Blackbeard

/

This is Blackbeard, a 200/70 G-Mat Ute built for UK based mat surfer, Steve Holmes.

Steve has been surfing mats for some time now and is keen to take him mat riding forwards, including some bigger days. We spoke about what he was after and Steve was keen for a mat that world cover all bases. The Ute seemed a solid option as the perfect all rounder. Steve has added a bungee for those rare particularly tricky conditions.

We have gone with a wheezer with free elastic rocker so Blackbeard will really have a wide range and will keep it's shape in bumpy and chunky conditions.

Steve said:

“Looks perfect fella can’t wait to try it,

My first experience of Mat surfing was about 25 years ago, A mate and myself bought a couple of Tiki mats and surfed killers in Morocco with them, Then a few years ago when mats started re-emerging, I bought a mat which I’ve been using in North Devon on Smaller days so now looking for something to use on bigger days as well. ”
— Steve Holmes

Blackbeard is heading off as we speak and I'm looking forward to hearing how she goes.

Have fun Steve!

Cheers

G

Black Back

/

Here's a mat for Tom Carter, a UK based mat surfer from West Cornwall. Tom has been riding mats for a while now and has a narrow mat that really has seen a lot of action and needed a few repairs. He came to me wanting something to open the bottom end up a bit more with better glide through softer sections, but also to keep the rail-to-rail feel. We talked a bit on the phone and eventually settled on a G-Mat Ute. Our thinking was that this mat will become Tom's main ride, with his current mat being saved for the heavy and hollow days.

The mat Tom has been riding has a canvas deck so, although Tom was up for more maleability, we didn't want to go too full on so have gone with a 200/70 build. In addition the the 200 denier deck, we have gone with panels rather than strips of grip which will add a little more structure. The mat is also a wheezer, with the restricted airflow adding further stability which will help with keeping shape through turns.

We talked about names. No custom mat has left my workshop without the new owner giving it a name. Tom said:

“I was thinking Black Back - a little nod to the gull. Nothing philosophical, it’s just there were two nesting on the roof at work so I saw them most days this summer! Stunners !
Have been on a wave specific mat so looking forward to surfing some different waves. Love to boot it around the coast path, and super excited to exploring some coves with the new mat!”
— Tom Carter

That sounds amazing, eh?! We're lucky to live where we do.

So, Black Back is off to hook up with Tom. We've just moved into Autumn here and it's landed with a bump, including swell, so looking forward to hearing about Tom's adventures.

Have fun mate!

Cheers

G

Zippy

/

Ahhhh-aaaah-aaaaah! That's right George! This is a mat built for Dave McAllister.

Dave lives over in the Channel Islands (not those ones) and has been the only mat surfer that he knows of on Jersey (not that one) for some time. Dave surfs the spots on the island's West Coast, and also takes trips to South West France fairly regularly.

Given that, Dave was after a mat that will surf a wide range of conditions.

We spoke about his existing mat and the waves Dave surfs. We settled on a mat that was stable, and fast down the line! Sorry that in mind, we went for a 200/70 RB-JMC. Dave was keen to keep things versatile so we opted for a free elastic rocker to keep the default rocker in the mat flat. I also slightly tweaked the length to make the mat feel a bit more familiar to him.

As we were going for a focus on speed, Dave has named his mat Zippy. That will bring a certain puppet to mind for people from the UK of a certain age! Dave also went for a sexy tee-shirt. He's got the HiLine Tee, so that will make Andrew Buck happy.

After a bit of a faff, I finally got Zippy shipped to Jersey.

Have fun Dave!

Cheers

G

RV Krystal Voyager

/

Here we have a mat for Hamish Kent @clevestone Hamish is a Byron surfer with a deep interest in riding and creating surf craft. I always enjoy building mats for people who are interested in how what they ride and how it works. Hamish is certainly in that group and we had a few calls to get things right.

Hamish has gone for an RB-JMC, as his current go to is a G-Mat RFT. He was keen to get something a little wider with a different feel. This mat and Hamish's RFT are both 70/70 (70 denier nylon deck and bottom) and as Hamish likes to make lots of turns, we settled on a free elastic rocker (flat but flexible) rather than the usual negative rocker used with this design. The other key difference (apart fron the shape) it the venting. The RFT is a restricted breather (wheezer) where as this mat is a free-breather with extreme venting (what I call a super-Free-breather). Fast, sensitive, malleable and inclined to carve through turns. Nice... Oh and we have dyed her with scarlet acid dye. Hamish was after hi vis but not garish and I think this fits the bill nicely.

