Latest News, Blog & Videos
Is the Waydoo Evo eFoil Worth the Upgrade? Complete Review and Breakdown
The all-new Waydoo Evo eFoil is here. How is it different from the Flyer One Plus? Does it replace it? What are the configuration options? Jake's spent a lot of time on both the Flyer One Plus and the new Evo, so he's got some answers.What Are My Options?
The Evo does have a lot of options to customize your ride. Only a few are available right now, but there are more to come later. There will be two battery sizes: a smaller, lighter one and a larger one with extended runtime. There
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8th Oct 2024
Cabrinha Moto X Design Works Review | The Aluula Kite of Your Dreams?
Jake and Dustin had a chance to get out on a pre-release 2025 Moto X Design Works kite from Cabrinha, and it left them stoked. "Design Works" is the name Cabrinha has chosen for their premium line, and they started by giving the Moto X the Aluula treatment on both the leading edge and its three struts.Flight CharacteristicsThe Moto X Design Works is very user-friendly, even for beginners. Thanks to the Aluula being stiffer, it's going to have an incredible wind range on each size. It's
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30th Jul 2024
Lieuwe Awesome Review | Why This All-Around Kiteboard Lives Up to Its Name
We've got a new board brand at the shop, and Jake took one of their twintip kiteboards, the Awesome, out for a spin. The brand is Lieuwe, pronounced "lee-wa". Admittedly, that's even a bit harder to get right than "Naysh", "Cabreenya", or "Dakeen". Lieuwe is a Dutch company, but we're finding that name tricky, even being located just one town north of Holland, Michigan. However, in terms of performance, the Awesome is a really fun board that lives up to its name.Overview of Lieuwe's L
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21st Jun 2024
2024 Reedin Kite Lineup Explained
Reedin has a fairly modest kite lineup with only 3 models, but they're essentially different versions of the same kite, so Dustin and Jake are here to explain what the differences are and which one might be right for you.Out with the Old, In with the New
Although the Reedin kite range has been expanded for 2024, they did retire the original SuperModel in favor of the SuperModel HTF2. HTF stands for Hybrid Torsion Frame, and it's a significant upgrade to the leading edge that allows
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7th Jun 2024
Harlem Force Review | A High-Performance Kite for Active Riders
It's been a minute since we've heard from Jake. He's been busy getting some all-important daddy time with his two lovely daughters, but he recently got back on the water with the Harlem Force. It labels itself as a "game changer", but does it live up to that bold claim?
What Makes the Force a Game Changer?
While "game changer" may be a bit of a stretch, it is an interesting kite that's worth a look. Harlem is a European company with their own factory that's powered 100 percent by
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5th Jun 2024
How To Size Your Ride Engine Harness | A Quick Guide
With the amount of harness and spreader bar combinations, getting the right size Ride Engine can feel daunting. The good news is when you nail it, you get a precise, comfortable fit that translates to more time on the water. As a general rule, the size chart below gets you 80% of the way there. Here are a few sizing tips from the hundreds of Ride Engine harnesses we've sold over the years.
What's Your Body Type?
Consider your body shape. Leaner bodies are best represented by the abov
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5th Feb 2024
2024 Naish Kiteboarding Lineup with Derek Sproul
Derek Sproul from Naish takes a few minutes to chat about the 2024 kiteboarding lineup with MACkite's Jake Mitchell at King of the Great Lakes Test Fest. What's new? Is there a must-have coming for your quiver?Jake: We're super stoked to have you all the way here in Michigan.Derek: The sun is shining and it's just so beautiful here in late September. There's nowhere I'd rather be. It's awesome.Jake: Amen to that. So you brought some new gear?PivotDerek: Yeah, we've got a bit of everythin
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11th Oct 2023
Airush's Latest Innovations | An Exclusive Interview with Sam Medysky
Jake Mitchell from MACkite is with Sam Medysky of Airush at the 2023 King of the Great Lakes Test Fest. Sam's been a name in the kiteboarding world for many years and has some insights into the Airush lineup and wind sports in general to share.
Jake: We've got the man, the myth, the legend, Sam with Airush here. Sam, how long have you been working with Airush?
Sam: I've been with Airush since 2017. I've been kiting since 1998, 25 years, and I've been coming to this event since 200
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28th Sep 2023
2024 North Orbit Kite Overview
What's Old Is NewWe have the 2024 North Orbit here. North is going in a new direction with their branding, and I am excited about it because they're bringing back the old school North Sails. A lot of you who have been in the sailing industry for a while know that North Sails goes way back. I'm dating myself, but when I got into the sport in '82, North Sails was prominent. So that's something new you're going to see on the North lineup for 2024, and all of their North Sails gear is going
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25th Jul 2023
2024 North Reach Overview
What Is the North Reach?
Today I have the all-new 2024 North Reach. This is a kite that I was fortunate enough to test at the North dealer meeting in Portugal, and I ended up falling in love with it. Granted, it is my kind of kite: a three strut, all-around, do-everything canopy. It's going to be similar to kites like the Duotone Evo, the Slingshot Code, the Reedin Supermodel, the Cabrina Moto, and the Naish Pivot. They're all in that three strut, "do everything a little faster wit
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24th Jul 2023
North Code Zero - On the Beach With Matt Aiken
What's in a Name?
Matt: Probably the most exciting new kite that we have is the new Code Zero. You're probably wondering why a one-strut kite is called "Code Zero". It's a little callout to our sailing heritage with the North brand. Code Zero is a legendary light wind racing spinnaker, so with this being a light wind performance foiling kite, it's a sort of callout to the heritage of the North Sailing brand.
Jake: Well, it looks epic and the staff here has absolutely loved it, as
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10th May 2023
Cabrinha 2022/23 Footstraps Overview
Shop Pads & Straps.
Jake from MACkite here. Today we're going to do a general overview on the 2022 Cabrinha bindings. I'll also include my thoughts since I do have experience on all of these.2022 Cabrinha Bindings
The Cabrina H1 is their most simplified binding. It's just a single strap system, but it works really well. It's functional; it's basic. The H2O binding has two adjustment straps. It also has a density pad underneath so you can harden or soften it underneath your he
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10th May 2023
Manera Halo Kiteboarding Harness - Mid-Season Thoughts
Jake from MACkite here today with the 2022 Manera Halo harness. I wanted to provide a mid-season update on this to let you guys know what we're loving and what we're not loving.I just came off the water with this bad boy today. One of the original problems I had with this is that I started with a size that was too small for my body. About two years ago, pre-pandemic, I was a medium. However, the medium just was not the right fit this year. I was feeling all of the hard shell and none of
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10th May 2023
Tech Talk: North Sonar Carbon Foil Set With Matt Aiken
Why Choose Carbon?
The Sonar foil system comes in a full carbon version in addition to the full alloy setup. North is one of the few brands that has a full carbon fuselage, not just a carbon mast. Carbon masts are relatively easy to produce, but saving the weight off of the fuselage is actually more important. Think about yourself holding a five-pound weight in close. You can hold it there all day, but you know how heavy it gets if you hold it out. The same thing applies at the end o
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10th May 2023
2023 Duotone Evo D/Lab Review
Duotone has introduced the Evo D/LAB, a high-performance all-rounder kite that is designed to take freeriding to the next level. The Evo D/LAB is an improvement of the popular Evo kite, and it offers riders a unique experience on the water that is hard to come by with regular kites. The kite is built using Aluula frame construction technology that reduces its overall weight by up to 30%. This reduction in weight makes the kite incredibly light and ensures it can fly in the lightest
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24th Apr 2023