how to build a surf mat?

[Surffoils]

Thats cool Ace, Im happy to do it.

Same here, I didnt make my first mat and then I thought -’ I will have a go at making one of these’… I figured it would just take a bit of brainwork, the hardest part is sourcing the material but then I found the clear vinyl and marine fabric at a boat outfitters. And now you can just buy the glue online too.

The professionals make their mats to suit the market but theres a world of experimentation to be had especially as mat design has been a little quiet for a few decades, theres not even any lunatic surfmat makers like there are with surfboards !

Mat websites and blogs are shutting down but people are looking for a new buzz and mats are so  easy to make , a blast to ride even if you break the rules and ride them pumped up.

Personally Im taking on the mantle of Lunatic Surf Mat Maker of the Modern Age, making mats that no one else will !

Ive already made mats with steel string suspension inside, swallow tails, curved outlines, clear mats where you can see the water flow, inside-out mats with no flap, asymmetrical mats, mats with a hard deck, mats with seperately inflated pontoons, mats with FCS fins, mats tapered in width and thickness, heavy fabric mats 1 inch thick, mats with plastic internal battens, mats with no I-Beams,  and theres a ton of new mat ideas to make on the horizon.

Its not commercial stuff but its not meant to be.   Its just the free spirit of doing whatever I want, push the boundaries of creative thought and construction and having fun from the concept to the waves, again and again.

So if I can connect with mat riders, hand out a few free mats and share the technical aspects then people might have a stab at making mats… haha.

At the end of this thread I will put  a DIY Surf Mat Design   link to a printable design where you can print, cut the material, glue and have a basic mat done in a day or two. It will be as easy as one of those plastic Airfix models that we all made as kids. Or maybe in the Resources Department ??

 

[Surffoils]

 The only other solid component of a surf mat is the valve/ vent.

Take a piece of material , cut a hole and glue the valve thru the hole from the underside.

Then cut a hole in the deck skin between the I-beams at the front of the mat and glue the valve from the inside of the mat.

[Surffoils]

Usually mats have 3 or 4  I-beams.

 Here’s one with 7 tapered I-beams so the mat is 2 in thick at the front and 5 in thick at the back.

Because it’s Thermo plastic I ironed a fold into the I-beams on the top and bottom edges so it will be millimetre perfect.

[Surffoils]

Mark everything, number the parts so you don’t get it wrong. And then glue the I-beams into place. Glue them to the hull skin first.

Do a dry run, make sure it’s all correct. Now take it easy, hit your marks, keep it clean.

In the end you have all your beams attached to the bottom section of the mat, here’s it all upside down so you can see the beams.

[Surffoils]

Once you’ve got all the beams glued to the bottom skin, go for a surf. Now get the deck skin on the work table and put the skin with the beams on top. Once again you’re going to glue the beams down on to a skin.

Align the skins directly above one another so the I-beams will be glued into place without tension. Work from the centre beam , always from the same end, test that it’s going to work out then glue it in place with care.

[Surffoils]

I-beams done. 

I was going to put in a clear inflation valve but I remembered that if you lose a clear mat in the surf they’re almost impossible to spot so I’m putting in a yellow valve. Maybe a coloured stripe later on.

After you’ve done the valve the next step is to glue the perimeter of the top and bottom skins together and it’s finished.

[johnmellor]

edit 

[johnmellor]

That is incredible!  Best thread of the year. This stuff is greatness in every sense. Sorry for double post.

[Surffoils]

John, I don’t know if it’s the best thread but it is interesting.

Just for that post alone I’ll make you a free mat !

Just to finish off the clear mat build, I already have the glue line drawn in and registration marks around the perimeter so as I glue I know I’m not stretching either skin and they wil sit smoothly.

It’s finished and ready to surf but the glue needs a day to cure properly.

And that’s about all you need to know about making a mat. I’m happy to answer questions, provide dims or make a few more to show…?

 

[Surffoils]

Leave a new mat in a warm place half-inflated so the flat material can stretch into the inflated curves.

Looking inside a mat you can see the I-beams are straight and the deck and hull skins are curved.

This mat is also tapered to be 3" thick at the front and 5 " thick at the tail.

[johnmellor]

I realize that the material is not ‘military spec’ ballistic nylon or whatever but to me there is something strangely beautiful about that completed clear vinyl surf mat.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  If it were turned around and ridden backwards, would the tail sink in for more control on bigger waves?  This entire thread and the linked blog deserve a second and third rereading.  There is a LOT of fascinating information being shared here!

