Circum Vehicle. A film by Jack Colman
Dale Solomonson Trubute
Hello all. We have added a tribute to Dale Solomonson to the site following his passing earlier this year. . There are photos, words from Diane D’Ewart and space for people to leave tributes of their own.
Take a look HERE
MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - JULY/AUGUST 2021
Hello matters.
An intersting one here. We’ve made the decision to drop the Newsletter in it’s current form.
There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the boom in matsurfing recently means we can’t keep up with everying that is happening out there., which also means having to try to find the stuff that is news-worthy in amongst the general posts on social media. The second issue being that by the time we do share stuff, it has been seen by everyone anyway.
We will continue to share things via our Instagram and Facebook pages and non useres can see them HERE.
We will use the news page to share site news and also any significant news from the world of mat surfing as it arrises so hope you will find the mail shots less frequent but more impactful when they do come. If you have or see anything to share then please do send it to us and we will put it up. (The Voit post below is the kind of thing we will continue to share).
So to mark the transition, here are a hanful of highlight for your entertainment and edification.
VOIT UDT’s AVAILABLE IN THE US - (INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AVAILABLE)
There are Black and Yellow Voit UDTs in stock on the 360 Inc website. We have no idea how many pairs and how long the Voit Fins will be around but if you like UDT’s then get them!. The black and yellow combo combines hard hellow rubber giving pop with soft black rubber creating a fin with a huge amount of drive.
*US sizes
These fins favour a long hip kick rather than boogie style flutters. They can need a bit of practice to build your thigh muscles a bit but that’s an added bonus!
For those outside the US, bulk buying to keep a couple of pairs in storage or buying as a cooperative is the best bet to spread the cost of shipping over a few pairs.
You can get them HERE.
CUTIE CUTTIES DOWNUNDER
James Tanner is a fine mat surfer and this little clip shows why. That is some fine rail control there James!
IJ’s TALENT KNOWS NO BOUNDS!
Ian Jermyn of Organic Devolution fame has been spreading his wings. We all know about his amazing acid dye work on surfmats, and also his phenominal painting, vynyl prins and any other creative endeavour you care to imagine. More recently, he has been making bags for bikes.
Legend!
We were particulaly impressed with this upcyling endeavour from Ian. and wanted to share it.
Probably the best deck chair in the World!
A LEGEND NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
And finally, Newport Wedge deity Mel Thoman needs your help. Before we continue, lets just reflect on this Instagram post we shared a while back.
Mel has been living with cancer for many years and living in the US does not have access to public healthcare. This is what Mell has to say:
“Welcome to my GFM page it’s the 1st time I’ve ever asked for help for 1 of my 5 cancers over the last 13 years & it’s because my 1st 3 cancer battles from 2008 to 2011 pushed me into bankruptcy even though I was working full time and had great insurance & my lung cancer put me out of work for good…I want to thank everyone who’s been helping my family and me with this fundraiser it’s never been easy for me to ask for help beyond prayers because I know prayer works miracles and I’m hoping for that too but with the unknown ahead I was hoping to really help my family stay strong and will fight this head on just like the others but I know the realities involved and just want my family to be okay so thanks again for all the donations & shares & kindness...generosity...strength & stoke you’ve given my family it’s awesome!
Thanks,Mel”
We hope you’ll enjoy the changes moving forward. Thanks for your ongoing support.
Thanks
MatSurfers.com
MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - May/June 2021
Hello matters andf welcome to the MatSurfers.com Newslatter for May and June, 2021. You may have noticed that we have moved over to a bi-monthly newsletter and we hope you are enjoying this new format.
Lots to see this time around including a fun matmeet video, a shark encounter and some lovely clothing to style youreslves up with!
UK MATMEET - It’s like the old days!
Steve Halpin from Real Surfing Magazine and Karma Surfshop in Newquay organised a matmeet through his @fringesurfing Instagram account. We had to jump in on this and get a few together and what a fun session it was. Stevo put a video edit together for us. Many thanks to Paul Faulkonbridge for filming on the day.
Stay tuned for the next issue of the Newsletter when we are hoping to have water shots.
SHARK! FAAAAAARK!
