4GF Mail Call...

Hi Paul,

Even though it´s trivial, I just wanted to send you a "report" of my first attempts on the XL in seriously crappy 5 sec. interval 1-2 ft. Miami "surf":

- I don´t have a chin rash again and had that "good feeling" in (!!!) the wave. Did you change the black fabric or am I actually progressing?...

- The XL worked much better for my 200lbs than the Tracker RT in small conditions. (Who would have thought so?)...

- Again!! This time my kiteboarding copilot - smiled about the speedy "glide" once the wave picked him up.

- The other copilot was fascinated by: "You can roll the thing up and put it in your pocket"

Savor the praise and the positive vibe - one can never get enough of that.

Any customers in Dubai? I´ll be there on the 13th.

Cheers from cold and snowy-white Germany

Tom

----------------------

Paul,

Mats got here this afternoon, in time for a thanksgiving session!!

I snuck out on the UDT this afternoon. First one I caught, dropped in, banked a bottom turn, and just flew down the line and took it all the way in to the beach.

Number two, banked another bottom turn, took a little line, bottom turned again, and pulled into the barrel and came out.

And then, the next 6 or 7 I completely kooked out and could barely get in or hold a line.

I'm hooked!

Thanks again. I'll keep you updated.

Brett

-----------------------

Hey Paul,

I just wanted to drop you a small email since I've had several surfs recently on the behemoth mat you made for me! (Greenough-spec UDT.)

The conditions lately have been poor to be quite honest, but the UDT (with round tail and short I - beams) performed as promised!

The take-off was always an easy treat BUT what energy I did conserve kicking into waves was quickly sapped from me after making my way slowly to the line-up again. It's a whole lotta fabric! To be fair, the waves were not always the micro waves I had thought them to be upon entering the water, a lot in the 4ft range and unpredictable. What REALLY surprised me was its ability to 'suck' down onto the wave surface. We suffered no slide-outs whatsoever!

It was really fun being able to only make one basic correction at take-off and then doing else except tearing along the face of messy walls at speed!

The mat is a winner and I thank you!

Regards,

NP

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Hey Paul,

Just wanted to let you know how stoked I am with the mat i got from you, the roundtail tracker! Having a lot of fun out there, despite the entire line up ignoring my presence (narrow minds eh!).

Took a few surf's to get used to it, but each session was building my experience/skill exponentially. Very forgiving and fun mat, stoked I got one!

Thanks again, kind regards,

Barry, NSW, Australia.

----------------------

Hello Paul,

Just letting you know the Standard arrived today,23 Nov. Thanks. Also had a great session on the RT at a spot near Margaret River on the weekend Head high sucky wave and the RT went fantastic!!. It will be interesting to see how the Standard compares with the RT. We are getting into summer now so swell is usually low in our summer not that our winter has been good for swell this year ,very few good days.

Thanks again.

Cheers Eric

----------------------

Paul,

Yes, Ron is riding a mat all the time and loving it! Doesn't ride his surfboards anymore. We have a trip to Cardon, Mexico planned for next year and are looking forward to bringing our mats.

Easy packing!

Lisa

--------------------

Paul

I actually like that I can't read my standard's label anymore because it means that I've surfed it a lot. :-)

Nate

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Thank you Paul, great service a s usual.

I now have a complete quiver of 4th Gear Flyers :)

Go-well,

Peter

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Paul,

UDT arrived on Friday. That's fast. Had a chance to try this past weekend, and wow. Got a few waves that hinted at what is possible. Surf was kinda mushy, but had some size. Quite a work-out. Not used to kicking fins, especially full-size UDT (old style). You need to be a navy seal to use those. A few more sessions and I think I will have a feel for the mat.

Thanks again for your patience and generosity. I think I may be a life-long matter.

Tim

More Orca Action, Courtesy of Michael Cunningham...

NZ Weighs In!

Hi-

Jonathan from NZ here. The mat arrived last week, safe and sound. I can see that you got additional postal information for it, so - thanks for that - and that it cost a bundle to ship. Thanks for that too. I'm sorry to cut into your profit margin that way. I'm doing my best to get my friends to buy mats, spreading the gospel - so I hope you get some more orders, and you certainly will from me in the future!

