Latest News, Blog & Videos
Throwback Thursday: MACkite Board Lineup 2012-2013
How far back can we throw for Throwback Thursday? How about November 2012? Check out Tucker as he goes over MACkite's lineup of boards for 2013. If you've been riding a while, do you recognize any of this gear? Maybe one was even in your quiver?Oh, and be sure to watch to the end (or skip ahead) to see the outtakes!2013 Cabrinha SubwooferThe 2013 Cabrinha Subwoofer was a complete kite surfboard, with Aircore Quad fins, front and back pads, and footstraps if you like to use them. The board'
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5th Dec 2024
2022 Duotone Juice D/Lab | Quick Look
The all-new Duotone Juice D/Lab is an ultra-light, 3-strut freeride kite, good for light wind riding and foiling.
The frame of the Juice D/Lab is made from Aluula, which reduces the overall weight of the kite by 30%. As well as offering a much higher structural stiffness and greater tear resistance.
The moderate aspect shape offers tons of lift, a crazy amount of hangtime, and some pretty decent upwind ability as well.
Available in sizes 13m and 15m, the all-new Duotone Juice D/Lab is cer
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30th Nov 2021
Eleveight CS Vary and CS Vary Plus Kite Control Bars Explained
Peter Stiewe designed the Eleveight CS Vary Bar and CS Vary Bar Plus with two principles in mind. “Safety by Simplicity”, and “Performance by Design”. It’s quite evident, when holding Eleveight’s new control bars, that something very special has been developed.Featuring:Thermo-coated, high-precision control linesA redesigned Quick-Matic II quick release and top swivelTPU covered single depower lineAdjustable bar endsSizes:S (42-50cm)L (47-55cm)Check out Eleveight CS Vary Bar and CS V
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22nd Nov 2021
Mystic Block Vest vs. Majestic
Hey guys, welcome back. This is Jake with MACkite. Today's At a Glance video is going to be some vest fitment. So when you're buying an impact flotation vest, every manufacturer varies slightly and they tend to fit pretty tightly, so I'm going to go through and show you how some different vests fit on me.
We're going to start with the Mystic Block vest. This is a very basic vest but also super functional. Just to overview real quickly, a reason you'd go with some of these vests is threefol
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31st Jul 2021
Cabrinha Ace Hybrid Review
What's going on guys? I'm Rygo.
Hey guys, and I'm Lucas.
And today we're going to do another interview, kind of bro-down video about something from your quiver, the Cabrinha Ace.
The new Ace, yeah. First off, man, we've got to talk about the graphics- did you see that board?
The graphics- I did, actually, yeah.
That board is insane; I'm super stoked on it. Patrick, our graphic designer, crushed it. It's a super good-looking board and it's kind of the first one you see and you want to gr
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6th Jul 2021
Cabrinha Quickloop vs Modular Control Bar System
Hey everyone, I'm Evan Netsch. We're here in Hatteras, North Carolina. I want to give you a quick run-through on the two Cabrinha loop options that we offer.
We have our traditional Quick Loop and we have the newer modular and both of these, I think, have their specific purposes for yourself as a rider depending on your riding style and your preferences.
So real quick, let's just get into the breakdown of the differences between these two and and who might enjoy different aspects
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28th Jun 2021
North Pulse Review
It's been a few months since I filmed this review and my take has not changed all that much. I admit the North Pulse has grown on me quite a bit more. I had the chance to get a few more freestyle and wave sessions in on this kite. I don't know if I will do another review on the Pulse as, sadly, any kite associated with freestyle takes a back seat to beginner-oriented kites. Much of this comes down to other beginners advising new riders on forums and in Facebook groups. Granted, not everyone
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28th Jun 2021
Cabrinha XCaliber - Wood vs Carbon Kiteboards
An interview with Evan on his choice boards!
The Cabrinha Xcaliber, one's carbon, one's wood. Depending on the day, depending on what I'm doing, I'd use either one of these as my go-to boards from Cabrinha.
What are the major differences when you go for a wood board or a carbon board, and why might you choose one?
The main difference is the wood board's going to be a little bit of a smoother ride. It's going to be a little bit flexier, cut through chop a little bit better,
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28th Jun 2021
No Strut & Single Strut Kites vs Surf Kites
After filming this video, I realized how biased I was towards surf kites. I want to put it out there that I do have a 10m Airush Ultra I use specifically for foiling & I love it. I have wave kites for waves and so on. I'm a believer in using the right tool for the job. That said, many videos I make are from the perspective of working on a budget and trying to decide on kites. Not everyone can have more than there standard quiver and its important to think about what you want from your gea
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21st Jun 2021
Ride Engine Carbon Elite Reivew
The Ride Engine Carbon Elite is the stiffest most supportive harness I'm aware of beyond the Hadlow ion harness. I meant to do a review on this when the lineup first dropped but time got the best of me on that one. Six months later, I had the chance to swap out my Ride Engine Saber harness for the Carbon Elite, these are the differences I noticed.
Why I love the Carbon Elite
The Carbon Elite has the same plush padding that drew me to Ride Engine in the first place. The backplate
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16th Jun 2021
Duotone Slick Wing Overview
Hey everybody, welcome back to MACkiteboarding's Wing Wednesdays. I'm Tucker and today we're going to talk you through the new Duotone Slick Wing foil wing.
I've been testing the 5.0 out here for a few weeks. I'm really excited about this wing. There's something unique about it in the market and lots of people are anxiously anticipating this wing. So we'll get you in there, give you the what's-to-know about this wing, and then get into what we thought about it and a bit of a personal review
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16th Jun 2021
Slingshot Crisis Review
The slingshot Crisis is a mid-range / entry level twintip kiteboard from Slingshot. In my experience, the board rides similarly to other boards in this category: it has a medium flex, mild rocker and takes the middle of the road in every aspect. It's aimed at new kiteboarders, but has some performance that experienced riders would appreciate.
The board has a wood core and lacks upgrade features like channels or carbon stringers. It doesn't have as much pop as, say, a freestyle kiteboard
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7th Jun 2021
Is the Cabrinha Switchblade a Big Air Kite?
The Cabrinha Switchblade has been around longer than most have been kiteboarding.
It went though a good deal of research and design up until about 2016. Built by legendary designer Pat Goodman, it's still one of the best kites out there, in my opinion.
The past 5 years have seen a huge change in the market. Riders demand lighter, faster kites aimed at big air. The thing is, for some, the
Switchblade is still an amazing choice. It's not the fastest kite—it's not the lightest kite. It is
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7th Jun 2021
Eleveight OS Review
The Eleveight OS is another one-strut option designed for foil enthusiasts and light wind waveriders. The simple design is fast and, like all one-strut kites, it's extremely lightweight. The swept wing tips are designed to relaunch in light wind as well. This is a bit of a must for light wind hydrofoilers pushing threshold winds to the limit. My least favorite aspect of foiling, personally, is swimming back.
On the Hydrofoil
The OS is drifty, fast and powerful. The range is quite good fo
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24th May 2021
Slingshot Formula V1 Review
The
Formula V1 kiteboard is an exciting addition to Slingshot's lineup. Their kiteboards have long been known to be heavy duty and provide a distinct damp feel on the water. The Formula couldn't be further from the rest of their kiteboards: extremely light and snappy with a race car like feel. The Formula V1 is a completely different animal.
A Kiteboard with Speed and Snap
The Formula V1 kiteboard is so snappy and poppy you just want to jump as soon as it hits the water. I hate making
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24th May 2021