well said Lee. and i’m sure you’re right about words having little to do with actually figuring out this craft. i’m generally not big on the beatles, but i’ll take it into serious consideration…
<<i have a mat coming from Dale too. I’m in DC and have been wanting to surf the lefts at Cape May. Spent any time down there?>>
Jaimie - I was staying with my sister in Cape May for a coupla weeks last Sept. My Neumatic arrived while there and I surfed 1-4ft waves, lefts off one of the local rock groynes. Fun, but the water full of holiday makers bobbing about. I tried to join some surfers on another groyne one day but was soon educated by the life guards that it wasa standup only zone that the local boardriders had fought for. I’ve never surfed such a regulated place (I’m from NZ) but I guess with the summer crowds ya gotta have rules. The mat attracted its share of amused/interested stares and in general seemed an oddity and not a serious surf craft. The guards would tell me to “take my raft and move down the beach”.
On a tiny day I’d been catching lefts heading south, and I waded from the takeoff at the groyne tip back to my towel on the north side of the rocks rather than ride into the beach and walk back. A guard tracked me down and nicely said “please don’t do that”. I never asked why.
Anyway, while I was there the waves were generally small and bumped up by the seabreeze but any groyne could have shape on its day, depending on sand. Quite sucky at low tide. It was a fun place to pushbike to the beach, mat and fins in a backpack, chain up the bike and go surfing. Just the bare essentials…Jon
sounds like an interesting weekend in the summer hell that is jersey. i figure i won’t have any of those hassles this time of year, it doesn’t really warm up til june, plus no beach restrictions in the winter, i think.
i’m not surprised you didn’t get any love from the locals with the rubber ducky, but on it’s day the lefts peeling into the cove off the last groyne sound like fun, especially in a big freezing nor’easter.
though were i you, i wouldn’t have left NZ. I am in fact planning on backpacking NZ N. Isle very soon. Hope to stay around a year, then on to Indo via OZ. Don’t know where i’m staying, and really only have a few vague ideas of where to go. raglan, shipwreck bay, mt. maunganui, taranaki, but am open to all suggestions.
jon
Where are you surfing now? Are you still riding your mat?
Thanks
Bruce - I’m on Eleuthera in the Bahamas. (mmmmmm…the Ba…ha…mas…!) And I’m a dedicated matter, easily averaging once a week in the water though we are having a week-long flat spell at the moment. You can find posts and photos from me over at inflatable dreamspeed.
Jon
Awww Dudley! What a great trip.All the N Isld spots you mentioned are well worth a visit. I’d add Whangamata bar and the E coast of the Coromandel Peninsular. My stomping ground is Whangarei (north of Auckland) which has beachies and estuary sandbars. A friend of mine has a cottage for rent overlooking the outer points at Raglan www.oceanhouse.co.nz . I’m here for another 18 months, it’s lovely but there’s no place like home 
nath; as an cape may area surfer, those guys are a bit grumpy about their waves, the tip of the state only really gets good when theres a really strong NE swell, and then everybody and his bro shows up cause the east facing beachs are unrideable, sooooo, it gets packed out, you would have had more fun coming up to join us in avalon or Ocean city next to one of our jettys—and the locals are a bit more open to alternative surfcraft for many reasons----also, the cape may lifeguards are among the more paranoia in the state when there’s any kind of swell–they just are
waiting on my new mat tooooo----it will be s sign of spring!
<<o any of you guys currently riding mats adjust your air pressure during the ride itself?>>
9N
I keep meaning to pull the plug while in a straignt speed trim to gauge the affect of diminishing air and where any optimum might be. But so far I keep forgetting in the thrill of the moment 
Just arrived from Wardie:
“George looks like he took off on the back side of this wave and just skimmed over the top- you can see, however, how little drag the mat creates as it skims along. Sorry this isn’t a bit clearer, but I still thought you might enjoy it.”
I’m always adjusting the pressure as I ride. When I go to cut back/turn off the bottom I’ll really squeeze the front/side/corner on the outer rail - some times if it’s all coming together… just flying down the line… I’ll consciously let go of the mat and lay there…
Walrus:
You might have a point with Avalon, depending on the time of day, but Ocean City in the summertime is not where I’d direct anyone looking for tolerance in the water. Yes, some exists, but the chances of stumbing upon it are pretty slim. I’ve been out at 4th St. on a busy weekend on my Wave Blades, and while I didn’t get hassled (I’m a pretty big guy), I wasn’t getting a lot of warm fuzzy vibes. If I took a mat to OC, I’d make sure to stay Southside, probably between 41st & 59th street. Sea Isle might be OK. The crew in Atlantic City at the break formerly known as Gas Chambers will also tolerate “different strokes”, as long as you don’t eff up good waves for them.
