Executive Order

So here we have Colin McCrindle's new ride named Executive Order (we did discuss Gulf of Matsico too ).

Colin is a very experienced mat surfer and has ridden my mats for many years now. He surfs around Santa Barbara and has a boat, meaning he gets about and is seen (or should I say not seen) dodging the crowds and surfing quiet reefs and points, tucked away from the masses. Colin's Insta page is worth a follow with some stunning photography, but you won't see shots of him surfing. I have some tucked away, but they come with a strict "do not share" attached, for good reason. Colin likes to keep his surfing low key and to that point, likes to keep his mats low key too.

EO is no different on that front. The deck is grey (after having this roll for years, this colour is suddenly becoming popular), with a navy bottom. The grip and branding are both in black and I think gives a really clean look.

On to the tech gubbins, EO is a 200/70 Ubercat free-breather. Colin asked for positive elastic rocker. What this means is that EO will be inclined to get up on the rail, have a tighter arc through turns and will be well suited to riding tight in the pocket.

EO sets off to the US today. Colin is one of my earliest customers and knew what he wanted and where it fits in the quiver. I'm looking forward to hearing how she goes and, maybe, seeing some photos.

Have fun Colin!

Cheers

G

Snowflake

Another rainy-day project and the next addition to my monochrome quiver is a 70/70 RB-JMC named "Snowflake".

Showflake is a super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker. I have gone fairly light with the grip as top-ups take about the same time as re-waxing a board, so no bother, and the increased maleability is worth it.

There's not much more to say other than she's the perfect quiver mate for my new Nouveau Racer named Dusty, my 5 Star General and my BodyBag mini-mat. I have a couple more in mind and have a week off with strong winds and rain in the mix so might get something done.

I've just finished a mat for that I'll put up in a couple of days. Colin shares my love of the low-key. It looks slick...

Anyway, cowabunga and all that!

Cheers

G

No Pressure

Here is a mat named "No Pressure", built for Zach Kerns.

Zach has been a mat surfer for some time and has a range of mats so was pretty clear when he got in on the list about what he wanted. He surfs a range of waves around Santa Cruz, some of which are petty hollow and racy, with some power. With that in mind a Nouveau Racer was the go. 200/70 wheezer with free elastic rocker and a bungee for an occasional leash when surfing some sketchy spots.

Zach had a design idea in mind to nod to the weather systems that create our playground. We tried a few options but settled on this stencil of a high pressure system moving into a low.

I asked Zach about his surfmat journey and he said:

“Twas a cold and drear day. The water was frigid and flat. The horizon blended sky and water into a single slate grey. I was in the water but not having a lot of fun, and a change of pace was needed. Fun was missing, style difficult to discern, and surfing was flat. In a masochistic viewing session of surf videos, I happened across a clip featuring a weird dude on a mat, blowing by a bunch of board surfers. That guy, free of posturing and claims, was having a blast. That looked like fun. A few days later, In a twist of fortune, I found out that a local fun-loving fella was selling one of his mats (thanks, Steiny). I FLOUNDERED for a year, with occasional glimpses of intention, but the entire learning process has been so much fun. So much fun. Some kind of style (not so much grace) came as I improved my skills. After many mat iterations, with valuable feedback and mats from Paul Gross and Matt Fedden, I slid prone back into the stoke.

The prone slide of stoke continues with a new G-Mat. With lots of valuable input from Graeme, we’ve put together the bright idea of a Nouveau Racer to increase the stoke even more and meet the challenges of some Santa Cruz area – and beyond – breaks. There are many fast reef breaks with a tendency to section out, but a fast ride can link things up on a good day. I am sure the Racer will tip the odds in my favor.”

— Zach Kearns

I think it just might! No Pressure should land with Zach soon so let's hope they get some swell over there.

Have fun Zach!

Cheers

G

Pooltoy II

Here is a mat for Rincon regular Jason MacMurray.

