The simplicity of mat making.

Mats can be very technical to build, and the wilder the design the more accurate the planning, measurements and construction techniques need to be. So in the construction of a mat there's always a top piece and the underside piece of material, but what's with all those I beams ? On paper it all looks simple enough but when you get down to getting all the parts exactly positioned, it can become a very intricate 3-D creation. So how simple can a mat be ? Sure you could just get a garbage bag and give it a go, but how simply could you build a reasonable mat with the fewest parts... If you accept the essential of a hull piece, (and maybe it's not actually essential) then well start there. This ones ribbed for your enjoyment. A flat piece with the pontoons evident for illustration purposes. Add a Second piece, maybe as the deck. And weld / glue the two together to form 6 pontoons. Now add a third piece over the top creating another level of pontoons. So the 3rd piece becomes the deck and the 2nd piece is in the middle. And inflate. Now the 2nd piece in the middle creates a series of triangular pontoons, which as a stand alone concept opens up questions about how the shape of the pontoons concentrates the vertical energy transfer between the wave / mat / surfer and back again. There's only 3 pieces to connect and its a simpler build and a more stable platform with angled beams. I'd make one today but it will have to wait until I come back from holidays in the UK.