Latest News, Blog & Videos
2025 North Orbit Ultra Aluula Big Air Kite | Featuring a New Size Optimization
Pat's back for a guest appearance! Now with North Kiteboarding, he's on the beach to chat with MACkite's Dustin about the new North Orbit Ultra Aluula big air kite. What's new, does the Aluula make that much of a difference for big air, and is it right for you?
Pat: The North Orbit Ultra is our big jumper this year. We took the tried and true DNA of the Orbit, one of the bestselling big air kites over the last couple years, and added Aluula. Last year we added the Orbit Pro to the l
…
2nd Aug 2024
Cheers to Pat - Thanks for All the Sessions
After bringing the MACkite crew and customers the boardsports stoke for 10 years, Pat is moving on join the North/Mystic team. Thanks for everything, Pat, and cheers to your new adventure! Check out the video to see just some of the reasons we love Pat! He'll put a smile on your face just like he has ours.
MACkite Subscription Links:
YouTube | Instagram
| Spotify Oddcasts
Contact MACkite Below:
800.622.4655 | Kiteboa
…
12th Feb 2024
Kiteboarding Through Ice Chunks | Lake Michigan in January
Don't try this at home, kids! Pat and DC brave the frigid Lake Michigan water to ride among floating chunks of ice. ...Wait. You can do that?
Well, sort of. It's a bit of a trick to get in and out past the densely-packed area of iceballs near the ice shelf, and both guys take a refreshing dip. Once out a bit further, it becomes a thrilling game of dodge-the-asteroids. Hey, no fair jumping over them!
Would we recommend trying this adventure? Pat readily admits this is one of his
…
29th Jan 2024
Reedin HyperModel vs. Duotone Evo D/Lab
The Reedin HyperModel and Duotone Evo D/Lab are both freeride kites made with the premium Aluula material, but is one better for you? Pat and Dustin rode both 9m kites on the same day in order to see how they compare.
Dustin: As soon as we swapped kites, I immediately noticed that the Reedin bar pressure was so much lighter than the D/Lab.
Pat: I thought the exact same thing. When I got on the D/Lab, I thought the wind had ticked up because the bar pressure on the Evo was that muc
…
19th Dec 2023
The Aluula Kites Breakthrough | Who Should Make the Switch?
Dustin and Pat take a look at some kites made with Aluula. What is it, and is it worth the hype? Is it right for you?What is Aluula?Dustin: Aluula is a step up from your normal kites. It's like the carbon bike of the kite world.Pat: Absolutely. It's that carbon fiber frame mountain bike in the kite industry. Is aluminum or steel good for most people out there? Yes. Do you need carbon? Probably not, but is it a nice upgrade and do you get some performance benefits from it? Absolutely.What
…
29th Nov 2023
2024 Naish Pivot NVision Review
The 2024 Naish Pivot NVsion is here. What's special about this version of the Pivot? Pat and Dustin got some water time with it and are ready to share some insights.
Dustin: We got the all new Naish NVision Pivot, and it's pretty sick. It's the Ferrari of the Pivots.
Pat: Yeah, it's the Aluula version of the Pivot. It has slight tweaks to the same Pivot we've known and loved for last couple years, but has been brought to the next level with the Aluula material.
…
29th Nov 2023
Foil Drive Gen 2 Assist MAX and Assist Slim Overview
Shop Foil Drive.
Join Pat from MACkite as he unveils the cutting-edge Foil Drive Gen 2 Assist, a monumental upgrade to the foil assist system that's set to transform your foiling experience. Pat explores the Foil Drive V2 Assist, showcasing not just one, but two innovative models - the Foil Drive Assist Slim and the Foil Drive Assist MAX. These variants cater to different needs, offering varying thicknesses and power capacities to suit every rider's style.
Foil Driv
…
3rd Nov 2023
2024 Slingshot Slingwing V4 Overview
Pat is at King of the Great Lakes Test Fest with Ty from Slingshot. They're checking out the new V4 Slingwing for 2024.
Pat: Ty, what's new this year? Has there been a bit of redesign?