It's been some time since I built a mat for Jason MacMurray. Jason is one of the old school (by which I mean the sold school of the new school) who cut his teeth riding Neumatics built by Dale Solomonson. Back when there weren't many of us riding mats and we all knew each other.

Jason got in on this run and immediately knew what he wanted. Being best friends with Andrew Buck, he has seen and heard all about my super-free-breather configuration in combination with the neg elastic rockered RB-JMC design and was all in! With Rincon as his local, a mat that holds a line whilst breaking out the tail and hailing ass down the line was just what he wanted. I already had dimensions for him so that was the easy part. He did come with octopuses (or octobodes if we want to get all fancy with the ancient Greek) drawn by his daughter to spice things up so stencils and dye were the order of the day.

Oh and he asked for a bungee which was a real surprise! However, you never know when you might end up in a pool so the leash option can be helpful.

I asked Jason about the name for his mat and he said:

“I think I am going to go with the seemingly uninspired ‘Pooltoy II’ for the nickname of the new white mat.  The original Pooltoy was built by Dale and was the first mat that he produced that I know of that didn’t just have the rider’s initials.  It took hours of conversations with him by both Andrew and me to convince him that he should allow us to give our mats nicknames. I’m not sure Dale ever thought Andrew and I were as funny as we think we are but we finally wore him down.

When Dale retired, I was on the waitlist for him to make me a much coveted white mat.  He had a very limited amount of a superlight white material he made a few mats out of.  I’m sure he thought I was not worthy or capable of the white mat, and he was right, no doubt, but again I wore him down.  Though my skills weren’t there yet, I think Dale knew Andrew and I had a vision of where we could take the mats and it aligned with his.

Now, roughly 20 years later the coveted white mat is finally landing thanks to you.  The mats are better than we could have dreamed of 20 years ago and I like to think I am finally worthy of such a tool.  Plus, my daughter delivered with the artwork to remind us all not to take it too seriously.  It’s just a highly tricked out Pooltoy.

Gracias”

— Jason MacMurray

That's perfect. I remember the original Neumatic Pooltoy so am personally stoked to add to the lineage.

Pooltoy II is en route as we speak so I am looking forward to hearing how things go. Maybe you'll be able to keep up with Andrew now, Jason!

Cheers

G

Dusty

So, what do you do when you wake up on a Sunday and the winds are a bit shifty, the rivers up and wind-blown and you have already knocked out a bunch of miles on the chase over the last few days?

That's right... Make something... In this instance it was welding up the new addition to my quiver: A Nouveau Racer named "Dusty".

As I've mentioned, I've had a real hankering to get back to my roots of monochrome surfing with black wetsuit and white craft. I sold my old quiver and have been embarking on replacements when I have the time. The first was the one that kicked this off, A BodyBag mini mat. When I committed to the monochrome project, my next was a white 5 Star General to give me a mat for all bases.

We've had some really solid swells so the next was something for that, hence dusty. I cut the bottom skin last week to get the Dusty Bin artwork done (google "Dusty Bin 321" if you're wondering about the reference). On Sunday, I cut the other panels and did the whole build.

I'm really stoked to have a Nouveau Racer back in my life. The confidence this mat will give me in juicy, heavy and/or hollow waves is a really important bit of the quiver.

Just to cover the techno-waffle. Dusty is a 200/70 free elastic rockered wheezer. You'll notice I have added a bungee (for those big days in spots where a swim isn't really an option and I need a kook-cord). I've also added a Cornish St Piran's Flag. I was so pleased with this that I've added flags to the 5SG and the BodyBag too and will go with it for the rest of this quiver when I get to it.

Anyway, back to the slog. A fun mat for Jason MacMurray to post next but for now, enjoy Dusty.

Cheers

G

Blue Lotus

Mat 2 of 2 for Matty Snelling.

When Matty got in on the current run, he hit go on two mats. The first was a 200/70 5 Star General (basically a RFT) to cover all bases. This second mat is a custom RB-JMC named "Blue Lotus".