Been going through some revelations about wave riding in my life. I read something you wrote about the "egoless" quality of wave riding on a mat. I've been seeing/feeling the way wave riding becomes pared to a sort of animal (dolphin, and now we see, orca!) essence... steering away from the hand-jive, dance-like expression that's maybe the best of knee and stand up styles (and far away from the modern skateboard trick style - I call this capitalist surfing, but I won't get started...). Using the mat feels like an exploratory journey deeper into pure wave riding- once again, a surprisingly new thing at this stage of my life.

Next: crawl into some sea-cave and forget my own name....

Regards,

Uh, forgot my name already!

Simon Winchester's Tome To The Atlantic Ocean

Reviewed here...

What Your Air Carrier Doesn't Want You To Know!!!

Tom, a pilot of some repute, inflating his new Tracker RT during a layover in Chicago!

While surfboards and bicycles are getting the shaft under the guise of "excess baggage" at check-in, surfmats are gliding through with nary a notice.

Why is that, you ask?

Sure...deflated mats are tucked neatly away in your suitcase. But a more nefarious mechanism is at work!

You see, "The International Airline Pilot, Mat Rider And Off Duty Social Drinker's Association" (TIAPMRAODSDA in airline industry shorthand) has leveraged its awesome power to influence major carriers' policy. In short, the nose-dripping-saltwater chaps in the cockpit are responsible for your super cheap, surf mat vacations!

Hats off to these flyboys...without them, who knows what it would cost to schlep a quiver of mats on board your flight to Sri Lanka!

Mat Max's New Best Friend!

Details of the surfing Killer Whales in NZ here...

Mat Riding Tips From The Pros!!!

(Photos: Lance Smith)

"The Smash-Mouth Take-Off," as demonstrated by The Kendog. Out of the darkness and into the light!

Boardbag Blues?

A travel-wise mat rider cashes in on big airline savings!

Paul,

Thanks for getting back to me on this and thanks for all your help in spec'ing and ordering the mats.

I don't know if you have seen it, but just the other day Surfline published an update of the airline transport fees for boardbags from most major airlines ("Boardbag Blues"). Between the high rates and the fact that most times you can't even tell whether the airline will even take your boardbag until you get to the airport, travelling with surfboards is getting to be untenable these days. Perhaps something you can work into the portion of the website which extols the virtues of travelling with surfmats....

Delta - $200 each way per surfboard bag.

United - Domestic $100 each way per surfboard, International $200 each way per surfboard.

American - $150 each way (charge is per surfboard bag if neatly packed and under 50lbs).

Continental - $100 each way for 2 surfboards , $400 each way for 3 surfboards, $700 each way for 4 surfboards.

Taca - $125 each way per surfboard bag (max. 2 surfboards), $175 extra for additional surfboards.

Copa - $75 each way per surfboard bag.

Jet Blue - $75 per bag (max. length 80 inches and accepted on space available basis only).

Southwest - $50 each way per surfboard bag.

Air Paciifc - $50 each way per surfboard bag.

More here...

Just some food for thought...

Regards,
Mike M.

Pigs On The Beach!

Paul,

If you're interested, I've got a travel blog about my trip to New Zealand here...

A bit more mat love- I've been surfing a place that requires a hike of several kilometers to access. Some folks take their ATVs and four-wheel drives there. I've been offered rides from those people (an adventure in itself!), and am positive that carrying a rolled-up mat as opposed to a full-size surfboard, helped me get a lift!

Thanks...

--Jonathan

Hello Kitty Tat Craze Threatens The Mat Riding World!!!

Surf Sister's new tattoo keeps her landlocked for a week!

Will this disturbing trend keep even more mat riders out of the water?

This is getting out of hand, Paul...

I spent the last week out of the water because of my new tattoo. I was chomping at the bit to get wet today. I got to the break. I suited up. I pulled The Minx out of the car. As I was about to wax her, I looked at the small waves that no one was on. They were over here. The majority of the surfers were over there. Guess what happened? I kept looking at those waves, at the crowd and at my board. Before I knew it, I was sliding the board back into the car. A few minutes later, I was on the sand—blowing up the mat and throwing on some fins.

