Rider: 75kgs - competent but with a long break off the water so more crap than competent atm
Style: Freeriding - still love boosting just for the thrill of flying.
Weather: 16kts - 18kts
Build Quality: 10/10
Satisfaction: 8/10 but sure to increase as we get to know each other better.
Disclosure: Ocean Rodeo Dealer
My Comments:
Usually my comments on products on SB are a reflection of all the ideas of others I talk to in the shop. Picking the common threads of stories from all sorts of kiters is a pretty good way to summarise the pros & cons any bit of kit.
But this ones purely my response to my first crack on the Mako 150 set up as a TT.
The first thing you notice about the Mako TT is that it has two central fins rather than the standard 4 ????
The second thing is the huge concave hull ???
The third thing will probably be the stiffness. Compared to your regula r modern TT its got very little flex.
Weird right? Yep certainly is on the face of it but - hell - it works.

The single concave channels a huge flow of water to the centre of the hull where it passes over the central fin making the fin placement perfect to bite into the highest water flow area.
This jetstream of water to the centre also provides lift which is why it feels like a carpet ride even in the choppiest of conditions.
I found the board a bit funky to begin with. Tended to swoop & sway instead of following my line through the swell. A bit disconcerting at first but I soon found the answer to this was to apply more backfoot pressure. By using the front foot to balance the planing angle more than helping to dig in sends the board in a very straight line with ease.
Using this same foot balance tactic to turn off the line makes for very direct steering & a cinch to control after a few clumsy trials.
More pressure down & out on the back > less pressure up front bringing your foot into the turn for an inside transition. Less pressure to the rear pushing the front foot down & away for an outside turn.
Only my first run but pretty sure this is how I was dialling it. I'll know better when Im more used to it.
But whatever I was doing this board really impressed.
Its a super smooth ride on a very stable but hugely responsive board. The faster it goes the smoother things get and the more reactive it is to any input from your feet.
Up wind angle was amazing and very easy to maintain with much less work required than Id need to put in on any other twinny Ive ever ridden. Its more a matter of pointing than digging in. And again the faster you send it the greater the angle it will allow you to point.
Havent tried boosting it yet. My guess is the pop will be more like poop. But its small enough & agile enough to throw around so with the aid of a ramp (its made to be ridden in waves) Im expecting the drive of the board will more than compensate for anything lacking in the build.

Im hardly skilled enough to review its wave riding ability but hope to get a more profficient 'surf kiter' to check them out on this score.
Similar situation for testing as a Mutant - I'll leave that to those with skill on both sides of the equation.

Overall
Id never select it as my board of choice in anything other than choppy open ocean conditions. Theres way better boards for flat water.
But in TT mode as a freerider in choppy sloppy mush (and I expect riding the wave) it excelled - way beyond my expectation. I'll be spending a lot of time on this board this season.

Demos of the 165King 150 & 140 available anytime.

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puppetonastring said..


Havent tried boosting it yet. My guess is the pop will be more like poop.

Well thats the odd thing. I was not expecting a board that is so far removed from any top freestyle design to be so good at boosting but it really is. It just really loads well (probably the length of the edge) and fires you up when you release. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you nail it you can go huge.

Where this board excels though is toe side down the line. You can really slash the wave face with this beauty multiple times without having to worry about catching an edge. Toe / heel carves are the smoothest I have ever known. I have it set up Mutant style which just works in the waves

I ride a NHP as my go to flat water / chop board but the Mako in the ocean just cant be beat.

Cheers

i ride a mako king and is the best board to surf small waves , upwind and great on long kite sessions. I only see one or two in the water in Melbourne.

I came across Makos in Hood River in the states where they swear by them. I ride the mako king TT all the time and as a 105kg beginner with a damaged knee I enjoy this board more than others I have tried and use it most of the time in Melbourne chop and bay waves. The combination of superior upwind ability, stability, smoothness, early planing, great carving, easy on the knees and legs in general gives me a sense of security and allows me to have great fun with it. I keep coming to preferring to use it for free riding in the chop around Melbourne. When you ride into shore with the waves it feels butter smooth no matter what the period or size of the waves- really pleasurable going fast. Also not bad for light wind conditions although not as good as specialist light wind boards I suspect.

I need to try it in the small surf when I get the chance ( not ready for big stuff yet) but I am sure it will perform well. I have not tried it mutant yet but will sometime soon. I put in some foot pads fon or extra comfort (the king comes with straps and a rubber deck pad). Looking forward to try it strapless sometime.

Complex cross waves which I would find challenging become fun. I am not yet a great jumper but use chop to launch from. It is more manoeuvrable than you might expect from a big board.

The board is rare enough around here people sometimes stare at it as though it is a UFO but as others have stated the surprising design works extremely well. I have not tried the 140 and 150 but am intrigued to try them. The king feels smaller than it looks but I may well end up supplementing with a smaller mako I suspect.

