# Fenn Mako XT

> Surfski by Fenn, out of production. Canonical page: https://surfskiindex.com/surfskis/fenn-mako-xt/
> Cite as: Fenn Mako XT, Surfski Index, https://surfskiindex.com/surfskis/fenn-mako-xt/ (checked 2026-10-15). Terms: https://surfskiindex.com/using-our-data/

## Specifications
- Length: 5.88 m
- Beam: 49 cm
- Deck height: 32 cm (estimated)
- Layup weights: Glass 17 kg, Vacuum 11 kg, Carbon null kg
- Usually paddled by: New paddlers

## Ratings (Surfski Index estimates)
- Stability band 7–9 out of 10 (dimension estimate, low confidence).
- Speed rated 5 out of 10.

Modelled from published beam, length and deck height. Low confidence. Speed is our rating. Both are given at the hull's own design weight.

These ratings are Surfski Index estimates, worked out from published dimensions, traced hull shapes where we have them, and reviews. They are not supplied by the maker or timed on the water. How a ski feels depends on your weight, skill, set-up and the conditions, so use them to shortlist skis and paddle one before you buy. Method: https://surfskiindex.com/how-it-works/#limits

Evidence note: This band is estimated from published dimensions. Qualitative context includes 5 paddler reports and 7 linked sources.

## Paddler weight
Estimated sweet spot 77–90 kg, broader estimated guide 63–93 kg. An estimate from hull dimensions, not the designer's intended weight.

## Suits
Sheltered water and moderate ocean chop while learning to brace and remount, and forgiving enough in small-to-solid downwind runs to stay useful well past that. A common club-race and downwind training boat in its day, never a racing hull.

## Hull
Wide, high-volume hull on a deliberately short 5.88m length, over half a metre shorter than Fenn's 6.4m intermediate and elite skis, with a raised, roomy cockpit that is easy to remount. Maximum stability is the design brief, at the cost of outright speed, though at 49cm it is still 4cm narrower than the Blue-Fin and glides noticeably better than a pure first boat. Moderate rocker and a forgiving stern make it a genuine downwind hull once a paddler is past the bracing stage.

## What works
- Extremely stable - the reference beginner ski for more than a decade
- Comfortable, roomy cockpit and an easy remount
- Narrower than the Blue-Fin, so it glides better than a pure first boat while staying forgiving
- Proven downwind performer well past the complete-beginner stage
- Huge second-hand supply in South Africa and Australia, across layups at very different price points

## Trade-offs
- Slow relative to almost every other ski in this guide - paddlers outgrow it
- The short 5.88m hull caps top speed even for a fit paddler
- Glass and older examples are heavy; one magazine test weighed one at nearly 19kg
- Long out of production in this exact spec - parts increasingly come from the current XT S range
- Bucket comfort is a recurring complaint on longer sessions

## Generations
- c.2005-2018 (formally 'Mako XT', universally shortened to 'the XT'): Fenn's default beginner and early-intermediate ski for well over a decade; Dawid Mocke's Surfski School in South Africa standardised on it in 2008. Superseded in 2018 by the XT S, sold today as the Fennix XTS, which keeps the hull and moves the nose, rudder and seat. This record covers the original. The index carried it twice until August 2026, once as 'Mako XT' and once as 'XT'; they were always one boat.

## What paddlers say
- "I've had years of experience teaching and watching beginner paddlers, and I can tell you - there is nothing to touch the XT" - Dawid Mocke, quoted in Fenn's product copy
- "Loving the XT in Spain and having lots of fun" - Fenn product page paddler caption, 2011-era listing
- "The venerable Fenn Mako XT was one of the first truly stable surfskis, designed for non-elite paddlers on the market" - surfski.info, Fenn Mako XT S review intro (Feb 2019)
- "I have an XT which is pretty good, but I find the bucket is an on going issue. I find myself leaning back after only 20-30 mins" - reader comment, FatPaddler.com Bluefin review thread
- "Stable, light, VERY easy to handle on land, narrow nose/catch, extremely maneuverable and a great fun boat in small to moderate conditions" - surfski.info forum, Fenn XT thread (Apr 2018)

## Sources
- https://web.archive.org/web/20091108230253/http://www.fennkayaks.co.za/products.php?cat=1
- https://raceone.com.au/collections/fenn
- https://surfski.info (Fenn Mako XT S - Review, 3 Feb 2019)
- https://surfski.info (forum, 'Fenn - Love at first paddle', Oct 2018)
- https://surfski.info (forum, 'Fenn XT' thread, Apr 2018)
- https://fatpaddler.com/2013/04/surfski-review-fenn-blue-fin-beginners-ocean-racing-ski/
- https://scribd.com (KayakTest-7-SurfSki PDF, Fenn XT specs LOA 5800mm, waterline 5622mm, beam 480mm)

## Prices
Current new prices and dealers: https://surfskiindex.com/surfskis/fenn-mako-xt/#buy