Another situation at mi4le when the waves were "good enough to surf" but I opted for the surf mat. I have recently repaired the crushed valve stem on my Neumatic, so I was amped to get it back in the water. I broke it right around the time I got my 4GF mat, so I switched to riding the new mat and therefore have little experience to compare the two. So, back on the Neumatic out in the waves that work best on the mat.
One thing is that the Neumatic is larger and therefore gets into waves easier. The flip side of this is that it's a bit harder to duck under waves. This became an issue when I went to the point and got caught (more than once) by 7' set waves. Going from the right spot to way inside in the course of three set waves is a bummer. I got pushed out of position for any more set waves and had a struggle to get back to the outside. But, when I got one, it felt good. The one thing that was most noticeable was that the Neumatic feels like it's easier to turn. Like it was more rocker and rolls from rail to rail better. Using surfboard language to describe surf mat riding and design doesn't translate well, but that's the best I can do. I also think the Neumatic is faster, but I can't say for sure without more testing. MORE TESTING!
As a fun comparison between surfboards and mats, I'll describe what happens when the lip hits. On a surfboard if you are in the tube and the tube pinches shut and hits the nose of your board you are suddenly launched up and forward. The lever action of the nose going down lifts the tail, and when the nose goes down the forward momentum of the board stops and your body continues. But since you're inside the tube you quickly hit the twisting lip and get sent to the bottom of the ocean.
In contrast, when I am in the tube riding a mat and the lip comes down on me, the process is slower. The lip hits the front of the mat and the mat deforms sending air to other parts of the mat. I can feel the mat bending down and I try to pull it upwards. Inevitably the mat sinks front first and I'm flung into the twisting lip and to the bottom of the ocean. The difference is only a fraction of a second, but that time is spent fighting the inevitable with the hope and belief that maybe this time I can save myself! So far it's just a hope, never proven to be true.
And:
Daniel Thomson is a crazy good mat rider and makes me want to invest in a Krypt mat.
Greame is making cool looking mats for a pretty penny (or pound actually) in the UK.
Dale Solomonson is still missing. (Sad face, no link, ITS GONE!)
Paul Gross is giving a wonderful "History of Surf Mat Design" over on his blog.
Plus many other low end sub $100 mats out there for the curious.
And a new friend, http://californiasurfcraft.com/, who makes handplanes, paipos, and mat(s).
Stacy down at Sawyer carries mats (and other alt surf) and rides them as well.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Circle Back
I have free time lately. I have less disposable income lately. I have wanted to get a 7' hull. I have wanted to try the VeeBee. I am intrigued by the MGB Bonzer. Not having the money to invest in any of these interests I have instead circled back on my existing quiver. I'm lucky enough that I haven't had to sell any boards, and to have put away quite a little stock for myself to play with. A few days ago I brought my 10'2" "JOneill out to OB. The waves were small and clean, just right for getting the feel of the board again. I've ridden two of my fathers longboards recently and my success on them gave me confidence to give the JOneill another try. First, a bit of explanation.
The JOneill is a remake of an early 60's board my dad owns. The original board rode well for me and I wanted a railbanger longboard. My dad had an exact replica made as my M.S. graduation gift. It's 10'2", tri-band stringer. Big round and fairly parallel rails, big ole skeg, lotsa belly and flat rocker. Not quite a D fin, but nearly. Most notable is that it's made with classic Clark foam and a heavy glass job. It weighs in somewhere in the upper 20lbs I guess. The original board was branded Oneill, but Junod did the remake. So, JOneill.
The board worked fairly well for me. It has weight to help it punch through waves at OB when there's no way around them. When I get a wave with some energy I can turn the board and handle it fairly well. When I get a wave with even More energy, I get into trouble. I can handle most situations if they don't require a big change in direction. I made a mistake of fading into the peak too far and not being able to swing the board around quick enough to change direction and not go face first into the pit at the peak. Lesson learned. It also doesn't whip around and drop in when I decide at the last minute that I want the wave right in front of me. Most of the waves that day were short rides going to nothing after passing over the sandbar. I got many waves in an hour and a half, and was more able than most to paddle against the current. The current was ridiculous for how small the waves were.
After surfing that big board I stopped in at Mollusk to check out the Liddle boards. Surprisingly, I was not too impressed with them and credit my sudden lack of interest (ending a 6-month streak) to ridding the JOneill. It doesn't travel as well as a 7' board would because I can only carry the JOneill in my truck while a 7' board could squeeze into my sedan. That right there is enough reason to still invest in a mid-length board for small waves. But, for now, I can ride the JOneill when the waves are small.
Or, OR, or I can use the mat. I continue to put the 4GF (5GF model) to use. I had a small surf at Rockaway on the mat. Nothing special except I wouldn't have enjoyed surfing very much on any other board. I've also been meeting up with a guy in SF who is interested in mats, and also makes handplanes. I let him try the mat and he liked it. He's made one attempt at making a mat and will try again with the gained knowledge of seeing my mat. It got me motivated just enough to try to repair the valve on my Neumatic. I think I messed up the repair, but I'll keep working on it until it's good enough to use.
The JOneill is a remake of an early 60's board my dad owns. The original board rode well for me and I wanted a railbanger longboard. My dad had an exact replica made as my M.S. graduation gift. It's 10'2", tri-band stringer. Big round and fairly parallel rails, big ole skeg, lotsa belly and flat rocker. Not quite a D fin, but nearly. Most notable is that it's made with classic Clark foam and a heavy glass job. It weighs in somewhere in the upper 20lbs I guess. The original board was branded Oneill, but Junod did the remake. So, JOneill.
The board worked fairly well for me. It has weight to help it punch through waves at OB when there's no way around them. When I get a wave with some energy I can turn the board and handle it fairly well. When I get a wave with even More energy, I get into trouble. I can handle most situations if they don't require a big change in direction. I made a mistake of fading into the peak too far and not being able to swing the board around quick enough to change direction and not go face first into the pit at the peak. Lesson learned. It also doesn't whip around and drop in when I decide at the last minute that I want the wave right in front of me. Most of the waves that day were short rides going to nothing after passing over the sandbar. I got many waves in an hour and a half, and was more able than most to paddle against the current. The current was ridiculous for how small the waves were.
After surfing that big board I stopped in at Mollusk to check out the Liddle boards. Surprisingly, I was not too impressed with them and credit my sudden lack of interest (ending a 6-month streak) to ridding the JOneill. It doesn't travel as well as a 7' board would because I can only carry the JOneill in my truck while a 7' board could squeeze into my sedan. That right there is enough reason to still invest in a mid-length board for small waves. But, for now, I can ride the JOneill when the waves are small.
Or, OR, or I can use the mat. I continue to put the 4GF (5GF model) to use. I had a small surf at Rockaway on the mat. Nothing special except I wouldn't have enjoyed surfing very much on any other board. I've also been meeting up with a guy in SF who is interested in mats, and also makes handplanes. I let him try the mat and he liked it. He's made one attempt at making a mat and will try again with the gained knowledge of seeing my mat. It got me motivated just enough to try to repair the valve on my Neumatic. I think I messed up the repair, but I'll keep working on it until it's good enough to use.
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