From Steiny

Steiny sent this image that turned up on Dan Malloy's Instagram page.

There were only a handful of canvas stripped 4GF's with the Dale Solomonson deigned logo...so this is a rare bird.

That said, I'm not sure 4GF belongs is this company. Some significant surf crafts here!

Best. Newbie. Ever.

8:14 AM:

Hi there Paul!

Had my first dose of Surf Mat Fun yesterday and I am completely addicted!!  How soon can I have my own mat? :)

My good friend Arturo brought his 2nd mat down to Santa Monica so I could try it out, it worked great.   We had so much fun catching wave after wave, it was ridiculous! I really appreciate how portable this fun toy is, we just rolled them up, put them in the backpack and biked down to the beach for late afternoon session.  So easy, SO FUN!!

Here are my details:

5'4"

116-120 lbs

Longboard along the coast from Ventura to San O

Arturo believes both of his mats are XL - but had his 2nd mat spec'd for his gf.... Let me know what info you would need to select the best mat for me!

Thank you!!!

Heather

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8:30:

Hi Heather,

Stoked that you're stoked! Mat riding is a blast, and you never get tired of it.

:)


My records show I built Arturo a lengthened Fatty for him, and a thinned out Standard for his GF.

A custom Standard is what I would build you, and it sounds like that's what you rode yesterday.

If you order a custom Standard today, I can get it out late in the day tomorrow, and you would get it Friday or Saturday. No upcharge for the custom work.


Paul


PS  Is Arturo still living in Santa Barbara?

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8:41:

Paul

Fantastic!! Sounds great!! I really can't wait to go Mat Riding again!

I will probably order a 2nd Mat - having an extra around for friends would be ideal... so awesome to see adults turn into kids full of laughter and smiles for miles!

How do I pay you?  Paypal?  mail a check?

Arturo is still living in SB, yes!  He travels quite a lot for work these days.

Heather

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8:46:

Hi Heather,

A second mat would be great to have. I would recommend an Omni. That's the most versatile mat model we have, and suits a lot of mat riders.

To order:

Open our home page at surfmats.com

Go to the dropdown list along the top

Click on surfmats

Click on the model or models you want.

You can order from there.

It's a paypal site, but you don't need a paypal account, just a credit or debit card.

Order a Standard and an Omni, and I'll know that the Standard needs to be custom for you.

:)

Paul

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8:57:

Paul - Thank you!  It's done!

I am so stoked!! can't wait!!

:D

Heather 

From Los Steiny

Kelpy low tide eastside secret spot mobbed by a school of matters. Ryan, Adam, Mark and old Uncle Stein. 

4th Gear Flyer: tools for joy.

Oh yes! The Omni did very well. I did increase my inflation for better hold. I wonder if the Lotus would have been a better choice.  It's kinda soft on take off...but then, off to the races! The other guys were doing fine on their 4th gears. All pretty well inflated. I have never surfed good waves with a larger group of mat riders before. So fun!

Everyone was so happy.

Steiny

Pay 'N Save, Waipahu, Oahu, 1983

This was a pic my wife Gloria took in 1983.

George, Gloria, and I were on Oahu shooting a Sunkist Orange Soda commercial. It had been raining for days, and without enough sunshine to film, we were running out of ways to keep busy.

Voit had recently begun the transition from molding their Duck Feet with harder rubber in the foot pocket and softer rubber in the blade to, well, the other way around. The new, stiff bladed Duck Feet were less comfortable and less powerful. So, back on the mainland, we had begun the process of buying up as many of the old fins as we could find in sporting good stores and dive shops.

In the case of the great state of Hawaii, even variety stores carried swim fins, so, during our rainy down time, we hit every store on the island that had even a slim chance of carrying Voit swim fins...including the Pay 'N Save in Waipahu. As you can see, we left empty handed from that particular store.

It turned out to be a fun couple of days, because and we were able to explorer nooks and crannies of Oahu that we'd otherwise never encounter. 

