In Focus: North March 2021 Product Overview
Features / Wed 3rd Mar, 2021 @ 12:00 pm
With captivating teaser videos and imagery coming from the North Action Group, we’ve been looking forward to this product launch for a while! North has thrown their hat into the wing ring with the new Nova and dropped a new foil collection along with some update freestyle and freeride equipment. We’ve got the details on all of their latest arrivals right here!
The new 2021 Foil collection’s release heralds North’s evolution beyond kitefoiling into wing, surf and SUP foiling. The new 2021 Reach Performance Freeride kite, lighter than ever and ready to do it all, serves as a timely reminder that freedom is not a place. And the 2021 Freestyle collection showcases the PULSE kite, FOCUS and FLARE twin-tip boards and FIX boots – engineered and refined in 2021 for an unrivalled riding experience.
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Foil Collection
Run the water. Fly the water. Be the water.
At North, we understand the physics in nature and the elemental forces that drive the planet and drive us, as humans, to get closer and closer to these forces. Our designs harness and direct the Earth’s most powerful force – water – so you ride like you are part of it.
We’ve applied marine engineering principles – where hydrodynamics meets aerodynamics – to create our new Foil collection. When you ride North foils, 70% of the world itself – water – transfers its energy to you, who is also 70% water. It’s part physics. And part kung fu.
The 2021 Foil collection premieres the all-new Nova wing, the all-new Seek, Swell, refined Scoop and Sense foilboards, new Free and Free-V foil straps, and new SONAR front wings and Sonar Editions. Each product results from the same attention to detail, quality and simplicity of design synonymous with the North brand.
Sonar Foils
Race-foil design guru George Hradil and former America’s Cup marine engineer, Uli Sommerlatt, have developed a completely new reflexed hydrofoil technology. The all-new reflexed camber line 1500R, 1850R, and 2200R carbon front wings are phenomenal across all disciplines. Not only stable and controllable, but they also have an incredible speed range. They can get going at very low speeds and also enable comfortable high-speed riding.
Hradil says the reflexed foil section makes the hydrofoil easier to ride: “A reflexed airfoil is concaved downward at the front then the trailing edge is orientated slightly upward. That means this trailing edge doesn’t create any lift at the back of the airfoil. In fact, there’s a localised downforce on the wing’s trailing edge, which acts as a stabilizer would. So, in essence, when you use a reflexed airfoil, it’s like you’ve built a mini-stabilizer into the back edge of the wing.”
The new High Aspect HA1250 and HA1450 Front Wings are most efficient for wingfoiling, with the highest lift, pumpability and windward performance.
These, and the smaller Sonar front wings, mix and match within the extensive Sonar Modular Foil System, to which we’ve introduced new CF Carbon Editions and AF Foil Editions specifically designed for higher loads. Each component within the Sonar Foil System is interchangeable and compatible, allowing riders to build their custom quiver specific to any foil discipline.
Brand Director Mike Raper is frothing over the new high performance range of foiling products:
“There’s no better feeling than connecting waves or riding lumps. Foiling allows us to transfer energy with incredible efficiency. It’s the transferral of power – that feeling of limitlessness. It’s how we ride. And we’re passionate about sharing our learnings as the sport evolves. It’s exciting to be progressing our high-performance designs into new uncharted territory.”
SONAR CARBON EDITION
CF72 / CF85 | Beyond limits
Pre-preg carbon modular foil edition for a stiffer, more direct feel and more immediate feedback. Engineered with increased strength for higher loads to excel across all foiling disciplines.
SONAR FOIL EDITION
CF72 / CF85 | No limits
Refined aluminium foil edition gives the best balance between light weight and increased strength for higher loads, so you can wing, SUP, surf and kite foil with confidence.
SONAR DAWN EDITION
AF72 Mast / A700 Fuselage | New horizons
Stable, controllable foil system for learning to wing, SUP, surf or kite foil. The forgiving longer fuselage delays the pitching moment, giving you greater time to react.
SONAR KITE EDITION
AK70 / AK85 Mast | Feel at one
Engineered to last, with exceptional strength to weight ratio and our unique GeoLock system for a clean, direct feel with minimum resistance on the water.
