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Depends, I have ridden both and great suggestions by old and broken.

The mako is still smoother than all the shinns and drier. But then again it depends. Are you going to ride on flat water mostly or the ocean? For carving in the ocean the mako for sure. But if you want your board to feel more alive underfoot then the shinn. The concave on the mako can make it for some too smooth, which can equate to dullness for some.

If you want to ride more upright, the mako. The mako allows a more upright surfboard stance.

If you want to leave the water more the shinn.

It all depends.

I run the mako in the surf and a square tipped laluz on the flat ( also a very smooth board which some equate to being a little dull). In my mind no point in having square tips in the ocean and round tips on the flat. I have differentiated and have come to the conclusion that compromise means an average experience in both mediums.

The monk is not for you, asks the rider to ride flat out to get decent feedback from it. Ride it slow and you will wonder why you paid money for it. Ride it hard and fast and you will know why you bought it!

For slower speeds the mako, the red, medium speeds the Dundee.

Depends...

You guys are all talking boards and models, I want to know the theory behind it, what makes a board good in choppy waters. Fins, edge, size, thickness, flex, etc... Board names don't tell me anything.

Disagree about the mako being smoother than the monk. Like the makos, rode the 140, 150 and the King. Owned the 140 and King. The Monk Forever is smoother in the chop for sure. Plus if you are doing any jumping, you can get some hard landings on he mako. The King is a smooth big board, but there is no way it is as smooth as the smaller makos or as smooth as the monk forever. The King is only better in the waves. I have a lot of time on all of these boards and don't have any brand loyalties. In the end, the makos are good boards too, you wouldn't be disappointed either way.

K

Aboards Z Series should be on your list too

because of
- 3D bottom with hydrodynamic stabilizers

- light wood core with integrated anti-stress stringers

- outline and geometry for combination of pop and upwind ability

- 3D top deck with 3-stage flex zones

- tunnel concave bottom deck

- anti-spray cuts

- 2 step upwinders - extended outline tips

- ABS bumper rails

- durable anti-scratch top&base cove

You can't go wrong with it.most comfy board i ever had



George B.

kandrey89 wrote:You guys are all talking boards and models, I want to know the theory behind it, what makes a board good in choppy waters. Fins, edge, size, thickness, flex, etc... Board names don't tell me anything.

take the recommendations and check them out for yourself. good info on the makers websites and plenty of info on these forums in past threads.

ktflyer381 wrote:Disagree about the mako being smoother than the monk. Like the makos, rode the 140, 150 and the King. Owned the 140 and King. The Monk Forever is smoother in the chop for sure. Plus if you are doing any jumping, you can get some hard landings on he mako. The King is a smooth big board, but there is no way it is as smooth as the smaller makos or as smooth as the monk forever. The King is only better in the waves. I have a lot of time on all of these boards and don't have any brand loyalties. In the end, the makos are good boards too, you wouldn't be disappointed either way.

K

Well I disagree. I too have spent many hours on both boards and all mako siZes. but each to their own. Ridden them back to back many times swapping with my brother on countless sessions. Mako wins in an overall sense. Also kills the monk in true waves. I have also ridden other TTs that are smoother. I'm starting to tire of this shinn focus you guys are getting as bad as the epic riders. Plenty of boards just as good.

Theory ? Flex tips for comfort ? Theory doesn't tell the whole story, riding them does. I bought a Shinn Dundee. Better IMO than monk for comfort in most winds and conditions. Monk is better in mental full on conditions and has a bit more pop. The pads themselves are very soft and comfortable which is an added bonus. However, the true test is to try different boards on same day. As above poster correctly hints, hype is a blind addiction to some. I like the Dundee because it suits me, you may ride differently.

Westozzy wrote:

ktflyer381 wrote:Disagree about the mako being smoother than the monk. Like the makos, rode the 140, 150 and the King. Owned the 140 and King. The Monk Forever is smoother in the chop for sure. Plus if you are doing any jumping, you can get some hard landings on he mako. The King is a smooth big board, but there is no way it is as smooth as the smaller makos or as smooth as the monk forever. The King is only better in the waves. I have a lot of time on all of these boards and don't have any brand loyalties. In the end, the makos are good boards too, you wouldn't be disappointed either way.

K

Well I disagree. I too have spent many hours on both boards and all mako siZes. but each to their own. Ridden them back to back many times swapping with my brother on countless sessions. Mako wins in an overall sense. Also kills the monk in true waves. I have also ridden other TTs that are smoother. I'm starting to tire of this shinn focus you guys are getting as bad as the epic riders. Plenty of boards just as good.

I will agree with you on some points. There are plenty of boards just as good as the Shinn's. The Mako is a very unique board and has very good performance. The cult like following on this and other forums about the Mako is impressive. What's not impressive is the numbers I see on the beach in various places I've kited. From a retail perspective, they are a very hard sell mostly because they are old news. Like any product, quite a buzz when they came out and rightfully so. But seriously, TT's have evolved so much in the last 5yrs, you can get what you want in any combo, pop, wave, freeride ,wake smooth speed and so on.
If your getting tired of the "Shinn Focus" dont read the posts. Accept the fact there are other products other than the ones you use. I do not get tired of the Epic threads, I know Dimitri, I've tried his stuff, I like his stuff. I dont sell Epic.
There is so much equipment and so little time( or wind) to try it all. Research,Demo and Buy. Get something that makes you happy. I rode a Slingshot Asylum 138 this week, loved it! Its so much better than a Shinn, Mako, Epic,keep going... And it was green!!!! lol

Fair enough Dave. Was having a bad day, wrenched my knee won't be able to kite for a while.

But...I still feel there comes a point where hype and momentum reach a tipping point that's exceeds the reality.

Just think we all need to aware of this.

bigwave wrote:I rode a Slingshot Asylum 138 this week, loved it! Its so much better than a Shinn, Mako, Epic,keep going... And it was green!!!!

I was totally stoked about the green Slingshot boards and bought a 2012 Misfit and hated it.
But I think their boards are very good for some kiters and I like what I heard about the Asylum.
I think the Asylum is in the same class as my Wainman Joke.
Surely don't think the Asylum would provide what the OP asked for though.