Show Up & Blow Up!

This is a new mat for Hawaii based matsurfer, Anthony Olayan. Anthony managed to get in on the last run so did well to get in again. This time around he has gone for the perfect partner to his RB-JMC… A Nouveau Racer.

The Nouveau Racer is the ‘gun’ in my range of mats. It gives a stack of very dependable hold in solid surf. My personal quiver is an RB-JMC for everyday waves and a Nouveau Racer for the juice so Anthony living in Hawaii, this makes sense.

As I say, the Nouveau Racer model goes well in solid surf allowing you to surf with confidence. I typically build these as 200/70 Wheezers (restricted breather) to give a mat that holds its shape in critical situations and when hitting bumps and chop on the face of waves.  This design definitely has a bottom end in terms of what it will go in but it’s a specialist model after-all.

This mat has been named “Show Up and Blow Up” after this film made by Anthony and his brother-in-law for a competition:

https://shorturl.at/etXY8

 The prize is a session at the Kelly Slater wave pool. Thanks for all who voted for Anthony. Good luck mate!

Anyway, Show Up and Blow Up is on the way to Hawaii so let’s see how they get on. Have fun Anthony and fingers crossed on the pool!

 Cheers

G

The Love Machine

R&D… Research and Development… Research new materials, construction methods, hydrodynamics. Develop methods of construction and design. Research through field testing and reflect on results to develop designs further. More an ongoing cycle than a this-then-that.

So with that in mind, I have been working with the issues around using 40d Taffeta material. It is lovely but it’s fragile. My mat Little Boy Blue finally gave out springing leaks from the seams towards the tail where the greatest forces are exerted on the mat. This is largely down to the significant difference in elasticity between the fabric and the TPU from what I can fathom and will always lead to leaks in those areas point loading and seams sooner or later.

Bugger…

That’s not to say 70/40 is a no go but if it is a go it will be very specialised to keep for those super perfect glassy days on long waves with good channels and dry hair paddle outs (although even that needs more testing before I’m prepared to put these out there). Dragging these under sets and bouncing around on choppy crap seriously limits the life-span as Little Boy Blue’s early demise has shown, and I’m really not into building disposable mats. There is no getting away from the fact that mats are plastic. That said, they aren’t much plastic and they outlast surfboards (if cared for properly) and the carbon footprint transporting them is super-duper low so they are a good option overall I’d say over their life-span, but not if you’re chucking them in the bin.

So then, onto this surfmat. This mat is named The Love Machine and is a 70/70 construction with 40d I-beams. My thinking here is that the TPU on the 70d bottom is adequate to keep it airtight whilst the 40d I-beams definitely feel lighter. I’ve had this mat out in rubbish waves so far and initial observations are….

[DRUMROLL]

FEELS LIKE A REGULAR 70/70!!!

Dang!

But this is why we research-develop-research-develop-research…. etc. Too early to gauge so far as I need to ride this mat in better waves. Our run over here in the South West UK has been pretty dire of late so time will have to tell. At the worst, I have a pretty sweet 70/70 RB-JMC, super-free-breather with neg rocker and I’m not going to grumble about that.

The Love Mat is in green and after I’d added the star logo, influenced by a US Army WW2 vehicle I realised I might look like some kind of inflatable war monger! I had the solution right in front of me thanks to Nate Kirby.

A few years ago now, Nate did me some stickers including this Build Mats Not Bombs military stencil. Pretty rad and perfect for the situation at hand so on it went. Thanks again Nate!

I have some other things to try around fabric weights. The R&D cycle goes on.

Cheers

G

Mehve - Glide On

Here is a mat named “Mehve”, built for Aussie mat surfer Ben Zubkevych.

Here is a mat named “Mehve”, built for Aussie mat surfer Ben Zubkevych. He has chosen to name his mat “Mehve”.

According to disneyfandom.com:

“The Mehve (also known as the Möwe) is a small and fast one-person powered glider that appears in the Studio Ghibli film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. ”

— disneyfandom.com

All in all I’d say that’s a pretty apt name!

