Introducing the Nouveau Racer - Haven't We Been Here Before?!

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Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to formally announce the Nouveau Racer. As you can probably tell, this design has been born out of the Chino Racer to be, well, what the Chino Racer was meant to be!

What happened was this; I designed the Chino Racer with good sized waves in mind and as a mat, it loves a good wave, giving natural hold and stability. The thing is, the feedback from the owners was that they couldn't believe the range of waves their mats were going in. Even a couple of foot would get the Chino Racer flying, as long as there was a bit of shape to it. Of course these mats were also eating up good sized waves but there turned out to be a point where it just felt like a bit too much mat!

The Nouveau Racer was born out of this. The I-beams are the same height as a Chino Racer but every thing else is pulled in giving a comparatively smaller mat with more depth to its length and beam, as well as a slightly enhanced concave. What we have then is lift and hold in a fast, manoeuvrable mat.

The original re-workings went to Bob Booth in North Cornwall and Henry Marfleet. Henry took his to G-Land and rode her in some pretty heavy conditions so it it safe to say that this design is tested! The latest is built for Jamie McClellan for his impending trip to the US West Coast. She is called the Black Mat. I'm not sure what inspired the name.

Henry Marfleet, G-Land

Jamie McClellan's "Black Mat"

I've updated all the mat information on the site to include the Nouveau Racer. Keep in mind of course, these are custom mats so are still each scaled to the individual rider.

Any questions, just ask in the comments below.

Cheers

G

Centurion and Something Else a bit Sexy!

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Well, I've hit the century with G-Mat 100!

This is one of two mats heading off to Oz. The other is G-Mat 97.  Aussie mat wonder, Warren Pfeiffer, was keen to try out some negative rocker and that is what has gone into the mix for G-Mat 97 (AKA "Doppleganger).

Doppleganger is a 70/70 Rubber Bucky. As I say, she has a negative rocker and has pigmented grip in glorious forest green to match the bottom skin. She also has the Hestered valve welded in which is a development that I'm pretty pleased with. Extra work but worth it. I'm pretty sure Warren will enjoy this set up. Not the easiest ride but is set up for lots of glide and speed.

G-Mat 100 (AKA "Centurion") is a 70/70 Flying Carpet in sexy black on black with a blue bottom skin. Flat rocker to get her moving and the valve welded in again. The jungle pattern looks interesting with the back on black I think.

Both of these mats also have a new sealant which has tested very well recently. Puraflex 40 has all of the pliability of Sikaflex 11FC+ but seems to be more durable. It'll be exciting to hear how this holds up in the long term.

So then, 2016 sees me hit the century. I'm pretty pleased with that.

Onward...

G

PS Don't be confused by the numbering. I number mats in order that they are designed, not built!

ASB at Home - Full Movie

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I'm stoked to have been able to put this little edit together.  

The first couple of waves were shot by Dave Schauber. Andrew is riding a Ute named "Fluffy Sunshine" which is pictured below.

The last wave was shot by Chris Keet. ASB is riding a Rubber Bucky named "Pacmat."

These two were really fun to do the artwork on and I'm really happy to see them in full flight. You can read about Fluffy Sunshine HERE and Pacmat HERE.

Thanks to Andrew for making my mats look beautiful. 

Cheers

G

PS You can download a copy of the video HERE.

New Stuff

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Here's what I'm currently riding. There's a fair bit going on that's being tested. 

G-Mat 98 (AKA "80's Nightmare" 

G-Mat 98 (AKA "80's Nightmare" 

First off, it's one of a shortlist of 2 for a design which maximises hold without losing too much hold. That's a tricky balance. One way is to narrow the mat. That does the job but leaves you with a mat that potentially bogs in weaker waves and flat spots. 

The other thing here is that I'm testing a new sealant for the grip.  I spoke with the tech guy at the company and, if this does what it says on the tin, this has the potential to be very pliable but also very durable. 😎

Finally, I've welded the valve on to the mat. 

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This is a design I've been working on for a while. There are plenty of valves out there designed to be welded in but none of them are so good a design as the Boston valve, after modification. These valves are made to be stuck on, rather than fixed in, so I've had to do a lot of work to sort this out. 

Worth it though I think. 

Cheers  

G  

Surfadelic!

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Pete D'Ewart is a connoisseur of surfmats so I'm always honoured when he has one built by me. The latest is a G-Mat Ute named "Surfadelic."

Surfadelic is a 200/70 build with elastic rocker. The grip panels are Sikaflex EBT to offer additional stability to the deck. Blue deck, navy bottom. 

Just the ticket for winter in the Pacific North West.  

Cheers  

G