I have just finished making my first surf mat. Hardest thing ever but looking forward to testing it out!
Cheers
G
Here she is:
HA !! I think Ive got ( including hybrid inflatables) about 12.
No man should have that much choice.
I hadn't tried mine in years...
Fuck!!! I forgot how hard it is... Sadley, I once was able to actually do turns and stuff on it.
Still in love with standing up... after prone paddeling in that is... Ha!
Ah c’mon… no one rides mats anymore !
joking…
NOW youre talking my language !
It looks great !!
Tell me everything, Ive got this simmering idea ( for at least 15 years) to make a solid deck with a flexible hull and I need to know how to make mats to do it.
Tell me more......PM me..
Pics and details please if you can ?.
But I dont want to come across as needy. (ha)
Thanks mate.
Details on the build are here:
http://www.surfmat.org/t635-my-first-build
I have to say though, although it sounds interesting to go har deck and soft bottom, the beauty of mats is the complete pliability and responsiveness of an entirely soft structure. I've deliberately mooved away from heavier weight nylon on decks for that reason. With a hard deck, manipulating rail shape and hardness on the go would be very difficult.
More on that here:
http://ukmatsurfers.org/html/riding_mats.html
Cheers
G
http://www.kryptsurf.com/SURFMAT.htm
Check out the 2 videos on this page... Mat surfing is addictive, I love the speed and the look on peoples face when I accelerate past them! I currently own a quiver of Paul Gross mats, the Fatty model is way too much fun!
Yeah 4GF's are great. Certainly the most versatile and best performing mats available without going custom. PG does some really good deals too:
G
Unfortunately, G-Mat 1 didn't work out too well. I had various samples of material so used the least sexy one to build my first mat. The results were disturbing. Firstly, the material seemed to have some wierd coating so the deckgrip just wouldn't stick, eventually needing to be glued down. Still, it rode really well, although was a touch wheezy, but was extremely quick and held well. Alas, the poor material took it's toll and an I-Beam ended up going. On a positive, it was the material which went rather than my welding, however a weld going may have been repairable...
Ho hum...
So then, on to G-Mat 2!!! Here are some pictures.
[img]http://i26.servimg.com/u/f26/16/16/99/98/surfma10.jpg[/img]
This mat is made from superior material (both in terms of strength and being able to stick stuff to it!). I've made it so that the air transfer between pontoons is quicker which will make it more responsive to me and the wave and will also reduce the stress on the internal structures.
Anyway, full breakdown of the build process is here:
http://www.surfmat.org/t691-mat-build-2
Just hope this one stays in one piece!!!
Cheers G
Pretty sure that’s the guy who ripped Dale S. off… Or so I’ve been told, but, appearently, such is life.
[quote="$1"]
Pretty sure that's the guy who ripped Dale S. off... Or so I've been told, but, appearently, such is life.
[/quote]
I'm guessing you're not talking about me.
G
double dip
oh never mind…
Onya Grayman, I think youre doing really well. Just great to see how its done.
Whats the main material used? Does it have a commercial name so I can source it in Oz ?
Cheers.
....cheers for this thread , and the good links , "grayman" !!
I'm sure that this guy pictured is the same Mark Thompson , who has been George Greenough's neighbour for the past ? 30 years at least ? ....no surprises , then , that he is also making mats ?!
He , and his son [Daniel] , rip on all KINDS of alternative fishes , and other flexy equipment [as can be seen on this krypt site , under surfboards and other things too ] . He was the first I saw using the carbon fibre hockey stick shaped fins [in the lost "5'5 x 19 1/4" video [!] , Tom Curren , replete with mohawk[!] rides them on a thruster , that he and greenough and mark shape , fin , and glass ! great stuff ! see site ] .
Nowadays , the 'thommo' boards , as featured on this site [ and also , in america , on tfad's 'surfy surfy' blog ] , are Daniel's and Mark's brainchild/ creations ....
and ...
[ http://www.kryptsurf.com/CARBON%20FIBRE%20SURFBORADS.htm ]
....These guys SURE seem to have creative minds , eh ?! .... and insane surfing ability [and waves on their doorstep ! .... refer to the links for broken head , and the water shots on mats , ? at Lennox ? , previously on this thread ....]
cheers !
ben
TaylorO, if you are refering to Mark Thomson, I don’t know him but those 2 videos on his site display the awsomeness of getting barrelled on a mat, Broken Head seems like a nice hollow point I would love to surf. On the other hand, if you are talking about Paul Gross, he is a very cool guy who answers e-mails fast and always takes the time to clarify any doubts related to mat surfing. When I ordered my first mat, I originally e-mailed Solomonson and received no reply from him for over 2 months. By that time I had already ordered a mat from Paul Gross who answered my e-mail on the same day I sent it… Talk about customer service… Anyway if it’s Paul you are talking about ripping off Solomonson, I would love to hear the story on this thread… By the way, he is also a Swaylock’s user…
who came first ? greenough , or paul , or dale , is my question ...
it's all GOOD if you're getting tubed , which obviously they ALL enjoy doing , in fourth or fifth or whatever gear it is [FAAAST and FUN , THAT is for sure !]
"who came first ? greenough , or paul , or dale , is my question ..."
Hi Ben... I'm pretty sure Greenough is the oldest of the group you mention but maybe the guy who should get credit is Dr Smithers? He was doing inflatable Surf-O-Planes in the early 30s.
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000146.html
Well that’s my thread stuffed. Glad I kicked off all this shit again.
Ho hum…
Goodbye.
G