Blue Lotus is a 70/70 super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker. Very fast mat. Matt is a very talented surfer and has been riding a mat for a while and has recently been riding them exclusively. He has pretty much all conditions covered with this quiver.

I asked Matty about the name and he said:

“It was a name my very good friend gave me a while ago and she is a wonderful woman. Got a lot of time for her.”

— Matty Snelling

I'm hoping to hand deliver over the weekend and share some waves (we did hook up and shared a few fun ones!)

Matty has a trip to surf Peruvian points later in the year and Blue Lotus is going to love them!

Have fun Matty!

Cheers

G

If Can, Can

Here's a mat heading to the US. The customer values their privacy so I won't say anything about them, but they came asking for a mat to surf a very specific wave with a fat, roll-in take off before dropping over a ledge into a hollow section. So with that in mind we considered the options and settled on a Ute. The Ute is the ultimate all-rounder, and as this wave goes from one extreme to the other, that sounds a perfect fit.

G-Mat Apparel Tee

We went for a 200d deck and wheezy venting to allow for much lower air for the first section, but more structure when dropping into the inside. As you can see, the colour scheme fits the customer's low key approach perfectly with a dark grey deck, lighter grey grip and lighter again grey logo.

The customer is pretty tall and the scaling, in particular the length, took a bit of work but I'm pretty confident that we have hit the spot.

The mat is named "If Can, Can". I haven't asked why. I'm enjoying the intrigue.

So If Can, Can is off on her travels and I'm excited to get feedback. It's been an interesting journey nailing this one.

Cheers

G

G-Mats at The Pass

Seeing in the New Year with Ari Browne, Johanna Brebner, Derek Hynd and Peter Abbott - G-Mat Surfmat Session at The Pass.

Camera: Milo Inglis

Water footage: Tania Buijten

Mats:

Johanna - G-Mat RB-JMC

Derek - G-Mat RB-JMC

Pete - G-Mat RFT

Ari - G-Mat RFT2 (that's right... Stay tuned...)

Marita

So here's a mat that was supposed to be a quick build for Johanna Brebner, before the first order form came back for the new run. Unfortunately, things didn't quite pan out as hoped because I'm really ill with flu (yes I've done a Covid test) and jobs like doing the simple grip job were enough to wipe me out for the day. Don't even start me on cutting out the flange!

Anyway, she's all done and ready to head to Oz. For those unaware, @brebsy is a fantastic mat surfer and is the Australian stockist for the G-Mat RFT Stock Series @rftsurfmats Jo is due to head on a trip that she needed a new mat for hence the squeeze in.

So, the mat is a 70/70 RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker named “Marita”. Very similar to her last mat, Florence, although will feel different just by virtue of being different materials (it's amazing the nuance we notice as mat surfers that the industry swears is perceptual).

The main motivation is that Brebsy wears brown zinc and it gets on the mat. Dark colours hide stains innit! Anyway, this build has ultimately been a slog given my condition but hopefully a worthy one for the trip.

Have fun Jo and thanks for all you do.

Cheers

G

Ponyo

So then, the second mat for a Bennink in this run. You'll recall from the last mat I posted that I built a pair for Yoko and Ben of slideaholics.com and this is Yoko's. Yoko has named her mat Ponyo after the 2009 anime classic:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ponyo

That's a pretty solid Tomatometer score so maybe worth a watch!

So back to the mat. In essence, Ponyo and Ben's mat, The Tardis, are of the same ilk as they are both 200/70 RB-JMC's. Both are free-breathers and both have free elastic rocker. The key difference is the scaling. Yoko is a lot smaller than Ben and this mat, like all customs, is carefully tailored to fit. I wish I had taken a photo of these two together but you can see the size difference in the mats I built them back in 2019:

https://customsurfmats.com/blog/2019/2/18/his-and-hers

Yoko has gone for a dark grey deck and navy bottom. This grey material is interesting. It looks great and almost nobody asks for it but I'm really pleased with how Ponyo has come out. The pink grip and branding sit well with the grey.

