waitless in California...

Dale - The wait is over… I finally have one of your fantastic mats! I haven’t inflated it yet as I hope to give it a go in some decent waves on it’s maiden voyage. I’m wondering, after reading the “floating in the showroom” thread, if I should invest in a tank of compressed helium and inflate it with that?

Dale - The wait is over… I finally have one of your fantastic mats! I > haven’t inflated it yet as I hope to give it a go in some decent waves on > it’s maiden voyage. I’m wondering, after reading the “floating in the > showroom” thread, if I should invest in a tank of compressed helium > and inflate it with that? Helium? Naaah, the spirit of pure stoke is all thats needed, and youve got plenty of that! Thanks for the good words, John… and be sure to let us know how your new surfcraft works out! Dale

Helium? Naaah, the spirit of pure stoke is all thats needed, and youve > got plenty of that! Thanks for the good words, John… and be sure to let > us know how your new surfcraft works out!>>> Dale Dale, I’ve got one of Paul’s 4th gear flyers hanging in the closet and it has never been in the water. I’m wondering if your mats are similar. I’ve been thinking of getting some fins and givin it a go.

Dale, I’ve got one of Paul’s 4th gear flyers hanging in the closet and it > has never been in the water. I’m wondering if your mats are similar. I’ve > been thinking of getting some fins and givin it a go. Proneman, I built custom surfmats for years prior to the advent of 4th Gear Flyer, which was a cooperation between George Greenough, Paul Gross and myself, beginning in 1983. For reference, see The Surfers Journal, Late Spring 2000, Vol.9, No.2., "Inflatable Dreams", by Paul Gross. In the years since, I have once again continued on my own, gradually working through and answering many questions related to surfmat design, tooling and construction. My present mats are simply a commercial extension of that pedigree. In response to what Im creating now, a number of mat riders have given away and/or are selling their older 1980s surfmats to make room for the purchase of my current ones. In fact, I was recently contacted by an Australian friend/customer whos unloading his collection of 10 virgin 4thGFs. If youre interested, shoot me an email: (dalesolomonson@hotmail.com). … in any case, give it a go! Dale

Proneman,>>> I built custom surfmats for years prior to the advent of 4th Gear Flyer, > which was a cooperation between George Greenough, Paul Gross and myself, > beginning in 1983. For reference, see The Surfers Journal, Late Spring > 2000, Vol.9, No.2., "Inflatable Dreams", by Paul Gross. In the > years since, I have once again continued on my own, gradually working > through and answering many questions related to surfmat design, tooling > and construction. My present mats are simply a commercial extension of > that pedigree.>>> In response to what Im creating now, a number of mat riders have given > away and/or are selling their older 1980s surfmats to make room for the > purchase of my current ones. In fact, I was recently contacted by an > Australian friend/customer whos unloading his collection of 10 virgin > 4thGFs. If youre interested, shoot me an email: > (dalesolomonson@hotmail.com).>>> … in any case, give it a go!>>> Dale what exactly are you guys talking about? some kind of inflatable sponge? are these the same old airmats ala the 60s beach rentals? Never saw whatever the story was in Surfers Journal. Guess I need to drop in here more often.

what exactly are you guys talking about? some kind of inflatable sponge? > are these the same old airmats ala the 60s beach rentals? Never saw > whatever the story was in Surfers Journal. Guess I need to drop in here > more often. You’ll have to head to the library to read the article…TSJ won’t reprint that volume and the article is not available on their website…

Check out Dale’s site: http://neumaticsurfcraft.homestead.com/NeumaticSurfcraftwebsite.html I just took delivery of mine as well. Dale’s attention to detail and obvious refinements in these unique surfcraft are incredible. I’m about to spend a whole week exploring what this baby can do. The only resemblance to the old beach rental mats is that they both hold air. These are precision made, durable and very lightweight with decades of rider input and applied refinement. Tom S.>>> what exactly are you guys talking about? some kind of inflatable sponge? > are these the same old airmats ala the 60s beach rentals? Never saw > whatever the story was in Surfers Journal. Guess I need to drop in here > more often.