Samiam
Here’s a pic I found of Greenough building inside rail and forming convex bottom.
Also have a nice one of someone forming a deep concave in full trim but can’t seem to resize it so it will post…so looky here
http://groups.msn.com/InflateAbleDreamSpeed/shoebox.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=131
thanks for that link , ‘doctor’ !
…I see “Dirk Brandts” is also featured at that site …
… doesn’t he post here , too ? [or is he at ‘surfermag’ ? I forget …]
cheers !
ben
…this is a very interesting thread . More to mat riding than meets the eye , eh ?
Ben,
Dirk is an experienced kneeboarder and mat surfer… posts in Surfermag forum and Swaylocks.
good stuff !
please post here Dirk , if you’re ‘lurking’…I’d be very interested in what you have to share about mat , and kneeboard riding …
cheers !
ben
Chip - DB is the guy with the Wild Wild West character avatar. I see his posts here reg.
Dale,
Any number of years ago before a long planned trip to Oz, I purchased two Neumatics from you; one for me, one for my wife.
One of them (the one I ride) appears to have popped an internal vertical sheer panel…in simpler terms, it still holds air, but where there were 5 or 6 lengthwise “tubes”, there appears to be a large basketball in it and 3 lengthwise “tubes”. It doesn’t seem to respond as well as it did.
Anything I can do to repair it?
Or just use my wife’s?
Hi Duncan,
Thank you for writing! I’m sorry to hear about your surf mat. I remember your order prior to the trip to Australia. I’ll have to check my records- I think your mats were made about 4-5 years ago. The damage you describe sounds like a separated
I-beam.
I-beams can fail because of 1)higher than normal air pressure and temperature. 2)Repeated, sudden stress/wear from free-fall late drops. 3)Frequent use with higher than normal inflation.
Repairs are sometimes possible, but the time required might be as much labor to make a completely new surf mat. Plus, the integrity of (internal) structural repairs on older, used mats is seldom 100%.
You can try to repair (slice open deck/bottom material, re-weld I-beam, weld slice shut, seal with Aquaseal polyurethane), or send the mat back to me for examination. Probably the best idea is to just use your wife’s surf mat… if I recall correctly, weren’t your two mats about the same size/design?
I hope this was helpful.
Dale
dale - any trick to separating the top from the bottom to get inside - simply pull apart? what about ‘welding’ together again, how do you do that - with a solder iron? or just Aquaseal.
Good to know beforehand.
Slds,
Jason
Hi Jason,
There are so many details… where to begin?
If a mat has been subjected to too high temp and/or too much internal pressure, or just a lot of hard wear… resulting in a blown I-beam, 99% of the time it’s pretty much unrepairable… at least as to anything resembling the original design, and with adequate structural integrity. I’ve learned the hard way… a new mat can usually be made quicker, simpler and better.
Under normal circumstances, welds cannot be pulled apart (“carefully slice open”) and later re-welded in the same positions because they’ve been permanently fused at a certain temp, under so many pounds per inch pressure, for so many minutes/seconds. The welded areas receive temp from above and below. Different materials, combinations and thicknesses of materials all influence the welding process. I constantly monitor my loft’s air temp, the welding surface and all other aspects of the welding process. My welding temps have about a 5 degree window. Cutting temps are about 950 degrees.
Basic welding can be done with a soldering iron… better yet if modified and connected to a rheostat or TRIAC/ chopper switch, and digital thermometer to measure tip weld temp. But achieving a lengthy, smooth weld at consistent temperature (from above and below), w/ the right amount of hand pressure/angle, and for the right amount of time… is not easy, takes practice.
Special care must be taken with the work surface. Part of mine is room temp 1/8" latex rubber over felt. Another portion is heated to over 150 degrees, another is layered with masking tape. It’s crucial to recognize and avoid (or take advantage of) surfaces and tools that can function as heat sinks. Most of my templates for surf mat fabrication are shaped from computer circuit board because it absorbs very little heat from tools.
Aquaseal is ideal for flexible, durable repairs to surf mat nylon (not the smooth urethane inside). Clean damaged area with fresh water, then tolulene. Tape off slightly oversize area, lightly abrade nylon, apply Aqua seal, remove tape, allow to cure overnight. For more complex repairs, there are a number of ways to manipulate Aquaseal before it begins to set up.
There’s lots more… but I hope this was helpful.
Dale