What would you recommend as a quiver for the nova pro. Am looking for wings to cover from 5.0 to 3.0 (Duotone and Ozone). Is it rather:
option 1:
5.4
4.2
2.9

option 2
4.8
3.5
2.9

any recommendation from someone who has used the 2025 nova pro in several sizes?

joeballow said..

supperly said..
What would you recommend as a quiver for the nova pro. Am looking for wings to cover from 5.0 to 3.0 (Duotone and Ozone). Is it rather:
option 1:
5.4
4.2
2.9

option 2
4.8
3.5
2.9

any recommendation from someone who has used the 2025 nova pro in several sizes?

I was just facing this decision, and finally pulled the trigger on the 4.2 and 5.4 with a plan to add either the 2.9 or 3.5 later. They don't arrive until later this week so it would be a while before I can say if those were the right sizes or not.

With my current wings the 4.2 is my most used wing so I wanted to keep that size, and 4.8 seemed too close so that's why I went with the 5.4

please report back on hour experience with the sizes!

supperly said..
Has anyone tested the Nova Pro vs (normal) Nova. What is the key difference in terms of performance and handling in waves?

I have the 2025 4.8 Nova Regular. ;) I've had six sessions and really like the upgrades from last year. Quick review. Feels familiar right outta the box. If you aren't hitting your jibes and tacks, it's not the wing, they really nailed the balance. Don't have to throw some extra sauce to get it to turn over. Wind range is spot on for 4.8. Good low end and I was surprised how well it handles 4M wind w no flutter. Jumps nicely, but not like the Mode of course. Windows are in a better place but I never use windows in transitions or wave selection. Actually, I don't know anyone who does who's not racing. It does flag better than previous years and I like the stiffer handle. Only thing I've noticed is I'm getting some forearm stiffness from the boom. Is it different than the Nova Pro? I have some Modes and the handles have always felt like butter.

Can anyone here compare the low end of the Nova Pro with a slightly larger Duotone Unit?
I just ordered a 2024 North Nova Pro. It was $500 USD less expensive than the 2025 model. All my previous wings were Cabrinha and Duotone. I'm hoping the 6.0 meter Nova Pro can get me going as easily in light wind as my 2023 6.5 Duotone Unit even though it is 0.5 m2 smaller.

larsdegroot said..

larsdegroot said..
Have the '25 nova pro on order. Will do a side by side review soon.

Haven't been able to do a side by side review on the '24 and '25 yet. I received my 4.2 but its not working like it should. I'm currently sorting that out with North. So have to wait a bit longer on that one ;).

Whats the issue with the 4.2?

Okkervile said..
is the idea to unmount the handle after each ride from the nova pro or can it stay attached. Does it still fit in the bag? what's the size of the screw

I think the idea is so you can shift the handle position around, but I'm not sure that's in any way useful in reality. It's not hard to take them on and off, but it's fiddly enough I'd want to keep a boom on each wing.

With handles it will easily fit in the bag. With the boom it fits, but not quite so easy.

The screw is m6x23. A hardware store stainless m6x25 works fine, I stripped the screw like the 3rd time I used it. I didn't think I over tightened but guess I was used to the m8 North uses everywhere else.

I've got the 2025 4.8 Nova and a 4.2 Nova Pro. As I said above, if you can't jibe or tack the 2025 Nova, it's not the wing, super balanced and easy. I think it flags just a touch better than the Nova Pro as well.
its a great wing, only small beef I have is the boom is a larger diameter than my Modes, previous Novas and the Nova Pro. I wish it had the same grip and diameter as the Nova Pro as it's butter. Main difference I feel w the Nova Pro is it's stiffer and more responsive. I've had it out twice in wind over its published range and it didn't flinch at all. Also if you want to launch jumps, it loves it. I kinda feel the same way about the track system. I just leave my boom on.

So i had my time on the Nova Pro '25 in 4.2. I think i had 5 of 6 sessions with it now. I did a side by side test to see how it performed in similar winds. What you notice inmediately is that the new '25 version feels more direct. Also i had to move my harness lines more forward because the pull is more towards the front now. This makes pumping and early going a bit easier. The canopy is a bit tighter now and i had better control in high wind compared to the '24. Jibing and tacks is also easier on the '25. Where i had to really push the '24 through the wind, this new version just goes way easier. This had to do with the diameter of the leading edge being smaller and the overall wing is more streamlined. For freestyle i really had to get used to the pull being more on the front and i was crashing allot of my FS 360's in the beginning upon landing. Thats just something i had to get used to. The wing feels more alive then the '24, so also in the air. Airtime is the same on both, i couldn't really notice a difference. Flagging : '25 MUCH improved. Could feel the difference already when walking to the water, the '25 is much more stable on the handle. Weight ; i think the '25 is just a tiny tiny bit lighter (in hands), as i didn't weight them side by side. The shift lock track has been made a bit shorter on the '25, that should save some weight.

