Ambrosia

OK then... A quick replacement for the super-talented Chris Cravey @cat.chinwaves after his RB-JMC named Nepenthe was disemboweled by a scaredy-cat logger who turtle rolled right in front of him at his home break, Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz. Thankfully Chris wasn't disemboweled too but a close call!

With the same theme in mind, Chris has named this mat Ambrosia. Other than replacing black grip with clear, the rest of the build is the same with Ambrosia being a 70/70 free-breather with negative elastic rocker and an extra bit of fairy dust. Having seen how much versatility Chris gets out of the niche Ubercat model I'm drooling to see what he does with Ambrosia.

Have fun Chris and watch out for the looks!

Cheers

G

Football!!!!!!!!!!!

Say hello to a G-Mat RB-JMC built for Poem Surf craft shaper, Jimmy O’Brien.

Jimmy hails from Far Rockaway in New York and is a skilled mat surfer so came with a clear sense of what he was after. I always enjoy building mats for people who build surf craft. I really enjoy building mats for everyone but it is fun to talk through the concepts behind mats and the hydrodynamics with someone who spends their days thinking about it.

Jimmy came up with the name "Football" for his mat. Here why:

“Okay G, I’ve been thinking about this all day. I’m really proud to say that my wife and I are expecting a child, and we just found out yesterday that it’s a girl. I am absolutely thrilled and can’t wait to be a girl-dad. Up to this point we didn’t know what we were having, and we hadn’t really told anyone besides close family, so we referred to her as “Football” as a sort of code word and because, quite frankly, we had no idea what the hell to expect! Well, that moniker isn’t really necessary now, but we’ve grown quite fond of it anyways, so in honor of our daughter-on-the-way, I’d like to name the mat Football. Mat surfing has brought me immense joy—pushing me to unlearn things, relax, and embrace subtlety and nuance over brute strength and flash. I have a feeling fatherhood is going to be much the same. I hope the name will remind me to relax, soften myself, and keep my eyes open to whatever lies ahead—whether it’s riding a wave or living the life I am so blessed to have.”

— Jimmy O'Brien

Beautiful stuff. Congratulations Team OB!

So back to Football the Surfmat, the mat is a 70/70 RB-JMC with negative elastic rocker. We settled on a free-breather in the end as Jimmy surfs some bumpy waves at times so the slight restriction compared to the super-free will help the mat keep its shape.

That said, this is still a free-breather and football will be a super-sensitive fast ride that will get down the line quick!

I can't wait to see Jimmy and Football in the water.

Cheers

G

He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa

Say hello to He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa, a G-Mat RB-JMC built for Steve Fox over in New South Wales, Straya.

Steve is a mat rider with many years experience so I was stoked to be able to build him a mat. He has been riding a mat with heavier deck material for some time so we agreed that a 200/70 would be a good fit, especially considering Steve in a pretty tall fella so has a bigger mat. When scaling mats up, every dimension increases but fabric weight doesn't. Therefore a 200/70 big mat will feel lighter and more maleable that a small mat with the same deck material.

Steve says:

“Another mat heading to Ulladulla on the South Coast of New South Wales. This is the epicentre of mat riding in Australia. On any good morning there can be up to 13 mats riders out together thanks to SCUMM and the likes of Pat and Pete et al.

I’ve come full circle in my surfing journey. Starting on the old red and blue surfmat as a kid in the 70’s and now for the past 11 years mat riding again. In between I have ridden surfboards from 6ft shortboards to 12ft Gliders, SUPS,and later in life paipos bellyboards and handplanes. When it comes to surfing the old saying “why stand when you can lie down” is so true. The fact that my hips, knees and back don’t work so well may have something to do with it also. So if your going to surf, do it lying down, and if you going to be lying down, do it on a surf mat, and the you will discover the true ‘Nirvana’ of surfing. He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa - surfing on air

I chose orange for the mat so that it is easier to find when lost. black ones are hard to find amongst rocks. The bungee is so it can be used in wave pools where a leash is required.”

— Steve Fox

Wise words from Steve. We also need to remember that the most evolved aquatic creatures are prone. Unless you want to be a seahorse of course ;) #thisisajoke

So back to He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa and we know where it got it's name now. Steve went for free rocker and free-breathing internal venting to make things responsive and flexible.

I'm really stoked to send a mat down to Oz. I was stoked to see that my courier have reduced shipping rates again too so makes it much more affordable.

Have fun Steve. Can't wait to see what you get up to on your journey of discovery.

Cheers

G

Yaroomba

Say G'day to G-Mat 274 (AKA " Yaroomba"). Mat 1 of 2 built for Adam Goldin.

Adam got in with a double-barrelled deposit drop in the last run and came with a clear idea of what he wanted to have for a balanced quiver. More on the other half down the line but for now let's focus on Yaroomba.

Adam says:

“I was born in South Africa but have spent the majority of my life living in Australia. I am currently based in Coolum Beach, situated on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. I mostly only surf prone whether it be body surfing, belly boarding or mat surfing. Occasionally I’ll take my finless foamie out for a bit of knee sliding too.

I’m fortunate to have an abundance of great surf spots in my vicinity, including my local beach breaks in Coolum and Yaroomba, as well as the renowned points in Noosa just a short distance away.

