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

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

Arrakis

Meet “Arrakis”… New aquatic companion to the surfmat obsessed James Prangnell.

In case you hadn’t picked it up, James is obsessed with surfmats. You might have come across him on social media (@greatestthingsinceslicedbread7 on Instagram) oozing stoke and good vibes. I can appreciate his appreciation… I have been obsessed with mats myself for over 15 years.

James was an early customer of the G-Mat RFT range buying a 200/70 RFT-M during the early runs with the life-jacket valves and deck logo. He has a number of mats and loves his RFT so when he got in on the current run of custom mats he had a clear plan in mind to get an RB-JMC. He wanted his two G-Mats to match and asked me to copy the logo height (smaller than the standard G-Mat deck logo) and also the RFT Series font for the number… Check!

Arrakis is a 70/70 build with negative rocker and free-breather venting. James has opted to Hester the valve as well. Arrakis might look like James’s RFT but is very different. James plans to find some open faced waves to let his new ride fly!

So why Arrakis? James says:

“I had a bit of a think and I’ve come up with the name ‘Arrakis’.

It’s simple really, I like the word itself. I do love the word’s connection to spice, in the story of Dune, and also where the flow state my mind goes into when I am mat surfing. It doesn’t have to be that deep though. I just like ‘Arrakis’!”

— James Prangnell

Arrakis is currently en route to Oz to hook up with James. It’s been a joy collaborating on this build and I’m looking forward to hearing how things work out.

Have fun James!

Cheers

G

Bulgy the Whale

It's Bulgy the Whale Kids!

Surfmat supremo Andrew Stephen Buck is heading over to the UK and having only palmed off protos to him in recent times we agreed it was high time we did something just for him. People who have seen his previous mats (Fluffy Sunshine, Comrade Napoleon and Mick Dundee) will be aware of his penchant for animal pool toy themed mats.

With that all in mind Bulgy was born! Bulgy was an actual toy inflatable whale so the perfect name for this ride!

Bulgy (this one) is a 70/70 RB-JMC with negative rocker and super-free-breather venting. I stepped up the venting in the super-free at the beginning of the year and think Andrew will appreciate it. Bulgy has been painted with acid dye and then mouth, eyes, fins and blowhole stenciled. A time consuming build but I'm super pleased with the result.

You might also notice the bungee up front and be thinking "WTF?! Buck with a leash?!" Don't worry, no such nonsense. Andrew is coming over to the UK and we're meeting up at the Wave pool on July 4th of all dates! Hopefully someone will get some footage.

We're hoping we'll get some actual real waves whilst he's over. Maybe a flight down to Newquay airport is in order

Anyway... Bulgy is a thing now.

Have fun ASB

Cheers

G

Pilot Pyle

Here's a mat built for Clarence Martin.

Clarence is a 12 year old who surfs boards well and is looking to expand his quiver. His mum said:

“Clarence surfs Rincon and Malibu First Point. He loves to boogieboard and wanted to try a mat that would allow more speed and mobility. Watching Buck ride a mat on days that Rincon was too big to log was the biggest contributor to his interest. Andrew [@aslbuck ] and Chet [@chet.taylor.chet.taylor] made it look too fun, he couldn’t resist wanting to try one.”

— Jen Martin

They certainly do make it look fun! I'm hoping to spend a bit of time surfing with then this summer!

So on to the mat. Clarence and Jen spoke to Andrew Buck who knows Clarence well and felt he is ready to jump in the deep end so the mat (which he has named Pilot Pyle) is a 70/70 RB-JMC super-free-breather with negative elastic rocker. Given Clarence's age, we have scaled a little large to give some growing room.

I'm really excited to see a young lad coming to the mat and am excited to see how Clarence develops as a mat surfer.

Have fun mate!

Cheers

G

Florence

A mat headed to Oz for the super-mat-stoked and very skilled Johanna Brebner. Jo is a Kiwi who frequents the breaks around Byron and Noosa and surfs boards and mats to a very high standard. Jo took Derek Hynd's mat, Donald Campbell out for it's maiden voyage and texted full of joy, particularly because she was on the list to get a mat herself. Certainly made the design job easier... Just build that!

OK...

So this is Florence. Like Donald Campbell, Florence is a 70/70 RB-JMC. She has a negative elastic rocker and is a super-free-breather. In other words, an unrestricted, highly responsive mat designed to fly like a dementor guided by the subtle manipulation from an intuitive surfer... Perfect.

Jo was particularly taken by a mat named Selin built for Helen Derici and opted for the same colour scheme. A lovely choice for sure.

I stopped short of signing off with a daisy and in the name of individuality opted for a fat Yellow and white mats just seen to demand such things.

Anyway, Florence and Jo will be hooking up soon. I can't wait to see how they get on.

Have fun Jo.

Cheers

G

Black Pearl

So here's the third in the run of three monochrome mats; a G-Mat RB-JMC named "Black Pearl".

This badgeresque beauty is a 70/70 super-free-breather built for California based matsurfer Johno Ross who lives around San Clemente.

I asked Johno about his journey into mats and he said:

“I got into surf matting because I like to go fast! The quality of ride seems to be in the 8-10 point range all the time. An eighteen inch wave is essentially overhead. You can fly on the water and still do extreme maneuvers. It is cheating! I have never had a bad session on my airbag; I believe that is impossible to happen. You can still feel the speed and glide from simply going straight. Hydroplaning in big waves is incredibly fun. I love riding my mat, it’s the best!”

— Johnathan Ross

It is the best mate. No argument there.

Johno is a good mat surfer and was keen to get on a RB-JMC. We have gone for the neg rocker set up to maximise speed. A lightweight and technical ride.

He's up to it.

As I've said before I really do love the clean lines of monochrome mats. Reminds me of my days as a black wetsuit, white board kinda guy.

Black Pearl is in transit as I type. I'm looking forward to hearing how Johno goes.

Have fun mate. Arrrrrrr!

Cheers

G