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Duotone has really stepped up their Hydrofoil and Foil board game for the 2019/2020 season. They have completely overhauled their foil design for the 2020 season and now offer five new complete foils. Every part of their foil has been re-thought and as a result, nothing the previous years will be compatible. Normally I’d think of that as a bad thing, but it was necessary to improve the design to the level that it is now. Across the whole line, you will find a much stiffer and durable con …

Expanding the line-up We have been waiting for Cabrinha to add some surfy foils to their program for some time. The new Cabrinha Carve and Cabrinha Varial Medium and Large foils have finally delivered. These wings expand Cabrinha's hydrofoil program to help those riders looking for easy progression, light wind performance, and support for a slower, surfy style ride. Let's start with the platform for these surf foils and go into the differences between the wings. Some highlights for the Cabrinh …

UPDATE... Nine months of testing later. Jump down 10 paragraphs to the red heading We have a new foil offering here at the shop that is getting everyone pretty excited. The Neil Pryde Glide Surf foil brings a lot to the plate for riders looking for a foil on a budget with excellent performance and room to grow. Thoughtfully designed, the Glide foil also provides some unique benefits that enhance the user experience, durability, and rigidity of the system. The Glide has an aluminum top plat …

Lift Hydrofoils have been in the foil game for a long time. Their commitment to building quality carbon foils has made them a favorite of many foilers, and their latest designs are next level. Let's take a quick look at how their foils differ from others. Wings and Fuselages Lift is the only brand I am aware of using a one-piece wing, fuselage, stabilizer type design. The primary benefits are efficiency, rigidity, simplicity, and weight. This all results in a more efficient foil that is easier …

The best “do it all” foils Hydrofoils have effectively entered most action watersports these days. If you, like most of us at the shop happen to partake in multiple watersports, choosing the right foil can be a difficult decision. Some of our hydrofoils are useful for a specific purpose while others seem to blur the lines between sports to make a truly excellent jack of all trades. Let's take a quick look at what makes a good “do it all” foil. What wing size is ri …

Last week, Nathan Brad and myself decided to take some of the 2019 slingshot foils out to film and test. We promised to start doing some versus videos on our Foil Fridays series a while back and now it's time to really dive in.  We'll be doing kite reviews, surf reviews and wake reviews on many of our foils. This week, we wanted to test the wake applications of these three foils. Part of doing through reviews here is taking notes on our sessions  Here are our first impressions.&nb …

Best 2019 Hydrofoils For You  With the explosion of hydrofoil sports and new designs for 2019, even experienced riders are left with some questions. In this blog, we’ll go in-depth covering the differences between foil options, and discuss how to choose the best foil for you. I’ve done my best to title each section appropriately so you can skip to the point if you are in a hurry. There is a lot of info here so you may want to bookmark it for later reference. Weight and Price Wei …

Let's Chat: 2019 Slingshot Hydrofoil Wings 2019 is an exciting year for hydro-foiling. The variety and abundance of choices in the current market are sure to have a product for every circumstance and budget. However, that also means that the dizzying confusion of product names, measurements, and uses makes choosing one a confounding affair. Slingshot, for instance, has two foil platforms for 2019 with a combined 10 wing choices. Hover Glide Wings The least expensive of the platforms is the Hov …

Working at MACkite has some unique benefits. Working with friends in an industry that we are passionate about makes most days feel less like “work”. The huge amount of demo gear available is also well appreciated by our staff. However, it is hard to monetize the value of our “Board Meetings”. Our "Board Meetings" are not the typical drudgery that is associated in most workplaces. Rather, it is a meeting of employees where we can go play and test gear during work hours. …

5 Best Kites for Foiling Hydrofoil kiteboarding has been on fire lately at the shop. I cannot remember the last time where every employee was so excited about one aspect of kiteboarding. Every employee from our young guns to shop legends caught the foil bug. As a result, we have seen a dramatic shift in the kite quivers chosen by our staff. Our quivers were dominated by large freestyle kites like the Cabrinha FX; now, we are switching to kites that compliment the unique challenges of foilbo …

MACkite Foil Showdown: Who Wins? If 2016 was the year of the foil (according to the ancient kiteboarder zodiac calendar), then 2017 is the year of foil refinement. Hydrofoils are being ridden for more than simply racing, and are now accessible for most riders. For goodness sake, Kai Lenny is ridding them without a tow-in on waves.  What was once a simple choice has now become far more convoluted. However, with more options comes the opportunity to get something that better fits your riding …

Nathan's Fireside Chat: 2016 Slingshot Foils With foiling taking center stage lately in the kiteboarding world, a few companies have either started to include foils to their lineup or expanded their current offerings. For Slingshot in 2016, we've been introduced to a program that will take you from true beginner to advanced, and everything in between. Slingshot's "Learn to Fly" Program Slingshot's "Learn to Fly" program features the all-new Hover Glide aluminum-masted foil aimed at tho …

2016 Liquid Force Foilboard at 2015 Surf Expo Gary Siskar talks The Kiteboarder Magazine through Liquid Force's lineup of 2016 foilboarding products.  As a recap of the 2015 foilboard, the Liquid Force Foil Fish, was the first foil "for the people". Easy to learn, ride, expansive, and affordable donned the characteristics of this 2015 foil. Check out Siskar's overview of the latest foilboarding gear. 2015/16 LF Foil Fish A continuation from their successful predecessor, this  …

Designer Notes - Cabrinha Double Agent The all-new Cabrinha Double Agent has taken the foilboarding industry by storm. Now, one of the most well-known kiteboarding companies has created a board that conveys two functions: a foilboard and a wave, directional board. While jargon may be shown throughout this video, no words can describe our utter fascination and excitement over the Double Agent. Why we're stoked about Cabrinha's Double Agent: The Double Agent has a twin tip constru …