Circe - Heading to Noosa

This is the first of two mats going to Australia for a matting couple in Noosa. "Circe", a 200/70 Ute built for Rachel Scarff. Rachel says she has named her mat "Circe" beacause:

“I’ve always loved mythology, in particular Circe, and always find myself coming back to her. Thought it would suit as her legend is based around water. Her dad is the sun god and mother is a sea nymph. She also represents femininity in the stories about her in a way that’s scares men, so thought it would be funny to have a mat called that in a sport that’s fairly dominated by guys who don’t always give women respect or the time out in the ocean. It’s like if they were mean I’d just channel Circe (she’s a goddess of sorcery) and put a spell on them and turn them into a sea cucumber or something 😂😂”

— Rachel Scraiff

Notice the mistake here?

That is perfect!!! I always love building mats for women. Unlike much of the mainstream surf media, mat surfing tends to break down the gender barriers and just welcomes mat surfers as mat surfers and we really do need more women to be surfing mats.

I asked Rachel about her matting experiences the journey into mat riding. She said:

““I’ve been living in Noosa for the last 7 years, originally from South Australia. Started out on a log, but downsized to an 8’2 V bottom made by local board shaper Ado (Maren surfboards), because I just want to trim and turn. I’m fairly new to the mat game. I started using my partners spare mat more seriously last year and have been enjoying it so much that I decided to get myself a custom mat for my size (I am very short haha!). My partner has been wanting to order a g-mat for a while now, so perfect timing!

I’ve found myself hardly surfing my board these days and only taking out the mat because I just love it so much - I can go out and even if I only get a few waves I have a blast, as opposed to taking the board out and not getting that same feeling.

Love riding the mat out at Tea Tree and always fun to mat with pals James T, Matt C and my partner Ben. Still a few other mat friends that I’m wanting to catch waves with….””

— Rachel Scraiff

That's such a familiar story. Mats get you like that!

So then, on to the tech bits. Circe is a 200/70 wheezer with free elastic rocker. Rachel has also gone with a Hestered valve. As with all customs this has been specifically scaled to meet Rachel's body size so will hopefully feel like a good fit.

Circe is on the way to Oz now along with her partner Ben's mat... but that's a story for another day.

Have fun Rachel! It's been a pleasure.

Cheers

G

Poodleface - Hi Vis Is The Biz!

Go Poodleface!!! That’s what this mat is called. Built for Santa Cruzer (sounds like a sleezy sleigh for Father Christmas) Ryan Holmes. This mat is a replacement for his previous mat named “Transmogrifier” who took an unfortunate trip across the rocks leading to a big ol’ slice up the belly and numerous other triangular punctures. I’m sure that’s nothing to worry about.

The other difference is in the design. Although matching dimensions, Poodleface has been built with an elastic rocker leading the mat to be more inclined to form a smooth curve through the rail when air is squeezed into it. Helpful for cutbacks in peaky waves. The second change is that we have moved from a super-free-breather to a free-breather. The slightly slower air transfer will help the mat to maintain shape in the chop that Ryan often encounters. We did consider the option of an Ubercat, but Ryan was keen to keep the glide and looseness in the tail that the RB-JMC offers.

Finally, why Poodleface? Ryan says:

“When my best surfing buddy and I first met we were sitting by our selves at this lineup up the coast that you have to paddle about a half mile to get to, or trespas on some farmland. This was in the 90s when the methed out Santa Cruz locals were wreaking havoc. I figured all we needed was some gnar gnar nicknames to earn our spot amongst the Fleas,Ratboys, Skindogs, and Rodents of the scene. I thought Scott could be “Pudboy” and I can be “Poodleface” and it stuck!”

— Ryan Holmes

You can read the article HERE
(Reproduced with the kind permission of TSJ.)

So, Poodleface is en route to Santa Cruz and will hopefully be there by the weekend. Looks like a crappy short period swell and on shore winds will be waiting for her but the only way is up!

Have fun Ryan

Cheers

G

UPDATE 28/07/2022

God of the Sea

I’m rolling with the new hybrid mailing list/waiting list system and it seems to be going pretty well. Here is the latest out of the workshop, an RB-JMC built for Phil Cahill up in Wales.

