Sep 13, 2009

Sacrilege?


After i lost a mat in winds i thought that i'd try something a bit different, and PG was kind enough to add a couple of optional extras.....

The idea of the grommets wasn't to take the strain going over the falls on a 6 foot wave. I'll still be bear-hugging the mat when this happens. This is just to stop it blowing away again in gale force winds, I hope. And hey, it may mean that I can compete with kite surfers.


I've tried a couple of things.

1) Just a rope across the front of the mat, which while it may have given it even more of a pool toy look didn't seem particularly useful. If the mat gets ripped from my hands I doubt that I'll have the presence of mind to grab it. That said it didn't seem to effect riding at all.

2) Just a leash through one of the grommets. This was a complete waste of time, as the leash had a tendency to drag under the mat and slow everything down. Back to the drawing board..

3) My current set-up. A bridle and leash. It's working for me at the moment, as this keeps everything out of the way and doesn't drag. To be honest after the first few minutes I forgot it was there.

I'll add more details as I get out in more conditions. Needless to say, if it's not windy, I take all this stuff off and just surf it clean.

But so far, so good.


5 comments:

PG said...

We have two 4GF prototypes with grommets out there being tested at the present time...this one, and and one for "D.R."

Several things to determine...

Where should the grommets go?

How should they be used -- with a leash, or rope? Or both?

How much pulling/turbulance will they take before they tear through the fabric?

Will they satisfy any lifeguards/beach regulations?

Will the shiney gold metal bits mesmorize Mat Max into thinking it's 1969 again?

PG

GRAYMAN said...

Looks a bit tanglie to me.

G

Bagofwind said...

I've tightened up the rope and its basically a straight line between the 2 grommets, which cuts down on any tangling that might happen. I suppose that if you wanted a leash straight onto the mat then a grommet in the front-middle would be the best placing, but i have a feeling that it would tear the fabric pretty quickly. The bit of rope seems to pull the mat out of shape when any strains put on it which may have more of a cushioning and less of a tearing effect.

GRAYMAN said...

Makes sense. I guess the natural squishiness of the mat absorbes the strain.

Now you've just gotta bear the derision from grumpy purists! :D

G

Bagofwind said...
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