for Dale ...

General Discussion
1

hi there !

I hope you are going well !

just a mat question …

“eyelets” …

do you by any chance have some closeup photos , showing what yours look like , and how a leash attaches to them , please ?

[I hope this isn’t ‘blasphemous’ to the ‘purists’ …but , while taking photos , I need to be able to keep my hands free, and be able to keep the mat with me when I wipe out…]

I just want to get an idea of where / how to locate / secure them , for our winter surf here . And also , to help the mat stay attached , so I can get later watershots from it , without having to retrieve my mat from shore every time I get drilled taking shots in future.

cheers for your help [and all your really useful previous advice [and others’ , too !] so generously and freely given on the “to the surf mat riders” thread .

Thanks again !

ben

[‘chipmat61’ , on the other site]

2

Chip,chip, chip! Hope not too flippant, but…ya wanna give Dale a heart attack? Kidding, sort of. I have seen a mat he made w/ eyelets; metal grommets on front edge like are often on drugstore mats. Probably no big deal on cheep, heavy material mats. BUT for a light weight, high performance, high tech fabric mat, story is they will likely eventually cause mat failure at an early age. Also, they teach you to depend on leash. Read a quote from GG somewhere about shooting photos at Sunset in HI. He said he’d ditch the camera if he got caught then ride the mat to where it was and pick it up. That being the easier combo than loosing grip on the mat and keeping the camera. Gotta master the grip of steel fingers and the Russian bear wrestler hug. Maybe Dale has more to say on this but I know he strongly resists making mats w/ eyelets…

3

Ben- here’s one example. I’ll look for others…

Closeup of top surface, right rear edge lap, heavily reinforced, 1/4" shock cord, limited to back 1/3 of surf mat on 2 sides.

Greg Deets “T3 II” design - made for Richard V. Santangelo of Australia.

As Dr. Strange mentioned, I rarely put restraint systems on mats. But if you do anchor a camera to your mat, consider wearing an athletic mouthguard :slight_smile:

4

thanks very much Dale !

the camera would be firmly in my hand . The mat hopefully would be firmly anchored to my body .

I guess Greenough’s housings were big enough [and hopefully , floaty enough ?!], that he was able to spot them , even at Sunset ?? Mine aren’t , so I want to keep the camera with me at all times . Two lost forever nikonos’s taught me that , the hard way .

What do people attach the mats to , then ? You mentioned the BACK of the mat , so … [short] legrope style ?

cheers 



  ben
5

http://www.swaylocks.com/…eeds%20leash;#286582

This is a basic idea for a leash for a mat; It would probably need a nylon nose cone attached to the front with the strands being

some kind of select material , trial and error. I’d be matting except a mat needs a leash.

Hopefully some trailblazer will take up the task!

Without a leash, you can hardly stay out at booming channel-less breaks before getting washed in.

And other’s have had their thumbs sprained or worse by the forces of holding on to a mat in some serious poundage.

The forces build and then overwhelm your hands and arms forcefully when your holding on.

Stick to the smaller surf and everything remains copasetic.

If not and your older then this could be either a temporary or permanent injury.

Yep, thats right a leash for a mat is not an insurmountable goal!

6

…classic , mate !

[now i know why i relate to neil finn’s “nobody takes me seriously anyway” song !]

“the flying chipfish mat” , now headed rotto’s way …

[you got it right about the “pounding , channel-less break” bit though , oty !]

cheers

ben

7

Hi Otis,

The right leash for a mat is not an insurmountable goal if a person accepts that compromises in performance will be the result. From an email to a good friend…

Re: drogue questions:

The idea was to slow down the mat if it got away… for both wave and wind action. My goal was to make something compact that had little, or no bouyancy… that would quickly sink, deploy and fill with water, creating just enough weight and drag to slow movement in water and by hard winds. Quick to pull back and place on deck, immediately ready to use again.

Anchor lines were usually between 2’ to 3’ long (longer usually worked better, but were more of a hassle), common supple 1/8" woven nylon cord - like parachute cord. I attached to reinforced front edge lap/grommets, and/or reinforced circular deck patch anchor (homemade)- like those used on inflatable boats, i.e. Zodiac. When not in use, the drogue would (hopefully but not always) lay flat on the deck, forward under chest. Also tried small patches of velcro on forearm or chest to temporarily restrain drogue and keep it from sliding around on deck.

My drogues were crude, sort of like a toy parachute, rear cone section about 12" deep x 6" opening (wire ring). Attached to front close to center. I tried cone, circular, triangular and square shapes. I even tried a 3" hollow rubber ball with a few holes in it (heavy with water, high drag shape) and a small plastic grid cage! ha ha Drogues

which were slightly weighted at opposite end from anchor line, usually deployed the best.

Eventually I got tired of the downsides… getting hit in the face, tangles, no deployment when needed, or unexpected deployment, etc. I have some funny memories : ) Mat surfing drogues are inexpensive little projects to play with… I’ve no doubt you can improve.

Here’s a rough sketch:

One idea I never really tried that might work well and be reasonably safe: a small bag filled with water attached to mat as per previous sketch. Place on deck. Minimal impact risk… fat, baggy, squat shape, larger than eye socket… add/subtract weight while surfing, enough ballast to slow down a mat in water and heavy enough to prevent from

going airborne and flying away. The added deck weight

might even be an asset in choppy conditions. Cheap, easy, low risk :slight_smile:

Hope this was helpful…

8

My take on it would be to contain the drogue in a pocket on the rider, not on the mat. When the mat and rider become separated by however long the string is, the drogue pulls out and opens. The connection to the mat could be any number of things. Chandleries have life preserver drogues. The pocket and connector parts could be made of wetsuit scraps.

9

Make sure those drogue pockets drain instantly :slight_smile:

Another reason why I played with quick attach/release velcro tabs on forearm and chest.

10

11

in winter it will be easier …

The camera will be on my back [tied to the wetsuit zipper cord] . The legrope [or similar …a short boogieboarding leash, even?] will be attached to the handles on the mat [I’ll hopefully get another of the Redback ‘Bali’ mats before then , in the absence of $300usa for a ‘real’ mat].

I will ride the mat ‘backwards’ [ie: handles near my knees ] , so the legrope will not hamper my paddling.

…the handles , in a better position [more forward on the redback ‘Bali’ model mat ] serve a PURPOSE for me , after all ! [you B-E-E-O-O-O-O- T-Y !!]

cheers 



   ben

p.s. - does anyone else here take photos while riding their mat ? If so , where do YOU guys keep the camera , and do you use a legrope , for when you and the mat part company ?

12

That drogue reminds me of a cast net. Perhaps one could catch a few pounds of shrimp or a stray fish for dinner while matting.