MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - FEBRUARY 2019
Welcome to the February newsletter and there is a fair bit going on! It’s been a month of creative output in the surfmat world with wonderful edits, beautiful artwork, clothing, product news and an dded bit of content on the site.
THE GREENDUATE
OK… We apologise for that terrible pun but we make no apologies for sharing this amazing little video from Alex Kopps. No need for more words. This video says it all.
Check out more of Alex’s work on his Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/user4751019
RAD BUT ANONYMOUS
Another video now and we have no idea who made this. We have no idea who the mat surfer is.
AND we respect intellectual property and would never normally share content without the owner's permission but c'mon!!! This is way too good not to share. We just found it in our Dropbox folder with no indication as to who, what or where...
Anyway, if you know who this is please let us know. If it's you, let us know and if you want it taken down we will take it down but we would rather give you the credit this deserves and celebrate good film making and mat surfing.
SURFMAT LINO PRINTS
More creative outpourings, this time from the talent that is Bryn Dampney.
Matsurfing, kneelo riding/shaping, SUP’ing, windsurfing Bryn is a man of many talents and visual art is one of them. As you may know, Bryn is the man behind our very own MatSurfers.com logo.
Bryn has also been hacking away at lino and has come out with a pair of gorgeous prints. The first (above) is of Dave Rastovich cruising across a left.
The second is a copy of a classic shot by Wardie of George Greenough carrying an old Neumatic. Stunning work.
Bryn says he plans to do a small run of prints in the not too distant future so stay tuned for an announcement on that.
Oh, by the way… Talking of our logo, we are working hard to get some decent quality tees sorted with the logo at the header of this page printed on the chest. Short runs are harder than you might imagine but we’re hopeful we will get the job done on that front!
WARPMATS TEES
Speaking of beautiful artwork and surfmat apparel, we’ve had word from Ian Jermyn at Warpmats to say that they have just taken receipt of a batch of pretty special looking tees.
The new Warpmats t-shirts, Shorebreak Freaks, are a small edition run screen printed on 100% organic cotton.
The shirts are €26 plus shipping.
More details here: http://warpmats.com/product/shorebreak-freaks/
CUSTOM G-MATS ARE AVAILABLE AGAIN
You may remember that G over at G-Mat Surfmats was struggling under a heavy waiting list a while back. Well, he tells us via his blog that he has finally caught up so is open to new orders. He’s changed how hes doing it though so rather than a long waiting list it’s a first come first served basis.
People who want a custom G-Mat can get on G’s mailer to hear when he is taking orders: https://customsurfmats.com/order
Word is we will be getting some G-Mat stock back in store in the Spring too. Get on our Mailing List to make sure you don’t miss out on that one!
NEW ARTICLE ADDED
We have added a new article to our Mats in the Media page. The article comes courtesy of Slideaholics.com over in Oz and is the story of the birth of SCUMM and their formative years.
You can link to the original online article or download a PDF.
A really fun read as you’d expect and a decent bit of surfmat history (let’s face it, they have earned their spot).
It’s particularly moving to see Da Bolt in full flight. #ericwouldgo
So there we have it. That just about wraps up February’s news.
As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions.
Thanks
MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - JANUARY 2019
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Starting off by saying HAPPY NEW YEAR to mat surfers all over the world! (Better late than never).
So, not the busiest of Newsletters this month but it’s been a slow start to the year, We’ll be keeping oour eye out for stuff and please do send us your news.
MATS THAT MATTER - TERRY’S SECRET SAUCE
Kendog has been at it again with the amazing tale of his Intex mat kept alive with a curious concoction - Terry’s Secret Sauce. Sit back and enjoy the ride HERE.
Kendog has some really good things planned for this year which we’re really excited about so stay tuned for more!
WARPMATS NEWS
Word from mat builder Matt Fedden who is doing a touch of DIY:
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There is a short delay in the production of custom built warpmats.
At the end of January I am starting to renovate an old barn here at my house in Cornwall as a new mat making space. Initially I aim to take out and replace the floor, and eventually will renew walls and roof. Whilst the work is ongoing the mat making gear is under tarps
The trick is to keep some mat production flowing, so the restoration will progress in stages. In order to preserve my sanity I won't process further orders for mats through the shutdown, in order to concentrate on the building work. However, Ian will be making tee shirts and other Warpmats gear, during this time.
As the work eases I will produce a number of stock mats which will be available at £180, from the facebook site. As soon as the floor will support mat making in the new workshop, custom built surfmats will be made again. Currently I would hope to resume building surfmats for customers at the end of February.. Anyone enquiring about a custom mat will be put on hold till then, and it will be announced on the website when mat builds restart.
Custom built mats will be available for £180 plus post for a mat made with stock (black or white 70 denier, or green 200 denier) material. Dyed mats will continue to be available. In future Ian will undertake most if not all the dyeing. Mats with dyed decks will be available for £250 plus post.
Good wishes,
Matt
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In a follow up Matt said “Forecasting a bit of snow to take the roof off in”!
Have fun Matt!
MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - DECEMBER 2018
VIDEOLICIOUS CALL TO ACTION
So this is a weird post. Mat surfing often attract those who like to keep a low profile. Those who like to rise before the sun and get in and out before the mainstream know what’s hit them. When the wannabe Slaters are “chuckin’ buckets” (gawd that sounds like hard work) the mat surfer is already satiated and engaged in his/her other expansive pursuits.
That said….
