Bucca Dhu

Wazzon ‘ere then bey?!

Bucca Dhu is the Cornish God of the winter and the dark. So what better name for a mat for the Cornish Lord of Darkness himself, Ian “Piskian” Wraith. Ian is a fine mat surfer and one of my oldest mat riding friends. A mentor to me when I first started out in the journey of flaccid flow. Bucca Dhu sports Cornish black and gold colour scheme with the 15 balls of the Cornish coat of arms on the rail. All in all, pretty Cornish this mat!

Ian is a fine mat surfer and one of my oldest mat riding friends. A mentor to me when I first started out in the journey of flacid flow.

So what’s the deal with Bucca Dhu? Well, I’m building a handful of prototypes to send to a few people to test. Two in Oz and then Ian. These are 70/70 ULW (40) construction; Standard 70 denier deck, 70d ultra lightweight bottom skin (very thin TPU coating) and 40d I-beams. Also a super-free-breather with negative rocker.

I have already built myself one of these proto’s (see G-Mat 238) and it goes great. Feels similar in weight to a 70/40 although a little crisper but also so far, no leaks at the seams although it is early days.  This is why I am sending out a handful to different riders who ride mats well but also very differently and in different conditions.

Ian is coming back to the UK from Japan where he lives with his family in early November so he can grab Bucca Dhu in person and we can share a few waves. It’s been too long so I’m looking forward to that!

Cheers

G

Red Rider

Here’s a mat for US East Coast mat surfer, Joe McEachern.

Joe has been riding mats for around 2-3 years. He says he has nurtured a developing interest in riding waves in different ways or late. When we were designing Joe’s mat he went on to say:

“There are very few mat surfers in New England that I’ve seen.

The first time out on the mat was demoralizing, but fortunately, I’d say things progressed to fun pretty quickly. As I started catching waves regularly I was absolutely loving it and full on committed to mat surfing as much as I possibly could year round. I really like the sensation I get on the waves but also the satisfaction of learning all the nuances of it. I feel like New England it’s a great place to ride a mat because sometimes the conditions aren’t great and the waves are inconsistent but I can always make the best of things on the mat.

Can’t wait to try out the Red Rider! The hurricane swells are on the way and it should be a great all around mat for the conditions here!”

— Joe McEachern

So on to Joe’s mat then. Joe was keen on an all rounder that would manage all that the New England coastline will through at him. After some discussion we agreed on a 200/70 Ute. Joe has gone for red and white (which pleases me as a Liverpool FC fan) and has named his mat “Red Rider”.

Red Rider is a wheezer with free rocker. The combo of a 200d deck and restricted air flow will make for a mat that holds it’s shape in choppy conditions, even at lower inflation levels.

Joe has had Red Rider for a couple of weeks now and I was pleased to get some feedback and a photo from him after his first go out:

“Just got out of the water. 4 hours! The mat is fantastic! Very happy with it. Could do anything I wanted. Caught lots of waves, could hold a nice high line, and could go fast. Awesome!

Fits great. It’s interesting. One of the other mats I have looks to be almost the same size. Very close. But the Ute feels bigger/wider in a very good way. And much lighter feeling. Very happy.

Thanks very much! ”

— Joe McEachern

That really is the kind of feedback I like to hear.

Thanks Joe!

Cheers

G

Prototypes

R&D - Proto 1 of 2. 70/70 ULW RB-JMC

Following on from the seam failures of the 40d material after heavy use I am experimenting with 70 denier nylon Taffeta with a lick coat of TPU. The feel is very light and very pliable. The intention here is a base material that will remain airtight but will offer highly pliable material for riding at lower inflation levels.

Too early to tell if it is a success yet but looks extremely promising and rides great!

---

Prototype 2 of 2. 70/70 ULW (40) RB-JMC.

This mat is identical to the last apart from the colours. It has the same 70d deck and 70d ULW bottom skin. The big difference is this one has 40 denier I-beams. The feel is noticeable. I've put a couple of experienced mat surfers on both but blind to the difference between the two and the feedback on feel has been consistent. This one feels very light and ever malleable.

The run of surf over here has been appalling so not had a proper test yet. Fingers crossed soon. Right now this feels like a win but time is needed for testing.

