ocean rodeo mako wide - anyone bought one yet?

[Rbgar]

wow don't i fell like a guy, had the fricken things on backwards, i thought it looked strange but i followed the lables on top of the straps, FYI- make all lables going the same way, anyway thanks for the pics it helped the retarded inner child in me...

oh yea Evan, you can send those nice new binding you're talking about my direction when availible, you guys don't want everyone seeing nice comfy LF Lux's on it do you

[daft]

2) There is a small fabric " flap " that the screw is supposed to pass through before you put in the board. In my experience this serves no function so I just fold it back and tuck it inside the strap. With this flap out of the way, it is very easy to get the screw started in the thread with even very little downward pressure.

I didn't do that the other day, but I tried that today and still wasn't able to move the inside-side screws to the desired location (see illustration).

I wonder why you're trying to snug up the inside side rather than the outside. Anyway, with all boards the inside screw seems much harder due to thickness and stiffness. So I always do that first, with the outside screw not attached and the strap flat and rotated 180 degrees toward the center of the board.

With the inside screw just starting to get tight, I then rotate the strap 180 degrees in a particular direction that doesn't bunch things up. Maybe direction only matters when there is an arch on the pad... I think clockwise on the left and ccw on the right? Then put in outside screws and snug them all.

Hmmm is that little flap really dispensible? All straps have them and they must not increase their costs for nothing.... I think it is supposed to exert an elastic force (that doesn't do much in practice).

[gobigkahuna]

So my question is: will any standard pads and straps like DaKine or NSI work with the Mako wide...

Sure looks to me like any "normal" strap will work with the mounts on the Mako Wide. It's just the thought of spending some serious $$ for a brand new board only to have to dump the straps/pads and have to buy new ones.

Once you adjust your style- you have 8 years of habit- you´ll find these boards are very forgiving. If you have ever snowboarded or ride skateboard, youll find the style similar.

I thought I was adjusting my stance when the tail was skipping out and that it was only when I was putting more pressure on the tail that it didn't, but like you said, 8 years of doing things a certain way may be playing a part in this.

I wonder why you're trying to snug up the inside side rather than the outside.

Because I started off snugging up the outside and that wasn't enough. I tried the inside and couldn't get the screw threaded and gave up. At this point I don't want to bugger up the threads.

Anyway, with all boards the inside screw seems much harder due to thickness and stiffness. So I always do that first, with the outside screw not attached and the strap flat and rotated 180 degrees toward the center of the board.

Yup, that's how I've been doing it.

If the wind cooperates tomorrow I'm going to give it another go and see how it goes. If the ride is nice and the only remaining factor are the straps I'll dump more $$ into the board and buy new straps. If the ride isn't what I was hoping for I'll be taking JohnZ on his offer and return the board. Not looking forward to option 2 at all as I really need a new board and was really hoping this would be -it-.

[gobigkahuna]

Solved the straps problem, I swapped out the "grippy" washers for these which made the screws 100x easier to install. Weather's gonna be crap for a couple of days so hopefully will get another session soon...

[ORSales]

Kahuna,

Just saw your troubles...glad you worked it all out. As an FYI for all prospective buyers as of around the middle of May we will have new Bliss Deluxe pads and straps shipping with our boards. These pads and straps will raise the cost of the board slightly but are a marked improvement over the existing set-up. Riders with current 08 boards are welcome to contact their shop to enquire about upgrades, we intend to make them available at a marginal cost increase.

John Z

[gobigkahuna]

John,

On the topic of pads, just how hard/easy are the stick on pads to pull off without damaging the board? I'll probably keep the pads, but just curious all the same...

[EvanOR]

thought I was adjusting my stance when the tail was skipping out and that it was only when I was putting more pressure on the tail that it didn't, but like you said, 8 years of doing things a certain way may be playing a part in this.

One thing you may want to take note of and try on your next session on the Mako is that you cannot ride it like a conventional twin tip with heavy rear leg pressure. The Mako needs to be ridden with even pressure on both legs and a more centered stance - no matter how much you load the rail it will never blow out if ridden like this. Once you put a little more time on the board and are comfortable with it I am sure you will love it!

Cheers,

Evan

Ocean Rodeo

Choose Performance over Hype

[gobigkahuna]

Thanks Evan. I got another short session yesterday in barely powered to very underpowered conditions (a 3 mile down winder) in waist to head high surf (I was desperate to get out). I think I'm starting to get the hang of the board, it definitely has potential, but the straps flat out suck. Now that I was finally able to get them adjusted to the right size, they really hurt. Without a doubt the worst straps I've ever tried. They look nice, but the fit? argh...

[ziik]

well about them straps....

So far the OR straps (on my old mako surf) are the only ones that has ever fit and held my feet in place.

So I suppose this as everything else comes down to preference and different "conditions".

//Joel

[rodeoclown]

I've never had an issue with OR's straps, but everyone is built differently.
I think if I weighed 245lbs instead of 200lbs, and had a size 12 instead of size 9 foot I might have some issues too. Your body size needs custom attention I think.
Hope you kind find a solution that works, and please let us know how it goes.
This kind of feedback makes for better products.

C'mon wind!