Kites for kiteboarding - 2009 Rise SLE, Diablo C, Trainer Kite

Yet another industry first from Ocean Rodeo, in 2003 we introduced the Constant Conical Curve leading edge tube for all of our C shaped kites. While other kite manufacturers build their leading edge tube in segments that make an awkward arch. Our C3 Leading Edge design ascribes a progressive constant curve that smoothes the kite’s flight and provides stability when in the air.

Yup, you guessed it. Another industry first from Ocean Rodeo. Introduced in 2003 on all of our kites the Shock Strip (SxS) is a strip of Dacron that runs the width of the kite from wing tip to wing tip. This strip runs exactly over the apex of the kite’s curve and is designed to bear the load of a hard nose down crash. When a kite is crashed hard nose down onto the water a violent shock erupts from the leading edge down the center strut. In many other brand’s kites this will lead to a catastrophic tear along the center strut. With SxS Technology on our kites this Dacron Shock Strip spreads the load of this force out to the wing tips and often saves the kite from damage. If the shock is too severe and a tear does form it is often contained between the Shock Strip and the Leading Edge. This will allow you to safely fly into shore and inexpensively have the small tear repaired.

3D does not describe the third dimension! 3D Construction is an industry first from Ocean Rodeo, introduced in 2003. It has since been copied by a number of other manufacturers in one form or another. 3D describes how we build all of our kites with a Dacron frame. The wingtips, leading edge and trailing edge are all framed in Dacron to provide a Built Tough frame for the kite.

On our kite chart we decided to separate the two as we feel boost describes the kite’s ability to lift you in the air while hangtime describes the kite’s ability to act as a wing and let you fly with the kite once airborne.

Of course you can, however there is no gain in de-power as both the One and Rise already have incredible de-power. A 5th line can assist in water re-launch and self rescue, especially if you are concerned about winds that tend to suddenly switch off shore.

Both the Diablo and the Rise come ready to fly right out of the bag in the configuration best suited to that kite. However, both feature alternate attachment points that you can use to adjust both the turning speeds and the potential de-power of the kite. Please click here for the Diablo adjustments spec sheet or here for the Rise adjustments spec sheet. Please note! Changes made to the kite’s flying configuration, while simple to do, should only be undertaken by a person confident in their abilities and capable of understanding the effect various attachment positions will have on the kite’s performance.

The Rise kites are Supported Leading Edge (SLE) style kites. This style of kite relies on a leading edge bridle to hold the kite’s shape when in flight and benefits from the ability to de-power more completely than a traditional C shaped kite. The Diablo kite is a traditional C shaped kite. This shape is augmented for 2007 with a 5th line designed to come under load only under the most stressful maneuvers with the kite. This ensures that the kite’s shape is held throughout a critical kite transition.