Yoko and Ben love to share waves and mix crossing-over with running over so I'm really hopeful to see a bit of footage. There are a lot of mat snaps coming out of that part of the World these days so fingers crossed.

Have fun Yoko!

Cheers

G

The Tardis

Here's a the first of two mats heading down under for Ben and Yoko Bennink. For those who unaware, Ben and Yoko run the slideaholics.com site and live around Lennox. I built a pair of mats for them many years ago and since then they have been looking to extend the quiver so I was stoked to see them get in on the current run.

This mat has been built for Ben and is a 200/70 RB-JMC Free-Breather with free elastic rocker. Ben is a really big fella, nicknamed 'Bear'. He referred to himself as a hunk when I asked for his body type [NB this may be a slight distortion of what he actually said].

I still had the scaling down from the last mat which Ben said was a good fit so we went with that.

Ben's last ride was a Rubber Bucky and we both felt that the slight down-scaling and different corner templates between this and the RB-JMC would be the right step.

Ben has gone for a deck valve as he and Yoko enjoy running each other over. You will also notice the sparce front corner grip which is designed to offer something to grab but leaving clear nylon for sleeveless arm paddling.

On to the name, Ben has named his mat "The Tardis" because "it's blue and can take me where I want to go, fast!"

Lovely stuff!

The Tardis and Yoko's mat are both heading off with the courier so we'll see how long that takes with the Christmas hecticness. I'll do a post about Yoko's mat dreckly, but for now, have fun Ben!

Cheers

G

Kopite

Here is a mat for my son, Joe.

Joe is a talented skater and has ridden a mat a bit. More recently has got out on the mat a lot more and has really clicked with the more nuanced aspects of riding, dropping his inflation levels and getting on a high line to make fast sections. His current mat, named “Treble”, is a 200/70 Ute with free elastic rocker and wheezy internal venting. Treble has a bungee fitted for a leash attachment and is also gripped with ClearFix.

Having spent more time on his mat, Joe has a clearer idea of what he wants. 2 key things were more grip and to ditch the bungee (they have their place but he never uses a leash and the extended and reinforced front flange is noticeable. With that in mind, Joe’s new ride is the same build essentially but with Sikaflex EBT grip and no bungee. The additional change is that the red deck material is inelastic so we are restricted to either positive or flat rocker. With those options it is nice to put some variety into the quiver so a positive rocker was the way which will support turns off the rail. We often surf wedgy waves and the stable deck, restricted breather and rocker will really support tighter turns.

So on to the aesthetics. As mentioned, the deck is red and the bottom has been acid dyed in red too.

Red goes faster, right?!

In our house we are big Liverpool FC supporters and Joe wanted to honour this, so a red mat with white trim does that perfectly. We also added a small Liverbird (the Club’s crest) on the left rail along the edge of the front corner grip. The name, which came from Becky (Joe’s mum), is “Kopite”. For those unaware, a Kopite is someone who stands in the Kop, the iconic stand behind the goal at the Walton Breck Road end of the Club’s stadium, Anfield. Perfect name! Not everyone is into football (soccer) and football fans are tribal, but for us as a family, our love of LFC is something that bonds us and we have so many amazing memories supporting this Club, so it means the World to me build this mat for my son.

Kopite is a Christmas present so will be boxed up. Here’s to getting some swell over the Christmas period.

Have fun Webbo. YNWA

Cheers

G

Lilo Trip

So then here's the last mat in the current run, a G-Mat RB-JMC built for the very talented Ryan Akins. Ry is currently riding a prototype super-free-breather RB-JMC I lent him. His new mat, named "Lilo Trip", is the permanent fixture for that slot in Ryan's quiver.

