Mako Racks

dman · Newbie Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 11 City: K of P

Finally decided on Mako Racks and ordered them from Wakeside.
Scheduled ship date confirmed at 4 weeks. I was hoping to get them a lot sooner than that.
Is this just standard backlog from Mako? Does anybody else stock them?

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

that sounds like way to long to wait for the racks

watsoc · Addict Joined: 23 Feb 2004 Posts: 574 City: Anthem

You may want to check the Mako site and see if they have any local dealers who may have the Mako racks in stock. The dealers in my area are also willing to drop their price in order to get your business as opposed to you sending money to a internet company. Just a thought but I know that my racks are very important and I would not want to wait four weeks to get some.

NAW · Posted: May 18, 2004 8:59 am Post subject:

dman, I can assure you Mako is doing everything they can to ship orders asap. It's a very busy time of year for a very busy tower accessory manufacturer. Feel free to contact Mako directly at sales@mako-ind.com .

PM or email me if I can help in any way.

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Speaking of racks, why are monster racks 100 bucks less expensive than most other racks? Are they not as good?

BIGMAC · Posted: May 18, 2004 9:28 am Post subject:

cameraboy, basically the same racks

trammill · Soul Rider Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 389 City: Georgetown

The new Mako racks are sweet even though the handles on mine were dry rotted and broke on 1st use when I picked up my new 04 Mobius LSV this week. I contacted Mako with this pic yesterday and they are immediately sending me new handles free(Props to MAKO). Just keep WD-40 on the screws that hold the handles on or they will be rusted like this. NOT COOL. Especially on a new boat.

BigDeal · Soul Rider Joined: 18 Oct 2003 Posts: 477 City: Orlando

Levi · Criminal Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 65 City: Boise, ID

Last year I had to wait 2 or 3 weeks for my racks. I have the older design of the quick release system. Works great...I haven't seen the new system to see exaclty how it works. Great racks though.....just make sure that you don't get one of the new concave wakeskate decks if you want it to fit in the racks. Some boards with a LOT of rocker may also be a problem...I havne't had one not fit yet...but there may be a few out there thatn might be tuff to get in..........

Doug · Posted: May 19, 2004 3:14 am Post subject:

I have a set of Mako racks. Initially it was the old design (quick release). As I was traveling across the lake a hit a bit of turbulance, the rack with the board in it popped off and fell in the lake. I have the newer design now. I hope these are better!!!

trammill · Soul Rider Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 389 City: Georgetown

Doug, Same thing happend to me last year in Tn with my Mako quick release racks on my Supra...except they broke at the weld. Unbelieveable, although Mako did send me a brand new rack, I couldn't believe they broke at the weld and went to the bottom of the lake.

SuprAir · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 180 City: Columbus

Yup, I just got three Mako racks at end of last season and I broke one of the handles the third time I mounted 'em. Mako was quick to send me a new one and a spare but as crappy as the design is, it's good they're prompt. I'd love to upgrade to the new metal quick-release but I guess that isn't possible. Now, I'm cautious as hell and just snug them when I put them on.

I guess I'll be keeping an eye on the connector bolt, though. You'd think it would've been stainless.

BigDeal · Soul Rider Joined: 18 Oct 2003 Posts: 477 City: Orlando

Forgive me all, but I thought I'd try and sum up what I've read in this thread so far.

1 - Mounting Handles deteriorate and break on Mako racks (inferior part).
2 - Mounting bolt is not stainless on Mako racks (inferior part).
3 - Mako racks seem to exihibit a weakness in weld quality (may be an isolated issue).
4 - Mako racks take longer to receive once purchased than just about anyone else's racks.

Given some of the other really good options out there when it comes to racks (Titan, Wakeside Battlerack, Skylon, even Monster at $100 less) it makes me wonder why anybody is buying the Mako racks. Please don't take that last comment as an attack on you Mako rack owners, it was just a personal statement on my part.

SuprAir · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 180 City: Columbus

yep, pretty much correct.. but:

1- I'm sure they realize mounting handles are inferior and that's why they get replacement shipped PRONTO and have changed the design to metal in latest model
2 - Not sure about non-stainless bolt, although you'd hope they would've addressed that with the handle redesign

The other two are more subjective and really could be issues with any racks. I purchased my Mako's because they were pretty much the only rack in BLACK I could get that I could get on my CC FCT and run three of them with the same mounts. No one else seems to carry black any longer (neither does Mako, for that matter).

Anyway, other than the weak handle I've experienced excellent customer service plus my Mako racks are WAY more solid than the Wake Designs that came on the boat. I haven't had direct experience with many other brands but I've been satisfied with the versatility I get with my Makos.

