2014, The Year In Review ...

2014 was the 30th anniversary of 4th Gear Flyer Surf Mats...so on those grounds alone, it was a banner year for us. But there was a lot more happening than that!

 

4GF splurged on a new computer system...

 

 

 

Mister Dirk filmed mat riding while wearing the Andy Warhol t-shirt he bought on Ebay...

 

Elvis was spotted on Maui...still alive, and pursuing his passion for inflatable water sports...

 

 

Self confessed mat addict Kendog trimmed his non-matting budget and became a regular at Walmart...

 

 

The Italians really got into the whole surf school thing, as only they can...

Miss Lube Rack and Miss Polish Job finally received their well deserved crowns...

 

 

Surfline topped the charts with the quote of the year...

 



A 4GF rider (name withheld by request) proved once-and-for-all his mat was tougher than he was...

Inflatable aqua solar panels finally caught up with air mat design...

 

 

Bretto continued his quest for duck diving excellence by studying the techniques of local board riders...

Wacky beach images flooded the internet...

 

 

And Sophia Loren was voted "Best Mat Rider, Still Water Category" for the 48th year running...

4GF wishes you a great 2015!

From Aaron ...

Hey Paul,

I did my best on the video, it is made from stills and some are missing (about 4 seconds worth of the wave in the middle and 3 seconds at the end). Enjoy!

Aaron

From Capt. Tom ...

Hopa Paulo!

We just got back from 6 days of Christmas praia com surf in SP, Brazil - fun days including some micro party-waves.

The smile tells it all.

All the best!

Tom

8 Habits of Successful Mat Riders ...

Everyone falls for clickbait crap like, “13 Habits Of Successful Felons Who Stay Out Of Jail While Maintaining Their Ideal Weight.”

So...we now present our own, hard-earned run-down: 

“8 Habits Of Successful Mat Riders”

1. Surf Day Selection

The successful mat rider surfs only when he or she is feeling like it, not when the surf is good. Waiting weeks or months for the perfect day, then blowing off work, your child’s birthday, or a wedding anniversary to get to the surf is verboten for the mat rider who strives for a permanent smile on his or her face. Mat surfers enhance their real life with mat surfing, they do not displace their real life with mat surfing.

Simply put, any go out is a good go out...

 
...unless you're complete deluded, in which case, you're in a permanent state of rapture!

2. Dawn Patrols...Optional!

If you do feel like pulling on a clammy wetsuit in the dark, then getting the breath sucked out of you as you push through the first set of white water waves, knock yourself out.

The successful, self respecting mat rider sleeps in, takes his or her time with their morning rituals,  then hits it when they feel like it.  Bonus points: if you lag at home long enough, the wind has driven out the morning crowds!  

 

3. Surf Buddy Selection

This one gets tricky, because the last thing the successful mat rider needs is to create a barrier between themselves and other, arguably less enlightened surfers. But damn, the wrong surfing partner can really screw things up! They push you into lineups you might otherwise avoid, on days you would rather sit at home and read a book.

A sure red flag: Stay clear of any surf partner who EVER utters the phrase, “wave count.” Once you start judging your session by how many waves you rode, you may as well subscribe to Surfline and start calling everyone “dude” or "bro."

 

4. Mat Model Selection

The successful mat rider: a) owns a number of different mats, b) rides more than one model, and c) resists the temptation to own and ride just one mat.

 

These points are universally accepted…so the next query is, which of your many mats should you ride today?

Answer: It doesn’t really matter. They're all fun in their own way.

Extreme quivering: Mister Dirk owns over 500 4GF mats, and transports them all to his favorite point break every morning on a flatbed 18 wheeler...

5. Inflation level

Much has been written about the variable nature of a mat...because you can inflate it at higher or lower rates, and thus generate a wide performance envelope.

The successful mat rider doesn't get too fussy. Just blow the mo-fo up and go for it!

 

6. Performance Anxiety

We’ve all had it, even when we’re surfing a mat by ourselves, 10 miles from the next closest surfer. 

The successful mat rider realizes that no one in the water has a clue what you’re feeling when you ride a mat…and feeling is the salient element of mat surfing.  

This is how cool it feels to be a mat surfer...

 

This is what others see...

 

We come off like kooks no matter what, so get over it!

 

7. Après Surf

Here’s where things start to get interesting. What does the successful mat rider do after he or she hits the proverbial showers?  Food?  Sex?  Intoxicants? 

Yes please...

 

 

8. Sell all your boards.

The PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE of mat surfing experience is when you happily sell off all your boards. The successful mat rider uses the funds to buff their family with stuff they'd never buy for themselves. You're a hero...and your garage is suddenly more spacious. Win-win, personified!

 

Feel free to round out the list in the comments section…with one proviso: we will be judiciously filtering incoming comments. History has shown that the Surfmatters reader demo tends to be on the salacious side. 

:) 

From Aaron ...

Best mat wave I have ever had, one of the best tubes in recent memory. So glad the moment was captured. For three days after this ride people were still stoked and talking about it!

 

I took off and was almost immediately in the tube behind the lip. My head poked out briefly twice, first after 6-8 seconds and the second time after 4-6 seconds. The third disappearance lasted another 4-6 seconds.
 

The mat was the Omni with the DRP rails. It held the wave flawlessly, best edge hold of any of the mats. It really lets the rider focus more on getting deeper than worrying as much about losing grip on the face. It is also fast and catches waves well. I have ridden some other types of mats plus all my 4GF mats and can say with confidence that the new bottom is pure genius.
 

Thank you for awesome mats!

Aaron

From Eric ...

 

Well Paul...

There goes another year and I hope you have had as much Mat Sliding fun as I have. Retirement sure is a great way to get ya wave count up.

 

May 2015 bring you heaps of great days.

 

Regards Eric Dabolt 

Happy Holidays !!!

The holiday season is great!

But if you surf, you get inundated every year with images of surfing Santas. It's cute until you're into your 20's, then it's tedious stuff you're forced to smile at. One can only wonder about the d-bags who don Santa suits and paddle out for the cameras every year. Do they think it's original or funny...or even interesting? Don't they know this has been going on for at least 60 years?

It all started with relatively innocent Christmas cards, with a surfing Santa theme. Not bad, in retrospect...

Photo shopped Santas have been around since, well, the emergence of photo shopping. Of course, the waves shown would be outside the desired size and power range for a guy in a Santa suit! Imagine a two wave hold-down wearing a fake beard and a red flannel hat...

 

 

There there's the, "Let's get a big group of Santas together and go surfing!" crowd. Whatever they're drinkin', send me a case...

And what photog could resist the obligatory, "hot chick in a skimpy Santa suit at the beach" cliche'...

Somewhere back in the 80's, the "shaka" sign became a part of mainstream culture...so of course, it's now de rigueur with every friggin' Santa surfing image.

Then, just when we thought we'd hit rock bottom, up pops surfing Santa surf school teachers...

Of course, tangential water sports like SUPeeing and kite surfing are getting into the act...

And we can't end it without the annual, "Norad Santa Tracker finds Santa in the line-up" schtick !