I know BalmoralBoards in Narrabeen (NSW) do sell monkey kites... Which state are you in?

i think SOS in freo still make the addition kite boards so you could say they support an aussi brand

p.s. addiction rocks hard!!! they **** on all the big brand production boards!!!

underground is a NZ brand ya nugget

and i dont think delta make kiteboards anymore?? i know they still make some sick surfboards tho

isnt stonker from NZ aswell??

Is this fluid
www.fluidkiteboarding.com/

Are there any kitesurfers out there that support Australian brands ?
(Initial poster forgot cardboards BTW)

Wow Airush is Australian.

Wouldnt have known that. Seems like there's lots of Australian brand kites.

Damo said...

what???
airush australian???? WTF?? isnt airush just a sisster company of starboard windsurfing wich is owned by a german dude??? and dont they have "design centre" set up in thiland and hawaii aswell?? so i guess you could also say they are thai and hawian. just cos they employ "4" guys (such as yourself matt) to sell kites in australia doesnt make them australian! they dont even employ an aussi to design thier kites anymore (no offence to the new ben cos he is a great guy)

i would have thought that NEW is way more aussie than airush as it is owned by an aussie and designed by an aussie that lives in oz.

Hey Damo,

I would qualify NEW as a more Australian product than Airush because their head office is here in WA. However, Airush do ALL of the design work right here in Perth in the loft in Osbourne Park. The loft employs Ben Severne, Benoir (Sorry don't know surname), Clinton Fillen and Mark Patterson whom all work on and design the Airush kites, bars, accessories and bags for Airush International. This includes the snow kites, trainer kites and all the regular Airush stuff like DNA, Flow, Vapor and Generator.

You are correct in that Airush is a sister company to Starboard and both are owned by Sven Rasmussen (I think Swiss German). Head office is in Thailand so I guess that makes it Swiss German owned but based in Thailand.

The Hawaii connection hasn't existed for several years since Sven bought out Airush USA and the name, which used to design the bars and other accessories before Airush made kites. Back in the day, all the top Pro riders were riding Airush bars and pulley bars.

Starboard have design lofts in Thailand for windsurfing gear. The Loft in Ozzie Park also does most of the design work for Flying Objects and also Severne Sails for windsurfing and there are several other guys who work in there on these other products.

So at least it has a healthy Aussie component, at least more Aussie than all the other top brands.

Good winds,

Choice stocks NEW in perth

What's this about design lofts? Do they work in some sort of attic? I design things too, but generally in an office or the study at home. This loft idea sounds great! Bohemian even. I suppose they'd still have plotters and light tables everywhere though, I wonder if they're interspersed with pot plants, quaint bookshelves and funny coloured lampshades? N8 do you have a loft?

When you break down the $ component of a kite sale then most of the money stays in Australia.
9% GST
25-30% Profit to retailer
10-25% Profit to wholesaler
?% transporting the kite around the place

0n a $1800 kite thats a total of at least $900 that stays here.

If companies like Airush employ people here then a larger proportion of $$ stays here and we should support these brands.

This is usually the last consideration when I buy a kite. Performance is first, price is second, colour is third, Aussie input is last. It's a shame really. Maybe I should give myself a swift kick up the rear.

At least I ride Cardboards.....conscience is at rest......

Bigwavedave said...

This is usually the last consideration when I buy a kite. Performance is first, price is second, colour is third, Aussie input is last. It's a shame really. Maybe I should give myself a swift kick up the rear.

This is not a charity...it's a free market where performance should win. You should go for the best deal available. If that happens to be an Aussie brand then that's great. That's why Cardboards are doing so well - it's due to their exceptional product at the right price - nothing to do with the fact that they are Aussie.

Reflex Films said...

Readers can decide for themselves if thats Aussie enough for them.

lol.
What a load of fken pimp-hype.
Attempting to Aussie-fy offshore brands....
spreading the vegemite on nice and thick...
in order to flog 3rd World-made kites to the sucker flagwavers who live in the land of milk and honey.

Patriotism is the last resort of scoundrels.
*famous quote.
hahaha

So i guess that would make Best an Australian Kite company too.
Founder, Shannon Best is an Australian Aborigine,
Kites such as the Yarga and the Waroo are Aboriginal names (Waroo = Fire) not sure what Yarga means.
Best kites are designed and tested here in WA.

will there ever be an australian made kite?i know it would cost more but anyone can start there own company through china kite and say there aussi and sell cheap **** not havin a dig at anyone just that there is one of these so called aussi brands near me who bags all the big brands and claims his is better (and the crap he tells people is unbelivable) and sells it to people who dont have a clue next minute there's some dude in real trouble who ends up making us all look bad. and when something breaks he's nowhere to be found and they come and hastle us.