This Never Gets Old
I don't know when I'll be back in the water. While Soul Brother #1 is on the mend, I'm kind of on lockdown. I know there's a swell coming, a swell that won't see any of my boards.
In the meantime, I'm watching mat surfing on YouTube and keeping my head together.
posted by Surfsister @ 15:38
7 comments
7 Comments:
I love how you are so enthusiastic about mat surfing! Can I ask a dumb question - what is the difference between using a mat and a bodyboard?
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Because a bodyboard is rigid and thin, you can ride it drop-knee, rip aerials and pull el rollos.
Mats looks crazy fun, though. :)
I'll take a stab at this, since I was the first person to ever work at Morey Boogie, and I make 4GF's mats... :-)
Mats and body boards are even more different than they look. Different in feel, different in peformance strengths, and different in mental attitide. I've tried to ride body boards like mats and mats like body boards, and I just couldn't do it. (Not saying someone else couldn't, however.)
Boogies want to plane out and skim around. They can do 360's and lip bounces and all that, and stay within their perameter. Mats want to run down the line smoother and draw off the bottom longer. Mats also absorb more surface bump without slowing down, since they have two semi-independant skins.
Body boards are closer to the design family of stand up boards, since they are more rigid than flexible. Mats are compeltely different than surfboards in terms of design and how they are ridden.
Both are great. Which you like depends on your personality. Subjectively, I would say that mats are more introverted/artsy, while bodyboards are more contest-performance/extroverted.
Just my opinion!
mattish blog here ...
http://surfmatters.blogspot.com/
Thank you, PG! I knew better than to try and answer that question myself!
Frankly, when I see bodyboards, I see . . . bodyboards. But when I see someone on a mat, I see possibilities. I also like that you can tweak your mat, while you're in the water, to better suit the wave you're surfing. Here's my take: Why would you ride a bodyboard? Why wouldn't you surf a mat?
The variable inflation of the surf mat also gives it a dimension that bodyboards don't have.
Bodyboards can use fins, which gives them a dimension that mats don't have.
Again, personal preference is the only criteria to judge either one!
We have a 4th Gear Flyer Rider's Guide. I can send it to anyone e-mail via attachment. Write me at "fourthgearflyer at yahoo dot com" (with the normal address characters) and I will forward it to you.
SurfSister,
Keep an eye on SB#1. The surf and the mat will be there when you are ready.
Wow what great explanations! Since mats are more "introverted/artsy", I bet I'd like them.
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