I just sent off a new 4GF prototype to Mat Max down in New Zealand.
As you can see, the Mini Max (on the right) is a whole lot shorter and narrower than the Standard it's sitting next too.
Max's idea was to have a mat short enough that he could paddle into sucking double ups and transition from paddling to riding without having to pull himself forward. Then, it had to be narrow enough to hold into anything the ocean could throw at it.
I pushed the length and width of the first Mini Max prototype as small as they could go, just to find out what the extreme limit would do. We should know more within a few weeks...