Chris & AJ's Adventure Continues

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Word from Chris Goodwin that all is well in Japan. In fact, it seems that all is very good in Japan, bar one mishap.  

Shot by AJ Goodwin

Shot by AJ Goodwin

Here's what Chris had to say:

Hi Graeme -

The Onion has seen some Japanese typhoon swells and done really well. I attached some stills and a gif which is of one wave.  We were doing stills not video this time.  This is at a break called Motel Shita near a town called Nachi in Wakayama prefecture, Japan

The bad news is two days later I peeled the Onion on some rocks and now will attempt a repair with what I hope is the right kind of Japanese glue.  We will see how that goes.

Chris

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Hmmmmm... Done a proper job there. 😲 

I've given Chris soideas for repairs so hopefully we'll see the Onion back in action soon. 

G

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UPDATE ON 2nd SEPT, 2016

Repair is all done. Great job! 

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Chris says:

I didn't mention but the local elders here thought I was crazy going out on the mat.  They thought it was hilarious in a good way and enjoyed watching me surf the big stuff and get demolished by a few. 

Chris Goodwin - Opening minds around the world. 😊

G

G-Mat Ute for Sale

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My lad, Webbo is looking to sell his Ute named "The Camo Carrot." You can read all about it here:

http://customsurfmats.com/blog/2015/3/20/happy-birthday-webbo

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Camo Carrot would suit a rider around 5'3". She would also be a good option for someone who enjoys riding mini-mats in heavy waves.  

She ehas been ridden under 10 times,  with Webbo growing at a rate you wouldn't believe, so is in virtually new condition. Comes complete with her original bag. 

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Webbo is after a new wettie for Autumn so it's after a quick sale. As a result, you can get this gal for a ridiculous £110 GBP (plus shipping & PayPal fees if unable to collect). 

Email me at surfmatbuilder@gmail.com if interested.

Cheers

G  

5 Star Generals at UK Mat Surfers

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I've just built a batch of 5 Star Generals for UK Mat Surfers. These are a stock model that I've put out there for people on a budget, or those who want to try G-Mat before taking a punt on a Custom mat.

G-Mat 5 Star General

Very good mat I think. They are wheezers, which isn't my default with custom builds (although I'll do it if asked of course). Free elastic rocker and gripped with Sikaflex 11FC.

You don't get a bag and Custom is still the better option to my mind but these are a good ride for most matters in most conditions.

Get 'em while they're there:

http://www.ukmatsurfers.com/warehouse/g-mat-5-star-general-surfmat

G 

Two New Friends for Colin

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Say hello to a couple of lovely ladies set to head off to their new home with Santa Barbara based Colin McCrindle.  Colin is an accomplished mat surfer who is lucky enough to work on boats around that part of the world meaning he gets to surf some pretty special and secluded spots.  

Colin already owns a G-Mat which is essentially a hybrid of these two so expanding the quiver seemed a good call.

So then, on to the mats. The first is G-Mat 116, a 200/70 free-rockered, free-breathing Ute called "Lefty Loosey". She offers the all-round experience and is perfect for those long walled up points.

Next is G-Mat 117, a free-breathing 200/70 Ubercat with rocker. As a quiver option, "Harvester" will handle hollow and peaky pits well, offering plenty of hold and tuning on a sixpence (or whatever the US equivalent might be... A dime?)

Both mats have a 3/4 length grip job and are gripped with Sikaflex EBT. It will be interesting to hear how Colin goes with these in some of his mysto spots. I've seen some photo's (don't ask, I can't share) and he gets into some really good quality waves. Personally, I love hearing how mats lat I've designed and built go in these conditions.

Stay tuned!

Cheers

G

Bottom shot of G-Mat 117 showing the Ubercat rail hooks and deep concave and rocker curve.

A HAAAAAAAAND-BAG?!

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A little while ago I knocked up a micro mat for bodysurfing, inspired by some home-builds by Glenn de Castro over in New Jersey.

I opted to call it The Bodybag (sounds a bit more butch than "the handbag"!).  I took her out in some OK surf. A bit sloppy but not bad. Here's a wave from that session.

My thoughts? Well to be honest, I don't think it has any real advantage over a kickboard or handplane. In fact, I had to pump her up pretty full to get her to go so I don't actually see any advantage over a board so in this instance I'd say it's not a design worth proceeding with but I thought I'd share it as it was a fun project.

The Bodybag is now in the possession of Sean Starkey over at Newport Wedge. If anywhere will get it going, that place will. I hope he enjoys it and a few people get a go.

I'm not planning to build more though.

G

UPDATE: 14 JULY, 2016

It seems there's a lot of interest in the Bodybag. Given that I may build some in the future as stock mats, but they would need to retail at around £80 GBP. Although they are small, they take the same time as welding and building a full size mat. I can weld 2 simultaneously though, hence the saving.

If the Wedge tests go well and the demand is there at that price then I'll do some.

G

AJ and Serenity hit the Small Time.

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I've just heard from AJ Goodwin and her Ute, Serenity. Although they've been hooked up for aa little while, hooking up with waves on this leg of their amazing world tour hasn't been so easy. Here's what AJ had to say:

Hi Graeme - I finally got "Serenity" wet yesterday. The waves weren't awesome and the water is darn cold here but the mat is perfect!

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Getting out through messy beach break was no problem, I could get up to speed with a quick paddle and kick to catch a wave and even on some pretty low power wind swell I got some serious speed. Had a blast until I got so bone cold I had to stop.
Next week we head to Japan... Will share when we hit the waves there. 

AJ

Great stuff! I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing about that! Phileas will be heading to Japan at some point so maybe AJ and her husband, Chris will get to hook up with her. 

Two surfmat adventures crossing paths. Sounds pretty good. 

G