Ben has been riding mats for a while now, regularly surfing with mat maestro James Tanner over in Noosa so wanted a mat to really make the most of what he has on offer down there.

Mehve is a 70/70 RB-JMC with super-free-breather internal venting to maximise morphatasticalness on the go. The skins are cut to give a negative elastic rocker to further maximise down-the-line frictionless glide and speed. In summary, Mehve is going to fly on those endless point waves that Ben is so keen on:

“I grew up on the mid coast of South Australia and started surfing as a kid cause my dad surfed. I wasn’t super into it, as it was competitive and everyone rode stupidly narrow boards with lots of rocker (the early 2000’s was a great time for surfing haha). I still kept surfing, but mostly skated in my early teens, getting back into it through seeing some videos of people riding fishes and logs.

I first noticed matting in Thomas Campbell’s Sprout, wanted one right away, but didn’t get one until years later when I found a Krypt on gumtree for $80 in 2016 up in Noosa (where I’m living now). Actually, funny cos I realised my dad had a copy of Fantasea when I was a kid, but I don’t remember ever seeing surf matting on it!

I popped the Krypt a few months after getting it, but was already hooked. I had been bodysurfing heaps around this time at the open beach near my house, so getting on the mat at the points felt insane! The same low-to-the-water speed feeling of bodysurf minus all the drag (which means so much speed!). I got worked a lot haha, but once you get a wave where you line everything up right and just speed through sections you don’t think you’re going to make it’s pretty hard not to get addicted (and somehow spiral into collecting old swim fins etc. haha).

I’m usually riding mats at the points at Noosa whenever it’s breaking. It’s my go to for cyclone swells, but also anything over 2 foot. The points have perfect mat waves (minus the fact that it gets so crowded), but wave count doesn’t matter as much on a mat and I usually just let the waves come to me instead of hassling with everyone else. I have a few friends to share waves with, James (who has a few of your mats and is a guru and great person to learn from/get tips off), Matt (we spent a few weeks matting in Sri Lanka, which was amazing), Gus (when our schedules align haha), Joseph (who is also from Devon) and my partner Rachel who has recent been bitten by the mat bug.

If I’m not on a mat at the points I’m usually out on my free friction board or a log if it’s little, and a fish or just bodysurfing at the open beaches.”

— Ben Zubkevych

Mehve went over to Austrailia sharing a seat on the plane with Rachel Scarff’s mat “Circe”. I’m really looking forward to seeing some party waves!

Have fun Ben!

Cheers

G

Circe - Heading to Noosa

This is the first of two mats going to Australia for a matting couple in Noosa. "Circe", a 200/70 Ute built for Rachel Scarff. Rachel says she has named her mat "Circe" beacause:

“I’ve always loved mythology, in particular Circe, and always find myself coming back to her. Thought it would suit as her legend is based around water. Her dad is the sun god and mother is a sea nymph. She also represents femininity in the stories about her in a way that’s scares men, so thought it would be funny to have a mat called that in a sport that’s fairly dominated by guys who don’t always give women respect or the time out in the ocean. It’s like if they were mean I’d just channel Circe (she’s a goddess of sorcery) and put a spell on them and turn them into a sea cucumber or something 😂😂”

— Rachel Scraiff

Notice the mistake here?

That is perfect!!! I always love building mats for women. Unlike much of the mainstream surf media, mat surfing tends to break down the gender barriers and just welcomes mat surfers as mat surfers and we really do need more women to be surfing mats.

I asked Rachel about her matting experiences the journey into mat riding. She said:

““I’ve been living in Noosa for the last 7 years, originally from South Australia. Started out on a log, but downsized to an 8’2 V bottom made by local board shaper Ado (Maren surfboards), because I just want to trim and turn. I’m fairly new to the mat game. I started using my partners spare mat more seriously last year and have been enjoying it so much that I decided to get myself a custom mat for my size (I am very short haha!). My partner has been wanting to order a g-mat for a while now, so perfect timing!