I asked Hamish about his journey into mats. He said:

“As a bit of a nerd, and a hard core surf and surf history nerd, I have always sought to have a variety of experiences on as many and as varied craft as possible. Not infrequently, I will ride as many different wave riding vehicles as possible in a single session.

I first started dabbling in mat riding around 2013 or 2014. I had watched Crystal Voyager a number of times, and was excited by the challenge of something new.

Some friends had started riding mats, and I saw them having fun, and thought I’d better see what I was missing out on.

I bought the most accessible mat that was on some kind of sale at the time, and started trying to ride it. After 20 or so years of regular brine time, this allowed me to reach a new level of humility and humiliation in the line up- there’s really nothing like sliding out and missing a section on a perfect wave, that you know you could make on almost any other craft you own. It was a strange combination of devastating and wonderful. Some brief low friction, high speed moments punctuated by moments of complete helplessness, getting flogged in the impact zone trying to hold onto a wet plastic bag cross to a balloon, and I was kinda hooked, like a beaten lover in a bad relationship. Clearly I had room for development.

Rather than slash a hole in my wave riding vehicle so that no-one else reach the subterranean depths of ego that I had been able to experience mat riding already, I decided to limit the humiliation to once a week. Once a week the morning session had become a prone zone with bodysurfing being the prone activity of choice. I added in mat riding as another horizontal humility building pursuit.

Fast forward to a trip to NZ; I wanted to take a quiver, but didn’t want to carry a quiver. I took a board, and a mat, and enjoyed a few lonely sessions with seals, started to get the hang of things, and with only seals to laugh at me, I was able to learn a few skills from them; they learnt nothing from me. I rode the mat most days for about 10 days. I improved slightly, but only slightly.

I continued to ride my mat intermittently, with another breakthrough coming on a 70km coastal hike where I decided that the mat was to be my only surf vehicle.

The last few years we have had some excellent mat riding conditions in the areas I frequent, and I have found myself using a mat more and more, and hoping for good conditions to ride the mat. It’s become the vehicle I am often most excited about riding. I’m enjoying the constant learning, the dynamic approaches to wave riding that are afforded a the mat, and the child like glee that comes from riding a wave with your mates new and old. ”
— Hamish Kent

Lovely stuff and a testament to the words of Greenough to ride your mat and nothing else for at least 10 sessions straight when you first start out! Speaking of George, his influence on Hamish is clear with the name of this mat... "RV Krystal Voyager".

At the time of writing I'm waiting for Hamish's hoodie to arrive (Lilo Life print by Ry Akins @ry_akins) and then RV Krystal Voyager will head south.

Have fun Hamish. It's been a pleasure mate.

Cheers

G

Monk Seal

/

Here's a mat for Blake Snyder-Rogers named "Monk Seal". Blake lives on the Big Island of Hawaii and was after a mat "for riding big gnarly waves"... Roger that.

The Nouveau Racer is a model I worked out a few years ago. It's had some minor tweaks to the base design and we are on the third iteration. The key thing is that it feels very dependable in bigger waves, when other models might start to feel skittery. That's a pretty reassuring feeling! The Nouveau Racer definitely has a bottom end so is a model compliment an all rounder. Blake is covered on that front as he already owns a G-Mat RFT2, the stock version of a 70/70 RB-JMC built by Tom Jennings.

So on to the build, Monk Seal has a 200d deck. I only build the Nouveau Racer for big surf as a 200/70. Combined with restricted venting and the fact that the mat is narrower so the rider gets more deck coverage, this all adds to the stability of the mat overall which on a larger mat would need higher inflation levels to compensate. Blake was also keen to go with a good grip coverage to keep himself stuck to the mat. This also adds to the stability.

Blake asked for a bungee. I get asked about these a lot and honestly, leashes and mats are not a good mix. Although I heavily reinforce the front flange, they tug on the mat and get in the way. I sometimes think people have got so conditioned to just letting their surfcraft go and all in all, learning to hang on is better.

There are exceptions of course such as physical issues, surfing wave pools and, of course, "... for riding big gnarly waves" where losing the mat finds you stuck offshore with the sharks!

As for the colours, Blake asked for a grey deck (so popular these days!) with purple logo and grip. The grip is purple, despite my camera trying to convince you otherwise!