What i would love to see is just a carbon boom version, with the same boom (because it feels awesome in hands) and no shiftlock. I only use a boom so i don't need the extra weight of the shiftlock system.

joeballow said..

larsdegroot said..
So i had my time on the Nova Pro '25 in 4.2. I think i had 5 of 6 sessions with it now. I did a side by side test to see how it performed in similar winds. What you notice inmediately is that the new '25 version feels more direct. Also i had to move my harness lines more forward because the pull is more towards the front now. This makes pumping and early going a bit easier. The canopy is a bit tighter now and i had better control in high wind compared to the '24. Jibing and tacks is also easier on the '25. Where i had to really push the '24 through the wind, this new version just goes way easier. This had to do with the diameter of the leading edge being smaller and the overall wing is more streamlined. For freestyle i really had to get used to the pull being more on the front and i was crashing allot of my FS 360's in the beginning upon landing. Thats just something i had to get used to. The wing feels more alive then the '24, so also in the air. Airtime is the same on both, i couldn't really notice a difference. Flagging : '25 MUCH improved. Could feel the difference already when walking to the water, the '25 is much more stable on the handle. Weight ; i think the '25 is just a tiny tiny bit lighter (in hands), as i didn't weight them side by side. The shift lock track has been made a bit shorter on the '25, that should save some weight.

What i would love to see is just a carbon boom version, with the same boom (because it feels awesome in hands) and no shiftlock. I only use a boom so i don't need the extra weight of the shiftlock system.

Was this the first 4.2 you received or did you get a second one. Asking since you said earlier you had issues you were working on with North. I'll write up my full thoughts soon but overall I'm happy with my 5.4 but don't like the 4.2. If there was an actual problem with some of them it would be helpful to know before I just say it's a bad wing for me.

Whats up with your 4.2? I had a problem with the canopy in the first one, also the pvc window on one side was misplaced. This has been solved perfectly by North, as always.

It did not fly right, to be exact, on one side (tack). When in low(er) wind the wing was constantly backwinding on the front hand, like it could not find any sweet spot. When switching side (hands) to the other direction the wing felt fine.

So i went back and noticed the canopy being more tighter on one side of the wing. This explained what i felt.

In mid-high wind the problem dissolved.
Its hard to see on just the pictures but there was a noticeable difference.
So left side, too tight, right side, some belly, like it should be.

joeballow said..

larsdegroot said..

Whats up with your 4.2? I had a problem with the canopy in the first one, also the pvc window on one side was misplaced. This has been solved perfectly by North, as always.

Still have not had time to write up my detailed thoughts, will try to get to that soon. But basically the big problem is my 4.2 feels very unstable. It dives towards the water in gusts, is hard to maneuver through tacks/jibes, and wants to flip over much more aggressively than any other wing I've used. It's very tiring to use constantly trying to overpower what it's trying to do instead of flying it. None of those things are true of the 5.4 so I'm wondering if there is a problem with the 4.2 I can't see.

I'm just an intermediate winger and haven't gotten to try a lot of different wings so trying to give it time to make sure it's not just how I'm using it or the conditions before I claim its the wing. My impression is that I significantly prefer my 2023 nova 4.2 but next time out I'll bring both to compare.

Shlogger said the 4.2 nova pro is super balanced and you said jibing and tacks are easier, so either I'm doing something wrong or there is a problem with my wing.

Edit: Looks like we posted at the same time. What you described sounds at least similar if not the same. I'll both take a careful look at the canopy and reach out to North before writing the wing off.

We are here to help each other, dont write it off. Customer Service with North is very good. Also Uli Sommerlatt, who is here on the forum is very helpful with anything. What you describe could also be a canopy that is just too tight, that makes the wing really nervous. It has to be really precise. You have to check if there is "some" flutter on both sides. Let the wing lean on both just youre finger tips and see how far the canopy reaches and if both sides are Equal. We did this with both the 4.2's and my new one is perfect. On the bad one there was a couple of cm's difference.

