Different View

Amazing what you can find on youtube. Someone on their Neumatic....

Also there is supposed to be some matting in this film, see 0:30 in bottom right hand corner (at least i think it's a mat). What can i say, we're 3 weeks into a flat spell down here......

A brief glimpse

2:58 Anyone you know?

More Confirmation

"Riding a surf mat is unlike any other form of wave riding It’s a hard thing to do. Few others do it, Most who do have mats are open minded, experienced wave riders with lots of years of surfing behind them. For people like this surf mats are in many ways a chance to restart the circle. Also it’s hard to beat a 16 or 18 ounce inflatable surf craft which takes up less space than a tennis racket. You don’t need a monstrous vehicle to get you places, airlines can’t charge you a damn thing to take it aboard, you can get two state-of-art mats for the price of one surfboard..."

http://www.thesurfingvillage.com/mat-surfing-82.html

Converts!!!

Just had a mat session in 1-2 foot slop. Redback, pointy end forward and handles up. Great laugh and shook off my hangover a treat.

Had a few boogers looking at me dubiously so did some swapsies.

End result?

They're all off to score Redbacks!

G

"This isn't what you think it is..."

TJS | POV - Richard Kenvin from The Surfer's Journal on Vimeo.

Eventually the truth always comes out...

Me and My Redback

Here's the type of activity I use my Redback and scuba flippers for. Can't stomach surfing it. Good for rivers, though.

Newbie Hazing Ritual?

Wouldn't you do anything to join this elite circle of LA County matters?

Hey Paul,

My Classic has arrived! So happy!

Now, in order to join my mat riding buddies in the fun, I must blow up all of their mats before my first session in the water. This is a hazing ritual amongst a certain sub-culture of L.A. County surf matters.

Thanks again!

(Name withheld upon request...)

Going Retro!!!

Ryan C, a died-in-the-wool Anglophile, took a page from Jaguar's yesteryear and equipped his VW Euro Van with a flex fin!

"Stability at speeds over 200 KPH is bloody awesome!" Ryan claims...

Redback or Red... Erm... Front?!

Now I'm sure we've all seen the following video. It's what actually pushed me from, Greenough-fan potential interested Matter over the edge into actually buying a Redback. I'm an absolute kook on the old li-lo so am always after good advice and I noticed this pair seem to be using theirs back-to-front.

What are people's thoughts on this? I considered it in theory and thought :

1) square nose = like a "proper" mat.

2) rounded tail = less volume/less slippage.

Is that right or am I trying to apply hard board logic in an inflatable world? I did try it and had a nightmare! Mind you, it was super-hollow and closing out! (had great fun racing the barrels on my knees instead).

Anyway, here's the video:




Cheers

G

Yeah Sure, Ricky...

Hey Paul,

It was maybe the best matting day at *** today. The waves got much bigger after the camera went home... seriously!

Ricky S

Hi Paul,

Here are some pictures of Ricky this morning at *** on Steve's blog. About an hour after this, it was nonstop for an hour of waves on the farthest out boil past the rocks connecting all the way across. For a guy who never surfed, he sure is getting good quick. I saw him going as fast as possible in full trim going all the way across the point today.

*** has its moments in the mornings and way less crowded. All the surfers think of it as afternoon spot, but as long as there is 2 feet of water it's fine.

Hope you are well. I haven't tried my new 9 Inch Nail Fin yet as my Liddle sat on the beach all morning. Too much fun running over kelp on a mat!

Ryan C

Worthy Petitions for UK Residents

Not strictly Surfmat issues but certainly issues affecting mat-surfers in the UK.

There are two very important campaigns currently on the go which require your support in the form of online petitions to the British Pime Minister. It'd be splendid if you'd sign them (These are time limited so CHOP CHOP!!!):

First off is a petition to "Implement a Marine Litter Strategy and assign a suitable and credible body to tackle this worsening problem" This is a Surfers Against Sewage Campaign. Here's a brief movie explaining things.

To sign this petition go to http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/marine-litter/

Next up is a petition to "Protect the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RLNI) from paying licence fees for using Maritime radio frequencies".

RLNI is a charity which saves hundreds of lives each year and their income is partly through the profits from providing lifeguards on UK beaches (and not much profit) but primarily comes from charity donations.

RLNI has no government funding but is expected to pay tax?! Have you ever heard such a thing?

To sign this petition go to http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/RNLI-RF-licences/

You have to be a UK citizen to sign these petitions.

Cheers

G

UDT #1 Survives Terrorist Attack!!!

paul

a guy saw the mat on the beach right before i went in and he flew thru the air and jumped on it. i was beyond pissed, but alas it did not pop and the ibeams and innards held together (its still 3-pontooned, not 1!) despite the not so funny joke, a testament to how well built and strong the mat is.

greg

Early UDT Returns....

John M was the proud recipient of 4GF UDT #2, and weighed in with the following report...

(John, somewhere in Southern California. Photo: One of two guys using Jeff's camera.)

