From Stoddy

 

 

I picked up an XL from a friend and it was the best purchase of 2021!

So far she has been both to the Channel Islands and Canary Islands. Next stop the South Pacific in 2022.

No suit required when your back pack into the wave. 

Best,

Stoddy

Some Thoughts On Tom Morey

 

                                        This is my shot of Tom in front of the original Boogie build shop, right after it opened.

Back in high school, I worked for WAVE Corp. in Ventura. This was after Tom Morey had left the Morey Pope and WAVE, and moved to Kauai...so I didn't know him back then.

When I moved to San Diego to go to college in the early 70's, I got a job at Gordon and Smith grinding fins. Tom had just returned to the mainland with his new wife Marchia, and they were living in the north county. He came to work with Larry Gordon, and together they did the Waterskate. Tom and Larry also toyed with the idea of making and marketing the Boogie, which was Tom's primary passion but on Larry's back burner. They made a solid foam and glass plug for the Boogie, and hoped to mold it in ethafoam. At first it was finless, then somebody glassed a set of twin fins on it to make it more ridable.

 

I surfed the solid prototype after it had fins. It had a wide tail with deep, flared-out concaves. Hard as hell to ride.

 

The Waterskate never really caught on -- high volume boards weren't in vogue back then -- but the surfers who rode them loved them. 

 

Skip Frye on a Waterskate...

 

 

 

Tom left G&S and began to develop the Boogie on his own. He brought me along, and I became Tom and Marchia's first Boogie employee. We worked out of his breezeway in Carlsbad. I assembled the kits that went out, and even got to watch Tom at his desk creating his legendary Boogie assembly instructions.

One chilly fall morning, I shot some 8mm footage of Tom riding an early Boogie at Seaside Reef...sans wetsuit! (He saw Boogie riding as a throwback to simpler times, and wanted to convey that feeling.) I believe it's the first film ever shot of a Morey Boogie being ridden. Some of that footage was used in this little promo film.

Fast forward to the 90's, I wrote a article on Tom in Surfer's Journal. I did it without his knowledge or blessing. He had a powerful presence, and I didn't want him to influence the article. I wanted to find the sweet spot between his contradictory elements...that of a selfless visionary and that of a world class promoter. 

There was no way to know if Tom was going to like it, but after that article came out Tom and Marchia came by Spencer Kellogg's shop in Ventura, Our Blue Planet. I wasn't there shaping that day, so I missed him. Spence said they were stoked, and I was relieved to hear that! I sat with Tom on the beach at Malibu a few months later, but he never brought it up. That was Tom.

Anyone when knew Tom also knew he needed a real world anchor. Marchia was far more instrumental in the success of the Boogie than most people realize. Tom was free to fly in the clouds thanks to Marchia.

It's ironic, but if it wasn't for the Boogie, the modern surfmat may not have been developed. The Boogie put all the high quality mat makers out of business (like Converse/Hodgman), leaving nothing but 'off-shore' cheapies. That created the need to build our own mats. Funny how things work out.

 

Thanks for everything, Tom and Marchia!

PG

RIP Tom Morey 1935 - 2021

 

 

I shot some of this Super 8mm footage of Tom riding an early Boogie in North San Diego County, c 1974. I believe it's the first film of the Boogie ever shot.

From The Matsurfing Society of New York ...

 

From Luis

 

La Roca Cabo ...

From Bill and Gregor

 

From Benoit

 

 

Hi there,

I bought a 4th gears flyer omni surfmat a few years ago, just wanted to share this video where I ride it on a tidal bore in France (Mascaret Saint Pardon).

 

These waves (only a few) are known to be very weak and you won't see any shortboards there, mostly sups and big longboards.

 

Surf mats are well known to be able to ride any kind of waves, just wanted to check that out ;)

Cheers !

Two Memorial Paddle-Outs for Rob Pollard

 

 

As many of you know, we've lost Rob Pollard. His mother Willow has graciously sent packets of his ashes to mat surfers in the US and Australia, and there will be paddle outs in his honor in both countries.

Two memorials are taking place in the US this Monday, October 11th. This is Willow's birthday, so with her blessing, we chose it as the date for our events.

One paddle out will be at Steamer Lane at 9AM. Meet up at the statue.

 

The second will be at Refugio State Park, north of Santa Barbara. We will begin gathering around 2PM, but the paddle out won't be until 4PM. Meet up in the public lot along the shore.

 

If you're familiar with Rob via Surfmatters and other social media, but can't make it, please keep him in your heart next Monday. It will mean the world to his friends and family.

We miss you, buddy. Stay stoked wherever you are...

From Bill

 

Palisades Left from bill mulder on Vimeo.

Inflatable Moon On The Loose

 

 

 

 

 

From Bob

 

Hi Paul

A photo from Vermont by my friend Banjer Dan. Is it a screen door or a surf mat???

 

I have two new recruits, Damon and Paul.  They tried it at the Pit and one has already purchased a wetsuit.  

Bob aka Mat Man

More UDT Swim Fin History

 

This just came in from "Renbuild1" in response to an old Surfmatters post, here...

"The shot with the astronauts is fun. Most are NOT Team guys. You can tell by their swimsuits. UDT swim trunks are all we ever wore. The guy in the front row on the left definitely IS. He’s wearing UDT swim trunks with web belt and K-Bar knife. We always wore our watches on our right wrist, because we didn’t want the snare to catch our watch during cast and recovery ops. On his left wrist he’s wearing a compass and depth gauge. He recently got out of the water since his trunks are still wet. I don’t know his name, but it’s likely he’s East Coast, UDT 22.

The dark haired guy on the far left in the wetsuit top is Corney Leyden. He was a master chief in UDT 22 when I was there from ‘67-71. He was our diving Department chief and knew tons about all three of our diving rigs and kept us all current. Corney is wearing issue booties that we’re a MUST with Duck Feet, because the fins would tear up your feet without them."

From hulasurf.tv

 

 

Riding a 4thGearFlyer in overhead waves. This was my first session riding the Lotus model. The handmade surf mat by Paul Gross is narrower & has less volume so the idea is you'd want to ride it in bigger surf or smaller waves with power. This particular day in Hawaii had some size, but also had a little wind which created some bump. The Lotus felt more responsive and easier to turn. Glad to have this model in the quiver.

 https://www.instagram.com/hulasurf.tv/

 

From Lou

 

Lou G. put me on to a really good website, "The Surf Film Archives."  It's free to join, and there's a treasure trove of old surf films that haven't been seen for decades.

Here are some frame grabs of George G ripping on a Converse Hodgman mat in the early 70's...

Thanks Lou!

Introducing Bobby

 

Hey Paul,

Meet BOBBY, first born son of Joshua Simpson and Bella Sykes. Like a boy to water. Favourable conditions in Australia. Cruising in first gear. Happy Floating. 

From Crowe

From John

 

 

Hello Paul- 

Here is a pic of me riding my other one at typhoon lagoon at Disney a few years ago. The mat was made for that place.

John

From Lloyd

 Hello there Paul

 thought you might like this shot  I like the unusual perspective of this screenshot from a video with the camera mounted on my helmet air mat surfing a few years ago when I was 65

Cheers Lloyd

From NY Matt

 

Hi Paul,

I made this vid in some shore pound this weekend!

Matt

From Mr. Wise

 

Paul,

I just spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica visiting my son. Had the opportunity to ride my mat in some fun surf. Really having a great time learning how it works. 

Thank you!

Paul W. 

From Mark

 

 

 Surf matting swamp style...nobody drops in!

Hope you're well,

 

Mark P.