Cliodnha

Meet Cliodhna, a mat for the final of the three very local people in this run.

Mags Harding (mother of Joe Harding whom a good number of readers will know) lives pretty close to me and is a regular long-standing fixture at the local South Devon surf spots. Mags has ridden mats a bit in the past but these have usually been too big for her (most recently borrowing a XL G-Mat 5 Star General from Alex Williams  which is basically a camp bed for Mags!)

We talked about what Mags was after and she said she wanted an all rounder that would work well in surf around 2-3ft having mulled over the options we settled on a G-Mat Ute as this will cover everything and comfortably accommodate bigger surf as Mags develops her mat riding.

We went for a 200/70 build with a pink acid dyed deck and navy bottom. Mags asked for grey grip and I was wondering how it would look with the pink... Great is eanswer!

Internally we have restricted the airflow. "Wheezers" retain their shape well offering stability, along with the 200d deck, so offers Mags the opportunity to get by the inflation down.

As for the name, Mags tells me that in Cork Cliodhna is known as the Goddess of love and beauty.. She was also a Queen of the Banshees in Irish folklore and seems a perfect name for a mat that will be screaming down the line!

We said we really must have a South Devon matmeet so putting the call out to any mat surfers hiding out there!

Have fun Mags! It's been a fun build and I'm looking forward to seeing you out there!

Cheers

G

Donald Campbell - A Mat for Derek Hynd

Well here is a mat I’ve been itching to build for years. A G-Mat RB-JMC built for wave riding royalty… Derek Hynd.

If anyone is unaware of him, Derek is one of the best surfers in the world. Having been a competitive monster back in the day, Derek has shifted his attention for many years now to stripping things back… Literally!

Derek is the master of friction free surfing as illustrated beautifully in this short from Andrew Kaineder.

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“It’s jazz compared to rock ‘n’ roll. And that is a constant breath of fresh air.”

— Derek Hynd

You can see why I’ve been so keen to build Derek a mat! We have spoken about mats in the past and Derek has been intrigued by them, speaking highly of Warren Pfeiffer (who featured in Derek’s film Musica Surfica), James Tanner and of course our mutual friend Andrew Stephen Buck. Derek showed a genuine fascination in the intricacies of mats and the morphing, structureless nature of them. If you’re into friction free wave riding then why wouldn’t you dig mats?

The conversation about the mat design was interesting. By his own admission, Derek had no idea what to ask for and gave me full licence to build him a mat. I turned to Andrew for guidance…

“Build him the most advanced mat you can. He will jump on that thing and master it straight away!”

— ASB

I told Derek what Andrew had said and we both agreed to trust his judgement!

So on to the mat. After talk about aesthetics we agreed on a yellow and brown colour scheme up top. I really do love that combo! But this is the least important aspect of any surfcraft of course unless you’re hanging them up and as such this was an extremely brief chat with Derek far more interested in the techno gubbins do let's move on to that.

Following Andrew’s orders and further discussion with Derek I have built him a 70/70 RB-JMC. This is a highly technical model which is very loose and very fast. Internally I have gone with a super-free-breather set up so the air flow is completely unrestricted. In addition, the mat has a negative elastic rocker so when set in this will work with the concave to maximise lift.

The last part of the process of course was for Derek to name his mat. He went for “Donald Campbell”, the only man to simultaneously hold the land and water speed records.

It remains to be seen how close Derek gets to those speeds. I’m sure he’ll have a good go!

It’s been a real pleasure to build this mat. I love talking to people about all things hydrodynamic and friction free and Derek’s huge knowledge and genuine interest are an inspiration. I have learnt a lot through this and am so excited to hear how he goes on a mat. It’s about time!

Have fun!

Cheers

G

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FEEDBACK

The Prone Ranger

Say hello the "The Prone Ranger", a G-Mat RB-JMC built for musician a prone surfing obsessive Kris Simeon. Kris lives in Oxnard, California and has got into mats over the last couple of year.

When I say into mats, I mean REALLY into mats.

What's more Kris is quickly picking up the art of riding at lower inflations and when he got onto the list for this round he was immediatly on to me with waht he was after... A 70/70 Super-Free-Wheezer RB-JMC.

