My KFA MAKO foil finally arrived and well worth the wait. The model has the adjustable rear wing, which I’m looking forward to experimenting with.
My first impression unpacking is the foils carbon layup and weave is so perfectly aligned on both mast and fuselage, no pinholes anywhere, close to a perfect finish except for the aluminum mold marks.
The next test, the ‘ping factor’ ie flick the foil and mast with ones fingers and the sound is like flicking quality china, a sweet resonating 'ping'. Stiffness factor ‘AMAZINGLY SOLID”. The mast and one-piece fuselage is so stiff. I tried bending both over my knee and also tried to twist when attached to the board – definitely no twist there. The other beautiful design simplicity is the mast fuselage attachment, same as a tuttle box ie two brass lugs inserted into the mast and the mast slots into the fuselage, a very snug fit.
The quality of finish is as expected from a world-class composite manufacturer Malstrom of Sweden. Marvin Baumeister has taken great consideration and thought developing and manufacturing the Mako foil, moving the build from a cottage industry approach to a commercial product that is repeatable in build specs and importantly quality.
On closer inspection of the mast it’s manufactured in one layup ie two molds with an airbag inserted down the center of the mast, hence both external and internal pressure is applied to the mast during curing == super stiff and strong plus autoclaving
I showed the MAKO to a Perth carbon repair specialist and his comment ‘Best ever manufactured foil he has ever seen, the layup accuracy and the ‘Ping factor’, amazing, as it should be".
The foil is ready to go, but could do with a light 600-1200 sand to remove the aluminum mold marks. I was going to paint but that would cover up the beautiful carbon layup plus the finish is close to perfect (no pinholes anywhere on this foil).
Now to test ride. I’ve not foiled for over 3months having been away overseas for most of that time. I mated the foil to a TMV board designed by Marvin (154x41) this board looks so small compared to my previous TMV fat-boy. How am I ever going to ride. My foot is as wide as the back. I setup the foil as Marvin suggested ie back strap front screw over the back of the mast trailing edge. Wind was 15-18knts (gusts of 20) on the river. Wow amazing got up first time and on the plane in seconds!! The stability is amazing, upwind there is no twitch as one loads the foil up (I’m 92Kg 190cm) and high AoA, down wind so stable. I didn’t push too hard as t's my first time out for months plus no impact vest. Tacking and gybing is so much easier on a stable board, one can pressure up the foil and it doesn’t wobble. The board although small is so stable on touch down plus the ‘pop-up’ is so quick, even at speed it’s smooth, never nose dives even with a hard pressure nose down hit/smack. The foil does screech but that will be eliminated with an overall sanding, especially along the trailing edges.
The foil has an adjustable rear wing and will experiment once I can push the speed. Used twice now and varied the strap and mast position ie moved strap further back and mast forward – still very stable but the original setup felt better at speed ie nose down slightly. Back soon with more fine tuning tips.
I also received my KFA Mako in the same shipment as Cosmonaut. I went for the non adjustable rear wing, and the high modulus pre pre option.
This is my third foil - LF Foil Fish, Magma Barracuda and now the Mako, and i bought this specifically to use in our local club races. In addition to the foils mentioned, Ive also ridden the Levitaz Aspect 3.0 so have had some experience on both entry level and high end foils.
In terms of construction and quality I can't fault it - I'll defer to K's comments above - he knows more about how these things are built but to the layman, its just looks beautiful. Everything looks spot on, no obvious flaws or blemishes, and the trailing edges are sharp as a knife. My Magma has noticeable pin holes and imperfections - it rides fine, but ill need to fill them eventually to get the best out of it. The Mako just looks class.
Before the first session, I removed the mold marks on the Mako with 400 & 800 wet & dry. This took maybe 90 minutes over a couple of beers, no sweat really.
Ive used the foil twice now - on Saturday i had my first session for an hour or so, and was immediately impressed with the slick, low drag feeling. I didn't pay particular attention to my set up - I had no reference really, but just messed about to get a feel for the new wings. It foils easily, with quite a low stall speed - similar to the Levitaz but faster than the LF Fish or Magma. In a short time I was getting dialled in, making gybes and riding toeside and so on.
On Sunday i had my first round of club racing and Marv had kindly given me some tips with set up and strap placement. A proper setup made massive improvements all round and I can honestly say it's worth every penny.
I took minutes off my lap times, set new top speed PB's and finished the day shattered but smiling.
There are a couple of things that really stand out to me - the two piece construction (mast and wing set) makes the whole package super rigid. There is no play whatsoever - anyone whose experienced the 3 piece construction of the wings (rear, front and fuselage). The whole thing is locked down and pretty much bulletproof. For me, this was important.
The second thing is the stability and confidence it inspires. Whether at 12 or 22 knots, the Mako feels stable and dependable, which gives you confidence to push harder. Despite it being only my second session, I made massive improvements on Sunday being able to push deeper and faster downwind, and I know I've barely scratched the surface of the potential it offers. That's it really - it's a top shelf performance item that is easy to ride, yet in the right hands can compete with the world's best.
Im stoked.
Select to expand quotekosmonaut said..
The quality of finish is as expected from a world-class composite manufacturer Malstrom of Sweden. Marvin Baumeister has taken great consideration and thought developing and manufacturing the Mako foil, moving the build from a cottage industry approach to a commercial product that is repeatable in build specs and importantly quality.
Maybe you should discuss this statement with Peter Cooler. I'm sure he doesn't see his Melbourne operation as "Cottage Industry".
A few photos of the over 30 boards that we made in Australia. All boards made full carbon with 80kg dense close cell foam from Europe.
