Are you experienced?

[Halboo]

I figure the folks that gather around here are open minded enough for this seriously esoteric surf stuff..........
If you have the stones to ride something different and stand out from the glassed over thruster crowd......

After years of enjoying but being held back by lesser vehicles;delivered in today's mail, I received a 4th Gear Flyer.
At this point in time there are only two people in the WORLD with the expertise and experience to build these types of craft and I also have an order in with Dale Solomonson who's backlogged at least a year......

A state of the art surf mat; superbly portable, it weighs mere ounces, is capable of surfing ALL types of waves and is the surf vehicle of choice of many in the know waveriders including my boyhood hero and certainly one of THE most influential waterman of all time; the amazing George Greenough. :bowdown:
George is famous for all kinds of things and is known to say stuff like...
"A surfboard needs a pointed nose like a fish needs a bike"

GG was getting shots like this 25 years b4 anybody else...........

Imagine riding a wave on a bubble that wants to follow the fall line.:wavey:

The first Vid is at least 30 years old; Paul Gross is the guy with the 'stache and also the builder of the current 4th Gear Flyers.
The second Vid is of GG discussing mats and was shot fairly recently as it shows him with a mat identical to the one in the photo which is just like mine..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljNxUhRQWWM&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igN3FqwC29E

Just in case I piqued your interest......
http://surfmatz.com/forum/index.php
http://www.edgespoon.com/4thGear/
http://www.surfmat.com/
My SWIMPAL and I are going to Baja for a month in a few weeks and I am going to have more fun then a barrel of monkees.........
:jump:


:shakin:

 

[arcteryx]

Music notes----- Well, yes, I am!!!!

Thanks Jimmy!!!

 

[blupaddler]

That is so cool!!!

I have been thinking about getting a mat lately.
I am super envious of your month-long trip to Baja.

:gunt:

 

[blupaddler]

Wait!
What happened to the rope edging?

 

[Andrew Walcker]

George Greenough, haven't heard that name in years! In the sailboarding world he was way out ahead of the curve with his "spoon" board and his harness that consisted of a 18" hook that just plain stuck out of the harness and looped over the boom (the conventional method was a line attached to the boom in two places that hung down and the harness hook was near flush to your chest). I was never a fan of his harness as I could just imagine impaling myself on something, but his "spoon" boards were insane. I remember sailing with him a few times at Lake Lopez (E'ly of Pismo Beach) and he was easiely the fastest guy in the water as long as the wind was at 20 knots +.

 

[Halboo]

He's been living and working in Byron Bay Aus. for many years.

Regardless of vehicle GG is almost always "the fastest guy in the water"

 

[Andrew Walcker]

Yep, the memories!!! That is exactly what I remember GG's sailboarding set-up looking like! His boards were all like 7 foot long or shorter and I think made of kevlar. The tops were all concaved (hence the name spoon) to probably save weight and some displacement qualities. Way smaller and lighter than anything else out there. It was pretty funny watching him try to sail when the wind dropped. He'd slowly just start sinking until it was just his head and the sail sticking out of the water. He'd have to wait until the next gust or start swimming in

 

[Halboo]

Here ya go!

It sounds like you may be unaware of GG's kneeboard and fin designs?

He pioneered the use of flex in surfboards AND fins and his flex spoons and edge boards are still being copied by a growing number of savvy surftypes who are not afraid to try something different.

http://www.flexspoon.com/
http://www.edgespoon.com/

 

[pray4surf]

Definitely a 'way-back-machine' moment here...

Grew up in Santa Barbara CA, parents were members of the Santa Barbara Surf Club, with exclusive access to the Hollister/Bixby Ranch beaches. Met George Greenough on a couple of times. Course, mean nothing to me as an under 10 YO kid....

For a real 'in-the-tube' experience, the whole second reel of "Innermost limits of pure fun" was George with a shoulder mounted film camera as he got tubed one wave after another at Little Drakes.... Course the first time I saw that was at some HS auditorium. Hell, the first time I saw Endless Summer, Bruce Brown was personally narrating it...

My first wave riding vehicle was that old blue/yellow surf mat. Really needed to know what you were doing to hold a line going down the face of the wave.

Though once I got my first foam/glass surfboard, (circa 1966) I never looked back - Although many a fun time was had on a Morey Boogie Board at black-balled beaches....

Rick

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

**Limited Experience**

I think I would enjoy the mat better than a surfboard or body board. Looks pretty cool.

 

[calamaridog]

While I haven't bodyboarded in about 10 years, I'd love to understand why this is better. Help a brother out, cause it looks pretty cool, but for half of the $250 I can buy a pretty decent bodyboard.

What part of this experience is better

(I did watch a youtube video and it does look fun)

 

[Halboo]

It all depends on what you want from a wave.
These things work completely different then bodyboards or any "board" for that matter.
Like I said in the original post; it's kind of like riding a bubble that wants to follow the fall line of the wave.
The mat is downright sensual in use and is certainly the most portable surfcraft there is. They work best in lined up surf and they work very well when it's wind-blown and kind of funky.
The inherent flexibility forms to the wave's face and is super effiecient leaving very little disturbed water in it's wake;Quite unlike any type of hard board. It may be more like bodysurfing then board surfing but you go lot's faster.
Bodyboards are great (heck I know Tom Morey!) and they have their place but they are pumped out by the thousands, don't take much skill to ride and have about as much soul as a dixie cup.
BTW Most of the halfway decent bodyboards are over $200 these days.
There are only two guys in the world with the knowledge, equipment and inclination to make these mats;
Dale Solomonson http://www.surfmat.com/
Paul Gross http://www.edgespoon.com/4thGear/
http://surfmatz.com/
http://groups.msn.com/InflateAbleDreamSpeed

 

[calamaridog]

It sounds like a lot of fun. As you can tell, it's been a while since I was that intimate with the water.

As for portability, it looks like you could take it in your carry on luggage.

 

[TeleScooby]

Any idea if those can stand up to river use? I've been looking for a way back into the rivers around here since I can't sit in a kayak anymore (sciatic issues) and that badboy looks like it may be my ticket!

I know there are river boards...before anyone brings those up, I just like the look and price of these more...

 

[grahamfitter]

Any idea if those can stand up to river use? I've been looking for a way back into the rivers around here since I can't sit in a kayak anymore (sciatic issues) and that badboy looks like it may be my ticket!

I know there are river boards...before anyone brings those up, I just like the look and price of these more...

You might want to consider an inflatable kayak. You can definitely play with the big dogs in a Thrillseeker.

If you want something really comfy and surprisingly capable for paddling rivers with a friend, a Shredder is hard to beat.

These fit two adults comfortably so are pretty social and good for building teamwork skills

Both are really stable and good for beginners too - if you fall off you can get back on! The thrillseeker is also good for steep creeks because it bounces off rocks.


Those surf mats looks like fun though - the surf equivalent of the skeleton!

Cheers,
Graham