2016 Mako 150 review

[fogmeister]

.........picked one up this week, rode a 2013 150 last three years.


in a nut shell.....everything is subtle of course


it feels more direct...sharper....responsive......you feel the water better

it sucks up chop just as good .......i think even tad better than old model

can go even faster under control than old mako......

can hold an edge even better than old mako......

you can ride on back foot, front foot straight and turn/carve....no slip out like old mako, which really couldnt be rode on the back foot. But still ride it balanced foot pressure mostly.

this board still slides out super easy when you want or need it too, but again with more control, it locks back in quicker.

this board is better balanced not as much front foot needed as old model


so this mako is more responsive/direct, sportier than the old board and doesnt slip out.......so everything that you might find wrong with it before is now gone.........and its just better in every way!!!


i think they hit a homerun.....could not go back on the old one, although it is still a damn good board (as i stopped riding my monk because of it, chop eater and easy on the legs)

......and i had it out today in 20-28 knots and 8m kite.......

......did i say i love it??

[rightguard]

I took out my 2016 140 for the first time today. Not a fair test with funky conditions but I'd say it rides way different than my 6 year old 140. It has smaller fins so it felt way looser. You could hold an edge easy but it sure felt squirmy in the turns. I'm excited to try it some more and ride some waves with it. I really think the Mako is a great board to ride in waves to have just have fun.

[fogmeister]

........from all my research before i bought my first mako.......the consensus was that the 150 was best for waves and chop.........obviously king great too......but 150 best allround and stable compared to 140 and 130.

[plummet]

Hey team.

A buddy lent me is new 150 mako for a spin. I've had it out in full 2 powered sessions.

This the first time I've tried a 150. I agree the 150 is the magic size.

The board was set up in TT mode with a single centre fin front and back. I found the board ripped upwind may better than expected. slicing through chop was sublime. However if you didn't slice through the chop you would start slapping on top of it. Its a very rigid board. So you need to use the concave to slice through chop.

The board has that Funky mako carve to it. It feels like nothing else. Its a great sensation. But it is a bit different. Its less of a surf feel and more of a skateboard feel. I really liked it. But at the same time I preferred the feel of my custom mutant on the waves which has a more seamless transition from rail to rail.

The 150 accelerated real fast which make short run up boosting of chop/wave lips bliss.
With the board set up single fin in the center I didn't have enough fins in the water to hold my super powered kite when loading up for a jump. As I loaded the centre fin would pop out and the rail would skip. I had to back off a bit of pace and loading to keep the fin in the water.

The 150 only has a single front fin option. I don't agree with this. If running one fin it needs to be closer to the rail to hold power for boosting. I enjoyed the mako less on the wave face than my custom board. However the board was not set up how I would set it up for wave riding. I expect that turning into mutant mode and running the triple fin on the back would change the characteristics heaps.

The biggest issue I had with the 150 is the with the width. I was riding a steep section on a mushy shoulder high wave toeside, all of a sudden I felt drag and slowed down heaps. My back foot and binding was hitting the wall of the wave. Not cool at all. It happened several times. I couldn't lean into the wave too much or the rear foot would catch. My call is that the board needs to be wider.

In summary.

Its a stupidly fun board that suits smaller waves and mushy conditions. It cranks upwind like a mofo, sliced through chop like a hit knife through butter, accelerates super fast loves to blast off any form of chop or wave lip and has that funky mako carve.

[fogmeister]

hey plummet....nice review!


being your first time on the board......its sounds off that you you couldnt hold a powered kite and your rear fin would slip.........this leads me to believe you are still using your stance from a regular twin tip.......i.e you are riding back foot heavy............the power is held down with the entire centre rail of the board using the concave..........foot pressure should be pretty even between front and back foot ( you mite even try a little more front foot, this board can be used in many different ways). Foot pressures , being on edge or on top of board....you can all play around with that......i def think you would find its sweet spots givin more time on it.

[skullcandy]

The 150 only has a single front fin option. I don't agree with this. If running one fin it needs to be closer to the rail to hold power for boosting. I enjoyed the mako less on the wave face than my custom board. However the board was not set up how I would set it up for wave riding. I expect that turning into mutant mode and running the triple fin on the back would change the characteristics heaps.

The biggest issue I had with the 150 is the with the width. I was riding a steep section on a mushy shoulder high wave toeside, all of a sudden I felt drag and slowed down heaps. My back foot and binding was hitting the wall of the wave. Not cool at all. It happened several times. I couldn't lean into the wave too much or the rear foot would catch. My call is that the board needs to be wider.

Nice review plummet - I use the 150 Mako (from 2015). I can shed some light on your points above. I noticed the exact same behavior (re: needing the tri fin) when running up for a jump. When I engaged the tri fin this helped tremendously. For the waves, the tri fin also makes a huge difference - Although I recommend using smaller fins on the outter mounts (something like 1.5"). This removes some of the "skaty" feel and engages more drive for surf. However, if the outter fins are too big - say 2" plus - then it sticks too much (for me at least). Try experimenting with different sized outter fins to calibrate your desired feel. For me, it was 1" outter fins with the Z 55mm in the middle that made all the difference to enhance surf and jumping performance.

Lastly - the rear foot catching - I noticed this a bit as well. To compensate, I found the more forward mutant setting helps with this - You will notice there are 2 sets of mutant drill holes. Set them on the fwd mutant drill holes and then push the pads even more fwd as much as you can. I didn't lose much drive off the back foot when I moved them to the fwd one, it reduced the back foot catch on the wave, and it make backwards riding a bit easier - but marginally. It also moved the pad more toward the wider section of the board. But I do agree with you - a bit more width is needed.

Overall, a very fun board for powered riding in wind blown/choppy surf conditions

[grtlakes]

What are your thoughts on the use of this board in lighter winds? Say 10- 15kts with a 17.5 flite.
Thanks.

[Laughingman]

My experience says you need a light wind board for use with a light wind kite.

The Mako is not exactly a light wind board, it requires a bit more wind then other boards which are similar in size.

[skullcandy]

What are your thoughts on the use of this board in lighter winds? Say 10- 15kts with a 17.5 flite.
Thanks.

I agree with Laughing - not ideal. Assuming you are 80KG - could it work in 13-15 knots?... Yes, But you will struggle to stay upwind in 10-12 Lulls. The Mako is not suited for LW due to the huge rocker and rounded tips so the planning area is actually smaller than 150 - it feels and planes more like a regular 140 TT size for size. Your ideal scenario is a 150-160cm door LW board for more smiles in 10-15kt.

[grtlakes]

I kinda figured thanks.
My dreams of a one board quiver have been dashed.