Mat for a UK Legend!

I am stoked to have been able to build a 5 Star General for one of the legends of surfing history, Dennis Cross. Dennis is the man who founded Gul Wetsuits and contributed so much to the development of cold water surfing (so a man close to my heart).

For those unfamiliar with Dennis, here’s a wonderful film about the early years of cold water surfing in the UK and the influence that Gul had which can’t be understated on a UK and international stage.

Enjoy your mat Dennis and thank you!

Cheers

G

Happy Halloween?!

G-Mat 205 (AKA “Pumpkin”) is a RB-JMC heading to Noosa Heads in Australia. I am super excited to be sending this mat down there too because she is on the way to hook up with James Dylan Tanner. James is one of those people (that us mere mortals hate) who jump on anything and click. What makes it worse is he’s a really nice bloke…

What a c***! 😂

I jest of course but what I said about James other than the insult is true. Really solid mat surfer.

So on to Pumpkin. As mentioned, she is a RB-JMC. Super-Free-Breather with a negative rocker. Slightly unusually, Pumpkin is a 200/70 because James wanted a mat that is easy to spot should he lose it, but this 200d has quite an open weave and is certainly not as heavy as the 200d black material.

This is also the second mat in a row that I have built with clear grip using ClearFix. I have used this in the past but tended to stick with clear Sikaflex EBT just for consistency but the clear EBT formula feems to have changed with it being thicker than it was. The ClearFix works into the weave really well.

This mat is one of two mats that I am going to be doing for James but the second will be down the line once I have caught up on my backlog. I’m really looking forward to the feedback on this mat and am pretty sure she’ll tide him over until the next one.

Have fun down there JDT!

Cheers

G

PS James hosted Phileas in Sri Lanka and NZ as people may recall but HERE’S A LINK to take a look. He’s also been enjoying the delights of his G-Mat RFT down in Oz as you can see below.

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Django Pour Cloclo

The latest out of the workshop is an RB-JMC for Clovis Donizetti. This mat has all the sexy speed and glide ingredients with a neg rocker, 70/70 construction and super-free-breather venting. She has a Hestered valve to protect Clovis’s rugged looks too.

You might notice that Django looks a little familiar, She was inspired by a mat I built for myself named Night Rider. In reality this similarity is a bit of an illusion. The studio pics of Night Rider make her look like she has deep red grip, it is actually pink.

Not so with Django. Django is full on red. That’s taken a lot of pigment so a slow cure but looks very nice.

On to Clovis briefly. I was introduced to Clovis by mutual friend, Andrew Buck. ‘Cloclo’ is an extraordinarily talented longboarder hailing from Biarritz in SW France. He is noted for having a super smooth style, not wasting an iota of effort. The epitome of functional style and stylish function.

I was honoured to hook Clovis up with one of my Raft G1 mats for promo shots which came through courtesy of Thomas Lodin. Unsurprisingly, when Clovis jumped on a mat he looked like he’d been at it for years.

Clovis riding a Raft G1 Surfmat - Photo by Thimas Lodin

People often think bodyboarders are the natural cousins of mat surfing but the reality is that coming from bodyboarding is a steep learning curve with a lot to unlearn. Talented longboard/mid-length surfers tend to make the transition far more easily and when you think about it that makes sense. Attention to nuance, micro-management of trim, finding flow and working with the wave rather than working to impose yourself on it.; So when you’re talking about a longboarder with Clovis’s talent, no wonder he has found a home on the mat.

Clovis riding a Raft G1 Surfmat - Photo by Thimas Lodin

Django is en route to Biarritz as I type and should be there by the middle of next week. Let’s hope she and Clovis get some swell.

Bon voyage!

G

Quiver Completed!

Well, it's taken up a lot of my free time but I finally have a quiver consisting of every model I build. Of course I could go with different deck weights, venting and rockers with each model to really set myself the task of creating a massive quiver but that's just getting silly!

In order of appearance we have:

A RB-JMC called Night Rider.

A Nouveau Racer called Chunky Monkey

An Ubercat called Pocket Rocket

A Ute called GI Go!

An AirPlane mini mat (doesn't have a name as its a stock mat)

A Rubber Bucky called Dippy Hippy.