For those who know Ry, he is a super talented artist with a very individual style. In particular, he has documented his Surfmat journey through his creations, including contributing a piece named Lilo Life which is available as a tee and hoodie in the G-Mat Apparel clothing range and shifted a lot of tees when it dropped and remains a favourite:

https://gmatsurfmats.teemill.com/product/lilo-life/

I asked Ryan about his matsurfing and art and he said:

““My first encounter with surf mats was when I was living in Byron Bay 13 years ago and I was out longboarding the pass when I noticed somebody surfing a mat. My first thought was… yeh that’s rad and looks fun and that was about that.

Fast forward in time and I was having a coffee with my friend Huw Beynon at his house and he was really keen to show me his G-Mats. Straight away I was super stoked on them! and as I left his house I couldn’t stop thinking about mats for day’s.

Ever since that day surf mats have been my main craft in my quiver and I just can’t stop surfing them!

I’ve been recently surfing a RB-JMC Super-Free-Breather and man it’s like going into another dimension! The feeling is unreal.

Mat surfing is an extension to my art, a vessel. The feeling, the speed, the style. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in the water.

Mat surfing is art.

.RY.””

— Ryan Akins

Nicely put man!

As you can see, Lilo Trip is acid dyed in teal and features pink logo and trademark zig zags. Other than that, she matches the mat Ry has been riding. We're planning a surf together to hand over Lilo Trip. I'm always stoked to be there for someone's first ride on a mat I've built them.

The other thing I'm excited about is that Ry has given me another piece to add to the G-Mat Apparel range! The design is also called Lilo Trip is available in my clothing store now:

https://gmatsurfmats.teemill.com/product/lilo-trip-white-print/

This is available in black or white prints and mens and women’s tees as well as unisex hoodies.

Stoked to have built this for you Ry. Have fun mate.

Cheers

G

Horsemouth

Say hello to Horsemouth, a 70/70 RB-JMC built for the super talented Bryce Young.

Bryce doesn't need much introduction but for those who don't know him, he is the son of Nat Young and brother of Beau. Bryce comes from an impressive surfing heritage and is an incredible surfer.

If people haven't yet seen the Need Essentials film Following The Fall line, then I insist you do! You will see why I was so excited to build a mat for Bryce. The whole thing is mind-blowing, but for me, the section where Bryce is riding his Alaia is the best example of this kind of wave riding I have ever seen. I mean by a long way. This kind of inate talent leaves us normies in a state of confused awe!

So as I say... I was very excited when Bryce hit me up for a mat.

We had a chat and Bryce has been riding a mat that his dad picked up from George Greenough. We were left with a dilemma around the basic model and materials. On the one hand, these Aquaman types just jump on anything and surf it like they've been doing it for years. On the other, we didn't want to build something that felt 'too' different. I hit up George to get some info on the mat that Bryce had been riding and then after some umming and ahing we hit the spot (I hope) with a 70/70 RB-JMC Super-Free-Breather with negative elastic rocker, scaled to Bryce's height and body dimensions but with a nod to his current mat.

Horsemouth will be a big change but I'm hopeful will fit like a glove. Just a different glove.

Onto the aesthetics, Horsemouth (named after reggae legend Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace) has been dyed with a spruce green acid dye. The process has created subtle aqua and blue streaks across the beam of the mat that look lovely (if I say so myself!). Then we have gone with a green, yellow and red fade logo on the deck. It kinda looks like an apple... Yum yum!

I'm super excited to get Horsemouth and Bryce hooked up. We're just trying to figure where the mat is headed as he is super mobile currently. Oh and Bryce has just had a birthday so the perfect time for a new mat!

It's been a pleasure Bryce! Have fun mate.

Cheers

G

Gwahir

Meet Gwaihir, a G-Mat Nouveau Racer built for New England mat surfer, Ryan Kleinert.

I'm sure people are aware of Ryan, but in case you're not, he absolutely charges on a mat. Gwaihir is the third mat I've built for Ryan with his first two (Starchaser and Starchaser 2) being RB-JMC's. Starchaser was blown out to sea when Ryan was surfing solid 10ft barrels, hence the second coming. So you see what I mean when I say Ryan charges on a mat!

