Axis Frank MAKO2 Downwind Carbon Foilboard

MAKO 2. Everything you liked about the MAKO, just easier, faster and more capable.

The original MAKO set the benchmark for stability and easy paddle-ups. Rather than reinvent it, Frank focused on the details, and the details add up.

The MAKO 2 is faster, more stable and releases earlier, which matters most with the smaller, faster high-aspect foils many of us now ride. A new nose profile, revised rocker and a refined bottom shape help acceleration and make touchdowns forgiving. A slightly wider outline and a reworked deck give a more direct connection to the foil and more control once you are up.

Five sizes from 90 to 130 litres, all in AXIS carbon construction.

Which size

MAKO 2 90, 8'3" x 16.75"

The racer's board, and the one to grow into for lighter riders. Lowest swing weight and the quickest release of the five. Suits riders up to around 75 kg who already paddle up cleanly, or heavier experts who want the fastest board on the start line. Race it with a Tempo 890 to 960, ride everything with a Fireball 1000 to 1160, or surf it with any Surge, sized to the bumps rather than the board.

MAKO 2 100, 8'5" x 17"

The size most riders end up on. Enough volume to forgive a slow paddle-up, small enough to feel direct once you are flying. Suits riders around 70 to 85 kg with some downwind time behind them. Race it with a Tempo 960 to 1020, ride everything with a Fireball 1070 to 1250, or surf it with any Surge, sized to the bumps rather than the board.

MAKO 2 110, 8'7" x 17.25"

The all-conditions board for riders around 80 to 95 kg, and the safe pick for anyone still learning to read bumps. Stable on the knees, easy to balance in a crosswind, and still quick to release with the new nose. Race it with a Tempo 1020 to 1090, ride everything with a Fireball 1160 to 1350, or surf it with any Surge, sized to the bumps rather than the board.

MAKO 2 120, 8'9" x 17.5"

Volume for bigger riders and lighter wind. Suits riders around 90 to 105 kg, or lighter riders who want the easiest possible paddle-up on marginal days. The extra width keeps it calm at rest without slowing the release. Race it with any Tempo, ride everything with a Fireball 1250 to 1500, or surf it with any Surge, sized to the bumps rather than the board. Learning to downwind? Put the new Surge 1240 under it: the easiest foil in the range to get flying, with the stability of the MAKO 2 above it.

MAKO 2 130, 8'11" x 17.5"

The biggest MAKO 2, for riders over 100 kg or anyone starting downwind who wants the platform to do most of the balancing. Paddles like a small race SUP and still lifts early. Race it with any Tempo, ride everything with a Fireball 1350 to 1750, or surf it with any Surge, sized to the bumps rather than the board. For your first downwind runs, the MAKO 2 130 and the new Surge 1240 are the easiest combination in the range: the board does the balancing, the foil does the lifting.

Which foil goes under it

Three AXIS families make sense under a MAKO 2, and each gives the board a different job.

• Tempo. The fastest and most race-oriented foils in the range. Tempo under a MAKO 2 is the combination for winning high-end races and for going as fast as a downwind board will go.
• Surge. The surf wing. Surge under a MAKO 2 is for pure wave riding and for the kind of downwinding where you hunt bumps and surf them. Surges are very easy to ride, and any Surge size works with any MAKO 2: an 890 under a 120 or a 950 under a 90 are both good setups. Pick the Surge for the bump size and the conditions on the day, not for the size of the board. The small ones, the 830 especially, are incredible on the wave: lighter riders love them, bigger riders find them a little harder to pop, and once up the ride is pure surfing with enough pump to link sections. The new Surge 1240 is the easiest foil in the range to get flying, which makes it the one to learn downwind on under a MAKO 2 120 or 130.
• Fireball. The balance between the two. Fast, but not Tempo fast. Turns well, but without the Surge's explosive surf feel. The Fireball is the all-rounder for riders who want one foil for downwind days, lighter days and everything in between.

What changed from the original MAKO

• Nose and volume. Slightly more volume toward the nose, still balanced. On the original, a hard pop-up could push the nose under. The new distribution and nose shape mean that rarely happens now.
• Bottom shape and rocker. New on both counts, for speed, stability and release. The stability lets you take more efficient, more powerful strokes. The rocker accelerates better, and with the new bottom shape the board releases earlier and touches down more forgivingly.
• Deck. Reshaped to reduce thickness in the standing area, for a more direct feel under your feet.
• Length and width. Both up, to suit the Tempo and today's higher aspect foils, which need more speed to take off. The added length and width give the board speed and stability for precise, powerful strokes and an easier pop-up. Once you are on foil, the extra width gives more leverage over the foil in turns and more control at speed and through quick changes of direction.

What comes with it

• Nose and tail protectors, fitted. The two places a downwind board gets knocked, in the car park, on the rocks at the put-in and on the beach, are covered from day one.
• A downwind-specific board bag, sized for this board. Heavily padded, shaped for a long, narrow board rather than a surfboard, and cut for each MAKO 2 size rather than a range of lengths. Included, not an add-on.

Semi-custom carbon construction

Every MAKO 2 is built the way Frank has built boards in Maui for years: semi-custom, not moulded. The boards are not made in Maui, but they are made with the same attention, the same detail and the same soul as if they were. Each one starts as a shaped blank, hand laminated in carbon over a shaped core, then finished and checked by a small crew working to Frank's masters. It is the process a custom shaper uses, run in small batches, so you get a production price with a custom board's weight, stiffness and finish. Boards are built to order in runs, which is why sizes come and go from stock, and why a MAKO 2 rarely looks exactly like the one next to it in the rack.

The range