I don't know much about mats, but those don't look like the 4th gear flyers. Are they the newer style mats? This video surprised me with how well these mats were able to maintain their trim in the pocket, and the tuberiding. Usually those things are doing 100 mph out on the flats. Has to be a firmer mat, or something?
Not sure which mat you're referring to, but I got a Krypt about a year ago... it's the one with the M symbol that you can see at exactly 0:19sec. Supposedly, it's one of the best, made in Australia. But I wouldn't know because it's the only one I've ever owned. The idea with mats in general is that you sort of under-inflate them, then use your elbows and hands to squeeze and release the mat to change its firmness and shape. That's the whole trick of mat riding, and it's not that easy to figure out. Like anything worth investing in, it takes about a year to really figure out and much longer to master. This guy articulates it well: You're also using your hips and legs and feet to adjust trim and turn. One great thing about it is you can travel with it anywhere.
It appeared to me that the mats in this video were not as under inflated as what I'm used to seeing, so I just assumed that they might be a newer style with stiffer material
I got a 4thgearflyer a few months back and have been taking it out when the back and hips make stand up surfing too painful. Definitely a learning curve but it's fun and at 65 I'm stoked every time I paddle out.
I'll have to get back into it. I learned how to bodysurf and mat ride shore pound when I was 7 years old, but on a mat, got the worst tittie rash but it was worth it. Now I've got a rashguard so I've got something to look forward to. I'm still really good mattless in the shore pound and can do torpedo spins - no fins needed. So I may go head first into the sand trying to relearn this ancient art of waveriding again, but I will squeeeeeeeze it.
I've done both, and prefer the feel and challenge of a mat. Bodyboards can do more maneuvers and stuff, but the mat feels way cooler when riding a wave. And I'm pretty sure they go way faster.
It's like hand-plaining. Looking from the beach I'm like, how could that be fun? One try and you'll get it, though. Just like crack-cocaine.
...it's like riding a water balloon. You feel a bouncy sort of undulation under you that you can control by squeezing and bending the mat. You can't do that with a boog.
I think the matts look fun as hell, I've seen guys riding them here for the last couple of years. I'm surprised I don't see them more in vids at spots like the wedge, or even pipe. You always see the boogs at these spots.
Comparing a mat to a boog is like comparing a longboard to a fish. Not the same animal, not even close. Watch a vid or 2 of Greenough on a mat and you'll get it. He's flying past everything and everyone else on those things. And that's almost a half-century ago. Surfers are just now coming around to understand what mats are actually capable of doing. It's really a great time to be a surfer, if we can just get past the crowded lineups and the constant cocque measuring
