was trying to get to your website to look at your mats. but the link isnt working. how much are your mats? thanks paul
what’s the difference in a riding a boogie board and a mat? do you need some juice to get it working (ie will it work in FL slop)?
Pauluk, go to Google and enter: neumaticsurfcraft.homestead.com/ NeumaticSurfcraftwebsite.html Although my website is in need of an update, you can see a current example of my work in the Swaylocks classifieds “For Sale” section, ad #211. That black/black mat was recently made for Kenny Hughes (see “Inflatable Dreams”, The Surfers Journal, Late Spring 2000, Vol.9, No.2) of Santa Barbara, CA. Also check out the Swaylocks "Resources" section in "30 years Dale Solomonson various"; in the accompanying photos, you can see two surfmats which I completed a short time ago for Warren Pfeiffer of Yamba, NSW Australia (yellow/black), and Kenny Hughes (black/black). I custom design and build each of my surfmats based on rider height, weight, expected surfing conditions and general ocean experience. Theyre $295.00 USD, which includes 2-3 day U.S. Priority mail shipping, a slender drawstring bag, written instructions and repair swatches. You may contact me at (dalesolomonson@hotmail.com), or for additional reference, there are a number of Swaylocks contributors who I`m sure will be willing to further information based on their personal experiences. Neumatic Surfcraft are used by surfers all over the world. Thanks for asking!
JR, Bodyboards and surfmats have very little in common. Here are a few of the contrasts: Surfmats function as an air/water interface, and are closer to bodysurfing than anything else. On a surfmat, youre literally riding air and water at the same time. A bodyboard is a semi-flexible solid, while a surfmat behaves more like an active gel or muscle. The feel and response of each is completely different. The foam in bodyboards tends to dampen and deaden sensation, yet still transfers a good deal of shock. Surfmats are resonant and sensitive, but ironically absorb much of the impact from surface chop. Most bodyboards are high volume, mass-marketed and manufactured. Customers usually buy through distributors and rarely ever have the opportunity to communicate with the designer/fabricator. In contrast, my customers deal directly with me (via phone or/or email), and I build my surfmats one at a time, in very limited numbers. Bodyboards generally require a fair bit of leverage and body movement. Surfmats operate best with a minimum of rider effort. Unlike bodyboards, surfmats can actually accelerate (without your help) pulling themselves into and through walled-up, twisted, critical sections. Because of that, many competant mat surfers find themselves increasingly attracted to relatively uncrowded, quirky waves and conditions which are commonly passed off by other surfers as second-rate spots. But among others who ride them, surfmats are well-known for turning "B" grade waves into "As". The shape of a bodyboard is fixed, but a surfmats contours are constantly changing and adapting themselves to the curves and textures of the wave, always trying to seek the path of least resistance. Unlike bodyboards, there is no dead rider weight, as the top and bottom surfaces of a mat receive pressure separately, and function independently. Buoyancy is widely adjustable with a surfmat, while a bodyboards flotation remains the same. Bodyboards weigh pounds; most of the modern surfmats Ive made range from 12 to 26 ounces. Surfmats easily deflate and roll down to about 3" x 24", or less. Several mats, a pair of swim fins and a wetsuit fit very nicely in a carry-on sports bag. If so desired, a mat rider is virtually invisible as a traveling surfer. Yes, juice is good... while bodyboards and surfmats will work on most any wave, anywhere, bodyboards usually have the advantage in short, heaving dumpers. But in longer waves, surfmats are in a league of their own. Unlike bodyboards, surfmats are able to maintain an excellent balance of speed and control as wave size and power increases. Surfmats actually go faster, yet run smoothly, on choppy, ledgy waves. Regarding the use of surfmats in smaller, weaker, sloppy waves, George Greenough has used his mats in those types of conditions, most of the time. Ive also had some very stoked emails from friends who surf the Texas coastline, as well as in the Great Lakes. Dale
Dale said it better than anyone else, so let me just second that emotion. I’ve only got wo years of mat riding under my belt and I’m giddy about it. Big, small, sloppy, clean, it’s all fun.
Typo–“wo years” should have been “two years”