Before we get onto The Prone Ranger though, I asked Kris about his surfing and journey into mats but bofore that, about his brand Los Boogiemen. Kris said:

“I got into bodyboarding late in my 20’s. I kinda stopped for years. I was never that good. Mostly just terrified. The pandemic was the best time to get back into things or learn new things. I was inspired by that documentary series 100 foot wave on hbo. I figured if they could surf 30-40 ft regularly, I can probably handle 2-3 feet at my local breaks haha. Dug out my old equipment. Was paddling with some buddies. Kinda came up with a joke name called Los Boogiemen. I made the art, and that art resonated with the bodyboarding community. I started making shirts and sending them worldwide.

Being the curious person I am, it’s become more than a brand to me. It’s more like a blog where I get to share my adventures in the water. I got a mat and was pretty frustrated for months. I swore it off for half a year. Only this past summer did I get back into it and commit to it fully. Loving the journey in the magic towel itself.”

— Kris Simeon

So then onto The Prone Ranger and Kris wanted an acid dye burnt orange and a few added stenciled decals. I'm pretty stoked on the finish. I think it would have been easy to overload the mat with all of these but they sit well.

The build itself was the real challenge. I remember Dale Solomonson telling me about sub-zero temps in the Pacific North West where the ambient temps led to surprise under-cooked welds. I thought we were immune to this in the UK South West but we had a stint of -7C mornings and The Prone Ranger became the first mat I have built to suffer this fate! I always test my welds and when I heard the dreaded PING! PING! PING! I new there were wobbles afoot.

NOOOOOOOO.....

Fear not though. 3 hours of surfmat surgery top up welds with the hand iron and The Prone Ranger is ready for action! Kris was good enough for me to add my own secondary name and this mat is now known as G-Mat 286 (AKA "The Prone Ranger" (AAKA "Survivor of the Ice Age")).

Go well Prone Ranger. God speed.

Have fun Kris!

Cheers

G

Towlie

Say hello to G-Mat 285, a Ute named "Towelie" built for fellow Cornishman, Graham Bracegirdle and my last build of 2023.

Bracey is a pretty well known figure in the UK surf scene having worked in the industry back in the day. He was always known as a charger with his son Joe picking up the mantle today.

More recently, Bracey has spread his sights further afield and a cursory glance at his yard overlooking his rock strewn home break in South East Cornwall will reveal a wide array of weird and wonderful contraptions in various states of repair.

If it's on, Bracey is on it!

Bracey has had a couple of my early cast-off mats over the years so I was stoked when he got in for a custom on this run.

He has ridden a 70/70 Ute previously but was keen to get something a bit more stable so we agreed on a 200/70 Wheezer. The Ute Bracey has was also scaled to me so was a little small so upping the size to fit his height was needed. As I mentioned, the inside at Bracie's home break can be very sketchy so he has asked for a bungee to give a leash option on the bigger days.

As for the rest, Bracey is a Liverpool fan, same as me, so adding a Liverbird was an absolute joy and I have to say, I love how this has come out!

Black on black is always a win for me.

Have fun meht!

Cheers

G

Tiddler

So this run is an interesting one with 3 people from fairly local to me getting a deposit in. Cue cries of "fix" but it really wasn't. I shift around the timings that I send out emails each time and I think this batch just landed right for them.

Anyway, this mat is the first of the ones staying local and is an RB-JMC built for South Devon surfer, James Borne who people might know as @fringe_devon 

I see James around our local spots and he has been talking about mats for a little while. Here's what he has to say:

“So I’m very fortunate to have a few pretty decent waves close to home; one of those waves being Bantham - with its strong longboarding community. Mat surfing has been in my peripheral vision for years, with a few friends dipping in and out of riding them. But it’s only been the last few years, I’ve really begun stepping off the foam more and trying to pursue different types of surf craft as a way to avoid the crowds and alternatives to get some speed and glide.

I can clearly remember a session a few years ago, at one of the local spots, G was out on his mat. I just remember how fast he seemed to be going on a fairly average day of waves and how much I was struggling on my chosen equipment that day. Decision made, it was time to explore mats. With that, Tiddler is here.”

— James Borne

And yes this mat is named Tiddler! Named after Jamie's kid's favourite bedtime book (that time of day really is magical as a parent).

