Rider: 105kg, Progressing beginner with a dodgy knee
Style: Freeriding, lots of bay waves wanting to get into small surf
Weather: 15-35 knots


My Comments:

I have a Mako king which I use all the time and is a keeper.

I want to get a smaller Mako and am wondering should it be the 140 or 150.

As a heavier rider I prefer bigger boards than lighter people. The king gets me going in lighter winds and I have used it comfortably in TT up to 30 knots in the bay waves around here and love playing around with the great carvability and appreciate the smoothness and reduced pressure on my knees. I am thinking to experiment with the king in Mutant mode and strapless and have a smaller more lively board in TT in higher winds with more pop but still with the knee saving and carve features of the makos.

No chance to demo around Melbourne I don't think.

Any words of wisdom appreciated.

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winwil said..



Rider: 105kg, Progressing beginner with a dodgy knee
Style: Freeriding, lots of bay waves wanting to get into small surf
Weather: 15-35 knots


My Comments:

I have a Mako king which I use all the time and is a keeper.

I want to get a smaller Mako and am wondering should it be the 140 or 150.

As a heavier rider I prefer bigger boards than lighter people. The king gets me going in lighter winds and I have used it comfortably in TT up to 30 knots in the bay waves around here and love playing around with the great carvability and appreciate the smoothness and reduced pressure on my knees. I am thinking to experiment with the king in Mutant mode and strapless and have a smaller more lively board in TT in higher winds with more pop but still with the knee saving and carve features of the makos.

No chance to demo around Melbourne I don't think.

Any words of wisdom appreciated.

Hmmmmmm Eppo, what's ur take on this?

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MrFreeze said..

winwil said..



Rider: 105kg, Progressing beginner with a dodgy knee
Style: Freeriding, lots of bay waves wanting to get into small surf
Weather: 15-35 knots


My Comments:

I have a Mako king which I use all the time and is a keeper.

I want to get a smaller Mako and am wondering should it be the 140 or 150.

As a heavier rider I prefer bigger boards than lighter people. The king gets me going in lighter winds and I have used it comfortably in TT up to 30 knots in the bay waves around here and love playing around with the great carvability and appreciate the smoothness and reduced pressure on my knees. I am thinking to experiment with the king in Mutant mode and strapless and have a smaller more lively board in TT in higher winds with more pop but still with the knee saving and carve features of the makos.

No chance to demo around Melbourne I don't think.

Any words of wisdom appreciated.

Hmmmmmm Eppo, what's ur take on this?

Hmmmmmm Silent

Hey winwil
- disclosure - Ocean Rodeo Dealer
Im currently loving the 150 but still havent spent a lot of time on either the 140 or the King.
The 150 feels & rides like much smaller board. Definitely doesnt feel at all cumbersome as most boards this size might.

My thinking though is that a 150 matched to the King (165) would way too much overlap.
I would definitely go the 140 which Im guessing you would use in TT mode far more often than mutant.
A great option as a versatile dual purpose board. Heaps of fun on waves - in either mode - as it is small & light & much easier to throw around than the King.
Mako 150 matched to Mako 165 is overkill.

We have a super deal for serious buyers who want to be reassured of their decision before commiting but cant get demos locally. Ring me if you want the details 0430 966 397

"Rider: 105kg"

I'm a bit heavier than you
Puppet is right, the 150 feels much smaller. I got one to go between regular TTs of 138x42 and a 170x50... the Mako feels more like the smaller board

IIRC the 150 and the 140 are both 40cm wide, so you might not notice much difference... but I'd go for the 150 cos of your weight.

In mutant mode, the 150 is a hoot - when you're over-powered, it's super-fun and aggressive; carve-city, massive spray! And it's still easy to go upwind both directions, without riding toe-side... but unlike the King, you can't ride goofy when Mutant.

140 doesn't do mutant...

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Kamikuza said..

"Rider: 105kg"

I'm a bit heavier than you
Puppet is right, the 150 feels much smaller. I got one to go between regular TTs of 138x42 and a 170x50... the Mako feels more like the smaller board

IIRC the 150 and the 140 are both 40cm wide, so you might not notice much difference... but I'd go for the 150 cos of your weight.

In mutant mode, the 150 is a hoot - when you're over-powered, it's super-fun and aggressive; carve-city, massive spray! And it's still easy to go upwind both directions, without riding toe-side... but unlike the King, you can't ride goofy when Mutant.

140 doesn't do mutant...

