The Naish Boxer is the one strut kite dedicated to freeride - foiling and light wind by Naish kiteboarding. In these days of light sirocco and spring mistral we had the opportunity to use it and here are our impressions, which we hope will be of help to those who are looking for a kite 12 to use for foiling or simply to take advantage of next summer's thermal winds. .
The Boxer therefore falls into the category of ultralight one strut kites. Inflatable kites designed to get as close as possible to the performance of kitefoils, while remaining kite pumps with associated risks and benefits. This particular category of inflatable kites includes those kites designed to be lighter and therefore perform in very light wind, in extreme conditions. Lightness is obtained both by using specific materials such as the Quad Tex canopy and by eliminating unnecessary structures.
A single strut means great performance in the low end, good handling and ease of relaunch in the event of a fall. On the other hand, this type of kite generally has worse performance in strong and stiff wind, when they are hardly stiff enough to absorb the gusts.
The strengths of the Naish Boxer are:
- light construction (Quad-Tex canopy)
- single strut
- maximization of lowend
- great handling
Naish Boxer S25 as it looks
The Boxer S25 presents itself, like all Naish kites, with materials that immediately make a good impression in the hands.
Quad-Tex Ripstop, Shark Teeth reinforcement on the trailing edge, rubber reinforcements in the parts most subject to wear.
The one pump system is the one with large valve and SureLock system (super practical and fast).
Adjustments: Like the other Naish, the pressure on the bar can be adjusted in 3 positions.
Measures of the 12sqm
Wingspan: 6.8m
Aspect Ratio: 3.9
Weight (without bar): 3kg
Wind range
The wind range obviously depends on both the weight and the skills of the user, and on the board that you have under your feet. With a foil it is clear that 8 knots are enough to have fun with the 12 and more experienced kiters than us with the foil are able to exploit even lighter winds.
The first time we flew the Naish Boxer S25 there was a very light sirocco and above all really gusty and punctured. About ten scarce knots (more 8 than 10) that tended to go out, especially under the shore. We thought these were undoubtedly the ideal conditions to see how stable this Boxer really is!
In fact, the kite surprised us as soon as it was lifted into the air. With that wind, not only low but above all gusty, the Boxer remains absolutely stable in the air.
On the bar it feels light.
His movements are predictable, smooth.
Once in the air it is really easy to forget the kite, it just stays there.
Naish Boxer S25 how are you doing
We used the Naish Boxer with the foil with winds between 8/10 knots and 12/15 knots.
In the water the Boxer is an extremely easy and comfortable kite to use. Once he's up you can safely forget about him and focus on something else ... in our case the foil, as we are not experts with foil and were improving our pace and jibe.
Power delivery is extremely smooth and progressive throughout the flight window.
Very good upwind ability.
But its best quality is stability combined with a truly remarkable low end. When the wind is light, there are times when it drops further, until it almost goes out completely and then returns. The Boxer manages to overcome these moments by floating in the air with extreme ease. Same thing when for some reason you go to the kite, releasing the tension on the backs.
The Boxer flies very well with loose backs, keeping in the air and moving forward.
The Naish Boxer is probably the most stable kite we have ever tried, with winds at the limit of the low end.
But let's get to handling.
As we are used to going out mainly with strong winds and 8sqm kites, raising the 12 we imagined a sort of dead weight, a mammoth destined to persist in the direction taken.
None of this.
The Boxer is anything but a hard dead weight to turn. Due to its size it is an extremely manageable and pleasant kite, reactive enough to be fun too.
The Cons
So far we have talked about the positive aspects, which in our opinion are several. Of course there are also downsides, or at least conditions in which it does not excel.
Being the Boxer a One strut kite designed to have a great low end it does not excel as well in the high end. As the wind picks up, one strut kites tend to foil less than structurally stiffer kites, which means that the knots it gains at the bottom of the wind window are lost at the top. It is normal, but it is good to remember!
Furthermore, its characteristics do not make it excel in loops, unhooked maneuvers and freestyle in general.
Naish Boxer S25 to whom we recommend it
The new Naish Boxer is definitely a kite that we recommend to anyone foiling, without however wanting to use boxed kites, but not only.
The Boxer is also an extremely efficient kite in light wind and therefore is perfect for anyone who is looking for a kite to go out in really light winds and have fun.
In addition we recommend it to beginners because its stability in all conditions is really helpful to those who are at the first edges. Having a kite in your hands that stays on whatever (or almost) happens is really a great advantage to progress quickly.
Pubblicato il 21 aprile 2021 | Blog > Reviews: KITESURF