Wakeside1 · Posted: May 22, 2004 9:28 pm Post subject:

Mako has reengineered the plastic handles and all new racks are now being shipping with the new style handles. They also have several hundred spares ready to ship out for replacement for those who need them. The new handles have been tested to 200 pounds at the end which is way more than most people can do with two hands. They will not have any more issues with the handle. If anyone needs an upgrade they can email Mako directly and ask for them to be shipped out. Their email is info@mako-ind.com

We have sold hundreds of these racks and I have never heard of weld quality issues. Their welds seem excellent from our perspective but I would like to hear more from others using them.

It is true that Mako racks are taking longer than normal to ship at this time. Mako is growing at an explosive rate this year and has not been able to keep up. They had some problems last year as well when they were manufacturing for Supra/Moomba, Monster Tower, and selling through Wakeside.com. This year is worse because of their hot new chrome MB Quart 4 Speaker Light Combo. They have tripled their number of employees and are working until 10-12 PM almost every night to catch up.

If anyone is interested in Mako racks this year, all of the quality issues are resolved and they are available in chrome finish this year. However, delivery issues will require for you to be patient which isn't easy once the season is in full swing. That's my perspective.

Mike
http://www.wakeside.com

Mako · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 2

Dman,

Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience our product backorders may be causing. As Wakeside mentioned in the previous post, we have experienced a significant unexpected growth in demand for our products this year. That is the reason for the four-week lead time on your rack order. We are taking immediate steps to fill open orders as quickly as possible and are making every effort to ensure we have increased production capacity in the future. In the mean time your patience and loyalty are greatly appreciated. Feel free to email me directly at brian@mako-ind.com if you have any other questions.

Regards,

Mako · Newbie Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 2

Dear Customers,

In the past some of our customers expressed concerns about the performance of their Mako QR rack handles. The two problems that were brought to our attention were:

1. Under high torque applications the handles could break making it difficult to remove the rack from the collar without the use of tools.
2. The internal components of the handle could rust if exposed to high moisture conditions.

Mako acknowledged that this was substandard performance and took immediate action to correct these problems. We are happy to announce that our new, re-engineered, QR handles are finished and are ready to ship. The new handles handle higher torque load than the old style handles and the internal components are manufactured with stainless steel to prevent rust.

If anyone has experienced a problem with his or her Mako QR handles or if they want to update their old handles with the new improved handles simply contact one of our staff at sales@mako-ind.com . We will be happy to send replacement handles free of charge. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Regards,

dman · Newbie Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 11 City: K of P

Brian,

Initially I was not pleased with the quoted delivery and after reading some of the posts regarding the handle issues I had second thoughts about my decision to order Mako. But by the testimony of some of your customers and you honesty and willingness to correct known issues, I will hang in there and patiently wait for my order.

Thanks for responding to this post, it benefits existing & potential customers

I would also like to thank NAW for stepping in and trying to help out.

D

Dutch · Addict Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 589

I can say from personal experience (I own 3 of the Mako racks), that I haven't had any problems with my racks. They've been great and the service from Mako is great. I wouldn't hesitate to buy Mako products again in the future. They make great products and the problems where with the old designs and have been since resolved, and no I have nothing to do with their company.

MTV FireMedic · Criminal Joined: 25 Sep 2003 Posts: 53 City: Tracy

I have 3 Mako Racks - 2 flame wakeboard racks and a new waterski rack and hopefully soon(BRIAN E) a new Hydrofoil Rack.. I LOVE MY RACKS, get all kinds of compliments on them and they have been great - Cool thing with their mounts, you are not limited to mounting on a horizontal bar- you can mount anywhere on the vertical part of the tower and ADJUST the rack on 2 different axis to make them level after tightening them, they are rock SOLID and no rattle.. worth the wait for a quality product. I had one issue and that was with their OLD mount style.. MAKO realized that it wasnt working and when i asked, they sent me all new mounts and upgrrades for the rack to the new style NO CHARGE AND within a week. and recently I broke a handle on my new rack so i'll be asking for new hardware via email - and i can count on MAKO, though backlogged, to send me the new stuff ASAP cause thats how they do business and keeep customers loyal - I have seen all the other products out there on my friends boats.. and They all like my racks the best. - Also they are EASILY removeable for storage to prevent themfrom being stolen at the boat storage place.. My advice GO MAKO
---- I have no affiliation with MAKO-Ind other than as a Happy Customer..

Brian Collins..

dman · Newbie Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 11 City: K of P

Just to finalize this post, I received notification that my racks shipped.
That’s just over 2 weeks from order date vs the 4 weeks quoted!
Not bad at all

Soon I will have a lot more room in my boat!

D