Q&A with Damien Girardin from Naish InternationalOverview
Damien Girardin recently sat down and answered a few commonly asked questions regarding the design intent behind the new 2010 Naish Kite line-up.
Questions
1) "What are the differences between the Naish Cult, the Naish Helix and Charger in terms of riding?"
"The Naish Cult is the ultimate tool for all-terrain riding, and is unmatched on the market for stability, broad sweet spot, and linear bar pressure. It is the easiest Naish kite yet.
The Naish Helix provides a more engaging kiting experience. It will generate more power in the turns, and yanks you more out of the water when you jump. It is a more powerful kite overall, and is faster turning.
The Naish Charger is similar to the Naish Cult in terms of performance and ease. But it’s bar pressure is more “proportional” to the angle of attack of the kite making gusts and lulls more apparent. You’ll be amazed by the stability and smoothness compared to other Delta kites, none of which has our Geo Tech Construction. The Charger’s relaunch is automatic and gives novice kiters the ability to launch their kites in the most challenging conditions."
2) "Why has Naish designed the Charger without the Sigma Outline?"
"The non-Sigma design has some interesting elements, like water relaunch and the way it engages in turns. We improved the concept by adding Geo Tech. The main flaw we found in other Delta kites was the lack of stability at low angles of attack. By adding our exclusive Geo Tech construction, we’ve been able to stabilize the kite tremendously. For Delta kite enthusiasts, the Charger clearly provides something new."
3) "Why is Geo Tech absent on the new Helix?"
"We designed the Helix with Power Foil Canopy instead of Geo-Tech because we were looking for extra juice and power. With advanced riders in mind, the Helix’s new power foil moves more while riding. It provides an extra touch of power at crucial moments when sheeted-in."
4) "Why does the 2010 Naish Cult have a more pronounced Sigma outline in comparison to last year’s model?"
"The increase in the Sigma enables the LE to twist at the kite’s center. This allows the rider to induce a pivot turn when wanted. Therefore, the Naish Cult steering capabilities have expanded, and can now do either pivots or tight radius turns. This simply makes the kite even easier to control and steer."
5) "Why does the 2010 Naish Helix have a reduced Sigma outline in comparison to last year’s model?"
"Again, the Sigma outline allows the kite to pivot more from the center. By reducing the Sigma, the kite pivots less from the center and turns more around the wing tip. This generates more power through the turn. With the Helix, that is exactly what we were looking for…a more aggressive pull in the turns."
6) "Can I put a fifth line on a Naish Charger, Cult, and Helix?"
"Yes. All three of these kites allow for a fifth line to be connected to the pump leash attachment point on the Leading Edge. The Universal Control system is also designed to allow a fifth line system. However, that option will only suit fifth line enthusiasts. Most riders will much prefer riding these kites with only four lines for performance and simplicity, which is how they are meant to be ridden."
7) "What did you do to improve low-end performance?"
"In order to have the kites fly more efficiently in lighter winds, we spent a great deal of time adjusting the foil’s profile and the LE diameter. We had incredible success as we optimized the profile. The end result is a kite range that flies faster, turns quicker, and generates very efficient low-end lift.
We also increased the length of the flying line extensions that come on the bigger Helix, Cult and Charger kites. The 13.0 to 16.0 kites come with 7m extensions. While, the 9.0 to 12.0 kites still come with 4m extensions."
8) "How does the Naish Torch depower so well without any bridles?"
"The Naish Torch is a kite that depowers by flying to the edge of the window. Compared to other kites, the Torch’s foil profile is thinner, and its LE diameter is smaller.
These two characteristics allow the kite to fly further forward in the window, and get there fast. This gives it the ability to depower quickly. We can confidentially say that it has more depower than most bridled kites."
9) "Will a Sigma kite accidentally launch itself when sitting on the beach?"
"No. Not when positioned properly like any kite. A Sigma kite actually sits on the beach in windy conditions as well as non-Sigma kites, because the wind forces the center portion of the LE to stay down."
10) "Are the 2010 Control Systems compatible with last year’s kites?"
"Yes, absolutely."
11) "Why is the trim line so long on the Universal Control System?"
"The long trim line allows for full depower of the kite when the bar is pushed all the way up. High depower is crucial and the number one safety benefit on any kite. Our trim line allows the rider to easily handle situations that could be potentially dangerous. If a rider wants to adjust the reach, he/she can easily set the “stopper” at the desired height, while keeping the ability to push it up with the bar when needed."
For more info on the Naish 2010 kite and kite board line up, give us a call or come in and see us in one of our kitesurf shops in Brighton, Poole or Kent.
Poole: 01202 738448
Brighton: 01273 746836
Kent: 01303 269828