Hi Paul -

Jeff C wrote out a full photo essay on yesterday's trip. I won't bore you with the whole 4 part shebang, but here is a pic showing how the minimum threshold for me to ride an air mat has been lowered with the UDT. I was stoked to be able to actually get in to waves that would have been hopeless on a smaller mat. It was basically flat with inconsistent sets that were at least quadruple overhead...for me(!)

The location is, uh, "Southern California."

I'm not sure on photo credit. Two different guys took shots using Jeff's camera.

John

PS - I have no idea why I look so serious. LOL. Sometimes it's harder to ride small waves than big waves. I also just noticed that my hair looks like one of those plastic toupees the guys in Devo might have worn. That, or I'm working on an early Clark Kent look-a-like.

Prone brothers...not!

I got dropped in on by a booger yesterday. OK it was a margin call...but he didn't get off and I ate his wake for 100 yards. That same wake prevented me getting higher on the face, while he enjoyed clear water 6 ft in front.
Grrrr!

Good Banks

Heaps of rain lately means good sandbanks. Chilly brown water reminds me of SB, not Oz. From this morning, the spot closest to home.

From JJ ...

Hello Paul!

I thought I'd give you an early report regarding the "Classic" mat. I was stoked it arrived as quick as it did.....you must've been moving pretty fast in your shop!

First off, I had an opportunity to ride my black/blue Fatty last Monday and Tuesday at the Corona Del Mar Jetty, when a good sized southern hemi rolled through. As expected, the Fatty excelled.... with speed to burn on the inside section! I got some great roundhouse cutbacks off those giant "foamers".

CDM Jetty is a very esoteric spot at best, usually showing up around 6-8 feet...requiring a dead-on 180 degree South swell. It's also a spot that's steeped in mat history. With the invention of the blackball flag, mats could be seen littered along the jetty for the flag's duration, during the summer months of the late 60's/70's.

Perhaps we should give a nod here to photographer Woody Woodworth, who penned the article "Rubber Duck" for Surfer magazine.The volume/issue # escapes me at the moment....but it's the one with the "Santosha" cover. This groundbreaking article chronicled the inflatable experience in Orange County at that time. Woody and fellow cohort John Parks would modify their "stripes down" Converse/Hodgman mats, armored with extra canvas and small fins for stability...necessary for when the "big ones" came through!

I made it down to my local beachbreak to try the Classic this morning, and I was stoked to see a couple of things...clear blue sky (in spots)light offshores (didn't last too long)2 - 4 ft. mix of S/SW/W swells, with a low-going-to-high tide. Easy crowd...maybe 4 to 5 people early on (whuuuuut?). So I'm huffin' the Classic, fins on, and out in a blink! I caught some smaller fun ones early for warm ups, then tackled a steep, head-high left that I'll admit I ate it on, horribly! You know the drill...a little too late on your takeoff, and next your staring down this ultra-steep drop, where you haven't quite set up your "edge"...and you wind up coming in straight! (Booooo!!!)

It ends on a much better note. Another set rolls in, I'm sitting a little further out this time around, and I'm paddling towards another head-high peak. Another guy sees it too, and we're both gunning for position. We wound up crossing each other prior to takeoff. He really wanted that right, so we switched and I went for the left. I think I got the better half but, I couldn't see him once I made the drop. This time I gave it much more tweak (body torque) to maintain some virtual rail...HUGE difference! The Classic took the "sweet line" and stayed put...allowing me to set up (stall) a juicy, sustained, barrel! I was already calling it a "camera wave" before the ride was over. It finished with a nice little floater over the oncoming right hand soup...bitchin'!!!

In one 1 hour session, I deem The "Classic" totally worthy...whether it be your back-up mat, or an affordable, high performance first-timer! Thanks again for the stoke Paul! Keep up the good work!

JJ

Surf In Space

Check this shuttle photo of a bowling right in the Aurora Borealis!!!

(Bring a titanium mat, rocket flippers, a space wetsuit and oxygen.)

If you look very closely you can see someone standing in the barrel.

What's up with that? Did someone edit pixels? Is it Silver Surfer???

Ryan C ...

... Doing battle at Da 'Bu!

The Scene...

Ryan's admirers...

Snaked again!

From Steve H ...

Paul,

I thought you may enjoy these pics of an early Aussie mat.

Dig the "swallow tail"!

Steve H.

From Robert T ...

(Artist's rendition of Robert, by Tom T.)

Hi Paul,

I wanted to touch base with and tell you how well the 4th Gear Flyer has performed for me.

During our last small SW swell I caught a couple of days at a little spot I like to check from time to time. It was 2-4 foot, but it was breaking hard in just a few inches of water right on the beach. I managed to catch some great rides and a couple of beautiful tube rides in all of maybe at the most 6 inches of water. I have never experienced riding a wave under those conditions before, but it was unbelievable gliding across a thin sheet of water on a mat like that.

Needless to say I rolled up on the beach like a rug twice that I remember and stood up after my ride laughing my butt off, and went right back out to do it again. I just can't thank you enough. The way the mat rides is way beyond my expectations. It is so easy to catch waves on.

Thanks again Paul...

Peace and good waves, Robert