R and D - 70/40 Construction

For some time I've been interested in finding lighter fabrics than 70 denier material. Back in the day, Dale Solomonson (Neumatic) built a few mats out of 30d Taffeta. There are a few mats still kicking around made from this mythical fabric, but not many. Rare as hen's teeth, this weight of fabric is hard to find in anything other than Ripstop. And ripstop sucks for mats.

Fast forward and I've got to know talented newby mat builder Zac Garfield over at Valley Pool Toys pretty well. Zac managed to source some 40d Taffeta and was good enough to share where from.

Fast forward a little more and I've built the first of a few mats to see how this fabric is. Like Zac, I found that this material is really not easy to work with. No surprise there though.

As I've said in previous posts, it is tempting to get excited about something new and immediately put it out into the market but you need to know how it works in terms of performance, quality and durability before putting it out there. I am excited about this though.

Having ridden this 70/40 (70 denier deck and 40d I-beams and bottom) prototype named "Little Boy Blue" 3 times in varying conditions, it seems to be holding up well and it is super-duper light! Initially I wondered if this mat was more sensitive but no faster but I have tested in comparison with Night Rider (my 70/70 RB-JMC) built to the same dims. I have swapped with other surfers between the two mats and have to say it is quicker too. That means that Little Boy Blue is quicker than the mat that is quicker than any mat I'd ridden before it.

Before people get excited though, there are a few things to keep in mind. Testing isn't done yet. This mat needs at least 10 surfs to test durability as a bare minimum. I also need to get this under the bellies of better mat surfers than me. Also, if this works out then this configuration would only suit experienced mat surfers who comfortably ride 70/70 as a go to mat. It would be easy for someone to buy the 'idea' of this only to find that its not at all suitable for them. It's not about competition or anything just important to make sure people have the right mat.

Cheers

G

Guess What... Black on Black!

The RB-JMC is the mat a lot of people are after and this is the latest, built for Santa Barbarian, Colin McCrindle.

Colin was one of my early customers and has always been a good source of feedback being both a skilled mat surfer and a fella with access to some very fine and very quiet waves as he goes on the hunt on his boat.

This mat, named Vaccine, is a RB-JMC, as mentioned. Colin has opted for a 200/70 configuration, preferring the feel of a more stable deck. As always with this model, it is a highly vented super-free-breather to maximise air movement at low inflation. What this means is that the highly malleable fabric of the hull can morph to the wave and the deck to the rider almost instantly. More twitchy for the newer mat surfer but more intuitive and responsive for for more experienced riders.

Vaccine also has a negative elastic rocker to enhance down the line speed. There has been some confusion around this issue at times so just to clarify, the key word here is elastic. Elastic rockers refer to the favoured stretch of the fabric in the deck and bottom skins. At full inflation the mat will stretch into a rocker but at lower inflation will be flat. The important issue is that a neg rocker mat has a slightly elastic deck and restricted bottom skin so will favour forming a negative rocker when air is forced into the inside rail giving more lift.

Back to Vaccine, you can see that Colin has gone for a black on black colour scheme. These are becoming a thing!

I'm looking forward to seeing how Colin and Vaccine go.

Have fun mate!

Cheers

G

Low Key for Dado

There seems to be something about black on black. It just looks so clean, don't you think? This is "Billie". A custom Rubber Bucky built for an Italian with a penchant for going fast on mats. Just the ticket then.

Billie is a 200/70 mat built for Eduardo "Dado" Girardini. She has free rocker and as you can see, Dado has gone for a bungee fitting as well to allow for a leash.

The Rubber Bucky is my larger model (which is then specifically scaled and tailored to the rider). This means that the mat has a larger planing area so offers more glide in smaller surf. Dado is aiming to open up spots around him offering waves around waist to chest high so this is the perfect mat. The wheezer option makes sense then because Dado will cover less of the deck so a slower air transfer offers a more stable mat allowing for lower inflation, despite the reduced deck coverage.

So a bit about Dado. He says:

"I grew up in northern Italy and moved to California right after high school. I became a regular at Rincon and met some of the greatest surfers in the world, including Andrew Buck. My friends and I rode anything from food trays to 12’ gliders but nothing blew my mind harder than seeing Buck going a thousand miles an hour on those little cove dredgers.

Now I live in Portugal and those waves just don’t exist around here. I started surfing bigger waves to get away from crowds but somehow riding the mat is still the most thrilling thing there is."

Hopefully Billie will open up the options for Dado to surf in his new locale.

Have fun Dado!

Cheers

G

One for Kenny

This is a mat I've had on the list for a while and am glad to finally get to. This mat is built for a notable member of Santa Barbaran surfmat heritage. Kenny Hughes is one of the originals. A hugely experienced mat surfer who was there for the early days of Californian mat surfing, particularly the evolution from heavy materials to modern lightweight TPU coated nylon and low inflation surfing.

A former Rincon regular, Kenny spends his days now off the beaten track surfing lesser frequented points along the Central Californian Coast.