Ty: I love the Slingwing V3 and think it's an amazing wing, but for V4 we narrowed the profile down a little bit, which tightened up the canopy. The marketing term we use is "high tension high performance", and you feel it when you pump because there's so much more efficiency in this tight canopy. However,
…
1st Nov 2023
Manera Magma Hooded 5.4.3mm Wetsuit - Post Session Review
This is Pat with MACkiteboarding.com here to talk about the Manera Magma 5.4.3 wetsuit. I'm going to review the warmth of the wetsuit, the fit, the conditions I was out in, and my first impressions of it.FITI'd say the fit of this wetsuit does run a bit on the small side. I'm about 190lbs and 6'3"; I wore the XL and it was a perfect fit for me. Typically I'm an LT or even an MT depending of the brand of wetsuit, so it can vary quite a bit, but the XL definitely was the right fit for me o
…
30th Oct 2023
What's New for Slingshot's 2024 Foil Line with Fred Hope
What's new in the Slingshot foil line for 2024? Pat's with Fred Hope at King of the Great Lakes Test Fest to find out!
Pat: What do we got, Fred?
Fred: We've got two new front wings and two new stabilizers for 2024. One of the front wings is the G 1007, which is our light wind high-performance front wing. It's 1,700 square cm, so if you're coming from the E Series and you want something that gets you out in light wind like we have today where you'd want a downwind SUP board with a
…
27th Oct 2023
Slingshot Sentry V2 and Joystick V1 Control Bars, with Fred Hope
Pat is at King of the Great Lakes with Fred Hope from Slingshot, checking out the new bars for 2024.
Fred: Thanks for having me! This year we brought out a whole new bar, and we changed from the white lines to the new SK99 lines. They're a little thinner and a bit stronger. You can really notice it in the air because they have a lot less drag through the air and you don't have that wobbling from side to side feeling like you have with the square lines. These are perfectly round, so
…
25th Oct 2023
2024 Slingshot Ghost V3 with Fred Hope
Pat is at King of the Great Lakes with Fred Hope from Slingshot. They're checking out the new 2024 Ghost V3.
Fred: The Ghost is our one-strut kite for the new year. You tried it today, right?
Pat: Yeah, I got out and had a nice foil session on it today. It's a pretty grunty kite, actually, with good sheet-and-go power. It's really quite fast-turning, and the relaunch on the thing was amazing. I was in really crappy, gusty offshore wind, and the kite just wouldn't stay on the water
…
24th Oct 2023
Why the Slingshot UFO V3 is Fred Hope's Favorite for Kite Foiling
MACkite's Pat Taylor is at KoGL with Fred Hope of Slingshot, checking out the new 2024 Slingshot foiling lineup.
Fred: We've got the brand new UFO for this year. This is my baby: the no-strut kite. It's the weirdest-looking kite on the beach because it just sits flat against the ground, but it's the best-looking kite in the air because of how different it looks when you're flying. There's no skeleton to the frame other than the leading edge, so it makes it really light and responsiv
…
24th Oct 2023
Wake Foiling | Dock Start Rookie Gets It in 21 Tries
Cole, an expert wake foiler with mastery in dock starting, recently took on the challenge of teaching Pat the art of dock starting on a hydrofoil. Although Pat had a diverse background in foiling, the dock start technique was new territory for him. Can Cole successfully coach Pat into adding dock starting to his bag of foil tricks?Cole: We're on the water today, and we're going to see if Pat can do a dock start on a foil.Pat: It's my first time trying to dock start, so let's see how it g
…
16th Oct 2023
2024 Eleveight GT1 Plus Wing Overview with Kevin Wade
Pat is with Kevin Wade at King of the Great Lakes Test Fest, checking out the new 2024 GT1+ Wing from Eleveight. What does the "Plus" mean, and is it right for you?
Kevin: We have the Plus Series now, including the RS+ kite and the Process and Master C+ twintips. We're building out a comprehensive upper echelon line to highlight which products have a little bit of extra special sauce and higher quality materials. If you're looking for the top of the top in terms of performance, the
…
13th Oct 2023