I have three!-- they are all amazing surf vehicles (all a little different and all precious to me) and nothing is better or easier or will give you more stoke when travelling If you don’t have one – get one. Seriously, everyone is skeptical at first and then everyone become a fanatic once they ride em. Sell a board or get one before you order your next board, you won’t be disappointed you did. (By the way, as nice a guy as Dale is…I would say this about any product I felt so strongly about not just b/c the guy that makes em is so cool) Tim

what exactly are you guys talking about? some kind of inflatable sponge? > are these the same old airmats ala the 60s beach rentals? Never saw > whatever the story was in Surfers Journal. Guess I need to drop in here > more often. I got my Neumatic from Dale a few months ago and it is by far the fastest piece of surfing equipment I have ever owned! It is frictionless in the water and can be fine-tuned to ride anything from unbroken swells to heaving, closed-out mountains of water. It is a truly unique and rewarding surfing experience. Try to imagine better wave-catching ability than a longboard and more speed and maneuverability than a shortboard… THAT’S MAT-SURFING!

I got my Neumatic from Dale a few months ago and it is by far the fastest > piece of surfing equipment I have ever owned! It is frictionless in the > water and can be fine-tuned to ride anything from unbroken swells to > heaving, closed-out mountains of water. It is a truly unique and rewarding > surfing experience. Try to imagine better wave-catching ability than a > longboard and more speed and maneuverability than a shortboard… THAT’S > MAT-SURFING! Thanks guys!!! After all the years of effort, sacrifice and expense that Ive poured into these surfcraft, I reckon Im especially vulnerable to such inspired, genuine stoke… its so nice to hear. Im very grateful. Dale

Thanks guys!!! After all the years of effort, sacrifice and expense that > Ive poured into these surfcraft, I reckon Im especially vulnerable to > such inspired, genuine stoke… its so nice to hear. Im very grateful.>>> Dale Dale, I’m going to “give it a go!!”… A couple questions arise. Type of fins? How long to get the legs in shape? Should I build the legs and get use to the fins before I actually get in the lineup? Any other wisdom would be valued. Proneman

Dale, I’m going to “give it a go!!”… A couple questions arise. > Type of fins? How long to get the legs in shape? Should I build the legs > and get use to the fins before I actually get in the lineup? Any other > wisdom would be valued.>>> Proneman Proneman, Depending on where you plan on surfing, a pair of Churchills is as good a place to begin as any… theyre not likely to cramp your legs or wallet, either. Be easy on yourself for at least a week or two, and try to find any long, consisitent, pushy, flatter, slightly choppy wave thats uncrowded… point breaks are ideal… definitely avoid over-populated, suddenly heaving dumpers. DONT inflate your surfmat too much... but, DO experiment with the flotation and volume, adjusting that has a dramatic effect on the rocker, template and rail contours; less air pressure (for a start, try about 75% of capacity) is better. If there are lines of whitewater to paddle and duck-dive through on your way outside to calmer water, just temporarily reduce the flotation by letting a bit more air out. In contrast to bodyboarding, your position should be relaxed and lowered, with the weight of your chest down on the deck, or slightly above it when riding. Surfmats handling characteristics have very little in common with conventional equipment, so its crucial that experienced surfers are willing to "learn by unlearning". The process of discovering when to tighten and release your grip on the mats control points, i.e. front edges and corners is an important part of the learning curve, and gives you to freedom to manipulate the internal pressure while riding. A good surfmat offers neutral handling, and under the right conditions, will permit long, severely banked, carving turns, short arcs and drifting in the pocket, as well as high velocity line drives across peeling vertical walls. A good surfmat will also frequently turn a mediocre, twisted and bumpy afternoon session into a memorable one, because they actually go faster over slight chop… think “Cadillac over potholes”. Tuned properly, your mat will often accelerate and drive through critical sections all by itself… and part of the fun, is that at first, you wont even understand whats happened… mostly because you didnt do anything to be going so damn fast. Its a very satisfying (but humbling) feeling. Riding a surfmat soon becomes an enigmatic, minimalistic pleasure, where less truly becomes the means to achieve far more. If you have any further questions, feel free to write any time. Dale