Finally, Blake asked for positive elastic rocker to help to drive Monk Seal through turns.

So, Monk Seal is heading off to the Big Island to hook up with Blake. Have fun man!

Cheers

G

Jungle

/

Here is a mat for Nicholas Wolken and it's one I've really enjoyed building!

Nico is a well known and very talented snowboarder, co-owner of Korua Shapes Snowboards and a very good surfer. He has been surfing a mat for a few years too and very well. He has an RFT and I have built him a Nouveau Racer named San-B for the juicy days, which has seen some heavy waves.

Last year (or maybe the year before), Nico borrowed an RB-JMC named Caligula from Andrew Buck. Andrew is significantly shorter than Nico so obviously the mat he borrowed was... Well... Short!

Nonetheless, Nico was impressed with the speed and glide and ordered himself an RFT2 (the stock version of the RB-JMC) to have a mat that fit him, but then got a deposit in for a custom. So that left us with a question... What to build?!

We considered a few options. Maybe a Chino Racer to add some variety to the all-rounder part of the quiver? Maybe a Rubber Bucky to have a big ol' glider. But after some deliberation the answer because obvious. An RB-JMC Ultralight!

As a 70/40 Super-Free-Breather, this mat feels, and is very delicate. The criminally light grip job only adds to this with this mat being extremodonculously sensitive. I love the slow drifting levitation of these builds. Rarely pulled out of the bag, save for those rare glassy, dry hair, running peeler, under head high days. In those conditions the sensation is incredible! We added 1/4" to the length just to add a bit of lift at the tail. With Nico's other mats, that's some quiver!

And the name of this mat? Jungle

Nico has a trip to Oz planned. He says:

“Hey G,

Really excited to get grooved in on Jungle . Hoping Australia delivers this August — we’ll be taking it on a full East Coast road trip. Mostly, I’m just looking forward to sharing the experience with some fellow mat enthusiasts. Can’t wait to see what it feels like!”
— Nicolas Wolken

I'm really excited to hear about the adventures of Jungle and Nico. Have fun Nico and big up the Jungle massive!

Cheers

G

Ethel the Coronal Explosion

/

Here's a mat for Matt Baker.

Matt has been riding Surfmats for some time now and is one of those of us who have gone right down the rabbit hole. I first met Matt at a certain reef break that we both surf when it's on. It's one of those spots that need specific conditions, so I tend to expect to see him when it comes together.

Matt likes colour in his mats, so I knew he was going to be after some dye. He had already got an idea in mind to go with a mat that was primarily orange with flashes of yellow. We went for a splattery approach and we're both very pleased with it. The combo is reminiscent of the surface of the sun. Matt was planning to name his mat Ethel, but after seeing her he has expanded the name...

Say hello to "Ethel the Corona Explosion"!

On to the mat, Ethel the Corona Explosion a 70/70 RB-JMC. Matt has a quiver of mats and was keen to have a really sensitive ride so we have really ramped up the internal venting (what I refer to as a Super-Free-Breather). We have also gone for a negative elastic rocker so the emphasis is on hauling ass down the line. Matt wanted reliable grip but not to take away from the colour. We settled on 3/4 strips which really let the colour pop. As there is less coverage, I have gone a bit heavier than I might usually, but the mat feels good and definitely not overboard.

I was hoping to hand deliver but our diaries don't line up this weekend so Ethel the Corona Explosion will be heading off by post. Let's hook up soon though Matt.

Cheers

G

Evil Twins

/

Having just taken deposits for the next 10 builds, I have quickly slipped in a couple of mats for Derek Hynd as Australia slides into winter. We went for a quiver of two to cover all bases.

This is mat number 1 named Evil Twin F. She is a 70/70 RB-JMC free-breather with negative elastic rocker.

Derek puts a lot of pressure on his mats, taking late drops in solid waves. We talked about grip patterns and opted for diagonal strips to give grip both length ways and across the mat, whist still maintaining maleability as Evil Twin F is Derek's all-rounder out of the 2.

Mat 2 of 2 for Derek is Evil Twin M is the gun of the quiver, ready for the solid winter swells at The Pass.

Evil Twin M is a Nouveau Racer; a mat with a lot of hold. As is standard for this model, ETM is a 200/70 wheezer, meaning the ride is stable with the mat holding it's shape more. It also means that when cutting back you have air in the outside rail (when in trim) for longer when you make the turn, giving more hold. The narrower, rounder outer pontoon, more acute curve in the rail and rounder corners also help with hold.