We ended up bringing home maybe 5 or 6 pairs of fins from that trip. I still have a couple!

Anyway, here's a polaroid Gloria took of George getting ready for a day of filming...

 
....and, the finished commercial...

More North Florida Stoke

 

 

 

Paul,

There's a little energy in the water! Here are a couple of pics Chris got yesterday during our Dawn Patrol session. I surfed with Chris, his Mom Kathy, and Ryman. Joy was on tap yesterday morning 😀!

The Polara delivered! I'm up early chasing the sunrise. Thanks for all you do. I would not know the happiness and Joy I feel today without the Ocean and 4GF's in my life. Sending lots of positive vibes and healing energy. Keep Spreading the Stoke!

Tristan and I have been surfing together and he has caught his first unbroken waves! He loves his mat! We just haven't been able to surf when someone can take pics yet. There is nothing like sharing a wave with my Son. His face lights up like it's Christmas morning when he's screaming down the face! I've got to run if gonna make the sunrise.

Super Stoked,
Rob P

PS In the first picture, if you zoom in, I'm on the wave in the bottom right. That's my fin in the air.

National Lampoon's "Rob Vacation"

Paul,

The Family had a blast in the mountains with my Mom! I did a pretty good job being away from the Ocean, I only talked about mat surfing 3-4 times a day 😀.  Asheville NC was beautiful, we visited the Biltmore Estate, and sliding rock, both adventures where a lot of Fun!

We got home on Saturday evening and I've been surfing ever since 😂! 1-2' with occasional sneakers. I did two a day sessions on Sunday and Monday, catching both the low, and high tides. The Fatty did not disappoint! The pace is slower but it's an incredible learning experience. I watch a lot of surfers pass on small waves, but they can teach you a ton about trimming and really get you better at catching waves. Chris caught a couple of photos during the Sunday session.

I was very honored to be on the header of Surfmatters! Sending lots of Positive Vibes and Healing Energy your way! Stay Strong and Keep Spreading the Stoke!

Super Stoked,
Rob

Holiday Crowd Hack: Jersey Style!

Leave it to the mat riders of the Garden State to come up with a bulletproof plan for beating the 4th of July surf crowds! The steps are simple, if you have the foresight to plan in advance...

 Get elected Governor...

 
Buy a beachside mansion adjacent to a good local break...

Stretch whatever goodwill you have with your constituency to the absolute limit, insuring the end of your political career and freeing up your behavioral paradigm...

Pick a budget fight with elected officials on both sides of the aisle in the weeks leading up to the big holiday weekend...

Shut down state run beaches the day before the holiday begins...

Take a state-funded helicopter ride to said beach, dressed in civvies to allay suspicion as to your dark intentions...

 Relax on the empty beach with your mat gear close at hand !!!

And of course, relish in the negative reaction from fake news suckers who mistakenly think you did something wrong that you, in fact, actually did do!

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Update, 7/19/2017:

Chris Christie takes in a ball game!

From Ryan

From this morning with Adam!

So fun!! I hope you are getting well!

Thanks Paul!

Ryan

From Adam...Again

Pursuant to last week's off-the-rails comment section regarding Australians and their inability to have a good laugh...

Adam (above, with sunglasses) and Eric (also above, also with sunglasses) worked overtime this weekend trying to convince us otherwise. As if shimmering, aqua blue waves and oversized slices of multi-cultural fusion pizza could somehow put a smile on their face.

We're not buying it...nice try, SCUMM wowsers!!!

PS:  Happy Birthday Adam, you dreary bastard!  (Above, with sunglasses.)

From Adam

Howdy Paul

Hope all is well and sending you some positive energy! (Yes, Eric told me about your health problems). So chin up mate!!

Anyways....I had a Roster Day Off  (RDO) from work yesterday, and score some fun waves with Neal for a few hours out at the Island, both of us riding mats, Neal on his Tracker RT, myself enjoying my beautiful 'slow leak' Omni! This mat would be my favorite , only had to top it up occasionally with a touch more air, so much speed and drift when wanted, such a great ride.

