Django Pour Cloclo

The latest out of the workshop is an RB-JMC for Clovis Donizetti. This mat has all the sexy speed and glide ingredients with a neg rocker, 70/70 construction and super-free-breather venting. She has a Hestered valve to protect Clovis’s rugged looks too.

You might notice that Django looks a little familiar, She was inspired by a mat I built for myself named Night Rider. In reality this similarity is a bit of an illusion. The studio pics of Night Rider make her look like she has deep red grip, it is actually pink.

Not so with Django. Django is full on red. That’s taken a lot of pigment so a slow cure but looks very nice.

On to Clovis briefly. I was introduced to Clovis by mutual friend, Andrew Buck. ‘Cloclo’ is an extraordinarily talented longboarder hailing from Biarritz in SW France. He is noted for having a super smooth style, not wasting an iota of effort. The epitome of functional style and stylish function.

I was honoured to hook Clovis up with one of my Raft G1 mats for promo shots which came through courtesy of Thomas Lodin. Unsurprisingly, when Clovis jumped on a mat he looked like he’d been at it for years.

Clovis riding a Raft G1 Surfmat - Photo by Thimas Lodin

People often think bodyboarders are the natural cousins of mat surfing but the reality is that coming from bodyboarding is a steep learning curve with a lot to unlearn. Talented longboard/mid-length surfers tend to make the transition far more easily and when you think about it that makes sense. Attention to nuance, micro-management of trim, finding flow and working with the wave rather than working to impose yourself on it.; So when you’re talking about a longboarder with Clovis’s talent, no wonder he has found a home on the mat.

Clovis riding a Raft G1 Surfmat - Photo by Thimas Lodin

Django is en route to Biarritz as I type and should be there by the middle of next week. Let’s hope she and Clovis get some swell.

Bon voyage!

G

Quiver Completed!

Well, it's taken up a lot of my free time but I finally have a quiver consisting of every model I build. Of course I could go with different deck weights, venting and rockers with each model to really set myself the task of creating a massive quiver but that's just getting silly!

In order of appearance we have:

A RB-JMC called Night Rider.

A Nouveau Racer called Chunky Monkey

An Ubercat called Pocket Rocket

A Ute called GI Go!

An AirPlane mini mat (doesn't have a name as its a stock mat)

A Rubber Bucky called Dippy Hippy.

"Night Rider" - RB-JMC

"Chunky Monkey" - Nouveau Racer

"Pocket Rocket" - Ubercat

"GI Go!" - Ute

AirPlane

"Dippy Hippy" - Rubber Bucky

The job now is to not keep selling them /giving them away! 😂

With regard to the bungees, I injured my arm last year and couldn't hold a mat. It's recovered now but does flare up. In addition to that, I’ve been surfing a bit at night so definitely need to be able to attach a leash. They are horrible though and I barely use one.

Anyway, with a mat meet coming up at The Wave in Bristol, it is good to have a bunch of mats with leashes to loan out too.

Cheers

G

Moonlight Matting

I have been excited about building this mat for a while. This is the latest in the run of mats I’m currently doing for some fine people. The latest in that run is Peter St Pierre. For those unaware, Pete is a legend in the So Call surf industry. A true master craftsman in every sense of the word and, to be honest, a legend who’s name spans far beyond his locale. I’ll let Pete tell you about himself in his own words in this Local Legendz video from Korduroy TV.

So on to Pete’s mat. Pete told me that her likes a mat that goes rail to rail easily with decent hold. Also something very lightweight and fast. That perfect combo eh?! Well, an Ubercat sounded like the perfect fit for these qualities. Pete has been riding a 5 Star General he got from Ken McKnight a while back although this is a little over sized and is a different mat to the Ubercat.

Rental (as Pete has named this mat) has a 70/70 construction. She has been built as a free-breather to up the speed and has a positive elastic rocker to help to drive her through tight turns.

Rental is certainly different from anything else in Pete’s quiver but I’m sure she will fit in nicely. Pete is a vastly experienced surfer who has embraced the way of the mat for years so I’m pretty sure they will get on well with each other.

Have fun Pete!

Cheers

G

Transmogrifier

Ladies and Gents please say hello to G-Mat 199 (AKA "Transmogrifier"). She is a 70/70 G-Mat RB-JMC built for @agentholmes over in Santa Cruz, US of A.

Ryan is the latest in this run of orders I'm working through for people who have helped me out over the years. He has been smitten with mats for some time and is a really good mat surfer, most recently helping out with promo shots for the RFT (Raft) mats.

Ryan is a fan of going fast and knows how to hold a line right on the edge of slipping so what better ride for those kelpy reefs and points than a 70/70 neg rocker super-free-breather RB-JMC? Like me, Ryan is into making use of the full moon and so has had a bungee fitted for a leash attachment when needed.