I’ve found myself hardly surfing my board these days and only taking out the mat because I just love it so much - I can go out and even if I only get a few waves I have a blast, as opposed to taking the board out and not getting that same feeling.

Love riding the mat out at Tea Tree and always fun to mat with pals James T, Matt C and my partner Ben. Still a few other mat friends that I’m wanting to catch waves with….””

— Rachel Scraiff

That's such a familiar story. Mats get you like that!

So then, on to the tech bits. Circe is a 200/70 wheezer with free elastic rocker. Rachel has also gone with a Hestered valve. As with all customs this has been specifically scaled to meet Rachel's body size so will hopefully feel like a good fit.

Circe is on the way to Oz now along with her partner Ben's mat... but that's a story for another day.

Have fun Rachel! It's been a pleasure.

Cheers

G

Poodleface - Hi Vis Is The Biz!

Go Poodleface!!! That’s what this mat is called. Built for Santa Cruzer (sounds like a sleezy sleigh for Father Christmas) Ryan Holmes. This mat is a replacement for his previous mat named “Transmogrifier” who took an unfortunate trip across the rocks leading to a big ol’ slice up the belly and numerous other triangular punctures. I’m sure that’s nothing to worry about.

The other difference is in the design. Although matching dimensions, Poodleface has been built with an elastic rocker leading the mat to be more inclined to form a smooth curve through the rail when air is squeezed into it. Helpful for cutbacks in peaky waves. The second change is that we have moved from a super-free-breather to a free-breather. The slightly slower air transfer will help the mat to maintain shape in the chop that Ryan often encounters. We did consider the option of an Ubercat, but Ryan was keen to keep the glide and looseness in the tail that the RB-JMC offers.

Finally, why Poodleface? Ryan says:

“When my best surfing buddy and I first met we were sitting by our selves at this lineup up the coast that you have to paddle about a half mile to get to, or trespas on some farmland. This was in the 90s when the methed out Santa Cruz locals were wreaking havoc. I figured all we needed was some gnar gnar nicknames to earn our spot amongst the Fleas,Ratboys, Skindogs, and Rodents of the scene. I thought Scott could be “Pudboy” and I can be “Poodleface” and it stuck!”

— Ryan Holmes

You can read the article HERE
(Reproduced with the kind permission of TSJ.)

So, Poodleface is en route to Santa Cruz and will hopefully be there by the weekend. Looks like a crappy short period swell and on shore winds will be waiting for her but the only way is up!

Have fun Ryan

Cheers

G

UPDATE 28/07/2022

God of the Sea

I’m rolling with the new hybrid mailing list/waiting list system and it seems to be going pretty well. Here is the latest out of the workshop, an RB-JMC built for Phil Cahill up in Wales.

Phil is of Irish descent and when I asked him to name his mat he replied with the following:

“Ah flippin hell, I’ve had a few names knocking about in me head but trying to decide has melted my head!

Okay, it’s going to be called Lir. Lir is s god of the sea from old Irish Mythology.

Lovely, decision made!”

— Philip Cahill

Very nice… Phil wanted to nod to his heritage without being to blatant with it and asked for green pigmented grip and orange and white logo. You’ll notice I did add a bit of an Irish Tricolour to the dedication.

On to the mat, well Phil has taken to the less mainstream ways to ride a wave influenced by a friend who has become a full-time bodysurfer. He has tried various craft, including the mat and… well… you know. When the bug bites.

 Phil wanted to go with the RB-JMC but wondered about the full super-free-breather, especially when moving to his first 70/70. Given that we settled with a standard free-breather configuration which will add a bit more stability. She’s a quick mat though and Phil is looking forward to embracing the challenge of switching to a much lighter and more vented mat.

I’m looking forward to hearing how Phil gets on. I’m pretty keen to get up to South Wales this Autumn to hook up with some of the growing mat crew up there so hopefully will get to share a few waves with Phil at some point.

