Latest News, Blog & Videos
2023 North Nova v3 Review
Welcome back to MACkiteboarding Wing Wednesdays. I'm Tucker, and today I'm going to give you a quick review on the new North Nova version 3 for 2023. I've been riding this wing for a few weeks now and getting a good feel for it, so I'll go over it and compare it to some similar wings out there on the market to see how it stacks up.
What Is the Nova v3?
The North Nova v3 is a complete redesign of the Nova, and they did an excellent job of bringing it into 2023, in terms of where wings are
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15th Feb 2023
Q & A with Tucker: F-One Plane EAGLE HM Carbon vs. Armstrong HA Foils
Q: I've been riding an Armstrong 1550v2 with a HA195 tail. I enjoy it, but could I get better speed and glide out of something like an F-One Eagle HM or another foil?
A: I've ridden Armstrong foils and they are great, but they aren't known for their glide efficiency or mast stiffness. By comparison, F-one foils are top of the class in both glide efficiency and stiffness through the entire system. That is mostly due to the sleek mast/fuse connection, monocoque front wing/fuse design, and high-mod
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11th Oct 2022
2022 North Atmos vs. Astra Kiteboard Review
Hey guys, Kristen here with MACkite, and today I want to cover the North Atmos vs. the Astra board.North Atmos Kiteboard
If you've been looking at North boards, you might have heard of, or you might even be familiar with, the Atmos. It's their big air freeride board, and it's pretty popular. It's a little bit stiffer, so it really allows you to cut through the chop and hold down the edge you need to have explosive pop off the water, which is what you want for big air and to g
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15th Jul 2022
Which Reedin Bar Is Right for Me?
Dreamstick V2
The Reedin Dreamstick V2 is simplicity supercharged. Everyone here at MACkite gravitates towards this bar for a plethora of reasons. Auto untwist technology for the super loopers, so you never have to spend half of your tack untwisting those pesky center lines. Coming in at 21mm in diameter, the skinny bar feels like you’re cupping a butterfly. Every once in a while you need to untwist the flag line in the auto swivel. The ease of use with this bar is incredible, all the way
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12th Apr 2022
Waydoo Flyer One eFoil - Soft Deck vs. Hard Deck
“Is that foam?”
“That won’t last very long.”
“Six grand for a foam deck? No way.”
“It’s probably made of foam to keep it cheap.”
These are the regular comments we receive from people when they see the Waydoo Flyer One eFoil. As a result, many of our potential Waydoo customers quickly focus on the Waydoo Flyer One Carbon for its high-end appeal and finish. The old adage about judging a book by its cover definitely applies in the Wayd
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7th Apr 2022
Some Good Reasons to Buy New or Used Kites
Yeah, what's up guys? Rygo here from MACkite. I'm here in Arizona picking up a new RV for the MACkite RV tour. I spent the last year living in a 27-footer, and then when we were in Oregon we actually swapped that out for a smaller 1985 Toyota, which was super sick. Oh man, it was so small. So we're here in the Southwest just picking something up that's a bit bigger, probably more practical for living full-time on the road, and I wanted to talk to you. Lately I've been thinking about new kites
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23rd Mar 2022
North Orbit Versus North Reach—Mr. Jeff's Take
I have had over 300+ sessions over the past two years on North kites and the Reach is what sold me on the “new” North brand. I would like to share the top 3 characteristics of the Orbit and Reach, do a comparison, and why both should be in your quiver.
The North Reach is a one-kite wonder. It truly does it all very well.
Medium to light bar pressure that delivers a direct and intuitive fast flying kite. Loops very fast and can be directed with very little bar input. Light 3 strut constr
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17th Mar 2022
F-One Strike V2 vs. V1 Wings - Worth the Upgrade?
Out on the water riding, the experience, how the wing delivers power, what kind of power it has, what it's best suited for, how the stability is, how intuitive the wing is... I think that's really what makes a phenomenal wing and makes one stand out from another. Because there are so many in the industry now, it can be hard to pick. The Strike v1 made a name for itself by having that lift. It wanted to lift you off your feet, drag you downwind, and create that momentum immediately. It's
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9th Mar 2022
F-One Strike V2 vs. Duotone Unit V2 - An Icy Cage Match
Being a cooler than typical winter here in Michigan, I’ve been jonesing for a session far too long. Fresh new goodies were just sitting unused like a pile of visible regrets. After hunting for weeks for an opening in the ice, I was finally blessed with a pool which was large enough to ride in. Furthermore, the weather was actually nice at 40 deg air, 34 deg water, and sunshine.
I’ll have some more formal video reviews coming in the next few weeks but wanted to get the info out ASAP for those
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24th Feb 2022
2022 Duotone Neo SLS vs Dice SLS | Comparing Wave Performance
The 2022 Duotone Neo SLS and Dice SLS are two very amazing kites, and they’re both a lot of fun for kitesurfing in waves. Yes, they are very different in design and have different strengths and weaknesses.
Here are some of our thoughts regarding:
Overall power
Turning speed
Upwind ability
Downwind drift
Downloop transitions
Relaunch
The Duotone Neo SLS is More Powerful.
When it comes to overall kite power, the Neo SLS is the winner. I have yet to find a wave kite th
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12th 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 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
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 kite
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
Cabrinha Moto Vs. Duotone Evo | Do You Prefer Agility or Power?
One of the most common requests I get is to compare the Cabrinha Moto vs. the Duotone Evo. I was always hesitant to do this comparison because, while there are overlapping elements, these kites are aimed at different disciplines and different kitesurfers.
Like the Evo, the Moto is Cabrinha's all-around, 3-strut freeride kite. Where it differs is that it was designed for the waves and hydrofoiling. This means the Moto is going to have some wave characteristics. For example, the Moto ha
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27th Apr 2021