HUGH PINFOLD DIRECTOR OF DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

Kitesurfing Magazine catches up with Hugh Pinfold the director of design and engineering at North Kiteboarding.

Kitesurfing Magazine: We had a chance to use the Navigator Control System that you designed. It’s got some sick new features. Can you tell us a little about them?

Hugh Pinfold: One of the exciting features we have on the new bar is the Connect control system. Click. It’s as easy as that. To release simply pull the red handle up. To reconnect it’s a straight push in. No need to raise the cover to reconnect. We wanted it to be super easy. Our whole philosophy is think less, ride more. All you really have to do is push it in the vicinity and it’s done. 

To compliment that we have what we call the Interloop system. It’s a tooless replaceable harnesss loop system. All you need to do is remove the lock guard, then it’s a push, twist, pull. The bar comes standard with our freeride loop, and you can easily swap out the different styles of harness loops. With our short freeride loop, and standard loop you can remove the finger as well if you want to. 

Another unique feature on this bar is our Custom TPU tubing. With standard tubing and an elasticized landing line we found more often than not that it deploys well, but the reload can be quite difficult. We have made the landing line hole completely symmetrical. It releases and reloads without a glitch every time. We tested quite a few different tubings, the one we are using we sourced from Germany. It doesn’t give you any of that blackening on your hands.

KM I noticed riding the bar yesterday that the tubing slides smoothly through the bar even when turning the kite. How much of that is the big opening and how much is the tubing?

Hugh Pinfold: It’s a combination of both, but the high quality tubing makes a really big difference. We won’t give away exactly what [the tubing is] but we are really happy with it. 

One of the things we have been able to do because all of our kites have a super short depower stroke, we have been able to shorten up the amount of throw that the bar has. People with shorter arms, in combination with the short freeride loop will find it really easy to reach the trim handle. I believe we are the first on the market with an over moulded trim handle.

https://www.northkb.com/en/