have a line on one of these locally......................demo set up for Wednesday............Ive read some good reviews online but again the knowledge/experiences here on PKF are hard to beat. Im a low end intermediate, a cruiser, just starting to get into waves, toe side not an issue, and the ocassional jump or two, or six. No really, I like to jump but at 51 id like to be doing this for 20 more yrs (Lord willing and the water dont rise) so I keep boosting reasonable.............................Any advice experiences welcome
....................... Im 6'1, 190 lbs.......................usual riding conditions light chop/semi glassy, choppy, tropical storm swells (seasonal), waves usually between knee to chest, winds 10 to 25 kts.....................thanx!!!

I demoed the board last year for about 90 minutes.

I did not try in big waves, only in 2ft chops (lots)

It kills chop like no other regular twin-tip. I was pretty amaze how smooth it is on chops. I had the feeling that it smooths the chop instead of cutting like a knife. I think it feels more like a custom type board (Jimmy Lewis model 3) instead of cutting butter like a knife like new snowboard contruction twin-tips do.

IMO this gives a smoother ride in the chops. If I remember well, it has lot of concave also.

The board is also very light, feels a bit smaller than its actual size. It carves very well easy to turn/witch toe-side.


What I did not like:

The pads. Well I ride Spleene so my standard is quite high

The board slips a lot. There is also only one fin per side which is centered. The board goes upwind OK (because of volume) but you gotta edge more than a regular board. You need put more pressure on the heels. For a long period, this is not relax.

Even if the board size seems big, It's not a LW tool (too much concave and rocker).

I am sure it would be fun to do a downwind with it. It would be more relax.

Quote:

What I did not like: The pads. Well I ride Spleene so my standard is quite high The board slips a lot. There is also only one fin per side which is centered. The board goes upwind OK (because of volume) but you gotta edge more than a regular board. You need put more pressure on the heels. For a long period, this is not relax.

Ditto on the pads (the old ones, I understand the new ones are better) and slipping. The board felt extremely stiff in chop (ie. zero flex), so that plus the old thin pads it used to come with made it the worst ride I can ever remember. My feet hurt so much at the end of a 6 mile downwinder that I could barely walk. Needless to say, I didn't like it and ended up selling it.

Although I'm not the only one I know who didn't like it, I have to admit reactions tend to be mixed. Some people swear by this board and claim it's the best wave board they've ever ridden (which is what prompted me to buy it in the first place). In 9 years of kiting on a couple dozen boards or so, in my opinion this was without question the worst board I'd ever ridden.

But give it a go, you might try it an love it. Just don't do what I did and buy it without trying it first.

If you're looking for a "chop" eating board, I love my CrazyFly AllAround. I've got a super wide model to compensate for my weight, but that's my go to board for just about all wind and water conditions. I'm slowly adjusting to my 2nd board, an el cheapo Liquid Force that I modded to have surf fins on one end, but it's not the chop eater that the CrazyFly is.

Just my 2 cents...

bigkahuna is right. the board has no flex because of the custom construction type. most people will prefer snowboard construction type with more flex. but stills kills chops.

one board I would like to try is the Airush Hammer 144x42.

http://www.airush.com/products/hammer.html

I have read good reviews for this one.

Have you guys tried the wide? It's a world different from the skinny mako... It's my fav. board, i have the 140 just for traveling... The new pads are considerably better than spleene's pads in my opinion as well...

The board is just so smooth, and it boosts really nicely when you get the hang of it i also think it goes upwind way better than any other twin tip design. Great in waves too. I think it's a true all round board and it makes everything effortless, even in mega winds... So So fun to carve these boards, they don't slip they just have a skatey feel to them. The wides are much better than the skinnys i think, they have a better range and smooth out stuff even more. I went from a session to a mako 140 the other week, and felt so much more comfy on the mako, its really kind to your knees and ankles.

Just what i think

I think the board I tried is the 34cm wide.

There is a local teacher that carries OR stuff, so I will sure have a chance to try the wide version 2009 this summer.

