Yahoo!!!
Pete

so i had a fun session yesturday on the mako king. i pretty much just ride strapless so i took off the straps and rubbed some wax all over that baby. very surprised! i was on a 9 rise 2010 in river swell and the wave slashing was effortless. i think i might have to make room for this board in my quiver. fits right in between the skim and surf for the strapless kiter. its like surf skate meets longboard (due to the big round nose). its pretty light as well. or has something special here.

From My Session Log on 10/29/09:

All hail the king…Mako King.  First time out on the king - what can I say but I love this board. 

Started off fairly marginal, lighter winds and somewhat underpowered on the 12 Rise.  Noticed a lot of people getting sucked downwind while the mako was screaming along.  Has a supercool feeling underfoot - don’t know how to describe it yet.  Loaned to board to trotman who proceeded to do an upwinder about a mile to IOP while I was struggling to hold any ground my FLx.  Back on my twin tip all I noticed was spray and jarring chop.  The king could ruin regular twin tips for me.  Got the board back eventually in stronger winds and bigger waves - Amazing - very floaty and carvey in the waves, will hold perfectly in the pocket if you slow it down a bit.  Smooth in the air and with landings, back rolls were a breeze, the swing weight definitely became apparent on front rolls - in a fun windsurfer kind of way. 

After one session I can say I loved the low end, the smoothness, wave riding and upwind ability. Not a board for technical riding but for soul sessions or as compliment to your twin tip I don’t think it will be easy to beat.  Everyone who tried it loved it , one person ordered it already, I for one can’t wait to get a another session.

I’ve had my King for almost 6 weeks now and love it more and more. Been out in great 6m Rise conditons at Rufus in beautiful swell and carved turns ‘till the old legs couldn’t turn anymore! What a blast!!  Was out one day at Event site and was the only one staying upwind in very marginal conditons powered nicely by the 12 Rise. I still love my 150 Mako and is my favorite board for most days but the King is so fun to surf on and great when the winds are marginal or up and down!! Thanks OR!!
Pete

CAM, Pete, thanks for the review, were you riding it mutant or TT? (I gues w/o straps there’s no answer to this…)

I’ve been riding it mutant. I should try it TT but really like to go out and carve turns on the waves. I’m use to riding it this way now and jumping and riding with it “dominant back foot” forward is no problem. My only complaint is I can’t “duck foot” the straps because of the insert placements but fixed this with special NSI pads that can rotate with the straps attached to the mounting plate not the board inserts. It would be great if OR would offset some inserts to accomplish this.

I’ve actually been riding a combo of twin tip and mutant and find it works really well.  By this I mean feet roughly equi-distance apart, front foot ducked and back foot relatively straight.

For fins I’m riding one in the front, and three in back BUT am using all small fins in the back.  The three small fins don’t seem to catch in TT mode and provide a little more drive in the waves.  Also find you can put more lateral pressure on the back foot and really drive the board up wind on the reaches (sort of windsurfer style) and in the waves ride the fins or the rail. If we get some good waves soon will put in the larger supplied wave fin and see how she does. 

Again I’ve only ridden it a few times and have already been really impressed. Looking forward to trying all the different set ups including strapless.

The Mako King is twice the light-wind board i thought it would be.

It’s fun to ride, feels like my 150 Mako Wide, and it gets me an extra two kite sizes on the low end.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of it, but I would just call it “smooth”. I really like it, still waiting on some waves to try it in.

Can anybody give an idea of the upwind performance of the Mako King compared to a raceboard and a conventional TT.

I find that a raceboard can point 15-20 degrees higher than my 132x39 TT. My 135x48 TT can match the raceboard upwind angle but is really slow that close to the wind.

I am looking for a board to do 5-6 km upwinders with a lot of fun with waves and stuff on the return downwind leg. I like the idea and the versatility of a TT/mutant.

We have been test riding the 2009 and 2010 North RaceLTD and it is fine for getting upwind but not a lot of fun on the downwind leg.

OrGoz,

This is your board!  Points higher than any other twin tip I have ridden, will even do so in light winds.  You will will not have a hard time having fun on the downwind return trip - especially if there are some waves!

Can’t compare it to a race board for up wind ability - but by looking at the two, I can tell you the king will definitely be the more fun of the two.

I agree. It points upwind much better than a twin tip and even better than my mako wide. Even in light wind you can dig the edge in and cruise upwind.

I just got the first Mako Kings that will be ridden in Thailand (where they are made) ...

We are all pretty excited, as too much lite wind is our curse here ... especially for bigger fella’s where a 16mtr kite is almost mandatory ... AND we’ve got 5 days of 20kts from the best direction forecast for the next 5 days !!! ... I hope I’m reporting back with news that I hardly need my 16mtr truck anymore !

Mako King !!
Hey Fellows do you find the board slips out when it is windy & you are edgeing hard . Lets say just before you jump . I am interested in buying one but am chasing some info first . Thanks Qld/ Australia.

Never had that happen to me Fly Man ... you need a few sessions to dial into the Mako’s if you haven’t ridden them much ...

Thanks Buzzz ! I have sailed surf boards & twin tips for 7 years & use Flysurfer Kites but am keen on trying some thing new . I saw a 140 x 40 Mako at our local beach on the Sunshine Coast Qld and am keen on buying that or the King . But as you know we all hesitate on some thing different . I thought the wide tail may cause tail slip . But hey thanks !!