I personally think the RB-JMC and Nouveau Racer are pretty much the prefect quiver combo. I'm looking forward to the feedback on the Evil Twins.

Have fun Derek.

Cheers

G

Joni

/

Say hello to Joni, a G-Mat RB-JMC built for Aussie mat surfer Madi Farrelly.

Madi has been riding mats for a while now and is a very accomplished surfer. Madi is mates with our Antipodean RFT Series stockist Johanna Brebner (to be fair, Jo seems to be mates with everyone) and chatted to her about what to get.

Of course, Brebsy recommend a 70/70 RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative rocker. Fast and lots of glide... Perfect fit for Madi's style. Madi also had colours in mind. After a bit of acid dye fiddling (the colour on the pot and what comes out aren't always the same) we have a kind of mint bottom with teal deck.

The mint was meant to be more like the teal, but was so nice that the combo was a must! I have pigmented the grip too, to match the bottom a touch, and it's really made the logo pop. All in all, Madi is happy and so am I. Madi has also gone with a bung style valve to keep things simple.

Here's what Madi had to say:

“I named her Joni, after Joni Mitchell and her album Blue. The mat itself isn’t strictly blue, it’s a blend of teal and sea-glass, like the ocean under changing light. But this colour has been following me like a ghost lately. I see it everywhere, and I find myself drawn towards it, in the ocean, in the clothes I reach for without thinking, even in the music that drifts into my days. Maybe it’s just a colour, but it lingers, and feels strangely familiar …”
— Madi Farrelly

Lovely stuff! I'm really looking forward to hearing how Madi finds the ride with Joni. I really enjoy building mats for skilled matsurfers as the feedback is priceless.

It's been a fun build this. Have fun Madi!

Cheers

G

Marellen

/

Here's a mat for @therollonforever over in California. @therollonforever values his privacy so I won't share his name but he has said his Insta handle is fine.

The mat is an RB-JMC named Marellen. Unusually for an RB-JMC, we have gone for a 200d deck but this is certainly in line with @therollonforever's tastes, plus Marellen is quite a big mat so the influence of the heavier deck is mitigated a bit.

@therollonforever opted for free elastic rocker as he is keen get the balance between turning and out and out speed. We spoke about venting and have gone for my standard free-breather set up. Having only ridden wheezers, it will be interesting to hear how @therollonforever's finds a less restricted mat. I think he'll dig it from our discussion.

Here's what @therollonforever had to say:

“So I ordered because I’d only ridden stock mats up to this point. As a tall, 6’5 rider, I’m hoping this size is what I’ve been missing with a custom fit. I’m looking to boost my mat riding to its pinnacle. I’d say I want to be more serious about mat riding, but that defeats the “fun”of it. So I’m looking for a more serious effort toward fun: making sections, perfecting the cutback, and because it’s red— fast down the line trimming.

The mat name which combines my mother’s name and my youngest sisters name is a tribute to the women in my family. The name Marellen is a variation of Maryellen, which is a combination of the names Mary and Ellen. Mary, of Hebrew origin, means “bitter” or “beloved”. Ellen, of Greek origin, means “light” or “torch”. Therefore, Marellen can be interpreted as “light of the sea” or “beloved of the sea”.”
— @therollonforever

@therollonforever has gone for a bungee up-front for those occasions where a very long swim is the consequence of losing his mat. He's also gone for a mat bag.

Finally, @therolloforever has ordered a G-Mat Apparel Tee. Lovely stuff. As these are printed to order (with sustainably sourced materials and eco friendly ink) I am always stoked when I get to see one in person.

They're ace! You really should get one!

https://gmatsurfmats.teemill.com/collection/products/

Anyhoo, the grip is about cured so Marellen will head off to Cali tomorrow. I'm looking forward to hearing about her adventures!

Cheers

G

The White Tiger

/

Here's a new ride for Aussie mat surfer Gavin Knowles. Gav lives in Byron Bay and has been riding mats for some time. He has an RFT and got in on this run of customs. We spent a bit of time thinking about options, before settling on a 70/70 RB-JMC.

Gav was keen to make this an all-rounder and opted for free-elastic rocker. As he has been surfing wheezers, we have loosened it up with less restricted air flow. The other thing Gav wanted was to leave the middle pontoon free of grip. I literally wrote "leave the middle!" on the tube of sealant and STILL started to mask up a middle panel. Thankfully my reminder worked!!!