SONAR REFLEXED WINGS (1500R, 1850R, 2200R)
Wing / SUP / Surf / Kite foil front wing | Be the water
Impressive control throughout the entire speed range, with extreme top-end speeds and an unbelievably low stall speed.
SONAR HIGH ASPECT WINGS (HA1250, HA 1450)
Wing / Surf / SUP foil front wing | Run the water
The ultimate front wing for wing-foiling at speed, the high aspect wings boast high lift, speed, and glide in flat or choppy water. Exceptional upwind efficiency and pumpability.
SONAR FRONT WINGS (850, 1150, 1650)
Kite / Wake / Tow-In / Surf foil front wing | Pump and play
Amazing top end and bottom end speed, yet playful and forgiving. Smooth control at both ends of the speed spectrum and an exceptionally low stalling speed
Nova
Balanced and reactive, with forward drive and upwind performance. Super-stiff geometry for power and efficiency, enabling instant take-offs and a massive wind range.
Legendary North kite designer Pat Goodman draws on aerodynamic principles and 25 years of unparalleled design experience to create a new performance freeride wind wing “lighter, more stable and with more control than anything before”. The all-new Nova is a powerful, balanced wing with a massive range and features an extra-large diameter connection between the leading edge and curved centre strut for stiffness.
Creating the new Nova, Pat Goodman thought: “How can I apply some kite/windsurf/hang-glider technology into the wing? Of course, each discipline has its own set of performance parameters and behaviours. But the first thing I noticed when I evaluated a lot of the wings on the market was that they had an amazing amount of deflection in the strut while they were riding. Especially when you’d see somebody jumping, they just bent so much.
“To limit deflection, we’ve built a lot of pretension or pre-twist into the wing so that when it loads up, it locks right into an efficient shape that is powerful, has good drive forward and good upwind performance. The riders’ feedback is unanimously impressive; everyone who hops on the Nova says: ‘Wow, it’s just rock solid. It has more forward drive and upwind performance than anything I’ve ever ridden before,” says Goodman.
NOVA 2.9m, 3.5m, 4.2m, 5m, 6m
Performance Freeride Wing | Power up
Foilboards
Master board-shaper Jaimie Scott uncovers breakthroughs in foilboard design for instant touchdown recovery with stable transitions, early take-offs and smooth landings – wind or no wind. The all-new Hybrid Carbon Technology Seek wing/SUP, Swell prone surf and Scoop foilboards have integrated PVC stringers for performance and durability and feature our convenient new DropBox fast foil-mounting system. The new Sense kite/wake foilboard maintains its robust, low volume wood-core construction and fast foil set-up.
Jaimie Scott recalls the design process behind the Seek and Swell foilboards effortless touchdown recovery: “When designing the hull shape, my goal was to enable as much release as possible, so you won’t slow down if your board touches the surface. As soon as we introduced the crisp edges and the cutaways, it meant you could touch down and then lean it back and come back up. You wouldn’t stick and slow down. For both the Seek and Swell that was a real breakthrough.”
Mike Raper believes a true heritage of North design aesthetic is coming through with the new Foil Collection. “We created the brief around the highest technology possible – balancing the technological experience of America’s Cup naval architect Uli Sommerlatt with the craftsmanship of multi-discipline shaper Jaimie Scott. There are no gimmicks. Just pure, clean design, with maximum simplicity. An elegant, beautiful balance of technology and craftsmanship.”
SEEK 4’10, 5’1, 5’5, 5’9, 6’4
Wing / SUP Foilboard | Rise up
Engineered for performance. Early take-offs. Effortless touchdown recovery. The Seek provides you with an intuitive and direct connection to your hydrofoil.
SWELL 3’10, 4’4, 4’10, 5’4
Prone Surf Foilboard | Above all
Controlled carving and max pumpability on endless bumps and lumps. Ultra-lightweight, stiff, responsive and maneuverable.
SCOOP 120x46cm
Performance Kite / Tow-In Foilboard | Ride like the wind
Dedicated performance foiling with a lightweight EPS core.
SENSE 135x47cm
Kite / Wake Foilboard |Experience being
Roll to ride water starts with intuitive modern technology, strength and performance in a lightweight and durable wood core construction.
Reach Performance Freeride Kite
Time and tide wait for no-one.
