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I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

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Liquidleisure
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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby Liquidleisure » Sun Apr 29, 2018 11:34 am

PinkNorthPride wrote:
Sat Apr 28, 2018 3:29 pm
Spot the duotone logo

Image
Rip NKB :bye: :angryfire:

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby Matteo V » Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:15 pm

foilholio wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:25 am
What type of sporting equipment is that. Looks very awkward, is he having fun?
Tons of fun, and an actual sense of extreme accomplishment compared to kiteboarding.

Very easy for a windsurfer to move into kiteboarding. Virtually no kiteboarders move to windsurfing.

Kiteboarding may be more dangerous, but it is way easier - both physically and mentally - by an order of magnitude or two. To have more fun instantly and progress so fast on the steep learning curve of kiteboarding, then to have just a little bit of fun and progress slowly on a flater learning curve windsurfing - not gonna happen. There are dedicated people on this earth capable and interested in the longer path of windsurfing, but with kiteboarding existing in parallel, you have a better chance of winning the lottery than meeting one.

If you never have windsurfed, but you are at least approaching the intermediate stages of kiteboaring, you have no chance of becoming a windsurfer. Not because it is no fun, but because it takes actual dedication, determination, and some natural skill. RELATIVELY speaking, kiteboarding does not take those things to anywhere near the degree that windsurfing does.

And even though I may windsurf today, I am NOT windsurfing enough to ever hope to develop new skills beyond where I left off in that sport when I started kiting.


And just a note: That guy in the pic on an ocean wave with a windsurfer is using more skill for that one wave ride than any kiter will express in their entire time kiteboarding.

Think I am wrong? Give windsurfing a go for the same number of sessions that it took you to get upwind on a kite as see where you are for even planing and turning around on a windsurfer.

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby jumptheshark » Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:29 pm

Im an ex windsurfer and think your blowing it out of proportion. If your comparing the early stages, of a big floaty windsurfer where you walk around the mast to tack, they are not really that different in entry level difficulty. Kiting might be a little harder at that point. To gybe a shortboard windsurfing is not a whole lot harder than to gybe a surfboard well. To ride waves..... might be harder on a windsurfer, but for the same wind direction and swell, it gets pretty close. Kiting just makes lesser conditions better, and I'd say the like of Ian and Rebstock can make more fun out of big gnarly slop than anyone on a pole board.

Actual freestyle, Flippy low amplitude stuff on a windsurfer can't hold a candle to the good kiteboard freestyle.


A nice 40 ft backloop at pozo is about the same as a full powered megaloop in Cape Town.

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby Matteo V » Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:38 pm

flipper231 wrote:
Sat Apr 28, 2018 1:23 pm
Matteo V wrote:
Wed Apr 25, 2018 6:23 pm
Great thread. Very interesting to see what kiters obsessed with brands do when you step on their "ant hill".

Always flown Best kites. Loved the designs, but never really cared about who was a Best rider or how cool the logo was. To each his own.
Ok and when times comes to change your gear, you will buy Best whit their older designs or you will move to Eleveight? Same development team as The Best kites you like or you can buy the TS and Roca for very cheap by the way
Not likely. I really do not have a favorite brand or care to use any specific brand beyond what I know about the past and current situation with a brand such as:

1. What is their warranty SERVICE like? (NOT WHAT THEIR WARRANTY STATEMENT IS! - those two things are typically mutually exclusive)
2. How durable are their kites with respect to fabrics and design specifications. Some kite model/brands I have flown and like, but they have had a build/design flaw or poor wearing material (on 1 model year of the Best kites I own)
3.What is their record on model changes? - if the brand changes the kite so much from year to year that I have to completely re-learn the kite - I don't want that brand.
4.What is the new/used availability of all sizes and year models (closeouts are extremely important to me)? - I go through a lot of kites, and if I want a specific year model, then I want to make sure there are used ones to be had as first "a back-up kite", then "replacement kites" in the future.


Right now, there is no company that meets all of those criteria to my satisfaction. Slingshot is the only one that comes close, but the feel of their models does not make me want to switch while I still have a complete working quiver of Best "Kahoona's" available. Switch had an awesome business model, and no worries about used gear as I can just buy new affordably. But again, no real model specifically for me - though the Element 6 looks good. But that would break my 3rd requirement of a stable model offering across multiple years.


Eleveight - not available, no used market - plus first year offering is usually plagued with issues in any brand
North????? - plus I never liked the low pressure spec that the kites would not fly with anyway - just a way to get out of warranty on LE blowouts
Airrush - not available, no used marked
Liquid force - the second choice below Slingshot, but not a contender as the used LF market is a quarter of the used SS market
Cabrinha - Like the switchblade, but becoming less available each year since they dumped them on the market back in 2011-2013.