[Monkstar1]

“I already have the glue line drawn in and registration marks around the perimeter so as I glue I know I’m not stretching either skin and they wil sit smoothly.”

Any tricks when it’s not a clear mat?

[Surffoils]

@$1

“I already have the glue line drawn in and registration marks around the perimeter so as I glue I know I’m not stretching either skin and they wil sit smoothly.”

Any tricks when it’s not a clear mat?

With the clear mat I put all the markings on the outside with a pen so I can wash them off later. With other materials use a pencil and put all the markings on the inside, you’ll still be able to see them as you glue it up. For outside markings use the blue 3M tape we use for surfboards. When you start glueing the perimeter I also use pegs or tape around the outside to hold it all in place.

[Surffoils]

 Just got out of the surf and yes, ridden with the thinner end at the tail worked really well on waves with a bit of juice. Even though there’s less width and less thickness, when it got hollow the thin end at the back was a standout. 

Bottom turn, get up high for maximum trim , squeeze the front corners to increase the internal pressure and you can feel the tail fill out and the speed increase. Same technique as a standard mat, but but with the thinner tail, the effect of squeezing the mat is magnified.

Inflated - 21" at front 14" at tail. If anything , I’d pull in the front dim to maybe 19".

I’ll have another surf tomorrow and see what happens.

[Sparx45]

Wow…incredible !!!..Im goung to start one shortly but the material I ordered feels really thin although it’s waterproof It’s not particulalry rigid !

 

Spx

[Surffoils]

Hi Sparx45, Im happy to help if you want, but youve got some great mat guys over there.

Did you check that the material is able to hold air ?,   some materials are waterproof but because air is a smaller molecule it can get through waterproof fabric…

Tried the tapered design again yesterday and its the same acceleration response, squeeze the corners, the tail tenses and it shoots forward into another level. Lots more grip than anything else Ive ridden but its basic science that the tapered tail has less area to support the same weight and  therefore increases grip.

 I will take a few days to keep riding and testing the first tapered mat before I start to build a new version, but…

Heres the next design.

[Surffoils]

Just starting a new rounded mat and it’s all about planning.

I want this mat to be a custom curved shape so I’ve crunched the numbers and I’m building it to be exactly the inflated dimensions I want.

There’s a lot of prep and  design thought that goes into every mat but regular shapes are easy to replicate and custom shapes are a little more complex.

Inflating a flat mat reduces the width by around 11% and up to 21% but it varies depending on a few factors. Based on these factors I can predict how a flat mat design will become an inflated mat shape. Everything is considered, everything is measured. It used to take me days to make a decision on design, if there’s a right way of doing it surely I should be able to figure it out the first time ? But now with years of experience the right decisions come naturally, probably because I’ve lost sleep over the years trying to work it out !

This will be something you’ve never seen before in mats.

 

[Surffoils]

 Top and bottom skins cut but I’m using specific materials for certain areas.

The front area is where the mat contacts the oncoming water and most of the impact is here so I’ve cut out the front hull of the mat and replacing it with a very light clear vinyl. Because the vinyl is a uniform product, that is, it’s isn’t a composite fabric made of a fabric mesh with a plastic coating but rather solid vinyl, it can be thinner. The deck and bottom skins are composites but the clear section is very light and flexible to ripple over the wave.

From riding my clear mats I’ve seen that the flow of water under a mat quickly becomes a maelstrom of eddies and currents, in part becuase a mat goes mainly over the water and the flexible hull doesn’t direct a smooth flow in any direction.

And for the deck / tail section and rails Ive stayed with standard 200 Denier materials.

 

[johnmellor]

That mat is NUTS!!  Definitely a far cry from anything I’ve seen before. 

[Surffoils]

Choosing the materials is always a trade off between durability so the mat can take a few knocks and have a decent lifespan.

And flexibility where the bottom material is so supple that it bends to every ripple and allows the mat to go over the chop instead of through it and reduces drag for maximum speed.

So I figured to do both but maximise the durability and focus the flexible component down to the minimal essential.

Hopefully. A few people will be inspired by the thread to go out and buy a mat and have a blast on it.

These mats aren’t for sale despite a few offers, but there are several professional mat makers who know their craft and produce excellent mats and can steer people onto the right mat and how to experience this unique sensation.