KFA Mako - A Punters Review

Rider: Advanced, but learner foiler (5 sessions on zeeko alloy, and 1st one today on mako)
Style: ocean foiling, hoping to have a crack at racing one day....
Weather: 15 knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: Paid for it myself. Second Hand

My Comments: So I bought a Zeeko alloy to start my foiling days.... I love that foil and it got me completely addicted. But I wanted to try the latest and greatest and I have long service leave coming up so thought I may as well get one I can grow into. . . so enter the High Modulus Mako VX601 by KFA.

I did a job on my knee three weeks ago and am in a brace, still not meant to be on the water for another three weeks, but couldn't have the foil look'n sad and unridden. so went for a quick squirt yesterday, with my mxPOD brace strapped up nice and tight. Thankfully my wife doesn't read seabreeze....as she thought I was there to take photo's : )

15-19knts. 11m 2014 Rebel, 5'10 Resin8 surfboard with double front straps (no rear strap) and of course the Mako.

So first run, I struggled a bit to get it flying, the foil generates so much lift it flies super early, but will flop back down... so I did a few porpoises and got going. I was very tentative with my bung knee too, not wanting to go over the front and twist it, so was probably a little in the back seat. By the end of the session I had this problem sorted a bit better, by not trying to lift the foil to early without kite power, and being more subtle with the pop up onto the foil....it seems to like a smoother approach.

After about 200m it became very clear this foil is super stable and tracks like its on rails. Running similar speeds to my zeeko but feeling like it was on cruise control.

One area I felt it excelled was when on a flat foil. It seemed very stable laterally and didn't feel like it would fall onto the opposite edge...if you know what I mean.. I felt the Zeeko was quite vague on a flat foil DW run and you needed quick toes and ankles to control its lateral pitch. The zeeko responds well to committed turns.

I didn't try any foil gybes or tacks as I am in knee defense mode, but it was very easy to bring down from the foil and gybe it like a normal surfboard and head off again in the other direction.

As a beginner its potential is obviously wasted on me at this stage, but I really appreciated the foil at my level regardless.

It was interesting comparing the Mako on the beach to at slingshot foil which has a lot more front wing flex and mast flex... a lot. Again I'd say there is so much potential inside this beast I'm yet to unlock.

Overall, I'm really stoked with the Mako.

Great comments. I've got one ordered and can't wait to ride it. so you are hitting mid to high 20 knots ? Nice. I am stuck around 20 knots at the moment on my current foil.

20knots, loving the mk3.

13m ChronoV2

12ish knots of seabreeze (no white caps). . So getting close to double the wind speed.

Been on my Mako for a couple of months after a year on KFA Mk3. Really loved mk3 in terms of stability and durability (pretty fast to). For these reasons I was hesitant to make the mako change. Very glad I did though! The Mako has all of the great attributes of the mk3 while reaching a new level in slick and speed. The depth down wind is wear I noticed the biggest difference with the mako maintaining good speed deeper downwind than mk3. I also found the foil gybe easier. I foil gybe pretty slow compared to some and find the mako's slickness keeps me foiling through the less powered kite near 12 part of the gybe (am starting to gybe real nice on it). I haven't mentioned the upwind. Was cranking upwind with 12m chrono the other day (heaps of power). Gust comes along, now really cranking thinking fck in good, closely followed by tomahawk wipeout. My first thought afterward, was I just had a downwind crash going upwind.
Construction looks great (really nice two piece design) and I'm thinking durability compares with mk3. It's a freaking weapon!! That you can learn to foil on (who'd have thought).
I'm given the Mako a wrap so I better confirm I'm not paid to do so, I'm not (paid full price, and money well spent)

That hashtag abuse makes me wanna punch the guy.. just sayin.. that's outta control

Love my KFA Mako its a weapon!

My riding has improved dramatically over the past few months since receiving the setup.
The foil is really stiff, fast and stable. It points higher and faster upwind than the other brands and the stability down wind gives you the confidence to push deeper and faster.

The adjustable rear wing give you control of the angle of attack. This make the foil suitable for any rider or conditions.
I will often adjust the wing to give more lift in the lighter breeze and flatten it out the stronger the wind.

I also have the TMV skinny race board which I find to work brilliantly. The narrow board allows you to get closer to the water, push harder and hold more power upwind.

I can not fault my setup and I'm sure It will continue to be one of the fastest foils for years to come.

If anyone in Sydney is thinking about getting a Mako or into foiling feel free to hit me up for closer look or demo.

Cheers,
Jeremy

After over 10 years in Oz I still do sarcasm really poorly, my bad #foilfoilfoil

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kiteboy dave said..
That hashtag abuse makes me wanna punch the guy.. just sayin.. that's outta control

Mate, Ewan is one of Australia's top kiteboaders, a super nice bloke that has been helping a lot of people with kiting. He is an extreme determined and professional young athlete that is representing Australia on the international kiting scene and is inspiring our young and upcoming kiters.Us foilers can be Stoked to have somebody like him foiling which is creating even more hype and positive image for our sport! Nothing but love for him and a few hashtags haven't hurt anybody.

My bad for not getting the joke. Maybe I'm too old.

In my defense I see a lot of people doing this for real.

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kiteboy dave said..
My bad for not getting the joke. Maybe I'm too old.

In my defense I see a lot of people doing this for real.

haha nah i can understand why, this is the kind of **** i hate! But look at #wheygivesyoucancer #hummus #like4kelly #viral #pandemic #epidemic #veganfood, I'm not vegan or anything! It's kind of an inside joke, which i guess could be misconstrued as me being an Instagram like whore, if thats the case I'm not too fussed, seems everyone is like that nowadays anyway!

anyway, you get my point, thats the exact post i was taking the piss out of

This is one noisy foil!!!!

you can hear that noise changes when the bar twists on the tack.

Its actually a lot easier on the body than the race board.

If the board/foil is setup correctly there should be pretty even pressure on each leg.

Also as your above all the chop you don't have to contend with pushing over each wave or chop.

For any gear heads I just weight my Mako VX601 and t was 4kg with the flyboy covers on. Just amazed how anything can be so light and strong and the same time.

I'm riding a temavento custom board at the moment which weights 2.2kg.

So under 6kg for a complete setup. I reckon that's sweet.