Yes you read that right. One of our bretheren was checked over pretty closely by a shark down in Oz! The report in the Daily Mail in Australia amusingly refers to Roger Essig as a “bodysurfer”.
Roger Essig was filming with his 360 camera when his new friend arrived and scared the crap out of him. We did wonder if it was the magnetic field from the camera and perhaps Roger has looked like this the whole time.
Ayway, we’re glad you’re still with us Roger and can laugh about this now.
For the X-Rated full version see the original post from Roger in the Facebook Group HERE
FUN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO FROM BRETTO
Bretto down in Oz has put together a little How To video that we think is pretty fun. Take a look and share with your matting newbie mates. You might pick up a tip or two yourself!
SURFMAT PARTY WAVES GUIDE
Keeping on with the how-to vibe, we have a new page on the website prompted by a few enquiries about the etiqutte of riding party waves on mats.
Andrew Stephen-Buck (L) & Jason MacMurray (R) Photo: Olivia Sabedra-Buck
With the numbers of matsurfers currently balooning arounf he globe we thought it would be good to have this resource to hand. The article has been written by Graeme Webster with Paul Gross, Bryn Dampney, James Tanner, Matt Cox, Ryan Holmes, Mark Underwood, James Sowell, Henry Marfleet, Adam Williams, Jason MacMurray, Bob Booth, Andrew Stephen Buck, Ian Jermyn and Jamie McClellan so a real collaborative effort!
Take a look here: https://www.matsurfers.com/surfmat-party-waves
STUFF TO BUY
You might be finding it hard to buy a G-Mat right now but at least you can get a teeshirt!!!
These tees and hoodies are very nice being made with sustainable and organic materials. Worldwide shipping. We hear from G that the sizing is on the snug size and a size under what our US frieds would expect so if in doubt, go a size up.
You can get your hands on this mat garb here: https://customsurfmats.com/apparel
VIDEO OF THE MONTHS
Well it’s finally here. We said it would be and you’ve probably already seen it as it’s been out for a while now but here is the video from the Matmeet at the Wave, Bristol, UK. Great to see a good showing of mats up there. The leash rule is a pain but if there is one thing we can say about matsurfers is we are adaptable.
Enjoy!
PHOTOS OF THE MONTHS
Steiny…
So there we go. Action packed and we think this bi-monthly arrangement works well. As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions.
Thanks
MatSurfers.com
PS We did have some feedback on typos. The website editor doesn’t have a spell checker. That combined with our inate laziness means there will be some errors. Sorry. :)
MATSURFERS.COM NEWS - March/April, 2021
Hello matters andf welcom into a new [insert season here depending on hemisphere].
Another 2 month gap between news letters unfortunately and this month it’s prety Insta-heavy. There are all sorts of things happening in the mat world including a lot of appearances in the wider surfing world. Good thing or bad thing? You decide!
Anyway, without further a do, here we go…
MAT RIDING IN HERMOSA & MANHATTEN BEACHES 1950’s
Hermosa Beach 1950’s postcard
We received an email from Dan Foster asking the following:
“I would ride my bike down to Manhattan Beach (near the Pier) or up to Hermosa Beach and rent surf mats during the summers of '57 and '58 (during my junior high school years). Pretty sure we rented them by the hour. I can remember surfing on both sides of the MB Pier with other mat surfers, surfboard riders and body surfers. Could get brutal at times. Do you know where I can get any info on those two beachs and surf mat riding during the late 50s?”
We are completely at a loss on this one but would love to help Dan out. Anyone with any info, pics or footage please hit us up!
UPDATE 6th MAY, 2021:
We’ve had a reply from George Leone:
A reply to Dan Foster's post. I saw that picture of the Hermosa aquarium! That was near the entrance of the collapsed Hermosa pier. So this is a rambling bunch of memories pouring out. MatSurfers, edit as you feel necessary.
