Tkb Review: 2021 NAISH Boxer

Sizes Available: 2.8, 3.4, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16m
Sizes Tested: 6, 11m

Naish Says:

The Boxer delivers both incredible low-end power while its Quad-Tex canopy and Luff Strut contribute to a controlled top-end handling. Originally designed for foiling, the Boxer has a wide range of power, quick turns and great downwind drift. These characteristics also make the Boxer amazing for light wind freeriding and down-the-line wave riding. The Boxer also has the widest range in sizes available of any Naish kite, ranging from the all new 2.8m² all the way up to 16m².

Visit for more info: www.naishkites.com/product/boxer/

TKB Says:

The Boxer is back as Naish’s single strut foil kite that does a fine job of crossing over into general freeride as a trusty lightweight and tight pack-down travel companion. This year you can see they completed the lineup with additional smaller sizes that give riders the option to commit to foilboarding no matter how windy it gets. With great steering response and impeccable power control the Boxer nails down the perfect equation for foilboarding, but its power and handling make it much more than just a foil-head’s dream kite available in any size.

Inflation Valve: Surelock nozzle required
Attachments: Center Bridle: Knot / Wingtip Bridle: Larks head
Centerline Split: Low-V
Front Bridle Options: Single setting

Design and Features
The Boxer comes with a medium aspect canopy that sits squarely between low and high aspect shapes with a single strut airframe that keeps the inflatable spars on the thin side for extra efficient flying through the window. The Boxer comes with Naish’s Surelock push-button inflation valve which keeps the pump hose attached to the valve while inflating and allows for deflation with the push of a button (just remember to push the button to close the valve (button sticking up) prior to inflating. The leading edge bridle is a single setting bridle that uses a single slider and the attachment point ends in a knot. The wingtip attachment point ends in a larks head, with two attachment options to adjust the bar pressure (factory setting is forward with more bar pressure). The wingtips feature drain curtains which are key for quick relaunch when you are exploring the extreme lower end of the wind window.

Impressions
Our first couple of tacks on the Boxer revealed an incredible sheeting range that gives you a ton of range through the extra generous bar throw. Even in its smaller sizes, the Boxer yields excellent low-end power while offering full depower of the entire canopy, which is a very desirable character trait for foilboarding. As you move up in sizes towards the 11m, the kite gets a bit more gruntier to match the power needs of lighter wind twin tip riding. The bar pressure rings in on the lighter side of the one-struts, even when you are using the farther forward setting on the wingtip. This makes the controls feel extra comfortable, yet you still get good impulse feedback from sheeting and crisp steering input for turns. The power delivery across the length of the throw is progressive and very intuitive, which combines with the lighter bar pressure to make it super comfortable and reliable. Right off the bat, we were really impressed with the Boxer’s steering response, part of which is due to the wingtip design and the lighter airframe that makes the boxer very nimble.

The Boxer with its light airframe does a good job of parking on the side of the window, staying at the desired height without much bar correction to keep the kite in position, so you’re not constantly sheeting in to maintain window height, which guards against the dreaded unintended over-acceleration on foilboards. The turning feels tight and fairly pivotal with medium power generation, which makes it easy to throw in mid-window loops while carving more aggressive foil maneuvers. The Boxer scores high in both zenith stability (we shot overhead photos in super gusty conditions) and in drifting, which helps maintain line tension when carving towards the kite. The Boxer is one of the new generations of single struts that manage canopy and leach tension amazingly well despite having a minimal airframe. Having tested the Boxer with a surfboard as well as with foilboard, the airframe can handle higher loads of general freeride and surf without warping or too much flutter. The Boxer gets five stars for its relaunch””its leading edge rolls right up from nose down and seamlessly popped back into the air every time we tested it.

Featured Control Bar
The Naish Torque bar got a big reboot this year with the addition of a double PVC-coated throw line and an entirely new quick release that offers the simplest ‘click style’ reassembly after activation. The Torque is a dual length bar (40/45cm) that offers 22m lines with 2m extensions. The Torque continues to be a low-V bar with a single centerline depower with the center lines ending in a larks head, and the outside lines ending in a knot. The first thing we noticed was how luxuriously smooth and frictionless the bar moves across the PVC-coated throw line, giving you durability/longevity over the previous bar, as well as frictionless movement of the bar. The quick release offers a completely new take on the click-in style safety systems. When you push away the quick release handle, it disconnects the entire loop, which stays connected to your harness via an L-shaped donkey dick. Re-connecting the system is really easy because you just have to bring the quick release to the loop and push them together for the system to reset. The beauty of this design is that lining up the fixed loop with the QR handle is really easy; it almost guides itself together. The other style click releases require you to insert the broken end of the loop back into its mechanism, which requires more dexterity. The other noticeable difference with the new quick release is the L-shaped chicken finger that ensures against false-hooking and accidental unhooks. When the finger is inserted into your harness hook, it is locked into place. We liked how the push away mechanism requires just the right amount of tension so you don’t have to worry about accidental releases and the click-in reset gives you a clear mechanical reset that gives you a clean sound that indicates when you’re back in business. The above the quick release swivel doubles as a quick release guard and has almost no friction when you go to untwist your lines.

The new Torque bar offers a new power adjuster cleat that does a great job of biting into the rope with the excess power toggle finishing with Velcro to keep it from dangling out of place. Much of the bar chassis is the same with the bar-end inserts that pull out to adjust bar width, also giving you four knots to adjust the outside line lengths for stretch or precision tuning. The bar winders are rigid and provide ample space for a clean wrap job that won’t fall apart in your car with retractable bungees that keep your lines in place for easy rigging your next time out. The flying lines are nice and thin for extra efficiency and low windage. The insert is replaceable if you have issues with wear. The bar itself features the same rubber grip with asymmetrical humps under your knuckles, which is both comfortable and grippy. This year the Torque takes a big step forward with the new quick release and new high-quality details that make this a high-performance bar both feature-rich with a clean and simple layout while keeping the weight down to a light to medium package.

Visit for more info on the bar: www.naishkites.com/products/control-systems/