Hi!
Can someone explain to me why North's wings weigh so much more than seemingly all other competing wings? I thought part of the point of using Nweave material was to reduce weight? I'm comparing with wings from, for example, PPC, Vayu, and Duotone. For instance, the North Nova Pro 4.2 (2.7 kg) weighs more than most 6.5 and 7m? wings from these brands (all weights are compared without handles or boom). The 4.5 m? wings from competitors weigh between 4.1 and 4.3 kg (even less for the Aulula wings).

tvesurf said..

Blippblurp said..
Hi!
Can someone explain to me why North's wings weigh so much more than seemingly all other competing wings? I thought part of the point of using Nweave material was to reduce weight? I'm comparing with wings from, for example, PPC, Vayu, and Duotone. For instance, the North Nova Pro 4.2 (2.7 kg) weighs more than most 6.5 and 7m? wings from these brands (all weights are compared without handles or boom). The 4.5 m? wings from competitors weigh between 4.1 and 4.3 kg (even less for the Aulula wings).

The goal of N-weave is not to reduce weight but to increase stiffness and longevity. North builds their wings to last more than a season unlike a lot of other brands. This of course comes with a weight increase, but my 2024 nova pro's are still feeling crisp!

I think you have your number mixed up a bit. But what are we really talking about 500grams difference? Anyone that thinks that's an issue might want to reconsider their lifestyle choices...

Yes, you are right, I made a typo. I obviously meant that the competing 4.5 m? wings weighed 2.1-2.3 kg, which is 400-600 grams less than the Nova Pro 4.2 m?. The Duotone Unit SLS 6.5 m? weighs less than the Nova Pro 4.2, and I can't imagine the durability is that different.

Regarding what you said about lifestyle choices, it doesn't seem like you've felt the difference in your hands. People who buy Aulula wings, for example, are willing to pay almost twice as much for a wing that weighs only 100-200 grams less than the same model without Aulula.

I really love North's products, but I do think the weight is a problem. Fingers crossed that they launch lighter wings in 2026! :)

Faff said..

Blippblurp said..

tvesurf said..

Blippblurp said..
Hi!
Can someone explain to me why North's wings weigh so much more than seemingly all other competing wings? I thought part of the point of using Nweave material was to reduce weight? I'm comparing with wings from, for example, PPC, Vayu, and Duotone. For instance, the North Nova Pro 4.2 (2.7 kg) weighs more than most 6.5 and 7m? wings from these brands (all weights are compared without handles or boom). The 4.5 m? wings from competitors weigh between 4.1 and 4.3 kg (even less for the Aulula wings).

The goal of N-weave is not to reduce weight but to increase stiffness and longevity. North builds their wings to last more than a season unlike a lot of other brands. This of course comes with a weight increase, but my 2024 nova pro's are still feeling crisp!

I think you have your number mixed up a bit. But what are we really talking about 500grams difference? Anyone that thinks that's an issue might want to reconsider their lifestyle choices...

Yes, you are right, I made a typo. I obviously meant that the competing 4.5 m? wings weighed 2.1-2.3 kg, which is 400-600 grams less than the Nova Pro 4.2 m?. The Duotone Unit SLS 6.5 m? weighs less than the Nova Pro 4.2, and I can't imagine the durability is that different.

Regarding what you said about lifestyle choices, it doesn't seem like you've felt the difference in your hands. People who buy Aulula wings, for example, are willing to pay almost twice as much for a wing that weighs only 100-200 grams less than the same model without Aulula.

I really love North's products, but I do think the weight is a problem. Fingers crossed that they launch lighter wings in 2026! :)

First gen Duotone Aluula wings were lighter. Latest ones are barely any lighter than the Dacrom ones, but much stiffer.

Yes, that's true. Regardless, I believe my point holds up independently of the weight of Aulula wings. North's wings are significantly heavier than those of its competitors.

It's a bit odd that Nweave is marketed as "30% lighter" and as a more affordable alternative to Aulula-while the wings themselves are advertised as light and getting lighter-yet their weight increases year after year.

At the same time, I understand that high weight and possibly slightly better durability aren't the strongest selling points.

I've put together a simple comparison in case anyone is interested in which wings I'm comparing.



What I'm really wondering is exactly what increases the weight? Is it the shiftlock system? The canopy?

Shlogger said..
Was your 4.2 double handles or a boom?

I got the weights from the manufacturers websites. All weights are without boom or handles. I personally have a boom on my Nova Pro wings. I've also picked up several of the wings on the beach, and the weight difference is obvious.