Summary

In my opinion, Fenn Kayaks have hit the sweet spot between stability and responsiveness with this ski. I enjoyed yesterday’s ride enormously; it’s a fun ski to paddle and I would be confident to take it out in almost any conditions.

It’s an aesthetically pleasing, extremely well built boat.

While it should be relatively easy to modify the rudder pedal layout to allow for more room, the problem of the inadequate cockpit drainage may be difficult to solve.

And time will tell if it’s as fast as it appears to be.  

What I like about the ski
 

• The aesthetics - it’s a beautiful boat.
  
• The build quality.
  
• The stability. Although I’m happy on a Fenn Mako, the stability of the Mako 6 increases my confidence.
  
• The feel of the ski on the waves. It’s responsive, lively and fun to paddle
  
• The comfort of the seat.
  

What I don’t like
 

• The volume of the single footwell
  
• The inadequate balers
  
• The position of the single foot strap which makes it awkward to carry the ski on your shoulder – especially in a strong wind.
  
• The “Fenn Kayaks” sticker – it’s long overdue for an upgrade and really doesn’t do justice to the elegance of the ski!
  

Others’ comments

Pete Cole (elite Cape paddler, came 3rd in the Cape Point Challenge, paddles the older Fenn Mako) took the boat out in the surf at Fish Hoek. He commented that while the ski “seems like a really good downwind boat”, he doesn’t like the single footwell. “The volume of water (10kg perhaps),” he said, “might make the difference between getting out and being nailed by a big shore break”.

David Cade is a Master paddler in Cape Town. He said: “Coming from a Fenn XT, I find it tippy but not nearly as unstable as a Millennium”. He’s the guardian of the Cape demo boat – contact him ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0828071234) to try it.

Wayne Borchardt, who paddles a Custom Kayaks Mark 1 socially in Cape Town, shared Pete Cole’s concerns about the single footwell. But he found the ski “as stable as the Mark 1”. “If it weren’t for the single footwell,” he said, “I’d buy one like a shot.”

Darryl Bartho (elite Durban paddler, currently paddles the old Fenn Mako) was more enthusiastic. In his view, “the Mako 6 has the speed of the Millennium combined with the comfort and manoeuvrability of the old Mako.” He’s placed his order for a Mako 6.  

Comments (6)

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written by Guest, April 12, 2006

That sounds great. Any chance on making the Millinium hull with the Mako 6 seat?

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New Mako 6
written by Guest, April 13, 2006

I took the demo boat here in Durban for an 18km paddle on Sunday. I am an intermadiate (C grade) paddler and presently paddle a Millenium which I really like. Conditions were a light SE with a bit of chop on the water. The boat felt very good on the flat water but I battled in the choppy stuff. I found the single footwell very difficult to get used to and as a result was not comfortable and felt unstable in the chop. The boat felt quick and caught small runs very easily. It also turns very well on the runs. In short, my opinion of the ski is very similar to most of those shown above, i.e. a great boat but the single footwell is a problem. I will probably stick with my Millenium for now, but if the single footwell can be sorted out, my name will be first on the order list.

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written by Guest, April 13, 2006

Is the single footwell similar to the one in the V10, or is the Fenn design more of a problem than the Epic?

Thanks for all your good work here.

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Footwell
written by Guest, April 13, 2006

No, I don't think it's "more of a problem". The cockpit is similar, I'd think both could fill with water going through surf, but I think both are fine apart from that. There is less space for your feet on the Mako, but I believe this is being redesigned.

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Nice to know
written by Guest, April 14, 2006

the Fenn guys are on it. Don't think hey would let a minor problem ( if it is a problem) ruin a great new boat's reputation. Modifying the molds to create more room is relatively easy. If everyone were crying for less room I bet Keith or his mold guys would bang someones head against the wall. Maybe their own.

Thanks Rob for the fun, timely stuff.

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Mako 6
written by Guest, April 14, 2006

I found the new ski to be stable and quick on flat water.The drainage is a problem as it takes approx.15 seconds of hard pulling to empty the footwell.The other problem is the width of the footwell;too narrow.
My 6ft 4 frame required that i move the rudder pedals forward to max.position and subsequently found my heels blocking the balers.The pedal cables touching the body of the craft will eventually wear through. :-)

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