Phil is of Irish descent and when I asked him to name his mat he replied with the following:

“Ah flippin hell, I’ve had a few names knocking about in me head but trying to decide has melted my head!

Okay, it’s going to be called Lir. Lir is s god of the sea from old Irish Mythology.

Lovely, decision made!”

— Philip Cahill

Very nice… Phil wanted to nod to his heritage without being to blatant with it and asked for green pigmented grip and orange and white logo. You’ll notice I did add a bit of an Irish Tricolour to the dedication.

On to the mat, well Phil has taken to the less mainstream ways to ride a wave influenced by a friend who has become a full-time bodysurfer. He has tried various craft, including the mat and… well… you know. When the bug bites.

 Phil wanted to go with the RB-JMC but wondered about the full super-free-breather, especially when moving to his first 70/70. Given that we settled with a standard free-breather configuration which will add a bit more stability. She’s a quick mat though and Phil is looking forward to embracing the challenge of switching to a much lighter and more vented mat.

I’m looking forward to hearing how Phil gets on. I’m pretty keen to get up to South Wales this Autumn to hook up with some of the growing mat crew up there so hopefully will get to share a few waves with Phil at some point.

Have fun Phil!

Cheers

G

Iwa - Heading for Hawaii

Say hello to “Iwa”, a 70/70 RB-JMC built for Tony Lum over on Oahu.

Tony wanted a fast mat. He currently rides a Neumatic “K-Mat” which for those who don't know are a really hard ride but offer the potential for going really fast. If you can master it. I built one and struggled. Gave it to my friend Ian Wraith who did better. I spoke with Paul Gross a few years back and he said that they are a horrible ride but make you into a much better mat surfer. Uncle George recently said the same and he mentioned that I should build one for myself to really get speed on slop… I’ve chickened out so far!

Anyway, this post isn't about me and my crisis of confidence, it's about Tony and Tony rides a K-Mat as his go to… Safe to say, Tony can ride a mat!

With that in mind we went for a neg elastic rocker and super-free-breather. The tail is a little squarer to let Iwa break loose easily.

Quick mat.

When I sent Tony photo's of his mat he said:

“Aloha G!

Iwa looks amazing! Your craftsmanship is outstanding! Thank you for putting so much care into my mat.

About 20 years ago I had the good fortune of being introduced to mat-surfing by Dale Solomonson. Dale’s generosity and wealth of knowledge gave me a deep respect for the art of mat making.

I surf mainly on the South and East shores of Oahu. With lineups in Hawaii becoming increasingly more crowded each year, I am drawn to surfcraft that will allow me to extract maximum enjoyment from lesser quality surf breaks. I basically look forward to the worst days with the smallest crowds.

I haven’t been able to find a better vehicle for shit surf than a highly sensitive mat moulding itself to the energy in a wave with minimal rider input.

The fact that surfmats flat out rip in good surf is a bonus! I can’t wait to run Iwa through her paces. Thank you for keeping the stoke of mat-surfing alive!

Mahalo!

Tony”

— Tony Lum

On the name, Tony went for Iwa which is Hawaiian for Frigatebird. A bird renowned for effortless and graceful gliding using each microscopic change in their environment to their advantage.

I can't think of a better name.

Have fun Tony.

Cheers

G

Great Frigatebird: https://ebird.org/species/grefri

---

FEEDBACK: 15th JUNE, 2022

“Aloha G,

I think we might have a problem with Iwa...

After two sessions, I’m beginning to suspect that you may have gone and designed the perfect surfmat! You might as well shut down the welder, roll up the nylon, and hang up the scissors. There’s nowhere left for you to go from here mate. You’ve achieved ultimate oneness with the spirit of the mat!

But in all seriousness, this is one bad ass surfmat! The speed that Iwa generates, even in marginal surf, had me laughing out loud. Despite being able to fly like a bat out of hell, she still has the ability to turn on a dime when needed.

I’m hard-pressed to think of anything I would change about the RB-JMC. When I opened the shipping package I was expecting to get blasted with VOC’s from the sealant. Thankfully I could breathe easy. Your non-skid application is meticulous. The strips are positioned exactly where I need them. The stippling itself feels pre-broken in, soft and grippy while still allowing for repositioning.