Yep - oops - wasnt allowing for the 105Kg. Mako 150 would be the go. But still excessive overlap with the King @ 165 ???
Sort of situation where a demo would be the Way-to-Go. Mako 140 for fully powered sessions may still be a match for King when its lighter.
Tough call.
At KSS we offer (serious) long distance customers a chance at 'sale or return' on any board. Only hitch is will cost you the return freight if it doesnt work for you. Expensive demo maybe? but better than an more expensive mistake.


Kamikuza - you may have an older 140? The current model 140 does have the Mutant/TT option.
Im recommending 2xTT fins as the thrusters - not the standard 3x85mm Mutant fins. Thats too much fin for these 2 shorter boards.

I've got a 2012 150...Seem to remember the suggestion from OR was 85mm and the two smaller TT fins - 51mm? - the ones that look like a shark's tooth. Been using it like that, but changed it yesterday to 85mm only and 55mm at the other end. I'm not a surfer, so I can't really tell about fins, except when trying to slide a turn :D We'll see...

Thanks All,

So the 150 sounds like a versatile board but with some overlap with king. How would describe the difference between the two boards?

I've ridden all 3 and would relate to comments from other members about the 150 being the sweet spot in the range. I'm 86 kgs however so take that into account. I found the bigger the board, the more suited to mutant / directional riding, so it depends on what you want it for. I rode the King yesterday for a couple of hours with a Speed 3 21 yesterday, and had a ball but really it's a mini surfboard (for me). The 140 is a great TT - feels really small and nimble, but I reckon it'd be too small to set up mutant style, unless it was really blowing. I found could ride the 150 as both a TT or mutant depending on what I felt like, which had the most appeal for me. I think the 150 and King actually are quite different to each other, and the overlap might not be as big as you'd expect.

I have the 140 as my only board and I use that from 13 right through to 30 knots and use a 10m kite with this excellent size for me being 89kg and have had it for about 18 months, so I hope this helps you

IF you do get winds up to 35kts, even at 105kg, I think the 140 & King combo is definitely the way to go ...

the last few years the 140's have been made in mutant mode as well as TT, but just heard from the boys at Ocean Rodeo, that the next & future production runs of Mako 140's will be made in TT mode only

Thanks all for your inputs. It is really useful to sort out what I am looking for. Great to have seabreeze in sharing experience and opinions, particularly for beginners. Consensus of opinions here and from talking to a few other people is a preference to the 150 at my weight (not to discount your opinion Buzz).

I can happily use the king up to 30knots. Some people use the 150 in the 30+ knot range, although that is not my primary purpose. anyway.

Buzz interesting info about the mutant options for the 140. Most people appear to use it in tt mode anyway.

I was out on bay chop and waves yesterday at a gusty 25knots on a Cabrinha chopstick for kicks and the mako is so much more fun, more stable, carves better, easier on the knees, smooth and some fun air off the waves IMHO. While some say the smoothness is boring, it gives me the confidence in the chop to push harder and create you own fun by carving more. I am thinking a smaller Mako would significantly add to range of possibilities. The CS is a different board and different market, but it cements my reasons for gravitating to the makos.

When you guys are talking about using the King as a light wind board, how light are you talking and with what size kite/weight?

I may be missing something but from what I've seen it's a "natural" only stance when it mutant mode (150)

Has anyone been able to get enough adjustment on the straps to ride goofy?

^ no, the front foot is angled on the Mako 150 I have...

Note: this is one of the earlier King set-ups (maybe the first?) ... now the Kings don't come with a grab handle ... pretty sure set-ups may have changed from this diagram, but not 100% sure

I've been able to mow the lawn on my King & new Contra 17 in about 8kts i think it was ... I'm about 85-90kgs

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Dl33ta said..

When you guys are talking about using the King as a light wind board, how light are you talking and with what size kite/weight?

Yep, I get it, thanks.

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Buzz said..

I've been able to mow the lawn on my King & new Contra 17 in about 8kts i think it was ... I'm about 85-90kgs

Dl33ta said..

When you guys are talking about using the King as a light wind board, how light are you talking and with what size kite/weight?

Just what I was after, thanks Buzz.

Hi folks
How does the 150 compare with a regular free ride TT (like a 135 Nobile 555) for low wind ability?
Obviously it is bigger but they also seem to have a fair bit of rocker.
Cheers Huey

My 150 is definitely not a light wind machine. My ss glide kills it in comparison. I reckon you can compare the 150 to a standard 135-37 x 42 board.

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bennie said...
My 150 is definitely not a light wind machine. My ss glide kills it in comparison. I reckon you can compare the 150 to a standard 135-37 x 42 board.

Cheers bennie