Mr Bubble

Here's a mat for my good friend and mat surfing legend, Andrew Stephen Buck (AKA ASB or "Buck").

Andrew has played a huge part in the evolution of my designs over the years. The Rubber Bucky model was designed based on his feedback over a number of prototypes. Following this the design was further tweaked based on feedback from Jamie McClellan to create the RB-JMC, and this is what Andrew has been riding since.

You may have noticed as well that Andrew is a big fan of animal themed mats and this one is no exception. Andrew was keen to go with a crab this time around and this is the design we came up with. In consultation with his nieces, this mat was named Mr Bubble. Pretty much the perfect name for a mat!

As for all the technical jimbo-jambo, Mr Bubble is an RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker... About as fast and sensitive as possible. We have also gone with a low profile spring valve for Andrew to try, as well as a bungee for potential pool encounters.

Mr Bubble gets collected tomorrow and should be in Carpinteria before the end of the week so going well. Not that there's any surf by the looks of it but hey ho... The waves will be back.

Have fun Andrew.

Cheers

G

Shell Yes!

Here's a mat heading to the US Virgin Islands for Mariah Ernst.

Mariah is a mat surfer of long standing who knows how to ride a mat well. She is on the team at Emocean Magazine and has a close effinity with the ocean and natural world, so no surprises then that Mariah rides a mat!

Having recently hung out with Andrew Andrew Stephen Buck talking mats, Mariah was pretty clear that she wanted an RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker and, a particular Buck influence, an animal theme. As Mariah has always had a fantasy of skimming across a wave face on a giant clam shell her choice was simple and "Shell Yes!" was born!

Shell Yes! is a nice addition to the quiver for Mariah. Over the years she has had a Nouveau Racer and a free (flat) rockered RB-JMC that has more restricted venting so Shell Yes! will give a very different ride to both. Very technical and very fast. Perfect addition. Shell Yes! also has one of the new low profile spring valves so I'm excited to hear how Mariah finds it.

So, shell yes will be heading over to the US Virgin Islands and I can't wait to hear and see how she goes.

Have fun Mariah.

Cheers

G

PS Mariah also recently picked up a G-Mat Mini from my partner Tom Jennings She says you should definitely get one too.

Hold & Grunt

So, Covid hasn't gone anywhere and still sucks it seams. Thankfully, after a week of feeling like death I've finally been able to do the finishing touches to this mat.

This is a mat built for my good friend Henry Marfleet who got in on the list for a mat a few runs ago and wanted to be super sure he has the right model. With careful planning I think we're there now and Henry has a Nouveau Racer named "Hold & Grunt" to round out his quiver. Henry has a Rubber Bucky and a 70/70 RFT so adding a gunnie mat is the perfect model, especially as we move into winter. Henry was also really keen to secure the number 308.

Henry says:

“I’m calling the mat “Hold & Grunt”, how this name came about, which is related to number “308” as I have two classic Australian Holden utes which both have 308 cubic inch V8 engines ……. from the email I sent to you with Build Sheet -> “if it is to have a name you can call it “grunt” as that is what a 1970’s 308 ci V8 Holden engine has…… and hopefully the mat will have enough grunt to make it through fast sections, actually maybe aka “Hold & Grunt” as should have hold and grunt!”

— Henry Marfleet

Well, the Nouveau Racer certainly has a huge amount of hold, making waves that might be tough to surf a mat in mattable. The design certainly has a bottom end to what it will go in, but in solid waves, she'll go like a greased shit so I'm confident meets the brief.

On to the build, Hold & Grunt is a 200/70 with panels of PU grip to add stability. Internally she is a wheezer (restricted airflow), again to help keep things steady and dependable.

Henry has also asked for a bungee to give the leash option for those rare days when it is needed. He's also opted for a Hestered (below the flange) mini-Boston valve.

I surf with Henry a lot and as we get properly into the Northern Hemisphere winter, I look forward to seeing Hold & Grunt in action!

Cheers

G

Albert

Here's a mat for Alasdair Newby from West Cornwall, UK. Alasdair has surfed all sorts of boards for many years and ended up picking up a mat a little while back and is now in deep... That's how it goes with mats...

He got on on the current run and came with a clear idea what he wanted. A stable mat that will work in a range of conditions. Alasdair surfs the waves I first got in on as a young lad, so I had a decent sense of things.

We've gone for a 200/70 Ute. The red deck material is made with Nylon 6 which is a little heavier. The combo with the white 70d gives a nicely balanced feel. We've gone for restricted wheezy venting and a bungee for bigger days. Alasdair also opted for one of the new low profile valves too.

Alasdair has named his new mat Albert. Albert is one of a number of Utes I've built lately. Lots of Utes and lots of mats in the UK which is unusual.

Anyway, I'm building one more in this run and will do a team mat or two and then the order book will be open again for the next 10.

But back to Albert, she's heading West tomorrow. I'm hoping to get down there soon myself too so hopefully can see Alasdair and Albert in action.

Have fun Alasdair!

Cheers

G

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