Ocean Rodeo Mako 165 x 45cm 2011
Reviews / Twin Tips
36,805
At A Glance
The Mako range of boards from Ocean Rodeo has always been a head turner and the new Mako King for 2011 certainly raises a few eyebrows. The Mako range is designed to be the ultimate free ride machine. It is totally different to anything on the market at the moment; all the boards feature a huge concave on the underside with drawn out oval plan shapes. This makes them extremely good at cruising through chop with ease and great for smashing waves. As most of us aren’t lucky enough to live in perfect flat-water heaven the Mako offers a real alternative to the average freerider. The Mako King takes the concept a little further; it’s two boards in one. In its twin tip set up it is designed to be a light wind machine. Move the straps back and put on the surf fins in a thruster configuration and it can be ridden as a surf orientated mutant (remember those?).
On the Water
We set the board up in both configurations and rode it over the course of a couple of days with varying conditions to really get the hang of it. As a big twin tip it works really well in light winds. The big concave does allow you to hold some wind down when it picks up but it still feels quite large underfoot. We were surprised at how efficient the board was to get going in light winds; the 18mm concave should hinder its light wind prowess. However the board has a very flat rocker and it is this which helps push it up onto the plane early. Interestingly there is quite a bit of tail rocker at the business end where you put the thruster fin configuration. This works well to ensure when the board is set up as a mutant it rides well in stronger winds and is easy to turn. Very experienced riders will be able to gybe it, but with such low volume it’s quite a skill. It rides pretty well on the nose though so you can either crank around on your toeside or be lazy and just treat it like a twin tip. It’s great fun in the waves and the curved outline really lend it to railing those heel to toe carves.
For
Two boards in one, lightwind machine and wave shredding mutant. Proven Mako freeride shape will put a smile on your face even if it looks a little alien to the unbelievers.
Against
As you’d expect a board of this size and shape isn’t going to set your world on fire in terms of pop and out right top end performance. The Mako King is what it is, a great freeride machine.
Overall
Different, fun and well built, if you haven’t ridden a Mako then give one a go, and if you fancy having some old-school mutant fun, or want a light wind board to keep you on the water this summer then look no further.
This review was in Issue 27 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Ocean RodeoRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