One of the people I always see at this break said I was grinning from ear to ear on one of my waves. I know there were a couple where I came up whooping. It was yet another perfect session on my mat. I was on my Tracker Squaretail, by the way. I think that mat works better for me than the Standard. I'm wondering if this has something to do with the female anatomy and the fact that we carry most of our body weight lower than men do. It doesn't matter though. Both mats surf beautifully.

This mat thing has got a hold on me. Lord, it must be love!!

SS

How Much Fun Do You Wanna Have???

A big shipment of material just arrived!

And...

The 4GF Standard will go on sale for the month of November.

$135 USD.

The Standard is our all-time favorite high performance mat, and we think everybody under 200 pounds should have one in their quiver.

But, if you're over 200 lbs, consider one anyway, because when it's head high or better, it flies. A lot of plus-sized mat riders have tried a Standard, and are blown away by how much fun they have when the surf has some grunt.

How to order:

Write me at fourthgearflyer at yahoo.com, and put "Standard Sale" in the subject line. (You don't have to use that subject line, but it will help us.) I'll get back to you within a day or two with the ordering instructions.


Several Provisos:

This offer won't be held over past the end of November. One month only. If someone orders one on November 30th, and the time stamp on the order is Dec 1 or even 2, that's OK. Things like that happen when dealing with world wide customers living in all the various time zones, etc. But no whining that you want the Standard deal on December 3rd!!!!

This offer will not be a part of the "buy two get one free" deal. If you want a quiver during the month of November, it's $398 for three mats, regardless of what mats you want.

No promises on the delivery time. We're all caught up at the moment, but if a lot of orders come in due to the sale, then we might have a 2-3 week build time. But no more than that.

Any non-sale orders that come in this month will go straight to the head of the line.

This offer won't be posted on our web page. This is for the readers of Surfmatters. Of course, anyone can order a Standard on sale, but we aren't going to post it on our site.

Some nice shots of Greenough riding the Standard...

Best Session Report Ever!

PG

Yesterday was just perfect...or was it the day before ???

No matter...or one matter, in the water mid-day Santana. Ohhh well.

What day is it anyway???

Nothing more to say the mats are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TK

First Rincon Mat Session Of The Year!

(Spence is out there somewheres...seriously dude!)

Hi Paul,

I just got a session on the Tracker Roundtail...

The bouys were reporting 12-13 ft. at 15 seconds but the direction was something like 310 degrees, too north for anywhere around here. I remember something John Bradbury said however, that there were Ranch swells and Rincon swells and it always seems Rincon picks up more Northerly swells better than anywhere in Ventura. Big winds outside made for a considerable South backwind bump and slopped up everything, and the bump only got worse as I headed up the coast. In fact, nowhere was really showing much of anything until La Conchita showed some whitewater on the rocks under the pier at high tide. But, as I rounded the sweeping turn at Mussel Shoals I could see the backs of waves in the Cove.

It was high tide and sloppy, I wouldn't even have stopped if I didn't have the mat. The cove was handling things best with sets through to the sand for the patient, but really bumpy. I was surprised that anybody was out, and there were about 20. But nobody, maybe 3 or 4, at the Indicator so I decided to give it a go. The first thing I notice about the Tracker is the heft, and it seems quite a bit bigger than the original Standard. Love the texture of the canvas deck, just enough grip.

It's sloppy indeed at Indicator but there are a few peaks. My first wave was forgettable, fair enough since I haven't been on a mat in I can't remember. But then I got a couple of waves that connected across the creek mouth. It catches waves easily and reminds me of the 9'4" spoon or perhaps a longer 7 foot range hull; very stable and seems to have a lot of glide. I connected sections that would have left me dead in the water on other mats...and especially on a surfboard.

I surfed for about and hour then kicked down to the cove. After few minutes I caught a wave from the glass house to the beach on the inside, connecting section after section, cutting back after big bottom turns, and left the water with a big smile.

I love the feeling of holding on to HORSEPOWER when the mats cut loose and start to squirt across the face of a wave. There is nothing like it.

