2021 North Carve Review

The carve has a different design than your average wave kite. For perspective, regular waves kites share a few traits. On & off Depower, down the line drift, they also fly a bit smaller as far as power. The Carve is unique. Like the Duotone Neo, they have taken a different approach.

You can expect the on and off depower but the real surprise is the low end power of the carve. With this in mind, the on and off depower becomes more important because you can sheet out and still have good control of the kite. This will prevent you from getting pulled off a wave yet you can still position the kite where you need it to surf.

The nice thing about the Carve is that you can size down thanks to the power. This means you will be on a smaller faster kite in the waves.

Something else similar to the Neo is the Carve works well as an all around kite. You will give up some drift for this benefit. The kite will back stall earlier than other wave kites down the line. You do however get the two stage arc. This means the top of the canopy is flat allowing for loft on jumps while the wingtips curve in a way that allows for great kiteloops and fast turning. 

It's a bit odd to see this pairing on a wave kite but not surprising. Most riders don’t want to niche of a kite so having a wave kite with some loft and decent loops is a smart approach. The Carve is a good match for the all around rider who wants to focus on wave riding and foiling without sacrificing other aspects of kiteboarding. 

The big take away here is you do trade off all out wave performance for a more well rounded kite. The Carve is still a wave especially kite ideal for surfers, hydrofoiling and even strapless freestyle riders but we would love to see more drift in future generations. That said, in average conditions that 90% of riders experience you likely wouldn't notice. If you are really into wave riding this will only come into play on those onshore days with steep fast waves. 

Pat Taylor

An avid kitesurfer, foiler and trick ski expert, Pat has been with the shop since he was a 16 year old grom. If you pick something up online, there's a good chance he shipped it your way. When he's not helping people out on the phones or shipping gear, he can be found on the water doing something interesting.