Hanging on

Right that's it Brett you're f*cking banned!!!!



You need to put eyelets into material to stop it ripping. I also think that would rip at the seam as it wouldn't spread forces sufficiently. I never appreciated the forces involved until my goer two mats ruptured!

My boy has a 4GF with excess edge lap at the nose. PG stuck some eyelets in the corners and I added a couple more. I've put a bungee through it which he's got a bicep leash attached to. The bungee absorbs stress itself and also acts like a draw string so the mat squeezes together both spread and absorbing forces.

I have to admit, this is not a new idea and isn't mine.

PG tells me there's a fella with a similar set up using a leg leash. Is be concerned about drag but I think the chap in question has clinical reasons to opt for a leg leash.

G

BANNED ?!?!?!
I suppose it was inevitable..

Just wait til I post where the HOVERBOARD (mat hybrid) construction is at !

Its Mat Heresy to the nth degree...

And thanks for bringing this forum back, most appreciated.

GRAYMAN wrote:

GRAYMAN wrote:I think you can transfer your small wave exit (and duckdive) strategies to bigger waves.

I've had good results adjusting my grip, switching to a bear hug rather than holding corners.

An example can be seen on 1:30 on this video (right after Bod cuts me off )



Cheers


G

I didn't cut you off, you just made your bottom turn to high

Bod wrote:

I didn't cut you off, you just made your bottom turn to high

Brett, here's the bungee set-up.

G

Im now thinking of glueing several material tabs on because if they pulled off it wouldnt damage the mat itself whereas if the eyelets get pulled off the mat is likely to be terminally buggered.
How about glueing a series of tabs on across the rear flap of the mat? And still use a bungee cord...
Its worth a prototype dont you think ?

You'd still need eyelets in the tabs though. They spread force around the hole. The main advantage with tabs would be adapting a ready.made mat. Also being able to take them off again! Even then though, you can just snip off the excess edge lap with eyelets.

Leashes on mats are horrible though. Just hang on to it!

Gi

Had a mini-meet the other day and leashes came up...... I had a flashback image of a helium baloon harnessed inside a thin net or webbing.... I remember the guy who posted that photo gave up riding mats because he couldnt wear a leash and couldnt grip a mat due to arthritis or something....

Mattitude concluded that Velcro patches could be of some use...maybe instead of the grommets ..

Can you explain the mechanism a bit more Matt? I'm struggling to visualize it, although I am coming out of a gnarly hangover!

G

The local cloud-break that cracks once or twice a year.. Took a royal thrashing there a couple years ago on my mat..... Just as I reached the outside, it turned to the inside with a triple-overhead wall of death coming at me all i could do was bear-hug the xl and hold my breath... rag dolled forever...almost drowned myself holding on!

Good fun!!!! Net might cause a spot of drag mind!

G

I think id like your grommet/bungee system on the tail flap connected to a 15' SUP leggy!

Here's a reply from PG that shows just that Matt. He tried to reply himself but got confused by posting pics.

G


There are two approaches to a leash attachment that I think work...but I don't care for either one of them.

One is a harness system along the back of the mat, with 4 grommets. This allows a length of bungee cord to go through all 4 grommets, and then a leash attaches to the bungee. This distributes the load across the back of the mat, and so far, none of the prototypes I've made have failed. But, the system is kind of heavy and draggy. The leash attaches to your torso or leg. I suppose you could put it along the front flange as well and use a wrist leash.

The other semi-feasible idea is placing two grommets on the two front corners, and set the grommets well away from the normal area of the flange. Sooner or later, the grommets will fail, but when they do, they wouldn't do long term damage to the main part of the mat, since the grommets would tear away fabric that was excess to begin with. Sort of planned failure. In this system, the leash attaches to one or the other corner grommet, and one of your wrists. You could probably just use one grommet on the side you want to attach to.

If you reinforce the area that the grommet is installed on the mat, the mat will fail in a more catastrophic manner, as the damage will go deeper into the mat. If you make the entire mat strong enough, then it won't surf very well.

All that said, mats and leashes don't seem to go together, and it's something that I think is a very minor drawback to mat surfing. But, I've had a number of people inquire about mats for the first time, with the proviso that they won't be trying one unless they can use a leash. So they don't end up with a mat.

Yes! Good to hear the prototypes survived... I attached a double-coil bicep leash to the first kneeboard I made ..(a 6'1) because i didnt like the drag of a leggy.....Now im talking about a 15 footer on a 3' mat ...LOL

Id also consider a shorter leggy or bicep leash with a quick-release clip like the ones the Mavericks boys use....

I can't handle leashes nowadays.

G

Its oddd but for a board leashes feel right, but for a mat it is all wrong
S.

Agreed... But whats also wrong is drowning in a giant mushburger wave because you Wont let go of your mat!. Besides bigger waves, leashless is the way to go for sure...

Yeah drowning is not good and to be avoided.
S.

No shame in letting go!Mats look after themselves.I should know!Done the swim many a time.

Seriously... I'd rather take my chances. If I really felt I had to wear a leash I'd rather ride something else.

G