Vroom vroom!

Transmogrifier is en route to Ryan right now and should be with him within 24 hours of this post, all going well.

I'm looking forward to photos! Fun mat Ryan... Enjoy!

Cheers

G

PS I also did a valve repair on a very interesting Dale Solomonson mat for him. More on that later as I find it out.

Pocket Rocket

I have a number of models in my range but have never owned them all. As I am currently working through a batch of mats for people I who have helped me out, I am working through a quiver for myself of all of my mats (in my own time).

This is the latest named “Pocket Rocket”.. She is a G-Mat Ubercat with elastic rocker which combined with the narrow profile of the Ubercat gives a mat that performs tight turns assuredly on the rail. Perfect for wedgy hollow waves.

Pocket Rocket has a deck made from 100/70 twill which was sent to me by Paul Gross (4th Gear Flyer) several years ago. The bottom and I-beams are 70d taffeta as always so I guess this mat is a 100/70/70!

The other thing you’ll notice is that Pocket Rocket has a leash bungee attachment. This is for 3 reasons: firstly, I injured the tendons in my right forearm a year ago which flares up on occasion. Secondly, I am developing an interest in full moon surfing and don’t want to lose a mat into the darkness. And finally, I am planning a matmeet on my birthday at The Wave, Bristol so getting a few mats sorted with leashes means I can loan them out to meet the rules of the Wave.

Let’s hope Covid restrictions play ball with that plan. Could be an amazing day out!

Pocket Rocket has been out on a local wedgy peak a couple of times now and is just what it needs. Easy to get a high cuttie back into the pocket and back out. Perfik!

2 mats left to go in my self-care project then. A Rubber Bucky and a Ute.

I just need to stop moving them on!

Cheers

G

Dragonfly

This is G-Mat 198 (AKA “Dragonfly”) built for Matt Simon over in Carpinteria, California. Matt is another of the Rincon crew and an all round fine wave rider who I have had the pleasure of being in the water with at Rincon.

He certailny loves mat surfing!

Matt riding a G-Mat Ute named the Rincon Rental Raft. Photo by Matt’s friend George.

So then on to Dragonfly. She’s a G-Mat RB-JMC with the usual unusualness of neg rocker and super-free venting. Being custom of course she is tailored to be a perfect fit for Matt and we’re both pretty sure he will dig her. That’s how I took his response anyway.

“Wow G!! I don’t know what to say. It looks amazing and i can’t wait to give it a go! Riding the G-Mat is quite often the most enjoyable way to ride waves. I always have a huge smile on my face when i’m flying down the line.”

— Matt Simon

There’s a good crowd of talented mat surfers around Matt’s part of the world who put the effort in (and have the perfect waves to boot) to really master the art of low inflations surfing on light wight mats. That part of the world is historically so important in the development of mat surfing and the tradition certainly seems to be continuing.

Anyhoo, Dragonfly is already in the US and should arrive with Matt later today so lets wait and see. Hopefully the amazing run of swell on the US west coast continues.

Have fun Matt. And George… Get your camera ready!

Cheers

G

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FEEDBACK FROM MATT:

“She really flies! I can tell a big difference in instant speed and turn ability. Not too difficult to adjust to, just flew right off the bat. I’ll definitely be rinsing with fresh water and keeping her happy and healthy. The Cartwheel was yummy! I’m usually a bit sceptical when it comes to jelly in sweets but it wasn’t an overwhelming amount of jelly and I scarfed it down so fast I barely noticed it.

It’s an honor to ride a custom mat from a master craftsman! We have a big rain storm starting here now. Expecting 4 inches coastal and 7 inches in the mountains now through Friday. Sometimes fun raft waves pop up from the storm’s south winds so I have my eyes on the beaches out front.”

— Matt Simon

Nymphidius Sabinus - Stay Away from the Sewers!

So my run of mats for those who have supported me continues with a new mat for Andrew Stephen Buck. This is Nymphidius Sabinus (AKA Mick Dundee). She is a RB JMC built for Buck. The same model seen in that recent video that went crazy on Instagram!

For those who don't know, Andrew has a thing for animals... Or animal mats anyway, as you can see from the gallery at the bottom of this post. Nymphidius Sabinus is a Croc design. The facial features took some doing to get right! I have the mats a bucket dye job in Kelly Green too get the mottled effect of crocodile skin.

As you would expect, Nymphidius Sabinus has been made very light and very freely vented. The neg rocker also adds to the speed. She's on her way to Carpinteria to get stuck into some point waves.

Lets see how she goes down…

Cheers

G