Have fun Phil!

Cheers

G

Iwa - Heading for Hawaii

Say hello to “Iwa”, a 70/70 RB-JMC built for Tony Lum over on Oahu.

Tony wanted a fast mat. He currently rides a Neumatic “K-Mat” which for those who don't know are a really hard ride but offer the potential for going really fast. If you can master it. I built one and struggled. Gave it to my friend Ian Wraith who did better. I spoke with Paul Gross a few years back and he said that they are a horrible ride but make you into a much better mat surfer. Uncle George recently said the same and he mentioned that I should build one for myself to really get speed on slop… I’ve chickened out so far!

Anyway, this post isn't about me and my crisis of confidence, it's about Tony and Tony rides a K-Mat as his go to… Safe to say, Tony can ride a mat!

With that in mind we went for a neg elastic rocker and super-free-breather. The tail is a little squarer to let Iwa break loose easily.

Quick mat.

When I sent Tony photo's of his mat he said:

“Aloha G!

Iwa looks amazing! Your craftsmanship is outstanding! Thank you for putting so much care into my mat.

About 20 years ago I had the good fortune of being introduced to mat-surfing by Dale Solomonson. Dale’s generosity and wealth of knowledge gave me a deep respect for the art of mat making.

I surf mainly on the South and East shores of Oahu. With lineups in Hawaii becoming increasingly more crowded each year, I am drawn to surfcraft that will allow me to extract maximum enjoyment from lesser quality surf breaks. I basically look forward to the worst days with the smallest crowds.

I haven’t been able to find a better vehicle for shit surf than a highly sensitive mat moulding itself to the energy in a wave with minimal rider input.

The fact that surfmats flat out rip in good surf is a bonus! I can’t wait to run Iwa through her paces. Thank you for keeping the stoke of mat-surfing alive!

Mahalo!

Tony”

— Tony Lum

On the name, Tony went for Iwa which is Hawaiian for Frigatebird. A bird renowned for effortless and graceful gliding using each microscopic change in their environment to their advantage.

I can't think of a better name.

Have fun Tony.

Cheers

G

Great Frigatebird: https://ebird.org/species/grefri

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FEEDBACK: 15th JUNE, 2022

“Aloha G,

I think we might have a problem with Iwa...

After two sessions, I’m beginning to suspect that you may have gone and designed the perfect surfmat! You might as well shut down the welder, roll up the nylon, and hang up the scissors. There’s nowhere left for you to go from here mate. You’ve achieved ultimate oneness with the spirit of the mat!

But in all seriousness, this is one bad ass surfmat! The speed that Iwa generates, even in marginal surf, had me laughing out loud. Despite being able to fly like a bat out of hell, she still has the ability to turn on a dime when needed.

I’m hard-pressed to think of anything I would change about the RB-JMC. When I opened the shipping package I was expecting to get blasted with VOC’s from the sealant. Thankfully I could breathe easy. Your non-skid application is meticulous. The strips are positioned exactly where I need them. The stippling itself feels pre-broken in, soft and grippy while still allowing for repositioning.

The negative rocker is an absolute swell magnet. The tail width and corner radius felt soothingly familiar to me. Dropping-in to the very first wave, Iwa banked into an arcing bottom turn, made a check turn under the lip, and then broke free down the line. I had the biggest smile on my face, feeling like I’ve been riding this mat for years!

The highlight for me is your super-free-breather I-beam design. Absolutely brilliant!! The airflow between pontoons is tuned perfectly. At low inflation I can get Iwa on the verge of skimming out of control, and still hold through carving turns with a squeeze of the rail.

All of these elements come together to create a surfcraft that is extremely sophisticated in its simplicity. I’m excited to see how Iwa shines in clean, pumping surf! I am deeply appreciative of all the thought and care that you put in to your work. You are an artist G!

More ride reports to come!

Mahalo!
Tony ”

— Tony Lum