Gav shared a few words:

“Simplistic-Technical, subtly nursing your ride with that grin from ear to ear is why we all mat ride . We have come along way from the old canvas that stripped off your titties and thanks to G and the builders before him we are all blessed to have such beautifully built airbags under our bellies .

With a stroke of luck I got on the short list and here we are the Rb-Jmc built for the east coast point breaks here in Aus!

It has been a seamless process getting this done and I can’t wait to meet the dolphin line on my new ride . Thanks for all your knowledge and input G .. Mahalo!!”
— Gavin Knowles

Thanks Gav!

Gav has named his mat" The White Tiger". Crazily, when he WhatsApped that to me, Becky and I were watching Daredevil Reborn and there was a guy called the White Tiger on the screen as I read Gav's text! Coincidence?... Yes... Still freaky though!

Anyway, the white tiger is being picked up today by the courier. Have fun Gav!

Cheers

G

August West

/

Say hello to a mat named August West. This is the second Grateful Dead themed mat I've built. People really are into that band aren't they?!

I'm not able to say who this mat is for right now and can't even say why I can't say, so how's that for a bunch of intrigue?

Annoying, eh?

I will update this post down the line when I'm allowed.

I can talk a bit about the mat though. August West is a first mat (or first modern mat at least) so we have gone for a 200/70 Ute, set up with free elastic rocker. The mat is a restricted breather too, so well set for a steady and dependable ride to cover almost all conditions.

I'm pretty pleased with the stencil too. It's always a moment of anticipatory anxiety when you come to peel it off. Has it worked? Has it bled? Can I fix it if it has?! Stressful business but worth it! Gives a clean and subtle pop of colour. (Perhaps I should avoid the word pop!)

Anyway, I'd love to say more but can't so I'll sign off for now.

Cheers

G

Happy Place

/

Say hello to a G-Mat Ute built for Californian, David Connor. David came with a clear idea that he wanted a 200/70 Ute with a grey deck (this grey material really seems to be in vogue), but other than that gave me a free reign. He likes to be fairly low key so the seemingly popular colour combo of grey deck, navy bottom seemed a good fit.

As a contrast, I've added a bit of colour with a deep orange and yellow logo and dedication that I think pops nicely. I'm pretty pleased with it. I'm also pleased that David is pleased with it! The mat is a free-breather with free elastic rocker so a perfect all round mat. I love the Ute for it's versatility.

David has named his mat "Happy Place" and with all the turmoil and nonsense going on around the globe, we certainly all need one. If this mat helps David to inhabit his then I'm stoked.

Have fun David.

Cheers

G

Last Light

/

This is Last Light. A G-Mat RB-JMC built for master potter, Gus McDiarmid https://panpottery.com/

This is the second mat built for Gus and is very similar. The key difference is slightly increased venting. Gus rides some fast waves and being able to get on a high line and down the line quickly is a real help.

Gus rides mats well (see my recent post of a shot of Gus by Nashy Surf Photos @nashysphotos), and this construction and venting hands much more fine tuned control to the rider.

Last Light has a negative elastic rocker and Hestered mini-Boston valve.

So, Last Light is heading off to Oz to hit some left hand points.

Have fun Gus!

Cheers

G

Chino Albino

/

This is the other mat built for myself on my week off. A 70/70 Chino Racer named Chino Albino.

I love the Chino Racer. A definite all-rounder with a little more hold than the RB-JMC and a touch more drift through turns than the Ute. All in all, a nice addition to the quiver to sit between my Nouveau Racer, "Dusty" and my RB-JMC, "Snowflake" .

The eagle eyed will notice the valve. I used these on a few mats years ago and they worked well. My good friend Alex of Eyebeam Surfmats has been using them and I thought I'd give them a go as a couple of people have asked for bung type valves. Personally, I love the mini Boston valve but I aim to please. I want to get a fresh feel for these valves though, having not used them for over 10 years.

Anyway, as mentioned, Chino Albino is a 70/70 Chino Racer. She is a wheezer to help keep her shape and has free elastic rocker. I aim to use her for steeper, small to medium sized waves.

I'm hoping for a session or 2 on Chino Albino over the next couple of days. I'm assuming the valve is a goer and will be an option for people on custom mats moving forward.

Cheers

G

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