Fenn · Surfski · Out of production
Fenn Mako XT
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.
- Length
- 5.88 m
- Beam
- 49 cm
- Deck
- 32 cm
- Lightest
- 0 kg
Specifications
- Length
- 5.88 m
- Beam
- 49 cm
- Deck height
- 32 cm (est.)
- Category
- Surfski
- Skill level
- beginner
- New price
- Not listed new
Layup weights
On-water profile
Both scores are rated at the hull's own design weight. How these are derived.
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.
Paddler weight
This hull is built around a paddler of about 87 kg. It stays workable from 77 kg to 93 kg, and sits at its best between 81 kg and 89 kg.
Derived from published hull dimensions and calibrated against manufacturer paddler limits, not taken from a marketing range. The method, in full.
Generations
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 Superseded in 2018 by the XT S, sold today as the Fennix XTS, which keeps the hull and moves the nose, rudder and seat.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 works, and what it costs you
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
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 copyReported experience
"Loving the XT in Spain and having lots of fun" - Fenn product page paddler caption, 2011-era listingReported experience
"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)Reported experience
"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 threadReported experience
"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)Reported experience
Where to buy
The Mako XT is out of production. It turns up on the second-hand market; there is no new-boat channel for it.
Dealers in the markets we have mapped:
Discontinued, so no new price exists. The direct successor is sold new in Australia as the Fennix XT S from AUD $3,350 (see the XT S record). Second-hand Mako XT hulls remain common in South Africa and Australia across glass, vacuum and carbon layups.
Similar craft
Closest in stability, speed and paddler weight across the whole index.
Vajda
Hawx 52
Fenn
Fennix Yellowfin
Ocean (OSS)
OSS4
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