UPDATE 11/09/2022

Having ridden both the 70/70 ULW is definitely a lighter option than a standard 70/70 and a nice step up between a 70/70 and 70/70 ULW (40)..

The 40d I-beam mat is super light. Easily feels as light as a 70/40 and is amazing to ride!. The job now is to ride this mat a lot to see how it goes but so far, holds air.

Cheers

G

Jambo

Say hello to “Jambo”, an RB-JMC built for mat obsessed Scotsman, Gary Villa.

Gary got into mat surfing a couple of years ago or so along with his partner Helen. A very experienced surfer of many years standing, Gary is a man after my own heart… Find something really hard to do that you know other people do well and then commit hard to learning it.  It is a route to fulfillment in the end to my mind. Picking the high-hanging fruit.

I’ve surfed a few times with Gary as he lives in Cornwall these days. Each session I’ve had with him I have noticed a significant improvement in his mat riding ability and when he managed to get in with a deposit after several attempts it was clear that there was an obvious choice of mat for him. To be honest, had Gary got in earlier he would have had a less advanced mat than he has now so maybe fate (but more likely luck!)

So, then onto Jambo.

We discussed what Gary was after and a burgundy(ish) dye job top and bottom was the go. The end result was more purple but that’s the joy of acid dyes! The photos took a fair bit of editing to get the colour right. I don’t know what it is about this colour but it was hard to photograph. This is a close  enough match. With Gary’s level of ability now it was time to step up from his 5 Star General.

Gary rides his mat with low air and likes the sensitive feel so a 70/70 was the go. Gary was initially being a bit cautious but I talked him into going all out with a super-free-breather and neg rocker and when we met to get him and Jambo together (all be it in very small waves) he had no problem getting Jambo going and he really noticed the difference.

Always stoked to build a mat that I will see ridden in the flesh. Have fun Gary. Let’s hope we get some proper waves soon!

Cheers

 G

Show Up & Blow Up!

This is a new mat for Hawaii based matsurfer, Anthony Olayan. Anthony managed to get in on the last run so did well to get in again. This time around he has gone for the perfect partner to his RB-JMC… A Nouveau Racer.

The Nouveau Racer is the ‘gun’ in my range of mats. It gives a stack of very dependable hold in solid surf. My personal quiver is an RB-JMC for everyday waves and a Nouveau Racer for the juice so Anthony living in Hawaii, this makes sense.

As I say, the Nouveau Racer model goes well in solid surf allowing you to surf with confidence. I typically build these as 200/70 Wheezers (restricted breather) to give a mat that holds its shape in critical situations and when hitting bumps and chop on the face of waves.  This design definitely has a bottom end in terms of what it will go in but it’s a specialist model after-all.

This mat has been named “Show Up and Blow Up” after this film made by Anthony and his brother-in-law for a competition:

https://shorturl.at/etXY8

 The prize is a session at the Kelly Slater wave pool. Thanks for all who voted for Anthony. Good luck mate!

Anyway, Show Up and Blow Up is on the way to Hawaii so let’s see how they get on. Have fun Anthony and fingers crossed on the pool!

 Cheers

G

The Love Machine

R&D… Research and Development… Research new materials, construction methods, hydrodynamics. Develop methods of construction and design. Research through field testing and reflect on results to develop designs further. More an ongoing cycle than a this-then-that.

So with that in mind, I have been working with the issues around using 40d Taffeta material. It is lovely but it’s fragile. My mat Little Boy Blue finally gave out springing leaks from the seams towards the tail where the greatest forces are exerted on the mat. This is largely down to the significant difference in elasticity between the fabric and the TPU from what I can fathom and will always lead to leaks in those areas point loading and seams sooner or later.

Bugger…

That’s not to say 70/40 is a no go but if it is a go it will be very specialised to keep for those super perfect glassy days on long waves with good channels and dry hair paddle outs (although even that needs more testing before I’m prepared to put these out there). Dragging these under sets and bouncing around on choppy crap seriously limits the life-span as Little Boy Blue’s early demise has shown, and I’m really not into building disposable mats. There is no getting away from the fact that mats are plastic. That said, they aren’t much plastic and they outlast surfboards (if cared for properly) and the carbon footprint transporting them is super-duper low so they are a good option overall I’d say over their life-span, but not if you’re chucking them in the bin.