When I first used it I found I needed more front foot pressure than for other boards. Once you get your balance which I got reasonably quickly I did not look back. When I first tried it was a good 25-30 knots the board shot out from under my feet forwards a few times which extra front pressure fixed. Then I found I improved the subtlety of the balance between feet further over several sessions and provides even more enjoyment and performance.

I doubt I will let this board go as I continue to progress I keep enjoying my sessions with it- I can do longer sessions, know that I can get upwind easily and carve it up more and more as I progress and keep pressure off my dodgy knee.

"When I first used it I found I needed more front foot pressure than for other boards."

spot on - you need a tad more front foot pressure (when in TT mode), than on a normal TT

I agree with you Puppet, it's tracking is a bit funny to get used to but its great once you learn how to use its edge.

Just came back from 4 days at coronation beach North of Geraldton, I felt that the board was specifically built for the location. It was a blast riding head high waves and then cutting across again for a massive boost off the swell. Perfect weapon for these conditions. Not a board for flat water (though I do use it so!). If you love boosting huge off massive swell while also getting the opportunity to ride it, this is a board to consider.

I have held off posting a review of my new 150 mako, as I have only been on it twice(I've been off the water for a while) I only ride in waves.

First thing is at 150 it seems big, but underfoot it did not feel big at all, I immediately felt comfortable on the mako, Some people have said It takes a while to dial in, I didn't find that, I have also read a few reviews of people complaining about upwind ability, I found the exact opposite, It charged upwind with ease, not as good as my slingshot glide but way better than my other TT's.
The other thing which pleasantly surprised me was the amount of air I could get. I was expecting a board with limited boosting ability but too my surprise point that board at the kicker, throw the kite to 12 ten back to 2 and you go huuuge., sure there is not as much pop as squarer tiped boards but for jumping off the back off waves, no problems.

The reason I bought this board was for its carving ability and in the this area the board truly excels, its like a cross between a surfboard and a snowboard the way it initiates a turn on the fin then engages the rail for a beautiful round carve on the wave face. Toe to heel transitions are really quick, with little effort. It feels very natural doing this, its what this board was made for.

The other standout feature of the board is how smooth it is. Some people say this makes the board feel a bit dull, But I think It makes choppy sessions so much more enjoyable, the smoothness of this board can't be overstated.

Overall I am very happy with this board and can only think that as I get more time on it I will grow to like it even more.

Hmm lots of feedback here & on forums around the place saying more front foot pressure than normal twinnys ???
I stand to be corrected on this as I was trying to recall what I was doing after the session.
Or maybe its more front foot when in Mutant mode ????

Best to grab one for a demo & find out for yourself.

Hey puppet, how would you compare to the w18 in performance?cheers

I have had a lot of sessions on my mako 150 now and am really beginning to love this board. It is such a pleasure to ride in small wave open ocean conditions. long drawn out carving turns to small aggressive hacks are what this board was made for. I never feel like the board will lose an edge no matter how much pressure is applied yet as soon as you think about disengaging the edge it releases.

I've said it before but this board is unbelievably smooth through the chop. Conditions that I would normally find un enjoyable are now much more fun.

I feel that this board is great for those of us that like to spend most of our time cruising around the break, smashing lips, maybe 2 or 3 turns down the line then boost off a few waves on the way back out. I think the mako is a cruisy stylish kind of ride rather than an all out balls to the wall aggressive ride. It fits my style perfectly.

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puppetonastring said..

Hmm lots of feedback here & on forums around the place saying more front foot pressure than normal twinnys ???
I stand to be corrected on this as I was trying to recall what I was doing after the session.
Or maybe its more front foot when in Mutant mode ????

Best to grab one for a demo & find out for yourself.

It's my opinion that you can get the most out of the board by getting the balance right... whatever it may be

I'm not impressed with it's bottom end so far but I've not really clicked with it - it's also my opinion that you either click with Makos and love them or you don't and ahh... you don't.

Been playing with the 150 in mutant mode over the past year... got the OR mutant fins as recommended by the homepage - 51mm x2 and the 86mm surf fin.

Finally tried it out last week with just the 86mm fin in the back, pads in the "forward" mutant position and the 56mm front fin left in... for me, this is perfect!
3 fins in the back made "sliding" transitions too sticky, going from front to back; one is easy enough to break out but still holds in the carves like a razor.

My wave riding isn't up to much - never learned to surf - but emulating the big boys produces beautiful carves with the finest spray... the Mako doesn't throw spray like rain, like my TTs do but instead purees the wave - it's like a riding into a delicate mist :) Mako is by far the best carving experience I've had

Powered hacking n' slashing is what the Mako is bred for!

But after carrying it and my 170x50 Flydoor back from the lake - dang, that Mako is heavy! Make 'em lighter please :o