That is the same time that I learned to ride a mat and catch waves, too. I was living way inland in North Carolina (USA East Coast), but my Mom was a California Girl. On our family vacations in 1956 and 1958, to Hermosa Beach, she taught me to bodysurf and mat surf (straight off, but exciting!). So about the same time Dan was in the water. There's a possibility that we were in the water together back then, who knows? My parents rented an upstairs room on the corner of the Strand and 16th Street Hermosa Beach for two weeks each time. My Dad taught me to swim, but my Mom taught me to love the ocean. Little did I realize that I would be living in Manhattan Beach by 1960 and going to Hillcrest Junior High in Redondo Beach along with Ritchie West. I started surfing in 1961. By 1966 I was working at Rick Surfboards. Now I ride a 4GF Omni plus a pair of Paul Gross surfboards and sometimes shape my own.As I remembered, the mats rented for 25 cents an hour. My parents were depression-era kids so that seemed like a lot of money to them, so I could get an hour probably once a day. But knowing my Mom, she went for an extra hour once in a while--mainly because she was riding the mat too!There were a couple of rental places a little north of the Aquarium (the postcard is looking south) near the Hermosa Biltmore hotel that had a "plunge"; an indoor swimming pool with windows facing the strand, so you could look in and see people swimming. I remember there was a mat rental shop next door to the bowling alley across the strand from the Aquarium, too. The bowling alley had "pin spotters" instead of machines at the alley, people who set the pins back up by hand. You could just see their hands moving rapidly, setting pins up. My Mom would roll a quarter down the alley as a tip after we were done. The spiny lobster at the Aquarium scared me as a 9 year-old. Every piece of kelp I touched in the ocean made me jump that summer!What a rush to go straight off on probably a "big" 3 ft. wave! Sometimes on the CA Central Coast where I live now, I'll go straight off on my board or mat and look at the water going by close to my face. It's still a rush!
OK to contact me if you want, Dan! MatSurfers you can share my email address to Dan.Thanks for the surprise!George Leone aka Speedshaper
P S Keep up the great newsletter!
Thanks George. Email has been forwarded.
MAT/SURF MAG
The Mat Surfing Society of New York. Good people. OUr kinda people. They have a Matzine out and you’d better get one or so help me….!
REAL SURFING MAGAZINE GOES INLATOTASTIC!
Speaking of Mags with mats in them, Cornish Publication Real Surfing Magazine has and article on matsurfing by Graeme Webster of G-Mat Surfmats.
It also has a lot of other great stuff in there including other probne and knee riding. The article by Bryn Dampney (no shabby matter himself) on kneeboarding is also an excellent read.
Get yours HERE.
GOGO SURFMATS
There is a brand of mats suddenly popped up in California called Gogo. We have asked them for info and have been told that they have a PVC/Nylon PUR slick deck (so definitely need wax) and a nylon bottom (looks like 200d) so a fairly thick basic mat.
The ownder says they are aimed at entry level matters and they look a good starter mat for sure. We have tried to find out who is behind them but have been met with silence….
MAAAAAATS OOOOOOOF MYSTERYYYYYYYY!
Anyway, if you want to get hold of one for the mat-curious person in your life then you can find them here:
MATMEET AT THE WAVE, BRISTOL
A bubble of matters (yes, that’s a collective term agreed upon about a decade ago and how appropriate for the present times) met at The Wave, Bristol, UK. The Wave is one of WaveGarden’s pools and is a lot of fun. The session happened on the Advanced setting (the names are a bit grandiose to be honest) and was a real blast!
There is a video to come but there is so much footage to work through it is going to take some time!
MATS HIT THE HYPEZONE!
YouTube’s Jamie O’Brien has been riding a 4GF at Newport Wedge on his latest Vlog. This is the latest in a lot of coverage mats have been getting of late. The internet is getting prety excited about this video currently so here it is.
Props for picking Wedge as a place to have your first go on a mat for sure!
There are a number of regular Wedge mat suerfers of course who are remarkable surfers. Props to you most of all boys and girls. Here’s an oldie of Chad Barba.
PHOTO OF THE MONTH(s)
This month’s photo of the month is of the man we all have to thank for getting us off heavy leathery feeling rugs and onto lightweight mats.
VIDEO OF THE MONTH(s)
This month(s) video is that boy Owen Kaestner. We love the comment from Henry Hester:
“When you can standup surf better than anyone in the water, you grab your mat.”
Perfik!
As always, we welcome your feedback and contributions.
Thanks
MatSurfers.com