All-around Performance Freeride
Sizes: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14
The Ride is for everyday kiteboarders looking for ease and simplicity.
The lightweight, two-strut design provides superior low end performance due to its fuller center section, as well as faster inflation and smaller packing for easy transport.
The Ride has rounded wing tips, which allow the kite to rotate with less drag while resting on the water. This makes for extremely easy water relaunching characteristics.
It also has a slightly flatter arc compared to other kites, which gives it more punch when sheeting in and provides that nice sheet-in and go feel and easy jumping.
View Recommended Control System
Key Features:
- Lightweight, two-strut design
- Effortless water relaunch characteristics
- Sheet-in and go feel and easy jumping
- Superior low-end performance
- Incredible wing stability while resting
on the water
Slightly flatter arc = Improves low-end performance and water relaunch
Bridle attachment higher up = More solid arc, which improves water relaunch and kite stability
Super light weight, anodized alloy pulley = reduces weight and increases durability
Mini-battens = Profile stability at low angle of attack
Two-strut design = Lightweight and amazing low-end power
Swept back wingtip shaping = Improves water relaunch
Power Foil Canopy
The Power Foil Canopy has horizontal seam shaping. The result is a kite that creates instant lift.
Evolutive Profile
The profile’s depth and shape evolves along the airfoil. The center sections generate power and speed. The tips are fast turning and minimize drag. This creates a fast flying, stable kite with less back stalling.
Low Drag Wing Tip
This wing tip geometry reduces the overall surface area of the non-lifting portion, which greatly reduces drag. The more efficient the lift/drag ratio becomes, the faster the wing tip can move through the air. This allows the kite to be both quicker and more responsive through turns.
Anti-Stiction Window
The wing tip features a flow through window, which reduces static friction and allows for easy relaunch by letting water drain instantly.
Octopus Inflation System
This proven, quick and easy single-point inflation system creates uniform pressure in the struts and leading edge. The Naish exclusive one-way internal valve ensures that the pressure in the struts does not change during turns.
Radial Load Distribution
All wing tips are designed with seams running parallel to the load generated by the flying lines. These seams carry most of the load, and spread it higher into the canopy. This construction avoids fatigue on the fabric and in the wing tip area.
LWR (Light Wind Relaunch)
With all the new options available in light wind boards, riders are pushing the envelope of what is considered rideable. The new LWR (Light Wind Relaunch) gives the rider complete confidence when going out in the lightest of wind. This system lifts the wing tip independent of the rear leader line, and cups the trailing edge for instant relaunch. The LWR works when nothing else will.
Solid Frame Construction
Every strut is attached to a frame of heavy duty Dacron that is then sewn onto the canopy for unmatched resistance to wear and heavy loads.
Radial Segmented Arc
The Radial Segmented Arc generates the arc using short linear segments to accurately form the kite’s
Q&A WITH RIDE KITE DESIGNER, DAMIEN GIRARDIN
When did development first begin with the Ride kite concept? How long did it take before you were happy with the final design?
I first started working on the Ride over two years ago. Originally, I wanted to make the Park with two struts. The very first samples ended up being the Park, but without a center strut. Then, we decided that the Park should keep three struts (for stability and gusty wind control), but I didn’t want to give up on the two struts idea – the prototypes were way too good! So we re-focused the project toward a more “user-friendly” kite concept in order to help the re-launch and give it a more forgiving feel.
What characteristics set the Ride apart from other kites in the line?
Easiness! The Ride has that in its DNA. With the Ride, you don’t need to be a good kite flyer with advanced steering skills; you can just sheet-in and you’re going! The Ride never wants to back stall so it’s very forgiving when over-sheeting.
Why is the Ride’s 2 strut design so ideal for freeride kiting?
The two struts on the Ride provide a lighter kite that generates a better low end and naturally flies better in the air (lighter weight means better efficiency).
Why is the Ride so stable with just 2 struts?
The Ride is stable because the overall kite is perfectly balanced. Technically, this means the tow point of the kite (i.e. the virtual point where all the bridles pull from) is perfectly aligned with the center of effort of the kite (i.e. the virtual point that results from the addition of all the force generated by the entire canopy of the kite.)
Why is the Ride so easy to re-launch?
The re-launch of the ride is easy because of the overall outline of the kite; the wing tips are swept back in a way that allows the kite to easily rotate when on the water.
Why does the Ride work so great in light winds?
The reduced amount of struts results in two things for light wind riding. First, as stated above, the fewer number of struts translates into a lighter kite that is more efficient and flies better. Second, because there is no center strut, the center of the kite acts like a spinnaker, expanding a bit when you need power to harness more wind.
What is new for this year’s Ride?
This year’s Ride was built on last year’s proven platform. We’ve made the arc a bit flatter in order to improve the low-end and changed the bridle platform by making them start higher up on the leading edge. This makes the kite more solid when flying thru the window and in the end, results in a kite that responds quicker to the rider’s input when initiating a turn.