It All Started ...

...the other day when Steiny sent an email to me with this Ebay link...

It depicts a low-end Converse/Hodgman Beach Flote surf mat. The dimensions are very short and wide, by modern standards...

 

I commented to Mr. Steinberg that it would be cool to find one of the old "Stripes Down" Hodgmans on Ebay...like the one pictured below, which belonged to Greenough, and is most likely the mat he rode in Crystal Voyager.

Steiny bounced back with this ebay link... which features a pair of Converse/Hodgmans that look similar to the mats we loved so much back in the 60's and early 70's...

 

Upon inspection of the Ebay posting for the above mats, I found that they are quite a bit longer than the ones we rode back in the day...so long, in fact, I'm not even sure what you could use them for other than a camping airbed!

Anyway, I sent the Ebay listing over to Jonathan Jarrett, since he's a collector of classic mats. (This is his breezeway!)

His response...


Hello Paul,

Wow!...those are amazingly clean for their age...

 

Funny, I do check for vintage mats on ebay occasionally, but not too much out there.

I found a vintage Hodgman inflatable at the swap meet once, same configuration...more of a camp mat for under your sleeping bag. (see below)

 

I purchased it anyways, and took it into surgery later to shorten it's length down to the preferred length. I dubbed it the "Frankenmat", and it served me well during the "lean years" prior to 4GF, or my own mats. Here's some pics, including a matching repair kit for the Ebay Hodgmans!

 

Take care,

JJ