With these days in mind, Gwaihir was born..The Nouveau Racer is my gunniest model and with the 200d deck and restricted breathing will feel much more stable. It is a design that gives you a lot of confidence on big days, so is perfect for those dredging winter New England waves. Although the Nouveau Racer definitely had a bottom end to it, in bigger and more powerful surf it's a very fast design so I think naming Gwaihir after the King of the Great Eagles in Tolkein's Lord of the Rings is apt.

As you can see, Gwaihir is in Ryan's trademark hot fuschia with white grip. We've Hestered the valve too so all in all a pretty good looking mat. I showed Gwahir at the Fish Fry in Crackington Haven, North Cornwall, so thank you so much to Ryan for being kind enough to let me show Gwaihir there before shipping.

Finally, people might be wondering how Ryan has got in on the order book so regularly. Well, he said that after missing the first email of two when I opened the order book last, he just sat on his laptop all night ready to pounce on the second email! With dedication like that I'm stoked to build Ryan a mat!

So as I say, I'm excited to show Gwaihir at the Fish Fry on Saturday (it will be great to see people and both Tom @rftsurfmats and I will be there). Following that, Gwaihir will be flying off to the US East Coast to get into some winter swells.

Have fun Ryan!

Cheers

G

Interview with Simpel Wetsuits

I was super stoked to be interviewed by the good people at Simpel Wetsuits. You can have a read of that here:

https://livesimpel.co.uk/blogs/blog/live-simpel-with-g-mats-graeme-webster

Enjoy!

Cheers

G

El Duderino!

Here's a mat for mat surfer Sebastian Pleuse.

Seb is a German matter hanging out in SW France who got in on this run of custom mats. We took a bit of time to think about what would suit Seb best. Seb was keen on a stable and versatile ride, so we settled on a Ute (that's two Utes in a row)! We went for a wheezer to help with stability (plus always a good option for a wide range of conditions) as well as a 200/70 construction. As you can see, Seb went for an orange deck with blue logo and grip, a navy bottom skin and a bungee to give the he leash option for the more out of control days!

This mat has a free elastic rocker to keep things versatile.

Seb also had a mat bag and a G-Mat Apparel hoodie, which he is stoked on.

I spoke to Seb about his journey into matsurfing, and he said:

“I’m in my early fifties and have been a surfer for more than 30 years. Four years ago I first heard of mat surfing while watching random videos on Youtube. I love to try all the water sports so I could not resist and ordered my first mat. I really loved mat surfing from the first wave on. Being so close to the water on the mat gave me an unknown feeling of speed, which I never had on a bodyboard. And with the mat being so soft and comfy it was so easy on the back at the same time. Just like surfing a sofa, really. Pulling into little close-out tubes I could never have taken on a surfboard, I felt happy like a little kid. It was so good!

When my first mat gave out on me, I looked for a different manufacturer and found G-Mat. I finally made it into one of the slots. Lucky me!

You’ve done a wonderful job building my new „El Duderino. During the process, we exchanged several emails, and I felt really heard with my wishes and questions. My new toy has finally arrived. It looks super cool, and the build quality is outstanding. Unfortunately the ocean is flat at the moment. I can’t wait for the next swell to take this stunning mat for a ride”

— Sebastian Pleuse

Stoked to hear your happy Seb! With swell in the Atlantic now hopefully you'll get some!

As Seb said, he has named this mat El Duderino. Why? Because f*cking cowabunga is why!

Cheers

G

Stinga

Been a little while but Ive been busy with a couple of prototype ideas, a couple of BodyBags and a wee trip away, but I have been cracking on with a couple of custom orders too.

Say hello to "Stinga," a G-Mat Ute lovingly hand crafted for Aussie mat surfer Dany Gruosso. Dany has been riding mats consistently for a while now and has well and truely got the bug. Dany says:

“Riding a surf mat is pure joy, and it’s the camaraderie within our unique brotherhood and sisterhood that makes it even better. I was introduced to mat riding by a local surf legend who turned to mats after being unable to surf on a board anymore. It took me a week or two to get the hang of steering the mat, but once I did, I was hooked. Since then, I’ve never stopped grinning on every wave I catch.

