Oink! Oink!

I introduce to you, ladies and gentlemen, a mat with an identity crisis! Not anything to do with the mat herself, but her name. 2 stuck out for her owner and both stuck out too prominently to be dismissed. As a result G-Mat 161 is named "Comrade Napoleon" AAKA "Miss Piggy"

This little piggy is built for Andrew Steven Buck and is a 70/70 G-Mat Ute. ASB is a master matter and as such he is after mats that are super sensitive and responsive. With that in mind, Napoleon (I’m not typing out all that again) is a free-breather with negative rocker.

70/70 construction with a lightweight Sikaflex EBT clear grip finish, Piggy (again… I’m not typing all that) is built to be super glidy, very sensitive, highly responsive and therefore…

FAST!!!

She heads off to hook up with ASB in Carpineria and I am gagging to see how she goes in those Rincon rights. Hopefully I’ll get to see her in action in the flesh in April (yes… April. Not the best time for Rincon eh?!)

I love building mats for Andrew. A true master of the art and a man with an deep knowledge not just of how to ride surfcraft but how they work. He has certainly played a huge role in making me both a better mat builder and mat surfer.

Here’s to you ASB!

Cheers

G

Bumblebee

No… not a Transformer, although mats are certainly transformative!

Bumblebee is a 200/70 Ute, built for Hawaiian mat surfer and bodysurfer, Kris Robinson.

Kris hangs about on the North Shore and was looking for a mat to get in to some solid, sizable surf but also with the bottom end to have fun on the junky days. A Ute was the perfect fit for that. Bumblebee’s internal venting is restricted because wheezers are more predictable on bumps and such.

As you can see, Kris has gone for black grip with black stripes to really pop on that acid dyed Sunshine Yellow finish. To get this finish with sharp pin lines, I used the same sealant (Sikaflex EBT) to add the stripes. This will also act like a stinger up the middle of the mat.

I’m really looking forward to hear about Kris and Bumblebee’s adventures on the North Shore.

Aloha!

G

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Cheers

G

Shoney Goes North

Well… Not that far north. This is “Shoney”, a custom G-Mat Ute built for Marianne Davies in North Devon.

Shoney, a gift for Marianne from her brother John, is now resident in North Devon, UK. It seems that there is a real growing interest in mat surfing up there. It’s been a while since I visited but I think it may be due. A mat meet on a certain point break would be something else over this winter.

Anyway, back to Shoney, she is a 200/70 wheezer which gives a less jelly-like experience. Also a good option in heavier waves.

Hope to see her in action!

Cheers

G

G-Mat 157 - Da Bolt!

Say hello to “Da Bolt”, a 200/70 Nouveau Racer built for Michael Kennedy.

Da Bolt is Michael’s tribute to one of mat surfing’s greats; the sorely missed Eric “Da Bolt” Bridges. I’ll let Michael’s words do the talking:

“A few years ago I was chatting with Eric Bridges here on FB. He was retiring and I was telling him how envious I was. His simple plan was to surf with his mates and fish for sambos. Such a simple plan that sounded like so much fun.

Life doesn't always turn out the way we plan. Losing Eric was devastating on many levels. It was like in my mind I was vicariously living his life...no work...play every day with your friends. There was hope as I plowed through another 50-60 hour work week. Eric was proof there was light at the end of the tunnel. Suffice to say the events that transpired shattered all of that.

So how do you pick up those shattered pieces and make them into something good again? Not really sure but my first thought when I began designing my new G-Mat was to pay tribute to Eric with it. Kind of like he's along for the ride in spirit. Its name is "Da Bolt". 

With much Aloha Eric.”

It’s been an honour o be able to play my part in this. Eric was a great guy!

So, “Da Bolt” will be heading off to Hawaii to team up with Michael. She is built with solid winter waves in mind so will be just the ticket for what looks like a winter of pretty big surf!

Cheers

G

#ericwouldgo

G-Mat 156 (AKA "Margaret")

Say howdo to Margaret. Margaret is a G-Mat Ute and she has just landed in the US of A (Costa Mesa to be precise) and Margaret is the new love interest of Brett Tweedy.

Brett is a Wedge guy, a lover of kneeboards (man after my own heart) and a fella  who has developed an interest in mats. Well... why wouldn't he?! Brett also take trips further up the coast and gets in to some less crowded point breaks, which is where Margaret can really come in to her own.

So, more on Margaret. She is a Ute with free rocker. We decided to build her as a free breather to open up on those long Cali rights. Grip is Sikaflex EBT 2/3 of Margaret's length with the front corners also gripped to help out with duckdives and the like. 200 denier yellow deck and 70d navy bottom and Hestered valve.

Swell is coming in apparently... Have fun Brett! Hope to hear some love stories.

Cheers

G

PS. A word on that navy 70d material. I love it. The denier of any material only tells you so much. The density of the weave and the amount of TPU all have an impact and this blue is light on both counts. It's reminiscent of the green material I had a while back which some might remember. It's not the easiest to work with but is soooooooooo pliable. :)

PPS. If you live in Costa Mesa and need your drains sorting, be sure to give Tweedy Plumbing & Restoration a call: https://tweedyplumbing.com/

Blue Raspberry

Ladies and Gents, Boys and Girls, please welcome Blue Raspberry into your local lineup! (If you're in Santa Cruz).

Blue Raspberry is a G-Mat Ute built for my good friend and accomplished mat rider, Jason MacMurray. She is a 70/70 construction with acid dyed deck with progressively faded striped starting with a deep burgundy tail dip. The whole mat is actually more burgundy than the shots let on. 

Design-wise, Blue Raspberry (named by Jason's daughters) has a Hestered valve (because Jason's face needs all the help it can get). She is a free-breather with negative elastic rocker. Rockers in mats are only visible at rock hard inflation but their effects are felt even at low inflation. Negative rocker is the fastest and in combination with the lightweight materials (and this 70d navy I have in stock right now is lovely on that front) and unrestricted air flow, Blue Raspberry is going to go like a greased shit off a hot shovel!

Blue Raspberry is en route right now so I'm looking forward to the ride report. I've set it before... Sometimes you build a mat that you really don't want to let go of... This is one of those times...

Have fun Jason!

G

PS For more on rockers, have a read HERE.