I first got into mat surfing about 3 to 4 years ago after seeing some locals flying down walled point breaks. I already knew of mat surfing and was highly intrigued but after seeing the speed and glide with my own eyes I just knew I had to get involved. I immediately bought my first mat. Although I’ve been mat surfing on and off since then, I’d say it only “clicked” about a year ago when I finally committed myself to really low inflation.

I now mostly only take the mat out with me.”

— Adam Goldin

A true example of jumping off-board.

Yaroomba is a 200/70 Ubercat with elastic rocker. Adam has some heavy wedgy beach breaks nearby and this really is what the Ubercat loves. The narrow aspect ratio encourages lively rail to rail transition and the rocker really supports hard carving turns so getting off the bottom and cutting back high into the pocket are much easier and assured. Ubercats definitely have waves they don't go so well in, but Adam is buying 2 so something more specialised makes sense.

I'm still working on Yaroomba's quiver-mate so Adam will have to wait but that's all part of the fun, eh mate?! 😂

Back to the workshop I go for round 2...

Cheers

G

FEEDBACK: 5th October, 2023

Stealie

Here's a mat for Jim Freeman.

As you may have guessed, Jim is something of a Grateful Dead fan and he came with a pretty clear idea of what he wanted. An RB-JMC Super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker and a bungee. He also had some pretty intricate acid dye work in mind.

You might remember I recently posted a mat called Pinliner trying out a new method of creating boundaries with sealants? Well now you know why I tried that out.

Preparation is everything.

I asked Jim a bit about his matsurfing journey and he said:

“I started “lying down on the job” around 60 after breaking a hip. Have a wonderful mat guru in Steiny who showed me the ropes. Got hooked. Been lusting after RB-JMC after the viral Andrew Buck video. I love the Grateful Dead and put “Stealie’s” (Steal your Face) logos on my boards so when G was up to that challenge….”

— Jim Freeman

We're both pretty pleased with how Stealie has come out. I was a little anxious about using the Grateful Dead artwork but a quick Google showed that they are pretty casual on that. Nonetheless I felt uncomfortable taking money for their design so did the Stealie logo gratis.

Despite his Instagram handle @jimmy_cant_surf Jim is a decent matsurfer and I can't wait to hear how he goes with Stealie.

Have fun Jim!

Cheers

G

Sandpiper

Say hello to G-Mat 270 (AKA "Sandpiper"), a 200/70 Ute built for Sam Arkinstall.

Sam is a UK based surfer who is fairly new to mats but he is friends with Ethan Greenwood who has been riding mats for a few years now so it was only a matter of time.

Sam came with a clear colour scheme in mind for his mat so I had to crack out the dye. Lighter colours like those towards the tail can often be a bit fickle but I think we've got away with it!

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

“My journey in to mats started with my friend Ethan who introduced me to it. I had never seen or heard about it before. I was definitely sceptical about it at first , then when I used a mat for the first time the feeling of riding a wave was very different to any form of surfing I have done before!

It’s nice for me because I can add another Watersport to my quiver as already windsurf, surf, paddleboard, sail and wakeboard. I like to think I am an all round waterman, so I have a water sport for near enough every weather condition.

My go to places are usually Crooklets or Widemouth but recently moved to North Devon so been exploring some spots round there.

There’s not much meaning behind the name really. basically went on a long google search around Monterey bay as that’s where the colour scheme derives from, and found there was a movie called Sandpiper filmed there and though it sounded cool.”

— Sam Arkinstall

I was stoked to build a mat named Sandpiper myself as it was my Dad's CB Radio handle when I was a kid!

So back to this Sandpiper, as I say we have gone with a 200/70 free-breather. This offers stability in the deck so the mat maintains it's shape more readily which will be useful for Sam as he develops as a mat rider whilst maintaining the ability to morph responsively to the wave and rider input. Sam has gone for a free elastic rocker for versatility.

Have fun Sam. I hope we get to share some waves one day.

Cheers

G

Nephele

Here's a new mat for Nilus Mattive built back in December called Nephele.

Nephele is a RB-JMC built with negative rocker and a super-free-breather so a very fast mat. As you will notice, Nephele has an acid dyed deck.

Nilus is a fine mat surfer from Santa Barbara, CA. I asked him about his journey into mats:

“My first real surf craft was a Morey Waimea Pro body board. In 2013, I returned to my prone roots and got my first mat, mostly thinking I’d use it for junkier days. Didn’t really pull it out a whole lot.

Fast forward to 2016, when my nine year old daughter Vela got into surfing. That gave me the opportunity to start messing with the mat more often.

Now she’s 15 with the long-term goal of qualifying for the world tour. We’re in the water most days, traveling quite a lot, and I always bring a mat with me. Have had the chance to ride one all over the place — Hawaii, Indo, Barbados, the Waco wave pool, etc.

My favorite is taking a mat out when conditions are too fast and hollow for me to surf standing up. Matting is also a great way to break the tension in a lineup or simply remind yourself what the essence of surfing really is. Whenever I bring one out — whether it’s CA or Kandui — people seem genuinely stoked to see me send it on a couple.”

— Nilus Mattive

Mats certainly do help remind everyone what this is really all about.

Nephele is nearly with Nilus so I'm looking forward to getting some feedback. Rincon has been on of late so fingers crossed the swell hangs about!

Have fun Nilus and please do send a pic of you in your Tee

Cheers

G