2021 North Carve Kite

North’s Description- 

        A powerful, reactive and controllable surf/strapless freestyle kite with direct pivot steering, evolved slackline drift and effortless roll to relaunch. The Carve allows you to power on and off instantly and stay in the pocket for longer. This versatile kite also performs surf-freestyle tricks and lofty jumps with ease. 

2021 Design:

• Fresh evolved design with a more playful feel 
• Increased wind range and noticeably higher top end 
• Bridle modified for more controlled power, better depower and reduced back stall 
• Surf tough construction with reduced overall weight 
• Powerful - we still recommend riding a size smaller, even with increased wind range 
• Lighter bladder material in larger sizes

The Carve is North’s dedicated wave kite. It excels at down-the-line wave riding and strapless freestyle. The Carve features a compact medium-low aspect ratio designed for most effective power delivery and stability in overpowered conditions. It has exceptionally sporty and responsive steering with a tight turning radius, allowing for great control and direct power generation while wave-riding. The North Carve is not too light and free to where it can be easily lost on the wave, it drifts well and still gives consistent feedback making easy to keep track of the kite. Also gauged for strapless-freestyle, the Carve has exceptional pop. Swept back wingtips make for quick and easy relaunch.

The 2021 Carve keeps the surf-tough construction, but the dacron panels have been replaced with a heavy-duty canopy material that is used everywhere on the kite that requires reinforcement. This makes for a lighter-weight kite that is actually stronger than the 2020 model since the newer material has a higher tear strength and allows for greater flexibility. The two larger size kites, 12m and 13m, also use a lighter bladder material that really makes a difference in lighter winds, allowing for a smoother profile entry along the leading edge, producing increased drive and stability. The Carve’s bridals were also improved in the 2021 generation to considerably increase the top end of the wind range, but shaving off some of the lower end power. The 2021 Carve is still a very powerful kite in its nature, just noticeably improved depower making it more manageable in the upper end of its range. The improved top end also allows riders to comfortably be a bit more powered up, allowing larger kites to be ridden for more lofty jumps and greater hangtime. 

When it comes to wave-riding, with more onshore wind, the more drift you want from your kite, but with more offshore wind, the more you want the kite to be able to fly forward. The 2021 North Carve now gives you the best of both worlds with the improved depower, allowing the kite to fly further forward for offshore conditions while keeping the exceptional drift for onshore conditions. 

NORTH KITE TECH:

NEW LOW-DRAG, NO-PULLEY BRIDLE LINES- Our NEW high-quality spliced, pre-stretched bridle lines are pre-loaded and measured before cutting to improve accuracy and consistency. This results in reduced shrinkage, reduced elongation and improved longevity. Removing ALL pulleys from the bridle improves safety and gives the kite direct and precise handling.

NEW LIGHTWEIGHT REINFORCED CANOPY- In 2021 we’ve replaced some of the heavier dacron on our kites with a NEW lighter weight strategic canopy reinforcement. This adds strength and elongation control and protects the lighter inner main canopy body. The result is a durable kite that can hold its profile for increased performance and lift, but is also more dynamic, flexible and can twist to turn. Because the new fabric is more conforming to the inflated structure, it creates a smoother, cleaner entry on the profiles. 

NEW RECYCLED PET KITE BAG-Go Green. Our new kite bags are manufactured using fabric that meets the Global Recycling Standard.

2-STAGE ARC DESIGN- Our two-stage arc design incorporates a flattened, more open arc shape through the central power-producing region of the kite, where the energy is most useful for you performance-wise. Pulling the wingtips in towards the rider gives the kite more responsive steering and the smoothest transition of the profile attack angles when it’s under load. A wide-span, flattened arc kite like the Orbit makes the most use of its projected area, for greater efficiency, power, hangtime and drive. As the arc shape becomes narrower the kite uses less of its area, giving it a smaller turning radius for tighter turns, and less pull/power in turns. A narrower span kite such as the Carve is fast in flight, with less power overall. 

AERODYNAMIC PROFILE TRANSITION PANELS- We’ve added an extra panel that connects to the leading edge seam to ensure a precise lateral profile shape is maintained as close to the leading edge as possible, creating a smooth transition from the segmented leading edge to the curved canopy so the profiles are more uniform throughout the entire wing. The panels reduce inconsistencies in the profile, resulting in a smoother, more efficient kite, with more aerodynamic airflow and less turbulence.

DURALITE SEAM PROTECTION- Lightweight reinforcement to protect from chafing and abrasion along the struts to the leading edge. Thin foam padding is inserted underneath to form a lightweight durable buffer which lifts the kite slightly off rough surfaces, and protects the stitching along the struts and leading edge seams.

PERSONALISED PERFORMANCE TUNING OPTIONS- Bar pressure and steering impulse can be adjusted on the wing tip, allowing you to fine tune the kite’s characteristics to your personal preference.

HYPERFLOW RAPID SINGLE-POINT INFLATION- High volume single point inflation system with larger diameter hose for rapid inflation and deflation. Bayonet style main inflation valve compatible with most pumps. No adapter needed.

PREMIUM TEIJIN D2 TECHNO FORCE CANOPY- D2 Ripstop Fabric by Teijin. Premium high-density canopy material made in Japan, using high tenacity polyester yarn for lightness, high tearing strength and endurance. Teijin Techno Force has the highest strength to weight ratio and longest durability in the industry

KEVLAR REINFORCED STRUT SYSTEM WITH BRIDLE DEFLECTORS- For the most accurate and durable connection between the strut and the leading edge. Bridle deflectors on the trailing edge prevent the control lines from catching