BajaNomad - Tuesday surf matting on the windy Pacific side

Tuesday surf matting on the windy Pacific side

oladulce - 8-21-2007 at 07:14 PM

It's amazing, just 75 miles or so and a few mesas across the peninsula from where Susan was water skiing in sheet-glass conditions in Bahia Concepcion...

It was howling wind here today!

But the water has become invitingly warm over the past couple of days, and it's rare to have sand covering the lava rocks on the beach below, so I took my mat for a spin.

bajajudy - 8-21-2007 at 07:16 PM

You go girl! :dudette:

Halboo - 8-21-2007 at 08:52 PM

Mats are cool :cool:

http://surfmatz.com/
http://www.surfmat.com/
http://www.edgespoon.com/4thGear/
http://groups.msn.com/InflateAbleDreamSpeed

pappy - 8-22-2007 at 08:54 AM

is that one of dale solomonson's mats??? i love mine!

shari - 8-22-2007 at 03:13 PM

awesome...could you por favor send some of that warmer water up our way?

oladulce - 8-22-2007 at 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pappy
is that one of dale solomonson's mats??? i love mine!

It is pappy.

I have to thank Halboo for his recent post about his new mat. It motivated me to take mine out and I had a blast.

oladulce - 8-22-2007 at 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shari
awesome...could you por favor send some of that warmer water up our way?

Alas Shari, that balmy water lasted only a day before these winds blew it away. It's back to the low- mid 70's I'd estimate. Not horrible, but not "Aaahhhh" water. Any idea what your water temp is ?

woody with a view - 8-23-2007 at 12:28 PM

few days ago on the news "they"said it was 77 at mission beach, ca. it's warm alright, but me thinks there musta been a lot of kids peeing at the same time in the vicinity of the thermometer.

Halboo - 8-23-2007 at 12:36 PM

It's been in the mid 70's here in San Clemente for several weeks. But no waves.

woody with a view - 8-23-2007 at 12:51 PM

patience, grasshopper.......tis the summer of discontent....so far!!!

:?:

Halboo - 8-23-2007 at 01:33 PM

We're heading to Baja Sur sometime early-mid Sept. for 3 weeks or so.... :yes:

Iflyfish - 8-23-2007 at 01:43 PM

cool pics, never seen one of those before, what fun, great links

Iflyfish

shari - 8-23-2007 at 03:51 PM

It seems the water temps vary alot depending on the area, Los Chorros surf break was around 68 and it was 64 in town and 62 at San Roque Island and they vary day to day as well...one interesting place is at our new favorite beach which has an active underwater volcano near it where you can see bubbles coming up from it and it warms the water up nicely. So we're gonna try to take our surf boards there next time so we don't get too cold when falling in all the time! What the heck is a mat? Is it like a boogie board? Looks like alot of fun.

Halboo - 8-23-2007 at 04:25 PM

Hi Shari,
Check the links if you can;
Mats preceded Boogie boards by decades; most oldtimers like myself surfed mats before graduating to surfboards.
They've made a pretty good comeback recently and the new mats are light years ahead of the old blue and yellow Hodgeman's; utilizing ultralight super supple materials.
I went back to mats because injuries prevent me from paddling a surfboard anymore without distress and it's way more soulful then a mass produced boogie.
Currently there are only two guys in the world with the knowledge and equipment to make a quality mat.
Dale Solomonson/Neumatics and Paul Gross/ 4th Gear Flyers.
They surf completely different then anything else and well ridden, there is nothing faster. They work best in lined up waves and when it's kind of funky and blown out they work better then anything.
It can't hurt you or anybody else, it's softer then the softest soft board, and it's the most portable surf vehicle by far.
Imagine riding a soft comfy bubble that wants to go to the fastest part of the wave...................
:tumble:

If you promise to keep it away from sharp rocks I'll let you try my Flyer when we are down there in a few weeks.

BajaGeoff - 8-23-2007 at 04:46 PM

Man that water sure looks inviting!

Halboo

DianaT - 8-23-2007 at 04:46 PM

Thanks for that discription.

When I first saw the picture, I googled surf mat and they looked like a smaller, sleeker, fancier, lighter weight version of those big heavy yellow and blue rafts we used to rent at Hunington Beach when I was a kid----just after the stone age.

When my kids had boogie board many years later, I never thought they were as much fun----after all these years, a surf mat might get this old lady back in the surf.

Thanks
Diane

woody with a view - 8-23-2007 at 04:47 PM

Quote:

the new mats are light years ahead of the old blue and yellow Hodgeman's;

those super hard rafts are what i spent MANY summers on. i remember picking through the pile inside the trailer at north OB every time trying to find the hardest mat they had. fun times, but the nipple rash was UNREAL!!!!!!! :light:

Halboo - 8-23-2007 at 04:51 PM

I don't know if you know who George Greenough is but he's generally considered one of the most influential waterman of the last century (and my boyhood hero)
Watching his YOU Tube discussion of mats will give you a lot of insight into the modern surf mat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igN3FqwC29E

woody with a view - 8-23-2007 at 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Halboo
I don't know if you know who George Greenough is but he's generally considered one of the most influential waterman of the last century (and my boyhood hero)
Watching his YOU Tube discussion of mats will give you a lot of insight into the modern surf mat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igN3FqwC29E

WHO? the guy who used to strap a camera on his back at the points north of santa barbera and get deep?