There’s something magical about mat riding—the speed, the connection with the energy of the wave, and the fact that no wave is too small to enjoy. The crew I ride with are all about those early sessions, hitting the water 20-30 minutes before first light. It forces you to tune into your other senses, creating an almost otherworldly experience on some mornings. Mat riding isn’t just about the waves; it’s about the stoke that comes from embracing every moment in the water with like-minded mates.”

— Dany Gruosso

That's a pretty perfect description and sounds like Dany and I favour the same super early sessions. Best part of the day.

So on to Stinga, she's a Ute as mentioned. We went back and forth on models before settling on the Ute. Dany opted for a wheezer to help stabilize the 70d deck. He's also gone for a free elastic rocker to make things super versatile. Stinga really is a perfect all-round lightweight mat.

As you might have noticed, there is a slight bleed on the G logo. AAAAAAARGH! I spoke to Dany about options and neither of us were keen on ditching the skin. I'd have used it somehow but its important to me to be as efficient as I can with these materials. We settled on a free tee. My wife Becky called the blem a birth mark which is a nice touch.

So Stinga is headed down-under and I'm excited ti hear how Dany finds her.

Have fun Dany.

Cheers

G

First Light

This is a G-Mat RB-JMC named "First Light" built for Aussie mat surfer and super-talented potter, Gus McDiarmid (see Pan Pottery).

Gus one of the crop of talented Noosa mat surfers. He is a tall fella and is also of a relatively streamlined build so we had to think carefully around scaling his mat to match his height; not be too wide for his frame but retaining an aspect ratio that allows the mat to still be an RB-JMC. In short, simply whacking a bit of extra length on isn't enough to achieve these things! Nonetheless, I'm very hopeful we got there in the end. There is only one way to find out of course!

Gus has spent a bit of time in South Devon, UK (where I now live) and it was at my South Coast local that he first got into mats. He said:

“Jim Newitt pulled a mat out and surfed the left corner of Chally in 2008. When I got back home to Australia, I ordered one straight away. It’s been ecstatic joy ever since.

There is so much to say about the mat, but ultimately it’s the feeling of pure joy and the fun I get when matting, that is what I love most about it. The Noosa mat crew is dynamic and most sessions are comedic. Five mats on a set wave is the highlight of this year!

Ben (Zubkevych) and I live on the same street and we like it to hit it early. The time we like to get in is 20 minutes before first light, hence the name.

Thanks G, and thanks for stretching this one out! Long live “First Light.”

— Gus McDiarmid

Long live indeed! First Light is a super-free-breather with an elastic neg rocker so built to go very fast. She is perfect for those long Noosa rights. Gus was inspired by James Tanner's mat named Crumbs colour-wise and I think it's a fine choice.

I'm really excited to hear how things work out with First Light. Have fun Gus!

Cheers

G

Loligo

Meet "Loligo". A G-Mat Ute built for Mark Garcia (not to be confused with Mark Sheridan Garcia who had a mat recently).

Mark has been riding mats for a long time and I'm proud to say that he has been riding mine for years now. I built Mark a Ute back in 2016 named Narwhal. More recently Mark has been surfing a 200/70 G-Mat RFT-M and has really settled into that size of mat so we agreed to scale his new ride around that.

Mark loves his RFT so has opted for a Ute (the mothrr of the RFT) to expand his quiver, rather than replace his mat. Mark wanted Loligo to give a different ride though, so with that in mind we went for a 70d deck and upped the internal venting to make Loligo a free-breather. We also went for a negative elastic rocker.

Loligo is named after a species of squid native to the waters around Mark's Californian home. A pretty apt name then on several levels!

Loligo should land with Mark any moment. Have fun Mark!

Cheers

G