Home-Build: G-Mat 5

ULTIMATS wrote:

GRAYMAN wrote:The fumes are similar, if not worse than Tremflex. Save on buying smack though.

Now THATS great news, I'll tell Lindsay and we'll be 'round this weekend.

Not reinforcing the Souse stereotype there area you Brett?



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The mat looks great G, you must be pleased with how it looks ?
Whens the inaugural ride ? Dying to hear how it goes....

Thanks Brett. Happy with how it looks but apprehensive about how it'll go.

Test drive Friday.

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I've created a MONSTER!!!!!!

Been hanging out a bit with G-Mat 5 and the more I looked the more I thought to myself that it seemed to have a lot of volume. I thought I'd check so blew up a 4GF Standard Blue Streak, G-Mat 3 and G-Mat 5 to compare them:



HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!!

It seems my formula for width to I-beam heights needs some revision with 4 pontoon mats!!! This is a Skansand size mat! The Standard's a little bit deflated but it's still a huge difference.

Good for dinky days perhaps?



The thing I love about mat building is it's so straight forward.

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Looks great G!
Has a very Neumatic "advanced" feel to the bottom.
Good job, enjoying seeing the evolution.

GRAYMAN wrote:Thanks Brett. Happy with how it looks but apprehensive about how it'll go.

Test drive Friday.

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Graeme, If youre a bit aprehensive, just post it off to me and I'll do the review for you.

Thats what mates are for !!

Cheers Tim.

13 hours to go Brett.

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STOKED!!!!!

This mat is certainly not what I intended to build. However, it is a lot of fun to ride. It doesn't hold as well as G-Mat 3, as expected, so I have to ride a little further back than my default position. It's really quick though and nice on a high line. It's also really loose and slippery, like a bar of soap in a bath. Great for floaters!

Also really loose with the turning coming from the inside part of the outer pontoons and rolling onto that egged rail.

I will save this for waves around chest high or so and slop as I think it'll struggle in proper waves but still really happy (sorry Brett).



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thats great news G !
Not so good for Lilo and I, she was looking forward to a bit of "bouncy-bouncy" on the weekend.
I think she meant mat-riding, but I'll check.

ULTIMATS wrote: thats great news G !
Not so good for Lilo and I, she was looking forward to a bit of "bouncy-bouncy" on the weekend.
I think she meant mat-riding, but I'll check.

If she's anything like my wife, she'll mean mat-riding.

Rode this again today in chunkier surf. I was slipping early on but got my positioning sorted on the mat and was off. It needed a touch more air than I'd normally run needing probably a 110 degree fold. I normally don't like running with much air as I don't like the floatie up and down movement but this mat is a total free breather so that's not an issue.

I would definitely change things on a re-build but I'm still stoked on this mat.



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Daaaaang!

Interesting to hear how the variations change the performance.

But if youre not totally stoked riding it G....

then may I.. ~cough~ suggest you pass it on... ~cough~, to ahh.. someone.... ~cough~ who might be hanging out for.... ~cough~ one of your boards..?.... ~cough~................

Cant hurt to ask ?

ULTIMATS wrote:
one of your boards

Sorry mate. Haven't got any boards.

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What is a free breather ?And how does it work ? and the difference bettween a free breather and a non free breather is ?

It relates to the ease with which the air moves around within the mat. A free breather has zero resistance. The other extreme is a "wheezer" where the air movement is restricted (and the mat wheezes as you move around on it).

Mats are basically on a continuum between these two.

Wheezers are easier to ride as they hold their shape but are less responsive. Free-breathers are more sensitive and offer less resistance but need more work to ride.

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I'm a free-breather man meself.Not sure about the mats though.

GRAYMAN wrote:

ULTIMATS wrote:
one of your boards

Sorry mate. Haven't got any boards.

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Sorry 'bout that, it was Lindsays typo, she's been drinking again you know....

Your sample came today, is it me but feels softer than Soudal but does pong a bit how does it compare to Soudal on the cost side ?

Like the idea of your lates mat, but by the look of it,it needs to be a bit smaller

Blimp wrote: Your sample came today, is it me but feels softer than Soudal but does pong a bit how does it compare to Soudal on the cost

Similar price. Dale Solomonson has been using Vulkem for years. It beats everything else I've used hands down.

It does stink but not as acutely after a couple of outings.

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Took this out in chest to head high, surprisingly bowlie surf today. I'm getting to really like this mat. Getting my head around the slippiness now.

It does need a surprising amount of air but it doesn't feel highly inflated. I love cutbacks on this mat!



Had one bomb which I caught really late and slipped out so it certainly has its limitations for for day-to-day surf and small waves... Sweet!

Cheers

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Do you think that multi pontoon mats are more manoeuvrable than the three pontoon design of Pauls both Dale and he that must not be mentioned went down the multi pontoon road.

Will your next mat be a refinement of your last multi pontoon design ?

Dale has designed 4 pontoon mats for all sorts of people. Anyway, enough on that.

My take is that the flatter design helps planing and the concave gives drive. The looseness is more to to with the drawn out rail profile and the small amount of rocker.

Dale makes 3 pontoon mats too. The K-Mat and the Contrail are both 3 pontoon designs. I don't know about the Neu Spoon... I'll check. 3 pontoons allow lower inflation as a general rule.

My next mat is a modification of this, yes. Schpeel on that will be HERE as things develop.

G

You also need to keep in mind that its the mix of all the elements that make a mat do what it does. I designed this mat to have loads of hold and drive. I accidentally made the opposite!



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G-Mat 5's on a trip around the globe. Latest sighting is under Matt Pierce in California.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Quinn. Follow Andrew on Instagram @aqsurf

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