The negative rocker is an absolute swell magnet. The tail width and corner radius felt soothingly familiar to me. Dropping-in to the very first wave, Iwa banked into an arcing bottom turn, made a check turn under the lip, and then broke free down the line. I had the biggest smile on my face, feeling like I’ve been riding this mat for years!

The highlight for me is your super-free-breather I-beam design. Absolutely brilliant!! The airflow between pontoons is tuned perfectly. At low inflation I can get Iwa on the verge of skimming out of control, and still hold through carving turns with a squeeze of the rail.

All of these elements come together to create a surfcraft that is extremely sophisticated in its simplicity. I’m excited to see how Iwa shines in clean, pumping surf! I am deeply appreciative of all the thought and care that you put in to your work. You are an artist G!

More ride reports to come!

Mahalo!
Tony ”

— Tony Lum

Ursula

Say hello to “Ursula”, an RB-JMC built for the very talented Charlie May.

Charlie is one of those dolphin people. You know the ones… Those people that you stick on any surf craft and they just click into it instantly and look like they’ve been doing it for years. I’ve built mats for a number of those people over the years. It’s no wonder they get into mats really when you think about it.

Photo: Emma May

Photo: John Bostwick

Charlie lives in Central California a beautiful bit of the World with a geology reminiscent of North Cornwall. Tall cliffs, rocky reefs and points with a sprinkling of huge white sharks thrown in just to spice things up! With all that in mind, I’m guessing Ursula and Charlie are going to be having some really special adventures!

So back to Ursula. Charlie asked for purple grip and branding. We’ve pretty much got there. A bit more burgundy (don’t be fooled by the photo’s the camera has made the colour much more red than it is). She is a super-free breather to maximise morphability and glide. The deck elasticity will help further encouraging a tendency towards negative rocker as well so all-in-all… VROOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Ursula is currently sat in the workshop with the grip curing. Once she’s cooked the adventures can begin!

 Have fun Charlie!

Cheers

 G

Proto Too Take 2!

You might remember I built a 70/40 prototype mat for Andrew Stephen Buck named “The Bruise”. Well… it popped. ☹ Add to that the fact that James Tanner’s 70/40 proto mat named “Chinook” had a slight delamination at the back corner and I was thinking this material is just not up to the job.

The thing is… It feels great! At low inflation it is very quick and super sensitive. The learning has been that it’s certainly not for everyone, it’s tricky to get a handle on and feels much lighter than 70/70 even. It’s also not for every type of wave as the material is quite elastic so chop can be a challenge. But it is really fast.

 What’s more, James’s mat was repairable and since then, no other problems. Oh and my 70/40 mat, “Little Boy Blue” has been fine!

With all that in mind, I decided to revisit this. I thought about the material and wondered about technique. Thermal welding TPU coated nylon involves 3 elements: heat, dwell time and pressure. I’ve had a bit of a tinker and think dwell time might have been the issue with this stuff having a really narrow window between a weak weld and being over-cooked.

With that in mind, I have put together a rebuild for Mr Buck which he has named “Sporting Lady”. My first thoughts… cautiously optimistic. Let’s see though. It may still be that this material is too inconsistent to put out to customers but hopefully we’re there. This is why I build prototypes.

Cheers

 G

Waiting List

BREAKING NEWS

BREAKING NEWS

Hello all.

I’m going to be changing up the system for ordering from the next run. I get a lot of people expressing their frustration with the current quickest to the draw system which I fully understand. Unfortunately, I don’t have more time to give to mat building and the previous waiting list I had really got out of hand!

I have been asking around several former customers and consensus has come to a new system which is hopefully halfway between the current system and the full-on waiting list. I will be running a limited waiting list of 10 people (that’s 5 cycles through the workshop as I build 2 at a go). I’m hoping this will give people a bit more time to order.

I’ll be doing this by sending 2 emails out in 24 hours with 5 slots each so that people in different time zones get a go. I’ll then work through the first order received from each email together, then the second, then third, etc. Once finished I’ll take on another 10 mats.

This is likely to still see some people miss out unfortunately (that can’t be helped) but I’m hopeful that more people getting a mat and less frequent frustration for those who don’t will make things better for everyone.

Thanks

G