Neal and I had shared a few crossovers and laugh's, we had a blast! Coffee afterwards, catching up with old school mates, then another surf check of the Island, by then the swell had swung more north, so it was breaking both sides.

Power to the Canvas!

Regards

Adam

From The Amsterdam Mat King

Hi Paul,

Hope all is well with your health condition. You are strong so i know for sure you’re doing fine. 

 

Just came back from a city trip with Esther to Bordeaux (France). At Amsterdam airport i run into another surfer. 

 

He can surf pretty good by the way….

 

Do you know him? 

Marc

Cheap Mats: Gateway Drug ???

 

Hi Paul,

Just wanted to thank you for the great mat!!

That first 10 dollar mat that Steiny passed along to me is ending up in all the right hands.  I think a bunch more Santa Cruz orders are coming your way.  My friend Jersey John made an order and mentioned that you have some health stuff going on.  I hope all of that goes really smoothly for you.

The Vespa has been awesome so far and allows access to a bunch of days and spots where surfboards are not an option.  Ryan and I are starting to figure out the whole squeezing that outside rail corner and using that inside fin to help keep our line.  Still kooks to the max but having freaking blast the whole time.  Thanks again for passing along the stoke!!  Low inflation nation!!

Adam

Summer Has Arrived In The Northern Hemisphere

Summer means different things in different places!

In So Cal, back in the day, hitting the drive-in was a classic summertime family ritual...

Family Night at the Drive-in
 Watercolor by L.E Coleman  (C.1985)

From Rob

 

 

Paul,

The new mats have been a blast! The UDT Super Sport catches all these little lines. It's not a speed demon, more like driving a Cadillac on a Sunday, but it catches everything and took me on some extended rides in 1-2' wind slop. My Giant friends are loving the mat even more than I am! 

 

Ryan rode the mat Saturday morning and got a better understanding of what mat surfing was all about. He caught a ton of waves this session and you could really see how having a mat that fits you, and the conditions you are surfing, is imperative. Ryman also got in on the action after starting his session on a longboard. It was shallow where it was breaking, so he almost called it quits. I offered him the Fatty and he got an inside barrel on his third wave. The session was filled with Joy, laughter, and Stoke. I'm pretty sure Chris posted some pictures on Instagram.

I got home and loaded up the Van for Mariah's company picnic at Dolphin Plaza. When we got there, my son Tristan and I headed down to the ocean to try out his Custom Mini-Lotus. I've been working a lot with him in the pool with his fins and he was excited to get in the lineup with me. He paddled out flawlessly, and we waited for a wave. I would call the wave out and tell him to turn and start kicking when he needed to. I kept him slightly inside of me, and the wave lifted us at the same time, I watched his face light up as he let out a yell. 

 

We caught party waves until my legs barely worked anymore. Two feet is chest high on an 8 year old, and triple over head on a mat 🙂! I had some great conversations with him out there yesterday, these are moment that I will never forget. I asked T how he liked his new mat after our session and he responded with "It's so sick!" 

 

After we all ate, Mariah also made it outside and kicked into her first open faced wave! The Joy we are sharing as a family is priceless. These mats get better and better! I tried to get up for Fathers Day Dawn Patrol but I was just too beat after 8hrs of Sun and Surf yesterday. 

 

Thanks for all you do Paul, your work has made such a difference to my family. I didn't get any pics this time because we where all in the water 🙂. Keep Spreading the Stoke!

Rob Pollard

The guy in the shots is Ryan on the UDT. No pics of Tristan because Mariah was in the water with us

Why Can't Aussies Learn To Have Some Fun???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Paul

We all caught up with Terry (Toweling) Wild last Sunday, after picking up Eric and heading up to Werri Beach to meet up with our friends from the South Coast Body Surfer. Terry joined us in a paddle on his Lotus surf and a few laughs later!

Always great catching up with good friends & true mates!!

Regards