Surffoils has a brilliant thread going regarding surfmat builds. For some reason unknown to me, I can’t reply to anything on that thread. So, my question is – what sort of materials are you all using for mats? Specifically, what does one want to look for in a fabric? Any beloved brands? Any materials to look out for?
200 denier or 70 denier urethane coated nylon. 200D is thicker/tougher, 70D is thinner/more pliable (weaker?). Also, this material comes in different thicknesses (microns?). So 70D from one place might be thicker than another.
To find any fabric that might work, the trick is to grab your fabric and try to blow air through it. If air blows through, it isn’t good for a mat. There are other fabrics out there you can experiment with as well. I have used heat sealable urethane coated nylon so I can make my mats using a household iron. Surffoils uses glue to make his mats. I actually contacted fabric companies directly and asked for a sample. The samples they sent were enough to make 2 mats, all I had to do was pay shipping :).
Also, you will need a valve to blow up the mat. I like Surffoils beach ball valves but they seam slow to me. I use boston valves, they work but they come with their own sets of problems.
I was having trouble making my mats, they kept getting folds/creases when I attached the top and bottom, especially at the corners. I was so frustrated I gave up making mats for the last year, but seeing Surffoils method for being meticulous with gluing has given me the itch to make another.
Oh yeah, mats don’t need to be giant to have fun. I created a couple mat planes out of some scraps (there’s always scraps).
They really work. Maybe the smallest surf craft ever?