Maybe I'll get to keep my name after all..

[TomW]

Normally, you would say that this was all good for the consumer.
But I'm not so sure. Poaching talent, disruptiing teams, losing focus on product development, risk aversion,..the list goes on.
Change is good, not always, but often, and it usually takes a while to know if it was good or bad.

I've been kitesurfing since 2002. And windsurfed for 15 years before that. I never understood whether NKB and North Sails were related or not. At some point I thought NS had tanked and NKB was what was left, but then seeing NS products on boats, I knew that was not correct.. It was bloddy confusing from day 1.

[Toby]

If the North logo doesn't belong to North Sails, that would be very good for DT actually.

As to my knowledge the North KB logo belongs to North.
Yet that's why you see it at new North now.

[iriejohn]

If the North logo doesn't belong to North Sails, that would be very good for DT actually.

As to my knowledge the North KB logo belongs to North.
Yet that's why you see it at new North now.

Ah yes, I see it on its FB page.

[ced1]

Amazing to see how volatile this industry is...

Wipika started it and is long dead,
Flexifoil
Best / Eleveight
North / duotone
Cabrinha / Neil pride
Waiman mess with investor,

As much as people can talk about passion for sport... it appears passion for money has more pull. At least so it seems.

Ced

[windmaker]

Amazing to see how volatile this industry is...

Wipika started it and is long dead,
Flexifoil
Best / Eleveight
North / duotone
Cabrinha / Neil pride
Waiman mess with investor,

As much as people can talk about passion for sport... it appears passion for money has more pull. At least so it seems.

Ced

Yes and don't forget Flexifoil / Mutiny. Was detrimental to both. If the pattern persists the results will not be good for either for the other brands ...

[jumptheshark]

I've been kitesurfing since 2002. And windsurfed for 15 years before that. I never understood whether NKB and North Sails were related or not. At some point I thought NS had tanked and NKB was what was left, but then seeing NS products on boats, I knew that was not correct.. It was bloddy confusing from day 1.

Word!

[foilholio]

Sailing/windsurfing companies had a poor grasp of the sport. They leveraged their existing market share, channels to gain dominance. Quite sad to see even today marketing winning with inferior products. Paragliding companies have a much better basis to design kites, they do fly after all, and general gear, being a higher IQ industry.

[iriejohn]

Sailing/windsurfing companies had a poor grasp of the sport. They leveraged their existing market share, channels to gain dominance. Quite sad to see even today marketing winning with inferior products. Paragliding companies have a much better basis to design kites, they do fly after all, and general gear, being a higher IQ industry.

It's good to know that because I have Ozone kites I have a higher IQ.

[PinkNorthPride]

Sailing/windsurfing companies had a poor grasp of the sport. They leveraged their existing market share, channels to gain dominance. Quite sad to see even today marketing winning with inferior products. Paragliding companies have a much better basis to design kites, they do fly after all, and general gear, being a higher IQ industry.

I don't think I've ever read as much drivel in one post. That is a complete nonsense. No Paragliding company that I'm aware of ever had any grasp of the market structure that windsurfing companies created. As to those that had a very tenuous grasp on the kite business it's a mere fraction of the market share that windsurfing or ex windsurfing companies own.

Lets remember who they are, Naish pretty much started the global ball rolling after Wipika failed to make any ground outside France. Slingshot ex Windsurfers from Gaastra, North, windsurfing arm, F1 owned by a windsurfer, Cabrinha windsurfer, Core owned by a windsurfer, between them the dominant forces with the best products.

Those that failed, not windsurfers, Best, Flexifoil, Wipika, etc

The New North outfit will ultimately fail because they won't obey the market rules but they'll create waves that will upset the business for everyone for a couple of years as they battle it out with Duotone.

[jumptheshark]

Looks like you got a little drivel I’m there too!
Let us remember indeed.

Kinda disingenuous to set the record straight with a bit of falsehood mixed in to make you reflect well.

Revisionist to throw your current baby in the mix with Naish, SS, Cab and North when lecturing on the roots of the industry.

Core didn’t even emerge as a kite company until 2007. No bigger a player than Ozone, and much later to the party.