We talked about design and James was keen to jump straight in with a 70/70 RB-JMC. Tiddler is. A free-breather with negative elastic rocker so James really is going all out from the off. Fair play! He's also gone for a bungee for the wave pool option. After the last couple of summers we've had that's not a bad idea.

James stopped by to pick up Tiddler and is looking at an outing in local onshore junk tomorrow. I'm excited to hear how he goes!

Have fun and let's get a few waves mate!

Cheers

G

Football!!!!!!!!!!!

Say hello to a G-Mat RB-JMC built for Poem Surf craft shaper, Jimmy O’Brien.

Jimmy hails from Far Rockaway in New York and is a skilled mat surfer so came with a clear sense of what he was after. I always enjoy building mats for people who build surf craft. I really enjoy building mats for everyone but it is fun to talk through the concepts behind mats and the hydrodynamics with someone who spends their days thinking about it.

Jimmy came up with the name "Football" for his mat. Here why:

“Okay G, I’ve been thinking about this all day. I’m really proud to say that my wife and I are expecting a child, and we just found out yesterday that it’s a girl. I am absolutely thrilled and can’t wait to be a girl-dad. Up to this point we didn’t know what we were having, and we hadn’t really told anyone besides close family, so we referred to her as “Football” as a sort of code word and because, quite frankly, we had no idea what the hell to expect! Well, that moniker isn’t really necessary now, but we’ve grown quite fond of it anyways, so in honor of our daughter-on-the-way, I’d like to name the mat Football. Mat surfing has brought me immense joy—pushing me to unlearn things, relax, and embrace subtlety and nuance over brute strength and flash. I have a feeling fatherhood is going to be much the same. I hope the name will remind me to relax, soften myself, and keep my eyes open to whatever lies ahead—whether it’s riding a wave or living the life I am so blessed to have.”

— Jimmy O'Brien

Beautiful stuff. Congratulations Team OB!

So back to Football the Surfmat, the mat is a 70/70 RB-JMC with negative elastic rocker. We settled on a free-breather in the end as Jimmy surfs some bumpy waves at times so the slight restriction compared to the super-free will help the mat keep its shape.

That said, this is still a free-breather and football will be a super-sensitive fast ride that will get down the line quick!

I can't wait to see Jimmy and Football in the water.

Cheers

G

He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa

Say hello to He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa, a G-Mat RB-JMC built for Steve Fox over in New South Wales, Straya.

Steve is a mat rider with many years experience so I was stoked to be able to build him a mat. He has been riding a mat with heavier deck material for some time so we agreed that a 200/70 would be a good fit, especially considering Steve in a pretty tall fella so has a bigger mat. When scaling mats up, every dimension increases but fabric weight doesn't. Therefore a 200/70 big mat will feel lighter and more maleable that a small mat with the same deck material.

Steve says:

“Another mat heading to Ulladulla on the South Coast of New South Wales. This is the epicentre of mat riding in Australia. On any good morning there can be up to 13 mats riders out together thanks to SCUMM and the likes of Pat and Pete et al.

I’ve come full circle in my surfing journey. Starting on the old red and blue surfmat as a kid in the 70’s and now for the past 11 years mat riding again. In between I have ridden surfboards from 6ft shortboards to 12ft Gliders, SUPS,and later in life paipos bellyboards and handplanes. When it comes to surfing the old saying “why stand when you can lie down” is so true. The fact that my hips, knees and back don’t work so well may have something to do with it also. So if your going to surf, do it lying down, and if you going to be lying down, do it on a surf mat, and the you will discover the true ‘Nirvana’ of surfing. He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa - surfing on air

I chose orange for the mat so that it is easier to find when lost. black ones are hard to find amongst rocks. The bungee is so it can be used in wave pools where a leash is required.”

— Steve Fox

Wise words from Steve. We also need to remember that the most evolved aquatic creatures are prone. Unless you want to be a seahorse of course ;) #thisisajoke

So back to He’enalu Ma Ka Lewa and we know where it got it's name now. Steve went for free rocker and free-breathing internal venting to make things responsive and flexible.

I'm really stoked to send a mat down to Oz. I was stoked to see that my courier have reduced shipping rates again too so makes it much more affordable.

Have fun Steve. Can't wait to see what you get up to on your journey of discovery.

Cheers

G