NAISH

Kite, wing and foil brand, covered through Ewan Jaspan, its parawing and kite lead designer (Ep 123). The episode centres on NAISH’s Parawing and Ewan’s long career as a pro kiteboarder and freestyle pioneer.

• Ownership (Ep 123): Sold roughly two and a half years before the episode (so ~2023) by its former owner — referred to only as “Robbie” in-episode, very likely co-founder Robby Naish but unconfirmed — to “Kubus” (name transcription-uncertain), NAISH’s long-standing European distributor.
• Team restructure (Ep 123): Previously almost entirely based in one Maui building; now spread globally — Ewan Jaspan (kite + parawing design) in Hood River; a foil/wing designer (“Noa”) and a newly-joined downwind-foil specialist (“Andrew Gibbons,” ex-Lift Foils) in Maui; kite R&D (“Dez”) also Maui; a windsurf specialist split between Maui and Spain; R&D/management leadership now in Holland.
• Parawing programme (Ep 123): First-generation power wing “the Morph” (launched earlier in 2025), designed by an engineer/paraglider (“Matt,” since departed) as roughly the third such wing to market. Ewan took over the follow-up design this past summer; development emphasised safe power-up behaviour after an early prototype proved prone to dangerous front-canopy collapse, and short, one-arm-length bridle lines for easier stowing, at some cost to line-angle efficiency versus longer-bridle rivals like Ozone.
• Materials (Ep 123): Parawing canopies use nylon paragliding-style fabric (referenced as “Skytex 32” from a French supplier heard as “Porcher,” transcription-uncertain) for tear resistance and packability, at the cost of a shorter lifespan than kite/wing canopies (coating wear, water absorption); NAISH was in early talks with materials suppliers about more durable alternatives. Kites use a ripstop “Quad Tex” canopy which Ewan argues gives kites much longer service life than wings or parawings.
• Custom/niche product (Ep 123): Built a 2.2m single-strut kite originally for a hard-riding Maui test rider (name transcribed “JD Follow”/“JD Fallow,” uncertain), later sold in small limited runs — popular in Maui, slower elsewhere.

Ripple additions (batch 2, 2026-07-20)

• Ep 24 (Mike Raper, North): unconfirmed reference to a reported foil-box quality issue on some Naish/Cabrinha wing foil products and ongoing brand restructuring (treat as uncertain).