We have noticed something about videos posted lately on the Facebook Group. Other than those legends over at SCUMM (the Hollywood of mat surfing) the videos posted of late have been of other forms of wave riding such a body surfing. Now to be SUPER clear this is not a pop and the most pure form of wave riding and they are great to see, but a Surf Mat Group needs some surfmat videos!
COME ON!!!! Strap on your GoPros. Some forwards, Some backwards. But lets see some videos from around the mat surfing world in 2019!!!
If you make it… We will host it…. Can’t say fairer than that.
LEBLON FINS - CHANGE OF TACK - ON TO BIGGER THINGS…
So then, there is all sorts going on over at Leblon Fins. One minute it’s a crowd fund. The next minute that’s pulled but they are looking for global distribution. We can only assume that the parallel strake fin world has taken a turn for the better!
Whatever, you can snap up old stock at a heavily discounted price right now so if you fancy a pair and your feet fit, get on it HERE!”
MAT WAVE OF THE YEAR?
Well, that has to be a matter of opinion but surely Dave Dubois has to be in with a shout for that award. Snapped as Swamis (if anyone knows the photog please tell us) this has to be a contender.
Charging Dave!!!
As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions.
Thanks and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!
MatSurfers.com
MATSURFERS.COM NEWS OCTOBER 2018
NY Matmeet. Leblon crowdfunding. Protect your mat. Stuff for sale...
NEW FORMAT
There’s a lot going on in the mat world these days so we thought it might make life more straight forward if we went to a monthly (roughly) news post on the blog. This is the first edition.
We would love to hear from matsurfers around the globe if you have things going on.
Thanks
MatSurfers.com
MATMEET NEWYORK
The poster speaks for itself and if you’re in New York then cancel your Saturday plans because this is TODAY!
LEBLON CROWDFUNDING - More Sizes & Lower Price!
Leblon fins are getting a fair bit of airtime currently as a real option for mat surfing. To date though, the sizing has been a bit limited but that’s about to change. Leblon have just launched their crowdfunder for the new batch of fins at a significantly reduced price!
Get on that HERE
Here is some interesting feedback on Leblons from Ian Jermyn:
Feet and fins
Everyone's feet are different. The fins that are going to be best for you may not be the ones your mate is frothing about. It makes little sense to surf wearing fins that cause you discomfort. If you're experiencing muscle cramps in your feet or legs (both?), stressed joints, blisters (subsequent sea-ulcers) or fatigue your current fins could be to blame. While it's unlikely to be an option for most of us to try all the different types before we buy, we can make better choices by understanding which fins are a good fit for different shapes of feet.
My (big, wide) feet
My feet are 10cm wide and, in light of the fins I've tried over the past few years, I put myself into a 'wide foot' category. My shoe size is US 12 / UK 11.5 / EU 46.5 / AU 10.5. I don't go barefoot in any fins as doing so has too-often resulted in blisters and, subsequently, sea ulcers. I'm currently running with 4mm Alder Burn fin socks.
Leblon Fins - Flex and Original
I bought a pair of both Leblon's Flex and Original model fins in size Large. With my foot shape and size, and wearing 4mm fins socks, the fit of the size Large is perfect - for both 'models'. The fin blade of the Original are stiffer than the Flex. For both however, the foot pocket is made of the same soft rubber. The comfort of the foot pocket I felt was similar to that of DaFin; the rubber on the Leblon fins though seems thicker and the heel strap seems wider than the DaFins (I use 'seems' here as I owned DaFins several years ago but replaced them with Duck Feet). The overall size or shape between the two Leblon models is the same. The size of the foot pocket and heel straps are the same for both models; the same soft rubber is used for the heel strap and foot pocket for both models. As advertised the blades of the Original are stiffer than the Flex.
For the past few months I've been predominantly wearing the Flex model so my feet and legs can acclimatise to them after a few years wearing, almost exclusively, Voit's Duck Feet. To date I've only surfed twice using the Leblon Original model fins so I can't confirm that the Original have more power than the Flex - I've not used them (the Originals) enough to be confident in saying so one way or another. Both are comfortable and very powerful.
My verdict
I've been riding the Leblon Flex for several months and I'm confident in saying they are the best fins I've used for matting so far. The Leblon Flex (and with two trials of my Leblon Original fins) are certainly as powerful at Voit's Duck Feet; Prior to the Leblon fins, Duck Feet had been the most powerful fins I had used for matting. Prior to Leblons I thought DaFins were the most comfortable fins I had worn. Now, for me, these Leblon fins have been the most comfortable fins I have worn; for me this has been the wide foot pocket but also the rubber that feels thicker and the heel strap that seems wider compared to the DaFins.
They ride really well too. Powerful to get in early and get you up to a fast speed from take-off. Also, they give a terrific hold when the wave face gets steep and release easily if I get the fool idea to throw everything sideways.
My big-wide feet gives these 5-stars. They are worth the money.
Ian Jermyn
Leblon have really embraced the mat surfing world so let’s show some love back
HEAVY DUTY CARRY CASE
So often, life reflects art and this is one of those times. It was whilst watching an Episode of Better Call Saul that it became clear that document tubes make great heavy duty mat cases! After extensive searching (a good 10 minutes) we decided that we really liked THIS ONE HERE.
Not too pricy either!
STUFF FOR SALE
So to wrap up, we thought pointing readers in the UK and Europe to this might be fun as you can get some Voit Duckfeet virtually new at a decent price of £70 GBP when you take out the shipping. James A Grant is the man to contact via THIS POST IN THE MATSURFERS.COM FACEBOOK GROUP.
So there you have it. Please do let us know what you think of the new format using the comments section below and send us anything you want to share with the world.
MatSurfers.com