Mar 23, 2009

From Jonathan J ... Black and Blue Prototype 4GF Impresssions




Hello Paul!

I discovered my package on my porch last night...totally stoked!

My first impression was that you struck gold with this new fabric. The tactility of both the black and the blue is spot-on...perfect applications for both top and bottom skins!

Right away I could tell the canvas-like feel of the black was gonna be the ticket for ideal adhesion qualities. The blue bottom is the perfect counter-part to the deck...slick and responsive to a wave's varying texture.

I took it out for her maiden voyage this morning, close by in Newport Beach. I wasn't anticipating stellar results, given the predicted surf conditions for Saturday. (1 to 2 foot leftover combo swell w/ onshore winds.) I was thinking, "I don't care how crappy it is, I'm going anyway!" Much to my delight, it was more like 1 to 3 foot and semi-glassy! Finally, a decent demo day.

I really dug the black top! The mat stayed right where I wanted it the entire time. It made positioning, duck-diving, paddling, way more intuitive...meaning, you never really had to think about it much, and that's a good thing. Both fabrics really work well together. I love the fact that it's a little stiffer, yet still responsive to hand-jive, bending arcs, etc...

On one wave in particular, I was able to build a sufficient "rail", to make this screaming fast section. It culminated in a decent barrel with the classic close out but, traveling across that steepest part of the wave, as brief as it was, I felt like I was on rails!

That was the wave I came in on. (I only fed so many quarters into the parking meter.)Would I have traded that one wave for a $40.00 ticket? You bet I would!

P.S. Another cool thing I noticed as I was walking up the beach...the blue bottom of the mat had almost turned to black when it was wet. Is the latest 4GF a sort of mood ring? "Paint It Black" could be matspeak for "Go out there and get wet already!"

Take care,

JJ

2 comments:

Pahl Dixon said...

Just wait until your new mat is broken in, JJ. I've surfed mine fifteen times now and it's still improving! It should be really amazing in a month or two. My overall impression is pretty much the same as yours. I reckon that PG has made a huge breakthrough. Now if I can just get someone to shoot some action photos... It will be interesting to see how PG puts the 4GF logo on his new creation. I hope it's on printed the bottom, because I quite like the "blank canvas" top. Hats off to PG for his good work!!!

Anonymous said...

How about a 4GF stamp on the forehead?I think that matters should be recognisable everywhere,so we can have a chat...