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby GraemeF » Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:44 pm


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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby Matteo V » Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:04 pm

jumptheshark wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:29 pm
Im an ex windsurfer and think your blowing it out of proportion. If your comparing the early stages, of a big floaty windsurfer where you walk around the mast to tack, they are not really that different in entry level difficulty. Kiting might be a little harder at that point. To gybe a shortboard windsurfing is not a whole lot harder than to gybe a surfboard well. To ride waves..... might be harder on a windsurfer, but for the same wind direction and swell, it gets pretty close. Kiting just makes lesser conditions better, and I'd say the like of Ian and Rebstock can make more fun out of big gnarly slop than anyone on a pole board.

Actual freestyle, Flippy low amplitude stuff on a windsurfer can't hold a candle to the good kiteboard freestyle.


A nice 40 ft backloop at pozo is about the same as a full powered megaloop in Cape Town.
I disagree with everything you said.

How long did it take you to just plane a windsurfer????? How about how long it took you to do a shortboard sinker jibe on a windsurfer????? Compare that to how long you took to plane and jibe with a kite? How about the waterstart??? Turning around on a TT? Or what happens when you blow a jibe windsurfing vs kiteboarding - how long does it take you to waterstart??? How about the multiple attempts it takes to water start with a windsurfer when the wind is fluky. Not once in the last 5 years of kiting have I failed to waterstart immediately on the first try in fluky winds with a kite. But I still blow water starts on a windsurfer everywhere I still windsurf.

jumptheshark wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:29 pm
If your comparing the early stages, of a big floaty windsurfer where you walk around the mast to tack, they are not really that different in entry level difficulty.
Do kiters do displacement kiting (on a huge floaty board) when they first get in the water??? NO! We all immediately moved onto planing right out of the gate. And there is virtually no sub-planing in kiteboarding. Plane or sink, no in-between. You could almost say, "one less skill to learn in kiteboarding". But that would ignore the likely hundreds of steps to jibe, planing jibe, pivot jibe, shortboard tack, sinker board light wind tack, displacement tack, steering with the sail (leaning forward vs aft) steering with the rail (at planing speeds), sideloading the fin, raking back the mast, hiking out, and.....I just can't go on. NONE OF THESE steps are mirrored in kiteboarding. In fact, the first step in kiteboarding progression is the waterstart - which is AFTER all the steps I just mentioned for beginner windsurfers.

jumptheshark wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:29 pm
To gybe a shortboard windsurfing is not a whole lot harder than to gybe a surfboard well.
Your statement is total BS when comparing it like this - Planing jibe shortboard windsurfer vs planing jibe strapped kiteboard. NO WAY IS IT EASIER TO JIBE A WINDSURFER. Sorry for the strong words, but you are flat out wrong within my my stated comparison criteria above.

jumptheshark wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:29 pm
To ride waves..... might be harder on a windsurfer, but for the same wind direction and swell, it gets pretty close.
Again, NO FRICKIN WAY! - You CAN EASILY take someone's significant other who is just kiting because their partner is into it, and put them in the waves on the ocean with a kite. YOU COULD NEVER DO THAT WITH A WINDSURFER!!!

jumptheshark wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:29 pm
A nice 40 ft backloop at pozo is about the same as a full powered megaloop in Cape Town.
I have never seen someone in person clear over 20ft on a windsurfer of total height. How many years of windsurfing skill building does it take to get a backloop? And the 40ft thing must be a typo. That is Dale Cook stuff there. And I only know one Dale Cook, and that is only from Youtube, though I have sailed within a mile or two of him on occasion.


I don't know what you are grasping at here, but I acknowledge the fact that I essentially gave up windsurfing for the sport of kitesurfing that is much more dangerous, but way easier in almost every way. And every instance that you can claim windsurfing is easier, you are talking about accessibility issues directly related to the safety problems inherent in kiteboarding.
Last edited by Matteo V on Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby andylc » Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:28 pm

Who actually cares which sport is more difficult? Kitesurfing is better!😁

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby Matteo V » Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:31 pm

andylc wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:28 pm
Who actually cares which sport is more difficult? Kitesurfing is better!😁

Yep that is why I kiteboard, plus the kitesurfing stuff fits in a van without a trailer. The superior roller coaster ride of kiteboarding is more appealing to me than the hard work and long road of windsurfing.

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby jespin4845 » Sun Apr 29, 2018 5:45 pm

foilholio wrote:
Sun Apr 29, 2018 10:25 am
What type of sporting equipment is that. Looks very awkward, is he having fun?
:lol:

i start singing the sarah mclachlan song angel when i see those guys struggling...

"for pennies a day you can teach a windsurfer how to kite..."

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Re: I'll have to change my name now North Kiteboarding is no more..

Postby airsail » Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:53 pm

So Boards and More are rebranding their gear as Duotone, North is pissed because they don't have time to go with another licesee to use the North name to get gear out for the 2019 season. This means the North brand will cease to exist in the sailboard/kiteboard world till another licensee is found, and then they have to start over building new models etc.
Messy, would love to know what is printed on this seasons gear, asked at the local shop but they signed a confidentiality agreement and can't say anything.


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