam, Maz and all of Scott's family and friends.

I will say Rest in Peace but I seriously doubt that Scott will rest at all in whichever form of heaven he finds himself.  He'll be dragging everyone down to ride the next cosmic swell with a smile on his face and I'm sure he will check in on the rest of us from time to time just to make sure that we're not taking ourselves too seriously.

3 cheers to you Festus Porkmeyer, and thanks for the inspiration.

G

Glorious Sexnicolor

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I've managed to get my hands on some pigments to colour the sealants that I use for logos and grip. 

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To date, I've been using the technique developed by Dale Solomonson of mixing powder paint into sealants but that has been a horrible, time consuming messy business, needing gnarly solvents and general hideousness to get it done.

 

The powder also affected the consistency of the sealant but these don't seem to at all. 

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Pleasing, glossy finish. I'm pretty sure that these will work with grip too and I will be able to mix up colours and send some pigment out with mats so that people can get a perfect match when topping up. 

Pretty excited by this. 

Stand by. 

G

Long Live EBT

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Word from Adrian Paterson on his Rubber Bucky, 'Ripley':

"Hi G, just thought you'd like some feedback on 'ripley' have to say I've had some great surfs of late, due to your technical know-how! feels real positive in all sizes & conditions , love the grip. tiz real good so thanks & well done, saving my beans for another.

Regards Adrian"

I'm very pleased to hear that Adrian's grip is going well as his mat is the first I gripped with Sikaflex EBT, the more hardy cousin of Sikaflex 11FC+. Glad to hear that Adrian has his Rubber Bucky going in all sorts too. 

Cheers

G

Recognition for a Legend

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I'm very, very proud of a certain Californian G-Mat rider today. 

Some of you may know of, or even personally know Henry. An extremely talented mat rider with a colossal pedigree as a surfer having been a previous Rusty team rider.  Henry has a special mat which we christened the Glider XR. I built two of these to the same dims. On called Big H (a play on "Bad H") which now lives with my friend Bob Booth. The other was "Stinkles". 

"Stinkles" Photo: Graeme Webster

Henry at Swamis Photo: Lance Smith

There's plenty more to read on Henry and his mat surfing in his UK Mat Surfers Here & Now interview . For now, lets get back to why I'm so proud of Henry.

I'm sure most will know that Henry has dabbled in Skateboarding over the years. When I say "dabbled" I mean that he is a bona fide legend of the sport. Seven times World Slalom Champion who competed regularly up until just a few years ago. 

Henry went on to organise the Hester Series comps and famously developed revolutionary skateboard wheels. And then there's the Skatecars. And then the Snowboards...

Too much to cover in a brief blog post and that UKMS article has it from the horses mouth.

What that article does't is why I'm so proud of Henry today. I'm proud because a few days ago, Henry was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.  So well deserved for a true legend of our time and a really top guy.

What blows me away most with Henry is his openness and humility (kinda blustering hell-man chaotic humility that is of course!) Henry has undoubtedly forgotten more about skating and surfing than most of us will ever know. Still, he goes through life with his eyes and ears open and is always looking for the new stoke. 

He picked up a surfmat and took glee in being a novice. Guess what... Now he's RIGHT up there.

Henry, I salute you mate. Enjoy Henry's acceptance speech and look on Planet X. Henry Hester has a few lessons for you on how to ride a surfmat.

Cheers

G

Just What the Doctor Ordered

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Please welcome G-Mats 79 and 80 into the world. This pair are called Gladys and Dorothy, respectively.

Dorothy is a Ute and Gladys is a Chino Racer. Both are 200/70 free-breathers with subtle elastic rocker. This is an ideal quiver for all eventualities.

First up, Dorothy. She's a Ute and the perfect all rounder. Sean currently surfs around North Devon and with summer coming a mat to glide those long, glassy peelers at spots like Woolly is ideal. Dorothy isn't shy of the juice though but I have slightly emphasized the bottom end  as she is part of a double act.

Next we have Gladys. She is a Chino Racer so loves power. Sean travels an awful lot and surfs some very high quality solid waves. He tells me that he has found that he has been pushing the limits of his existing mats in some of these waves so Gladys is here to fill that gap.

Gladys will dig those big hollow North Devon days too.

Can't wait to hear how these girls go. 

Cheers

G

Feedback from John Hughes

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I've had a couple of emails from John Hughes regarding his early experiences with his 70/70 Rubber Bucky, Sylvia.

John says:

EMAIL 1:
My first session was on tiny waves at the local pier. There is a break on the north side of the pier that happens only when the tide and swell direction are just right. When it breaks a wedgy peak forms right next to the end of the pier. That turns into a fast drop which usually breaks right away and puts you in the whitewater. That lasts for a few yards then it re-forms into a walled up ledge that reels right into the pilings. Just as you get to the pilings you can pull out then take the outgoing channel next to the pier and go right back to the take off zone.

The ride is short but exhilarating.

Although the swell that day was tiny, the conditions were right and a miniature version of the wave was working. The mat handled it easily, tracking down every little seam in the wave, turning a potential non-session into an hour of fun. No pics of this. I took a camera with me but no one was there to take pics. The inflation pic is from that morning.

EMAIL 2:
I got the mat out again this morning, this time in some waist high but lined up groundswell. This mat is blazing fast! I was easily blowing by sections and the mat was smooth and controlled. When the offshores held the wave back I could hang the mat at the top of the wave until it walled lined up then let it loose. I am definately clicking with this mat. It is another level above Phileas. I can't wait to get it in some big stuff.

I didn't get actual surfing pics. I just had the snapshot camera. I include one pic of the inflation level I am at. It works very well with low inflation. Also include the latest update on my car stickers. We may be getting some big onshore slop soon. If so, I will send a report.

aloha, John

Bring on the slop!

Cheers

G

Word from Scandinavia

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Word has come in from Sweden's minister of matting, Tim Ciasto.  Tim has a couple of Rubber Buckies, both in sultry black on black. You can read all about them HERE.

Anyway, having a lot of work on as a film maker, plus living in a land with inconsistent waves, it's not always easy to get quality surf in but it sounds like the Norse Gods have been smiling on Tim judging by his recent email:

 

Got incredibly busy the last week but guess what...

Today I went surfing. It almost didn't happen because when I tried to put my DaFin Big Boo's on over my winter booties I ripped the strap of one fin... damn :( need a replacement now...

I really thought that was it, but I discovered that I had backup in my car (my V7's and 5mm dive socks). 

The wind was not too extreme so I decided to take "Geburtstag Bonus"...

You said it will take probably a couple of waves to get used to it... well ... what can I say...

My first 3 waves where pure magic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

On the first one I pulled into a steep section an had the brief feeling that I side-slipped but then the mat locked in and accelerated rapidly... so much fun. It was at my favorite spot but those waves today where among the best I ever surfed in Sweden. 

Thank you so much for this incredible gift. I still have a big smile on my face :)

Well, now I have a big smile on my face! Great to hear. Tim is planning on another visit to the UK soon which the UK Mat Surfers crowd are very pleased to hear. His last visit was great fun:

I'm looking forward to hearing about more adventures from Tim and his girls. It warms the cockles to know that I've played a small part in people's stoke. 

Cheers

G