After discussing Kenny's needs it is perhaps not surprising that we settled on a RB-JMC who Kenny has named "Penelope". She is a 200/70 mat with an elastic neg rocker set up. I have maximised the internal venting to allow the air to move inside the mat with as little restriction as is sensible to make for a very responsive ride at low inflation.

Penelope is on the way as I write (along with a Matsquatch tee by Bryn Dampney) so I'm excited to see how Kenny and Penelope get on together.

Fun mat... Enjoy Kenny!

Cheers

G

Breaking the Sound Barrier

Here we have a G-Mat Ute built for Olaus McLeod. For those who don’t know him, Olaus is a board builder from Cornwall UK specialising in building paulownia paipos and alaias. More on that in a mo.

First, let’s talk about this mat. Olaus comes from an aviation background and has named his mat X-1 after the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. Olaus is planning to have a crack at doing the same I think!!!

X-1 is a G-Mat Ute. As you can see, Olaus has gone for a sexy low-key black on black colour scheme. Mats always look good like that don’t you think? X-1 is a 200/70 wheezer. She has free rocker too and is a perfect mat to take out in any conditions, confident that she is going to perform.

Olaus is not a hugely experienced mat rider, but has ridden them enough to get into the groove quickly and is used to surfing on his belly so X-1 should be just the ticket.

As mentioned earlier, Olaus builds wooden boards under the Kiri label and they are lovely! His boards are very mice indeed hand shaped from Paulownia and sealed with linseed oil. Olaus and I did the old swap-a-roo. Check out the board he shaped in return for X-1. This stunner is coming my way and is going to be a gift for my son who’s prone style will be perfectly suited to this beauty.

Im going to be getting more than the odd go on this beuty myself too!!!

If you fancy getting some wood in your quiver then take a look at Olaus’s work on his Instagram page:

@kiri.surf

Have fun with X-1 Olaus. Hopefully I’ll get to join you in breaking the sound barrier in the not-to-distant future. If we ever get any waves again over her in the UK!

Cheers

G

PS. It was only after I had packed up the mat that I realised I really do need to hoover up the cat hairs!

Something Fishy Going Down

So then, here is a mat that has been on the radar for some time and I am as stoked as a freshly poked campfire to have been able to build a mat for a very, very talented waterman. For those unfamiliar with him, Trevor Gordon is s super talent surfer from Santa Barbara, CA. I got to know Trevor through our mutual friend Andrew Buck, when “Buck” put me in touch with Trevor’s extraordinary wife, Maddie, to build her a mat named Bumbarreller.

So back to Trevor. He is, as you would expect, a very good mat rider. His surfing style suits the mat perfectly: super smooth, no wasted energy, being guided by the wave rather than trying to impose himself on it. And of course, hailing from the stretch of coast with endless point breaks, PLUS living on a sail boat Trevor has it pretty sweet to be a mat surfer. Not that I’m envious at all!

We started talking about this mat and Trevor asked for a Mackerel Print deck. I had a few goes and you know what? I just couldn’t do it! It just came out as a greeny, bluey stripy splodgy affair and not really conveying the mood. Trevor wanted his mat to clearly be all about the mackerel! We went back to the drawing board and here’s what we cam up with… Meet MACK DADDY! All hail! Gotta say, I dig this one.

Mack Daddy is a 70/70 G-Mat RB-JMC. He has negative rocker and is a super free breather. The deck is acid dyed and there is a sexy Mack on one rail (I’m trying to work out if this is the Mack Daddy or if Trevor is like some kind of fishy Dr Doolitle). There is also a bit of branding down the other rail, just in case anyone is wondering who is coming. Finally, the grip is added using ClearFix sealant which I have started to use for clear grip jobs.

Trevor and Maddie are currently in the Canaries and with the weirdness around Eupoean shipping since Brexit we’ve agreed to ship to the US so Trevor will have Mack Daddy waiting for him when he gets home.

 I’m looking forward to sharing some waves with Trevor and Maddie either when I’m next over there or when they’re next over here.  

 Cheers

G

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

Dragonfly

This is G-Mat 198 (AKA “Dragonfly”) built for Matt Simon over in Carpinteria, California. Matt is another of the Rincon crew and an all round fine wave rider who I have had the pleasure of being in the water with at Rincon.

He certailny loves mat surfing!

Matt riding a G-Mat Ute named the Rincon Rental Raft. Photo by Matt’s friend George.

So then on to Dragonfly. She’s a G-Mat RB-JMC with the usual unusualness of neg rocker and super-free venting. Being custom of course she is tailored to be a perfect fit for Matt and we’re both pretty sure he will dig her. That’s how I took his response anyway.

“Wow G!! I don’t know what to say. It looks amazing and i can’t wait to give it a go! Riding the G-Mat is quite often the most enjoyable way to ride waves. I always have a huge smile on my face when i’m flying down the line.”

— Matt Simon

There’s a good crowd of talented mat surfers around Matt’s part of the world who put the effort in (and have the perfect waves to boot) to really master the art of low inflations surfing on light wight mats. That part of the world is historically so important in the development of mat surfing and the tradition certainly seems to be continuing.

