MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - Jan/Feb 2021

Ahoy there Matters of the World!

Firstly, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Yes, a bit late we know, on the first day of Spring, but here is the first Newsletter of 2021. It has been a quiet start to the Year in some ways and and incredibly sad one in others. It has also been very busy for us

SAD NEWS


Earlier this month we received the aweful news that one of mat surfing’s most stoked riders, Rob Polloard passed away. We were devastated to hear this news. Rest in Peace Rob.

GOOD NEWS!

Our Staff member, Mr Jamie McClellan has had some news. He has a new addition to the family! Welcome to the World Wren Fletcher Tatum McClellam! Good to see they’re getting the kid socialised to the good things in life early on.

Wren.png

Congratulations and love to Jamie, Tatum and Lennox. We’re so stoked for you!

JEREMY GROSVENOR HITS THE MAINSTREAM

Imagine our surprise when we came across this piece in the New Yorker magazine. We weren’t surprised to see Jeremy doing his bit for his local community though. An exceptional waterman and all round lovely fella, Jeremy surfed non-stop dawn to dark to raise money for his local foodbank.

Read asll bout it HERE

Ken McKnight did a fascinating Here & Now interview with Jeremy a few years ago which is well worth a read.

His contribution to the Phileas Project is also well worth a watch:

Well done Jeremy. Love you man!

VIDEO OF THE MONTH - JANUARY

He’s been at it again. Everyone’s favourite inflatable internet sensation. The King of Clicks himself… Mr Andrew Stephen Buck.

VIDEO OF THE MONTH - FEBRUARY

Here’s our video of the month for Feb. Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz being occupied. The revelution is upon us!

PHOTO OF THE MONTHS - (JAN & FEB)

Without doubt the face that sums up why we do this thing we do. Let’s remember Rob this way.

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So that’s your lot. Sorry again for the lateness. We will try to be more punctual moving forwart.

As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions.

Thanks

MatSurfers.com

MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - December 2020

HO HO HO MATTERS!!!

Welcome to our December 2020 newsletter and something of a boon of a month with a viral mat video (with an extra wave), the latest FringsSurfer.tv episode, the launch or our updated Care & Repair page and a long awaited Here & Now from Kendog featuring legendary surf/skate photographer, lance Smith.

Enjoy and have a fantastic festive period!

HERE & NOW - LANCE SMITH

We are very proud to present this huge piece from our boy, Kendog. This, the latest edition of Ken’s Here & Now Series features a true San Diegan legend. Lance Smith is a hugely talented and respected photographer who has contributed hugely to the Surfmat zeitgeist over the years, alongside his phenomenal skate and surfing photography.

Read it HERE

SURFMAT CARE AND REPAIR

Long over due but in fairness this has been an ongoing project for some time. We are please to formally unveil our updated care and repair page HERE.

We’ve got videos in there now which definitley make like easier. There is still a need for a video for large tears so if anyone does do this repair at any point, please do record it and get in touch.

THE INTRICACIES OF MAT SURFING (IN A NUTSHELL)

If you haven’t yet got on the FringeSurfer.TV train then you need to get yourself a ticket! In the final issue of Season 1, film maker and mat surfer Tim Ciasto presents mat builder, Graeme Webster of G-Mat Surfmats.

You can read all about the 4 year project that was the making of this film and give FringeSurfer.TV a follow on Instagram HERE.

Check out the FringeSurfer.TV site for all the other info, etc HERE.

VIDEO OF THE MONTH

Well here it is. That video posted on Instagram by LOGRAP. Over 30k hits on a mat clip is pretty good going and it seems to be another one of those moments where the wider surfing world get shaken from their eye-on-the-road journey and say “WTF is that?!”.

This is really good for matsurfing. Particularly when the mat riding on show in a viral video is from a true master of the art rather than from a pro surfer having a few waves on a mat (that is not to disrespect those who have taken the time to learn how to ride mats well).

Anyway, LOGRAP have been kind enough to send us the footage with a second wave wave which is actually better! Sit back and enjoy the lesson from Andrew Stephen Buck.

As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions. Have a fantastic fetive period Matters, whatever your inclination. 2020 has been a really fricken weird year but the waves keep coming so just keep flying and keep safe.

Happy 2021!

Thanks

MatSurfers.com

MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - November 2020

Hello all and welcome to the Novemberr Newsletter.

Sorry it’s late but there is a fair bit to cram in including matsurfing in waves that are positively Baltic, a fun new YouTube edit doing the rounds and news about our store… Bring it on!

NEW JOSH SIMPSON EDIT

This video doesn’t need a ton of introduction. It’s by Josh Simpson and features mat surfers Ellis Ericson, Beau Foster, and Matthew Crowe filmed on a South African trip ion 2019.

Of interest is Ellis’s mat which is a 4GF Blue Streak with custom grip job by Ara Peterson.

OWEN KAESTNER MASTER-CLASS

Ladies and gentlemen if you want to see a video that presents almost every element of fow to ride a mat well then this is it.

We here at MatSurfers.com whole-heartedly encourage you to watch this again and again and again and again… Watch it until you feel it and then watch it over.

DAFIN FINSAVERS BACK IN STOCK

They’re back in! The finest fin savers you ever saw and they fit all fins. Perfect for padding out oversized fins to go vroom!

