Ocean Rodeo Mako 140 x 40cm 2014
At A Glance
The Mako has been around since 2002 and is something of an anomaly in the kite world; quite simply there is nothing else quite like it. It has been designed with a specific brief in mind, to make choppy, crappy conditions as smooth as possible, be the best carving twin tip on the market and to inject a serious amount of fun back into your riding. The board features a huge 18mm concave on the underside, a very rounded outline and it can also be set up as a mutant too with three fins at the back and one fin at the front. There are a multitude of foot strap placements to allow you to really tune the ride, go with a duck stance or set up a more wave-riding feel for the board with a square rear foot. New for this year are mini tucked rails to give the board even more of a surfy feel. The Mako features a wood core construction, coupled with Duraclear top and bottom layers combined with tapered ABS rails take the hits. It should be as tough as it is different!
On The Water
Let’s get the first things out of the way, the Mako is an absolute carving machine. The deep concave and rail shape offers so much grip that carving from rail to rail suddenly turns a kite session into what feels more like a snowboard session! It’s a totally different feeling to a conventional twintip, somewhat of a magic carpet if you will. The next thing you will notice is just how smooth the ride is; the outline and rocker combine with that radical hull shape to smooth out the bumps as if they weren’t there. In windy conditions the board comes alive and offers good pop and suberb grip for edging against the kite when you send jumps. It’s a freeride machine that will soon be winning your heart as you recall just how fun a board can be, even in less-than-perfect conditions.
Overall
Suited to any rider looking for something a little different, or those of you wanting a chop-crushing machine, or even better, riders who want to shred waves but want the safety of a twin tip when it comes to dealing with them on the way out. The Mako is a versatile freeride winner with a long pedigree and a lot of fans worldwide. Give one a try, you might just like it!