Mission accomplished. Thanks so much Paul. I can't wait for more South wind.

Spence

El Matadore!!!

Charl goes fashionably bodacious -- donning a beret, standing perilously close to a fire place -- while challenging a local toro (off camera) with his new Tracker Roundtail!

Details of his hair raising adventures here...

From The Lone Wolf...

Hi Paul,

I’ve resisted the immediate urge to dash off a mash note of appreciation just ‘cause it seems everyone does, and I’m a lone wolf, baby! But I can’t help it- I’m absolutely in love with the surfing the mat is providing, and I’m deeply grateful to you for building it!

First two sessions were at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, and were mostly totally humbling. Every aspect of managing the mat was difficult. But, thank god, I got a couple of fast slides that gave me a taste of the ride.

I’ve been traveling in New Zealand for the past month, and have had a chance to get to know the mat in good, uncrowded surf (and good, crowded surf!). Besides occasionally being treated like a gremmie (which I am on the mat, but not in dog years, dammit!) in the aforementioned crowded stuff, riding the Tracker Roundtail has been a delight, and a revelation! I’ve had it out in sizable, fast long point surf, beachbreak from excellent to crappy, small, pleasant reef surf (as in the picture), glassy surf, cranking offshore surf… onshore too- and it is the same story every time- pure joy. The speed (face front and low), the living bursts of acceleration, the sensation through one’s body of the texture of the wave are intoxicating (I’m neglecting my poor, trusty surfboard, and in truth, suspect I might have happily left it behind). Sometimes Superman flying dreams realized- arms back at my sides, flying along, whoooeee! The learning curve is steep, but the rewards when we’re doing it right (me and the TR, my pal) remind me of nothing but those first sweet rides I got as a kid- it’s all new again!

Thank you, sincerely, for re-igniting the stoke, the mystery and the surprise in surfing!

-Jonathan

From Anotonio in PR...

Hello Paul,

Hope everything is fine and I hope your mom is happy and well.

I would like to apologize for being such a bad disciple, you responded very rapidly to my fin questions and even went out of your way and sent me illustrations and it is not until October that I look for the time to reply. Sorry!

I have been having too much fun with my "fatty", I carry it and my fins in the trunk all the time and since I got the mat it has been my surf vehicle about 90% of the time. I inserted some neoprene on my UDT's inside the heel strap and made a wrap around neoprene heel strap to go over it. The wrap around heel strap is removable (I sewed some velcro on the end).

Since scrap neoprene is hard to get in Puerto Rico I went to Walmart and bought one of those jogging fat burning girdles in the sports section along with some regular contact cement. BINGO! Perfect fit with my 2mm heel cut off sox. I glued some of the neoprene material on top of the sox because my deformed toes started to drill a hole on the sox. Ahh comfort... Attached are some pictures of the padding, feel free to post any of this on the blog as I think it may help some people with their feet jejeje. Thank you very much for your advice!

I am currently using my UDT's unmodified, I have strong legs, they only begin to hurt my ankles if I surf over 2 hrs or if I swim long distances with them. when my ankles hurt I think that maybe I will grind the top middle rib just a bit, but then when I get out of the water the discomfort stops and I say naaahhh. The next day I am fine.

By the way, it may sound weird but my surfboard design decisions are now largely based on my mat surfing. Glide and pocket surfing, just enjoying the ride. I rarely ride my 3 fin thruster anymore, mostly a mat, my keel fish and singlefin logs, therefore the big gun...

Thank you for helping me see a different approach to riding waves, I have learned a lot from the mat. I wish other people would let go of their judgement and try a mat, I have offered rides to many since I got my mat 2 summers ago. People I know and people I don't know. Of the 5 who have tried it, all ended up with smiles on their face.

One last question I got from a friend who surfed the mat on perfect 4' faces over a live coral reef with crystal clear water on one of our island's cays. She asked me if you can make a mat with a transparent window to see the reef while we glide over it. How about a transparent mat?

I bet that would be fun!

Antonio

Hello, and a Report of Fun!

(Not Pendo...but a reasonable facsimile!)