Anyhoo, Dragonfly is already in the US and should arrive with Matt later today so lets wait and see. Hopefully the amazing run of swell on the US west coast continues.

Have fun Matt. And George… Get your camera ready!

Cheers

G

---

FEEDBACK FROM MATT:

“She really flies! I can tell a big difference in instant speed and turn ability. Not too difficult to adjust to, just flew right off the bat. I’ll definitely be rinsing with fresh water and keeping her happy and healthy. The Cartwheel was yummy! I’m usually a bit sceptical when it comes to jelly in sweets but it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of jelly and I scarfed it down so fast I barely noticed it.

It’s an honor to ride a custom mat from a master craftsman! We have a big rain storm starting here now. Expecting 4 inches coastal and 7 inches in the mountains now through Friday. Sometimes fun raft waves pop up from the storm’s south winds so I have my eyes on the beaches out front.”

— Matt Simon

Nymphidius Sabinus - Stay Away from the Sewers!

So my run of mats for those who have supported me continues with a new mat for Andrew Stephen Buck. This is Nymphidius Sabinus (AKA Mick Dundee). She is a RB JMC built for Buck. The same model seen in that recent video that went crazy on Instagram!

For those who don't know, Andrew has a thing for animals... Or animal mats anyway, as you can see from the gallery at the bottom of this post. Nymphidius Sabinus is a Croc design. The facial features took some doing to get right! I have the mats a bucket dye job in Kelly Green too get the mottled effect of crocodile skin.

As you would expect, Nymphidius Sabinus has been made very light and very freely vented. The neg rocker also adds to the speed. She's on her way to Carpinteria to get stuck into some point waves.

Lets see how she goes down…

Cheers

G

I'm a Movie Star!!!

And I’m deeply honoured to be featured in the latest FringeSurfer.tv episode.

Thanks so much to Tim Ciasto for this. Head over to fringsurfer.tv to see more.

Cheers

G

Midnight Rambler

This is G-Mat 194 (AKA Midnight Ramber), a RB-JMC flying on over to Japan to hook up with everyone’s favourrite little streak of orange lightening… Ian “Piskian” Wraithj.

Many will be aware of or even know Ian but for those who don’t, Ian is a very, very fine mat surfer of many years standing., He is a devotee of riding mats at very low inflation, favouring extremely light and well venbted mats so I was eager to get him onto the RB-JMC and now I am.

Stoked!!!

This mat will be straight up his stras. Right up his rue!

As standard, Midnight Rambeler is built with a 70d deck and bottom skin. The I-beams are cut to maximise venting with crescent and breather holes arranged to allow a very fastr transfer of air. This all results in a mat that would feel like trying to wrangle a cloud for many but in the hands of a talented mat rider, gives a very quick ride.

Ian always likes a smidge more length in his mats that wouldn’t work for other mat riders. This comes from his being… erm… less concerned about bumping his head than most... As a result of his being compact, he has grown up on mats that were comparritively large for him and has developed his style around this.

Let’s see how she goes in the Typhoon swells. Have fun Ian!

Cheers

G

So.... You like long names do ya?!

Here we have G-Mat 195 (AKA “The MK1 May-y D Semi-Inflation Revelation”). It might not be concise but sums up this girl perfectly.

The MK1 May-y D Semi-Inflation Revelation is a G-Mat Ubercat built for Matt Dight, a new matter who lives in Newquay in Cornwall. Matt describes hiself as:

“Fom Somerset exmoor coast - best described cringeingly as an all round water man. Lived and surfed on the south Devon and Cornwall coasts and now living in Newquay. After new wave riding experiences and he been frothing to get a mat for ages”.

Well froth no more my rabid friend because your dream has come true! (At some expense). The MK1 May-y D Semi-Inflation Revelation is a 200/70 Ubercat,. She is a wheezer to give a more controlled flow of air internally as mat was looking for a mat to take on wedges. There is a particular one on his doorstep that will love this mat.

Matt has gon for an acid dyed deck with something of a bleached jeans effect. He’s also gone for a bungee leash fitting for those certain rare days when it might be helpful.

The MK1 May-y D Semi-Inflation Revelation has free rocker so best of both worlds. A versatile but narrower that most mat that should nuzzle into those bowling pockets just lovely.

I’m keen to hear how Matt finds The MK1 May-y D Semi-Inflation Revelation. I surf around his way on ocvcaision so will doubtless get a go on her if I play my cards right!

Have fun Matt!

Cheers

G

G-Mat RFT in Stores Now (and soon)

Hello there.

Just a quick email to let you all know that there are RFT Series mats on the way to stockists, if not with them already.

Visite the Stock Mats to find stockists.

We have another run on the way through too once these are gone.

Cheers

G

Bringing it in...

Hello there.

Moving forward the Raft G1 mats will come under the G-Mat label as the G-Mat RFT Series. This is to save on any confusion.

That makes the first run of Rafts pretty collectable then! If you have one, look after it! 😎

The next batch are being run through right now and will be in stores really soon!

PS

The Instagram account will keep going under the same tag. 

Cheers

G