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So like a few of the other threads on here for your own custom Gel Mat, I went ahead and took a shot at making my own. I feel like it's the perfect combo of price/durability. In the other threads that discuss the DIY Gel Mat, they've had issues of the mat bubbling up/ripping in the hitting area, etc. I've had this combination for half a year now, and it still looks/performs like new. Here is what I used:
$12 - 8x4 OSB 19/32 board - I cut it down to 4x5, and then jigsawed out the 9x16 hold for the Gel. The height of the 19/32 works ALMOST perfectly, the gel pushes up the mat maybe 1cm, if that. You want it to be right up against the mat though to make sure it's not tearing apart the mat.
$90 - The Mat - 4x5 Dura Pro Plus - this mat I feel like is the best as it has a pretty thick padding that won't rip even if you have fat shots continuously. I'm a pretty good ballstriker, but still hit the occasional fat shot.
$70 - The Gel. This you cut in half to make the 9x16 gel pad for the hitting area. Again, see the other posts if you want to see how they cut this out.
Total - $172.
As you can see in the pics, the Dura Pro mat has the thick white back padding that shows absolutely no signs of wear after thousands of shots.
How I did my install was I cut the 8x4 OSB into a 5x4 section, then jigsawed out the gel spot. I put the OSB and gel right over bare concrete in my basement, and then used a small screw on each of the 4 corners, and then a screw into each long edge between the corner screws to keep the mat attached to the OSB. I used 4 Tapcons to hold the OSB to the basement floor. I then got some quarter round and glued the ends together to go around the mat to make it look better.
The skytrak usually only has a mis-read maybe 1 out of every 100 shots. The putting on it works perfectly as well. I've had a friend bring his GC2 over and use it as well, and it works flawlessly with putting and hitting as well. I think it's the perfect combo for the DIY Gel!
$12 - 8x4 OSB 19/32 board - I cut it down to 4x5, and then jigsawed out the 9x16 hold for the Gel. The height of the 19/32 works ALMOST perfectly, the gel pushes up the mat maybe 1cm, if that. You want it to be right up against the mat though to make sure it's not tearing apart the mat.
$90 - The Mat - 4x5 Dura Pro Plus - this mat I feel like is the best as it has a pretty thick padding that won't rip even if you have fat shots continuously. I'm a pretty good ballstriker, but still hit the occasional fat shot.
$70 - The Gel. This you cut in half to make the 9x16 gel pad for the hitting area. Again, see the other posts if you want to see how they cut this out.
Total - $172.
As you can see in the pics, the Dura Pro mat has the thick white back padding that shows absolutely no signs of wear after thousands of shots.
How I did my install was I cut the 8x4 OSB into a 5x4 section, then jigsawed out the gel spot. I put the OSB and gel right over bare concrete in my basement, and then used a small screw on each of the 4 corners, and then a screw into each long edge between the corner screws to keep the mat attached to the OSB. I used 4 Tapcons to hold the OSB to the basement floor. I then got some quarter round and glued the ends together to go around the mat to make it look better.
The skytrak usually only has a mis-read maybe 1 out of every 100 shots. The putting on it works perfectly as well. I've had a friend bring his GC2 over and use it as well, and it works flawlessly with putting and hitting as well. I think it's the perfect combo for the DIY Gel!
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