Latest News, Blog & Videos

Hey guys, it’s Nathan here from MACkite, and today, I’m going to talk to you about the 2020 North Orbit. 2020 NORTH ORBIT We’ve not had a chance to thoroughly review the North Orbit at this time, so this post contains more of our first impressions as a reviewing team. Because we had limited time on it, and were testing it in some conditions that we weren’t necessarily used to, we want to get some more time on the kite to further develop our opinions on what we think this kite and who we thin …

Hydrofoiling is the fastest growing, tow-behind category for boat owners. A common question we get here is "how do I chose the right hydrofoil or hydrofoils for myself, my family and my boat?" We wanted to do a high-level video helping you understand how to go about choosing the correct setup, and this blog aims to go a little deeper.  We'll be breaking down three different categories of foils to consider as well as recommending different foils that fit into each category.  That bein …

Foiling has changed everything. With so many applications, we find ourselves practicing a lot of crossover sports.Wakefoiling included. One of the most fun aspects of the sport is the freedom of just riding the foil be that on a wave or behind the boat. We decided it would be fun to do a tutorial on how to do this. In case you're new to foiling, we did a video on learning to foil behind the boat. You can check that our here.  If you're watching this, there is a good chance you already kno …

If you hop onto our website and look at the listings of available foils, you might be pretty quickly overwhelmed. Just like the rest of us, you're probably wondering which foil combo would be great for your personal needs. Foilboarding is exploding; and with it, a lot of gear has been developed. We've got so much to offer with so many different uses, we thought it would be helpful to break all that down all our foils into three separate categories. Freeriding Powered freeriding (yes, we expla …

Foilboarding at City Beach When I think of really great starts to any day, one of the things on the short list would be foiling in boardshorts at Grand Haven City Beach, just down the street from my house. I scored today. The cherry on top was a few new pieces of gear to try - my new 2018 Cabrinha Drifter 13, and the new Lift 150 foil. I grabbed a Liquid Force Happy Board, mounted the beautifully crafted carbon foil that I've been staring at all week, and headed toward the beach. Grand Haven Cit …

2018 Cabrinha Contra Overview Hey guys what’s going on today? It’s Nathan from MACkite and today we’re going to be discussing the new 2018 Cabrinha Contra. The Contra was originally designed as a lightwind kite. A few years ago Cabrinha decided to expand it into smaller sizes. Despite this, the Contra is still available all the way up to 19m. The Contra is known as an extremely lightwind kite, or a lightwind kite that can be used by someone a little heavier. High Tenacity Dacr …

2018 Cabrinha FX Overview The FX has been a shop favorite since 2016 Today I’m going to be discussing with you the all-new 2018 Cabrinha FX. All new...what does that mean? There’s a bunch of design changes that have been made for the 2018 FX that are marked improvements over the 2016/17 models. This is pretty hard to do, as the FX was already one of our favorite kites for freeride and advanced freestyle. Cabrinha has increased it's capabilities. There’s three different setti …

2018 Cabrinha Switchblade Overview The 2018 Switchblade remains the kite we know and love, with a few new updates. Today I’m going to be discussing with you the new 2018 Cabrinha Switchblade. The Switchblade has been a staple in our lineup for years. It’s always been one of our most popular kites, and for good reason. It’s an easy beginner kite. You can pick it up and go right away. It’s something that will take you from your early kiting stages to winning Red Bull King …

2018 Cabrinha Drifter Overview In 2018 the drifter gets a make over. Slash the waves, ride the magic carpet or enter into advanced freeride.  Today we're going to be discussing the all-new 2018 Cabrinha Drifter. Now all new and for good reason, the Drifter has been redesigned for 2018. It's the first time it's been redesigned since its inception in 2012.  So whats up with the Drifter this year?  The Drifter has always been an exceptional surf kite, obviously g …

What should you bring on your next big kiting trip? A checklist. So, you've booked tickets to head toward warmer climates, have you? Or, haven't you? It's time to get that done, as it's travel season for many of us - we're here to help your upcoming trip go as smoothly as possible. Here at MACkite, we don't just sit at our desks all day checking emails and answering phones - we actually leave the office with kite gear in tow and head south as well! After years and years of experience, we feel th …

Modern kiteboarding equipment has come a long way in terms of durability, but it never hurts to have a quick refresher on how to properly take care of your gear and/or get a quick refurbishing in. We're going to help make sure you enjoy every moment on the water rather than worrying about your gear. Kite - Rather than just tossing your kite into its bag after every session, you'll want to make sure you've taken care of a few key things. First off, sand is terrible for your kite during storage. S …

MACkite's thoughts on the 2017 Cabrinha Fireball!  Like a comet from the sky set to change the landscape as we know it, Cabrinha’s newest offering to the kiteboarding community is Fireball – a kite connection system. Fireball is specifically designed with kiteboarding in mind, with features that will most definitely change the way you ride. Fireball changes the most important piece of equipment in kiteboarding The connection point between you and the kite. Before Fireball, we w …

MACkite Talks 2017 Cabrinha Fireball Hey guys, it's Nathan from MACkite. We’re going to talk about the all-new 2017 Cabrinha Fireball system. The big question this year is going to be - ‘why to get a new Fireball system?’ We’ve been used to loops for years and they’ve worked very well for most situations, and now Cabrinha really threw a wrench in our entire plan for how we connect to our kites. Now, for the last however many years, we’ve been using a loop-and …

Growing With Kiteboarding It's time to get back into the water. As we begin to approach the kiteboarding season here in the Midwest, I start to get excited about returning to the water. Yes - others have been kiteboarding for months now (Marc Hoeksema has over 25 sessions so far!) while I've yet to dip a toe into Lake Michigan. This is actually a first for me in years, not rushing to get back into the water as soon as the ice clears. I'm taking advantage of the mild weather with some of my other …

Nathan's 2015 Airush Livewire Review Nathan is polished, prepped, and prepared to chat it up about the 2015 Airush Livewire, a kiteboard that has everyone talking (even Alex Pastor)! If you've been clicking through our site trying to find some awesome deals for your money, it may be time to float your mouse on over to Airush's kiteboarding page. Recommended riders for the 2015 Airush Livewire: Beginners to advanced riders can enjoy the Livewire. This thing rips and is crazy comfortab …