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Campbell said..
Good for the second hand punters and bad for the beginners who paid full retail after listening to the dealers hype about their product.
Hey Campbell.
You have a very interesting angle on "hype". In history it is easy to look back and say "that 1920's model you sold be before is crap because the the new 2020 model is so much better". Yes, every year the big brands poor hours of R&D and $$$ into development with the aim to better their product to better suit the market and advance performance. Sometimes (especially in a brand new sport) the "market" is not yet defined and what the consumer wants vs what the producer feels is best may not perfectly align at first.
So, let's try relate this to the Wing-Surfer.
This product was finalised in April of last year. One of the first onto the actual market place. The concept was an affordable, light-weight addition to your quiver that is fun and easy to use with a one size to cover all (or as much as possible) philosophy. And to be honest, it worked. With practice, the product ticked every box.
The Market.
The Wing-Surfer was accepted extremely well and popularity boomed quickly. Many brands jumped onto designs as fast as they could. Taking on existing feedback from the consumer and fast tracking production and R&D hours by "borrowing" concepts and flooding the market with the multi-sized options for Wing Surfing. Don't get me wrong here, this is possibly a good direction given the growth and the size of the market. If you where one of the first guys in, would you have invested tens of thousands of dollars on the sport becoming as big as it has before it actually did? Naish generally is one of the first in with nearly every sport we play with. They innovate, and produce quality products from the ground up without anyone to copy.
The real skill behind all sports.
Often the longer road is the better for long term skill set. My reference to "instant gratification" was based on the fact that more and more often now people do not wish to spend the time required to perfect the necessary skills to do a sport (look at Windsurfing's demise). And the reference was in direct relation to the fact that the MKi Wing-Surfer can be ridden and by a real sized human in less than the stated 20-25kn. I know I can ride in under 10kn and have into the 40's. But people don't see the hundreds and thousands of hours I put into learning the skills to do this. My comment was never actually against the fact of having bigger wings, and as I wrote, I see the 6m wings not as a way of getting up easier in 10-12kn, but a means to foiling in under 8kn - further stretching the boundaries.
Evolution.
There is always going to be evolution. Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's a means to an end. In relation to this comment, the MKi Wing-Surfer is still an excellent and always will be. I have never been left wanting when riding against others with other brands or other sizes. If one purchases a product with the thought that it will never be superseded or upgraded than this is unfortunate. Our industries and sports are driven by passionate innovative brands that live the sports always trying to exceed and advance in performance. I you fear the evolution of products, the only real way to protect yourself is not to buy at all and therefore never have your product superseded.
Comparisons on the market.
Without the new Wing-Surfer sizes, the MKi is a competitive wing on the market, even up against all the larger sizes out there. Many bigger wings out there achieved being "BIG", but they are far from being higher performing.
The HYPE.
So in perspective. The Hype is real. From it's launch back in April/May 2019 the Wing-Surfer was the Wing. Even against later launching models/brands the Wing-Surfer had performance above the pack. Even now, in the hands of a practiced Wing'er the Wing-Surfer MKi is in the top mix even despite some brand already having their mkii's out. So IMHO, yes the HYPE was and still is real. Yes the new MKii Wing-Surfer has advancements that have absolutely blown my mind and expectations. Yes the MKi does have an angle on all wings out there with it's usable wind-range. Yes the MKii out performs its predecessor in just about every field as well as outperforming every other wing on the market (big call I know, and based on my personal opinion - JB).
Conclusion.
Yes as someone who works in the industry, we need to sell product to exist (as crazy as that sounds). However you can not survive by pushing product that does not work, or by lying to consumers. At the end of the day I am a rider, I have been Windsurfing, Kiting, Surfing, Foiling etc all my life. But as consumers you also need to be realistic on the actual fact that products will evolve, markets will steer, deviate and determine demand whether necessary or trend orientated. My best word of advice is get on the water, ride, push yourself, learn, evolve, drive to push past your limitations, you'll be surprised what you can surpass if you do not look at things as not possible.
Apologies for the long winded response. I am not sure of your agenda on this thread, but hope you have not felt in anyway lead dishonestly by anyone.
Here's to being extremely excited by the future of Wing-Surfing, and having my mind blown nearly every session (yes, even on the Wing-Surfer MKi).
Ride safe,
JB