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.