May be it's different

thanks for the intel gents...............hoping the 150 wide works out........................:duh::duh:

i haven't tried one yet but a lot of people around here swear by them.

from what I've heard the concave does excellent in chop and allows you to set a harder edge in choppy water.

I've also heard that the 140 and smaller sizes tend to be the best ones.

let us know how you like it if you get it!

thanks Dom for the first hand intel.......................figure its time to bone up and buy a production model since my son is now into it...........dont get me wrong my plyboards and fish work well, but this deal may be too good to pass up. Ive read the 34cm's were a bit harsh to ride, and required alot more edging where as the wides are more user freindly, good in all types of wind/water conditions, and made for a beginners thru expert.................................:duh::duh:

Ive got 2 demos............. 150x40 Mako and the Nobile NBL 142x42....................onshores today, low tide @1:30 this afternoon.............................:duh::duh:

i'd love to hit that Nobile 142

what are they asking for it?

concave bottom makes it ALL easier control, edging, toeside ...

and a little rocker, around 40cm wide .

the concave robs a little speed and requires a little more power but worth it.

the airush boards ride and feel like Jimmy's model III. airush just work better in lighter air. my JL just requires nuclear conditons for it to work well.

I believe retail is $549 complete...............didnt ask if the demo was for sale or how much but plan on it if i like it.........................tide is going out, winds are about to turn, time to pack the van................................
:duh::duh:

got an hour or so on the mako...................very nice, chop buster......easy to set and hold the edge, very cushy on the knees......................didnt try the Nobile but have the boards till Fri pm............and murphys law....just read about and viewed the Placebo surfskate..............:dunno::duh::duh:

FYI the OR board I rode was the Mako 150x40 wide. A couple folks have Noble's and seem to like them. The one complaint I've heard was that the model they rode kicked up spray in their faces while they were riding along (I've had that happen with other boards) so that might be something to look for if you demo one.

Another few thoughts on the OR wide, I personally think that the reason I (and others) didn't like the board is probably due to:

a. Extreme bottom camber which results in zero flex. I really love the smooth ride I get with my CrazyFly, which is a super flexy board, even though the bottom is almost perfectly flat.
b. Rider weight is likely a big factor in how the board performs. At 250 lbs I didn't experience any of the positives that the board's proponents claimed. If I weighed 180 maybe I would have.
c. Riding style is also likely a big factor. I'm a surfer and am used to using lots of back foot pressure. This stance adapts well to surfboards and "typical" twin tips. That stance definitely didn't work with the wide.

@Tridude - What was the verdict on the Mako Wide? I really would like to learn how to gybe ride toeside.
The video below sells it well. - I wanna do that!

its been awhile but a chop killer, easy to slide to toe side or heel side, a bit loose but when you edge that huge concave holds the board solid...................if you have choppy conditions this board will work well.....................as Buzz mentioned the pads are not as "cushy" as the Spleene or LF Luxury pads, but are nice all the same..................

with the huge rocker in the board make sure the rails are solid.........................edge delam with that big of a rocker are not a good combo.........if the price is right and this is the wide series, go for it.......................or

a flatter board with flex tips (i.e Spleene/Cabrinha/Slingshot/KGB) will work nice with your foils/conditions (Alameda Bay I believe)

I just got a mako 140x40 and tried it out yesterday... What a smooth ride in the messy shorebreak...Its a 2010 and the pads are super comfy....I was in underpowered conditions, but made a couple downwind speed runs and no slipping, just slicing thru the waves.....

I'd love to try the new king for lightwind in the waves.....

I had a 3 hour session on the mako 140 today starting in 10 kts and able to not lose any ground.... I know this is not a light wind board but usable in 10kts ain't bad... Wind picked up to 12 and I was zooming..... Upwind easy in the washing machine waves and chop....

It busts thru breaking waves easily, which is nice I just pick a line and go...

After I got out to sea a bit into the cleaner swell I surfed (rookie like) some of the faces and what a blast....This is with the big speed so no fancy moves for sure, but a super stable easy to hold your edge board.....

Didn't mean to steal your thread, but I really like this board.....

I think the king would be great as a lightwind ocean board........

Mako King is one board I want, for sure ... when I've broken all my other ones :o