So then, onto this surfmat. This mat is named The Love Machine and is a 70/70 construction with 40d I-beams. My thinking here is that the TPU on the 70d bottom is adequate to keep it airtight whilst the 40d I-beams definitely feel lighter. I’ve had this mat out in rubbish waves so far and initial observations are….

[DRUMROLL]

FEELS LIKE A REGULAR 70/70!!!

Dang!

But this is why we research-develop-research-develop-research…. etc. Too early to gauge so far as I need to ride this mat in better waves. Our run over here in the South West UK has been pretty dire of late so time will have to tell. At the worst, I have a pretty sweet 70/70 RB-JMC, super-free-breather with neg rocker and I’m not going to grumble about that.

The Love Mat is in green and after I’d added the star logo, influenced by a US Army WW2 vehicle I realised I might look like some kind of inflatable war monger! I had the solution right in front of me thanks to Nate Kirby.

A few years ago now, Nate did me some stickers including this Build Mats Not Bombs military stencil. Pretty rad and perfect for the situation at hand so on it went. Thanks again Nate!

I have some other things to try around fabric weights. The R&D cycle goes on.

Cheers

G

Mehve - Glide On

Here is a mat named “Mehve”, built for Aussie mat surfer Ben Zubkevych.

Here is a mat named “Mehve”, built for Aussie mat surfer Ben Zubkevych. He has chosen to name his mat “Mehve”.

According to disneyfandom.com:

“The Mehve (also known as the Möwe) is a small and fast one-person powered glider that appears in the Studio Ghibli film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. ”

— disneyfandom.com

All in all I’d say that’s a pretty apt name!

Ben has been riding mats for a while now, regularly surfing with mat maestro James Tanner over in Noosa so wanted a mat to really make the most of what he has on offer down there.

Mehve is a 70/70 RB-JMC with super-free-breather internal venting to maximise morphatasticalness on the go. The skins are cut to give a negative elastic rocker to further maximise down-the-line frictionless glide and speed. In summary, Mehve is going to fly on those endless point waves that Ben is so keen on:

“I grew up on the mid coast of South Australia and started surfing as a kid cause my dad surfed. I wasn’t super into it, as it was competitive and everyone rode stupidly narrow boards with lots of rocker (the early 2000’s was a great time for surfing haha). I still kept surfing, but mostly skated in my early teens, getting back into it through seeing some videos of people riding fishes and logs.

I first noticed matting in Thomas Campbell’s Sprout, wanted one right away, but didn’t get one until years later when I found a Krypt on gumtree for $80 in 2016 up in Noosa (where I’m living now). Actually, funny cos I realised my dad had a copy of Fantasea when I was a kid, but I don’t remember ever seeing surf matting on it!

I popped the Krypt a few months after getting it, but was already hooked. I had been bodysurfing heaps around this time at the open beach near my house, so getting on the mat at the points felt insane! The same low-to-the-water speed feeling of bodysurf minus all the drag (which means so much speed!). I got worked a lot haha, but once you get a wave where you line everything up right and just speed through sections you don’t think you’re going to make it’s pretty hard not to get addicted (and somehow spiral into collecting old swim fins etc. haha).

I’m usually riding mats at the points at Noosa whenever it’s breaking. It’s my go to for cyclone swells, but also anything over 2 foot. The points have perfect mat waves (minus the fact that it gets so crowded), but wave count doesn’t matter as much on a mat and I usually just let the waves come to me instead of hassling with everyone else. I have a few friends to share waves with, James (who has a few of your mats and is a guru and great person to learn from/get tips off), Matt (we spent a few weeks matting in Sri Lanka, which was amazing), Gus (when our schedules align haha), Joseph (who is also from Devon) and my partner Rachel who has recent been bitten by the mat bug.

If I’m not on a mat at the points I’m usually out on my free friction board or a log if it’s little, and a fish or just bodysurfing at the open beaches.”

— Ben Zubkevych

Mehve went over to Austrailia sharing a seat on the plane with Rachel Scarff’s mat “Circe”. I’m really looking forward to seeing some party waves!

Have fun Ben!

Cheers

G