Dear Paul,

We hope that our email finds you doing well.

Steve and I have had some fun matt sessions lately! Two days stand out...

One gray day we were at one of the reefs on a mixed swell. We were connecting lefts down the line, across facey sections and through the bowl around the corner. The feeling of speed is amazing. I have been riding the Standard with less floatation and am really liking the ability to set the bottom curve or straightness. One wave stands out, as I had slipped off the mat on a left, and accidentally planed on it using my hand like a hand plane, with my torso higher on the wave face. After this section, I was able to pull it back under me and make it though the bowl. The sensation of planing on my body, with the mat out in front and to the side was amazing, and the fact that I made the long wave, too.

The second day, the waves were more SW focused and cleaner and the bowl was more timely. Steve has been ripping on his Roundtail Tracker, and the kids that surf the inside are hooting him on, as he got barreled again and went flying by. The kids remarked how much fun Steve is having and how fast he's going.

Thank you for making such wonderful wave riding craft.

Aloha,
Cher and Steve

Another Bali Mat Session!

Paul

Check out these shots of me on my Standard Fourth Gear Flyer at Uluwatu, Bali this year.

~Luc

Latest from Surf Sister...

I think the picture tells you how much I love the new mat.

M

P.S. Look, Ma, no death grip!

Vote For the Letter Of The Week!

Paul,

This is a bit late but I thought I'd get back to you about quick service and a good story. I got the Fatty Roundtail in two days which was very impressive and easily in time for my trip to Nantucket this past August. Tropical Storm Danielle was the star of out trip and
provided us with tons of surf. The fist time I blew up the mat, I got plenty of laughs and I had to simply say, "We'll see after a few rides." My son added, "Dad, you look like a dork with that thing!"

I just laughed and said, "we'll see." It wasn't anything to write home about condition wise, but it was a blast skimming along at high speed right past my son. After a couple days, he says, "Dad, can I try the mat?" I said "sure," and we were off for another session. I got him into his first wave which he rode up onto the sand, stood up, and screamed with delight. He made it back outside and said, "I was going so fast!!!!, this thing is great!"

My question to him was, "who is the dork now?". We laughed so hard. I went on to send him into wave after wave for the next hour and a half. We're off to Montauk in two weeks for Columbus Day and I'm hoping for another session or two. Thanks for the fun and keep up the good work. Please know you have a couple of huge 4th Gear fans here on the East coast!

Brian and Henry

-------------------

Paul,

I got my mat...thank you!

Got home to drizzly streets and a new surf mat on the door step. You pack a class act -- 3 days from order to maiden voyage -- delicate packaging and excellent communication; I highly recommend 4th gear flyer.

After a little inflation and a couple checks on the internet I headed down to Beacons. Walked north just south of "white fence" and paddled out to some stormy peaks. The mat paddles very well and catches waves well. Turning is another story, as is going under breaking waves. With no leash options and the realization that these are hand made delicate devices, it's awful hard to grab it gently after getting crushed or going under the wave.

Major issue that needs resolution is hitting the flats after a drop at angle and trying to "bottom turn" - I'm pretty convinced no such thing exists on a mat. Finally took to hanging a leg way off the mat at an angle diagonal to the line on the back of the mat while pushing down on the front of the mat to get her to swing right or left. Unlike surfing or hand planing, matting is apolitical -- there's no goofy or regular foot which is neat.

I look forward to getting it in smooth water as it really does haul ass even in windy bumpy rain-surf. "It's also a great work out," as they say on the dark side, or stand up paddle world. Two lobster divers swam past me as the sun set and threw the hang loose sign. Overall I'm thinking this thing is going to be fun!

Jim

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aloha paul....

maiden voyage....local beach break...lined up nnw swell 3-4 ft with long lines and short interval and mostly closed out with short run then reform on the inside....easy take off....straight off then right slides in the white water to the reform and then was able to "trim" along to the close out then wash up sideways on the beach....new smiles on our faces.....hardest part was the backward entry with fins on into the surf...and then the left calf cramped after a bit...have to go slowly to build up the legs...thanks for the opportunity to enjoy the water again....delightful...peace and aloha... g and s