DaFin - Fin Saver - black with green logo.jpg
DaFin Delux Fin Saver/Heel Pad
£21.99

In our honest opinion, these DaFin fin savers are twice the price but thrice as nice as the nearest competitor:

  • Super tough build quality.
  • Extra length padded strap to allow easy access when wearing socks/boots.
  • Easy to manage even in gloves.
  • Padded so helps with fitting to a larger fin size.
  • Stays put on the heel strap. No sliding.

TREVOR IN THE COLD!

Trevor Cooper-Williams is a man who is fairly new to mats, although is an Aussie of several years standing as a surfer. We wanted to share a little bit from his email to us following his purchase of a mat from our store. Lots of people buy mats from us… But not all of them ride them in the Baltic Sea!

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“The spot is called Torö, its the popular surf spot just south of Stockholm. I’ll send more pics when we get swell at more exotic locations. Stoked on the mat, it’s awesome!”
— Trevor Cooper-Williams

We’re gonna say, all things considered that doesn’t look too bad!

If anyone else is out there riding in unusual places we’d love to hear about it!

PHOTO/VIDEO OF THE MONTH

What king of month is this to have to pick a photo/video of the month!> We have Josh Simpson’s edit and we have Owen Kaestner’s materclass… and then we have this…

We’re gonna say that for just one split second, this takes it. Heart in your mouth and balls in your fins!

Top work!

As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions.

Thanks

MatSurfers.com

MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - October 2020

Hello and Welcome to the October 2020 newsletter. This month we have a retro flavour with some older footage, plus a bit of a plan to get the ball rolling with a sci-fi matmeet in the UK.

RETRO MATTING

First off some fun old footage posted ny the Surfhouse Guesthouse in Portugal. Some Surfoplanes in there, plus keeping ist super simple with lilo’s.

Even earlier this time with footage from the UK. There has been a bit of a bump in the awareness of Surfmats in Newquay recently, and we’re gonna put it out there, the standard of surfing is higher today, but great to see these pioneers forging the path.

MATS IN STORE

For those that missed it, we have mats in store. We’re down to a few large size mats left but another run is going through the works currently.

G-Mat RFT Surfmat

MATMEET!?!?!?!

G of G-Mat Surfmats has recently had another trip to The Wave, Bristol, UK to ride their Expert and Advanced level waves and also to talk about the logistics of a matmeet up there.. The pics from the session are pretty fun.

Surfmat The Wave Bristol

So here’s the complication. Chatting to Nick Rees at The Wave it is clear that people have to be attached to their craft to be able to surf there. Unfortunately, emotional attachement won’t do so we need to work out a way around it. G has a couple of leash ready mats so at least one could be a loaner for the day. There are also a few other people with mats with bungees for leashes but for the others there is a need for creative thinking.

G will be putting ap a “how to” for fitting leashes to mats with heavier decks. Lighter mats will need a temporary solution as a 200/70d or 70/70 mat isn’t really suitable for the full works but a temporary measure combined with keeping hold of yer darn mat should worlk just fine for a session!

We’re thinking about April 17th 2021 so plenty of prep time. We’re probably aiming at an Advanced Level session as this is just a fun wave and not too taxing but with enough push to have fun.

See The Wave’s website for pricing and please let us know if you’re interesting in coming. We need to fill a session to make a group booking.

Join the discussion around this in the MatSurfers Facebook Group.

MAT SURFING IS NOT A CRIME

So… this is stupid.

We are seeing if there is scope to communicate with the NY Parks Authority around this. We have successfully spoken with powers-that-be in the past to get rules around use of “inflatable toys” in the ocean a little more refined. If the people involved are interested we are prepared to try again but too late for this poor matsurfer.

PHOTO/VIDEO OF THE MONTH

In light of the above post, it only seems fit to give video of the month to this. Keep riding matters. Stay floppy.

As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions.

Thanks

MatSurfers.com

Surfmats back in stock

Hello all.

We have Surfmats back in stock from G-Mat. These are the re-branded Raft Surfmats. Read all about that here in our forthcoming news letter.

Get yours in store now! We have more coming in soon.

G-Mat RFT Surfmat (200/70)
sold out
G-Mat RFT Surfmat (200/70)
£240.00

The G-Mat RFT Surfmat is a high performance surfmat suiting almost all conditions.

The RFT Series has been designed by renowned mat builder, Graeme Webster of G-Mat Custom Surfmats and is based on the iconic 5 Star General model. The materials and build quality are equal to any other high end brand, with each mat being hand built in the UK by a highly experienced small scale Radio Frequency welding company and then finished in house by the G-Mat team..

The G-Mat RFT more than holds its own in any lineup and has been tested in small, backed off surf to solid hollow reef waves by a number of highly skilled mat surfers and has performed admirably across the board. In short, this is an excellent surfmat worthy of any mat surfer.

  • 200/70 Wheezer - 200 denier nylon deck and 70 denier internal structures and bottom skin with restricted internal air flow for the most stable all-round ride in all conditions.

  • Sikaflex EBT deck grip for durable traction.

  • Concave and "free" rocker to maximize down the line speed and responsive turning.

  • Modified Boston Valve allows for easy inflation control in the water and rapid deflation.


    SIZE GUIDE:
    Small (Up to 5'9"), Medium (5'9" - 6' 1”), Large (6'2" +),
    (Slim build or long legs? Knock an inch off your height)