Halboo - 8-23-2007 at 05:12 PM

Correcto

http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/surfaz.cfm?id=821

woody with a view - 8-23-2007 at 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Halboo
Correcto

http://www.surfline.com/surfaz/surfaz.cfm?id=821

added to screensaver/wallpaper rotation.....

any guesses as to the scene of the dream????? it ain't baja, but it is deep undercover, none the less!!!!! :?:

[Edited on 8-24-2007 by woody in ob]

Halboo - 8-23-2007 at 06:19 PM

I think that shot is from the "Coming of the Dawn" segment of "Innermost Limits of Pure Fun" which was shot somewhere on the Bixby/Hollister ranch.
Razors? Drakes? Lefts and Rights? I fergit at this point in time.

oladulce - 8-23-2007 at 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jdtrotter
...When I first saw the picture, I googled surf mat and they looked like a smaller, sleeker, fancier, lighter weight version of those big heavy yellow and blue rafts we used to rent at Hunington Beach when I was a kid

Diane,
In real life I still call mine a "raft" and say I'm going "rafting" . An old habit. But these modern versions are custom made of a similar , but more durable material.

The $300 price tag for this custom made inflatable is what has made it easier to refer to it as a surf mat. Who in their right mind would pay that much for a "raft"?

Halboo - 8-24-2007 at 06:40 AM

The Aussies often call it a surf mattress :lol:

DianaT - 8-24-2007 at 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by oladulce

Quote:

$300.00---yikes. After watching the video, I think I would almost rather have one of those old blue and yellow monsters---seem sturdier --- have to see one of the new ones.

I love it when they just redesign something, charge a lot of money, and bingo----a hit. I remember the old cheap skateboards I bought my kids, and then they disappeared from the market only to reappear years later---improved, and very expensive.

Diane

Halboo - 8-24-2007 at 09:35 AM

Most halfway decent body boards are well over $200 these days and they are not hand made individually by talented craftsman. You can't touch a custom surfboard for less then $600 and it won't travel as well.
They last a lot longer then one would imagine and they can be repaired.
The only similarity between modern mats and the old Hodgman's is fabric and air.
It's like comparing your mom's station wagon to a nitro fuel burning dragster :biggrin:

DianaT - 8-24-2007 at 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Halboo
It's like comparing your mom's station wagon to a nitro fuel burning dragster :biggrin:

I don't doubt that, but I would be far more comfortable driving that old stationwagon. :spingrin:

Diane

Halboo - 8-24-2007 at 09:57 AM

Go grannie, go grannie, go grannie go!.

Not a mat but this works for me.

Lee - 8-24-2007 at 09:57 AM

http://www.rebelboards.com/pc/C4-E39/SFISH/5%276+Quad+Retro+...

5'6 Quad Retro Fish - Gloss (C4-E39)
Nose: 16"
Width: 20 1/2"
Thickness: 2 1/4"
Tail: 15 1/2"
Fins: DFS Quad
Tail Shape: Fish/Swallow
Rail: Medium
Contours: Single to Double Concave
Nose Rocker: 10cm
Tail Rocker: 5cm
Glass: 6+6oz deck/6oz bottom

Quantity in Basket: None
Code: C4-E39
Price: $511.00

DianaT - 8-24-2007 at 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Halboo
Go grannie, go grannie, go grannie go!.

pappy - 8-24-2007 at 01:22 PM

i thimk george would get a kick out of the fact he is being discussed on this site.i'm sure dale is tickled too.the material the new mats are made of is darn near bomb proof, (some high tech stuff dale got from the militery i believe) they last longer than the old canvas ones we all grew up with....

shari - 8-24-2007 at 06:22 PM

Thanks sooo much for your description of these mats...I'd never sen them in Canada before or here but I'm a boogie board fanatic and am famous for gettin the grannies in the surf with them....right Zoe! I turned tons of visitors onto it and they always love it...but this mat dohickey looks totally awesome..I'd love to try it...I guess I'll have to put it on my christmas list for Diver to bring down!!!

Halboo - 8-25-2007 at 04:04 PM

Like I said, You can give mine a go in a few weeks.
Cowabunga!

[Edited on 8-25-2007 by Halboo]

shari - 8-25-2007 at 05:34 PM

right on dude, looking forward to trying something new... hopefully the water will be a bit warmer then.

Before surf mats

RonnieRockCod - 8-26-2007 at 06:54 PM

In the mid forties, while I was in high school, we used pillow cases as "surf mats" Wet them first then run down the beach and fill them with air or slap them vertically against the water. Gather up the open end and ride the waves until the air escaped thru the fabric. Mom wasn't too happy when they came back salty and sandy, but then, they didn't cost $300.

Later, some enterprizing inventor created the surf mat and the rest is history. But the rough canvas caused boys' nipples to chafe which was remedied by a couple of band aids. Which wasn't too attractive since they were white and flesh colored band aids were years away. Ah, the good old days ! RRC

Halboo - 8-26-2007 at 07:23 PM

George Greenough, Dale Solomonson and others have refered to the modern surf mat as
"The Magic Towel"
http://www.allaboutsurf.com/articles/solomonson

Barry A. - 8-26-2007 at 07:33 PM

RonnnieRockCod------I was in high school in the early 50's but boy do I remember the "pillow case" surf riding, and it worked pretty good!! But even more I remember the sore nipples from riding the Bel Air surf mats in the big storm surf-----when the 6 to 8 foot waves came in at Coronado they stirred up a lot of sand, and the sand got between you and the mat------that was painful by the end of the day. We never thought to use band-aids------to macho anyway. But the girls sure laughed at us when our red nipples got big and swollen---------it was worth it, tho. :lol:

Yes, those were the days :yes:

Bajagypsy - 8-27-2007 at 06:22 AM

I think those mats would be a great way for the kids to start surfing. The 15 year old has tried on a real board, and quite enjoyed it, but the yonger ones (10-8) would love it!!! I'll have to look into getting some!