"Night Rider" - RB-JMC

"Chunky Monkey" - Nouveau Racer

"Pocket Rocket" - Ubercat

"GI Go!" - Ute

AirPlane

"Dippy Hippy" - Rubber Bucky

The job now is to not keep selling them /giving them away! 😂

With regard to the bungees, I injured my arm last year and couldn't hold a mat. It's recovered now but does flare up. In addition to that, I’ve been surfing a bit at night so definitely need to be able to attach a leash. They are horrible though and I barely use one.

Anyway, with a mat meet coming up at The Wave in Bristol, it is good to have a bunch of mats with leashes to loan out too.

Cheers

G

Moonlight Matting

I have been excited about building this mat for a while. This is the latest in the run of mats I’m currently doing for some fine people. The latest in that run is Peter St Pierre. For those unaware, Pete is a legend in the So Call surf industry. A true master craftsman in every sense of the word and, to be honest, a legend who’s name spans far beyond his locale. I’ll let Pete tell you about himself in his own words in this Local Legendz video from Korduroy TV.

So on to Pete’s mat. Pete told me that her likes a mat that goes rail to rail easily with decent hold. Also something very lightweight and fast. That perfect combo eh?! Well, an Ubercat sounded like the perfect fit for these qualities. Pete has been riding a 5 Star General he got from Ken McKnight a while back although this is a little over sized and is a different mat to the Ubercat.

Rental (as Pete has named this mat) has a 70/70 construction. She has been built as a free-breather to up the speed and has a positive elastic rocker to help to drive her through tight turns.

Rental is certainly different from anything else in Pete’s quiver but I’m sure she will fit in nicely. Pete is a vastly experienced surfer who has embraced the way of the mat for years so I’m pretty sure they will get on well with each other.

Have fun Pete!

Cheers

G

Transmogrifier

Ladies and Gents please say hello to G-Mat 199 (AKA "Transmogrifier"). She is a 70/70 G-Mat RB-JMC built for @agentholmes over in Santa Cruz, US of A.

Ryan is the latest in this run of orders I'm working through for people who have helped me out over the years. He has been smitten with mats for some time and is a really good mat surfer, most recently helping out with promo shots for the RFT (Raft) mats.

Ryan is a fan of going fast and knows how to hold a line right on the edge of slipping so what better ride for those kelpy reefs and points than a 70/70 neg rocker super-free-breather RB-JMC? Like me, Ryan is into making use of the full moon and so has had a bungee fitted for a leash attachment when needed.

Vroom vroom!

Transmogrifier is en route to Ryan right now and should be with him within 24 hours of this post, all going well.

I'm looking forward to photos! Fun mat Ryan... Enjoy!

Cheers

G

PS I also did a valve repair on a very interesting Dale Solomonson mat for him. More on that later as I find it out.

Pocket Rocket

I have a number of models in my range but have never owned them all. As I am currently working through a batch of mats for people I who have helped me out, I am working through a quiver for myself of all of my mats (in my own time).

This is the latest named “Pocket Rocket”.. She is a G-Mat Ubercat with elastic rocker which combined with the narrow profile of the Ubercat gives a mat that performs tight turns assuredly on the rail. Perfect for wedgy hollow waves.

Pocket Rocket has a deck made from 100/70 twill which was sent to me by Paul Gross (4th Gear Flyer) several years ago. The bottom and I-beams are 70d taffeta as always so I guess this mat is a 100/70/70!

The other thing you’ll notice is that Pocket Rocket has a leash bungee attachment. This is for 3 reasons: firstly, I injured the tendons in my right forearm a year ago which flares up on occasion. Secondly, I am developing an interest in full moon surfing and don’t want to lose a mat into the darkness. And finally, I am planning a matmeet on my birthday at The Wave, Bristol so getting a few mats sorted with leashes means I can loan them out to meet the rules of the Wave.

Let’s hope Covid restrictions play ball with that plan. Could be an amazing day out!

Pocket Rocket has been out on a local wedgy peak a couple of times now and is just what it needs. Easy to get a high cuttie back into the pocket and back out. Perfik!

2 mats left to go in my self-care project then. A Rubber Bucky and a Ute.

I just need to stop moving them on!

Cheers

G