Our top-selling Reach kite represents where freedom meets performance. We may not be free to travel the world at will, but freedom is not a place. Adventure is here and now and always ours for the taking.
The all-new 2021 Reach Performance Freeride kite is ready to do it all. Boost, loop, foil, surf – this is the adventurer’s kite. In 2021 the Reach features new highest quality low-profile, low-elongation bridle lines for an even more direct response. We’ve also adopted lighter weight bladders across all sizes in the range, refined the shape and retuned the short responsive bridle for quick, exponential depower, so you can fly faster and more efficiently in an even wider range of conditions.
“Many people only focus on the weight of larger kites, but actually, kites are getting smaller and smaller on hydrofoils. So now it’s important to have a light 7m kite and a light 9m kite too because the Reach is the kite that you typically use when you’re hydrofoiling in very light conditions,” says Pat Goodman. “I personally enjoy riding the Reach just because of the very balanced, light and playful feeling that it has when you’re riding. It’s very responsive. It’s very intuitive, and it’s very sporty. It’s just a lot of fun.”
REACH 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17
Performance Freeride Kite | No boundaries
Boost. Loop. Foil. Surf. A lively 3-strut all-rounder with unparalleled versatility, wind range and upwind drive.
Freestyle Collection
On Fire
2021 Freestyle is a celebration of our riders’ athleticism – the power and grace of movement and relentless dedication to their craft – in a way that sets water and air on fire.
We’ve introduced a new material to the 2021 Pulse Freestyle Wakestyle kite, which, Pat Goodman says, changes the behaviour of the kite, because it changes the shape of the profiles. “It’s imperative that the canopy where it’s attached to the leading edge can grow uniformly under inflation. Replacing some of the heavier Dacron reinforcements with a new heavy-duty canopy material saves weight. It creates a smoother, more efficient profile entry, which gives you better handling and a more balanced feeling, more drive through the kite loop and a faster recovery. The refinements also improve slack line and pop.”
PULSE 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Freestyle / Wakestyle Kite | Set the air on fire
Hybrid-C kite with balanced line slack and upright design – makes landing even the most technical freestyle tricks instinctive.
The new Focus Freestyle/Wakestyle board has a progressive rocker and squarer flatter outline with a new tip shape to generate ultimate pop for aggressive freestyle moves. The 2021 pulled-in tip shape adds durability.
FOCUS 133×40, 136×41, 139×42, 142×43 cm
Hybrid Carbon Technology Freestyle /Wakestyle TwinTip | Free your style
Precisely engineered to push the boundaries and generate explosive pop.
The 2021 Flare Wakestyle/Park board features a high wakestyle rocker, PressFlex tips and durable low-friction P-tex base, also with a new pulled-in tip shape.
FLARE 139×41, 143×42, 147×43, 151×43 cm
Composite Technology Wakestyle / Park TwinTip | Free the fireworks within
Designed for advanced riders to slide between kite and park with style
PRIME 133×39, 136×40, 138×41, 141×42, 144×43, 148×44, 152×45 cm
Composite Technology Freeride Board | Your ticket to ride
Instantly familiar, intuitive and comfortable in all wind and water conditions. The new high-vis colour is easy to spot on the water if you come unstuck.
The new Fix boots feature a newly extended neoprene flex zone for a greater range of movement – and new streamlined buckles for easier one-handed adjustment. North Director of Engineering Hugh Pinfold says, “Most of our competitors are just using wakeboard boots – but ours are lower cut so you can get into a solid kite position/stance for going upwind. This, combined with improved flexibility in the mid-section of the boot, allows you to lean back more and drive upwind or engage a rail.”
FIX S, M, L, XL
Freestyle Boots | Lock in your fix
Lightweight design offers mind blowing comfort and support for perfect landings.
To view the new 2021 North Foil and Freestyle Collections and Reach kite, visit http://www.northkb.com and follow us @northkiteboarding on Instagram and Facebook, or find your local North retailer.
By Crystal Veness
Editor at IKSURFMAG, Crystal Veness hails from Canada but is based in South Africa. When she isn't busy kitesurfing or reporting on the latest industry news for the mag, she is kicking back somewhere at a windy kite beach or working on creative media projects.
