Eastkb.com just published a review of the Ocean Rodeo Rise by Brendan Johnston

I picked up an 08 rise a few weeks ago and am extremely impressed with the kite. I have been able to get out on a it a number of times so far and so I feel that by this point I have a very good feel for the kite. However our winds have been spotty down here lately so I have yet to have the kite out in anything over the high teens, so I can not yet speak about the high end of the kite.

Construction

I had heard that Ocean Rodeo makes their kites with the intent to be “bomb proof” but this is the first chance I had to take a close look at one of their kites. First thing I noticed was both the placement and the reinforcement of the leading edge seem. I have had some issues on past kites with leading edges blowing out, and was very pleased to see that this kite looks extremely strong in this regard. The stitching is placed further back, away from the point of impact should the kite hit the water. Additionally it looks very strong and seems to be reinforced with a stronger material sew on top of the leading edge material. Strut material is made in a similar fashion, and although it is not extra reinforced like the leading edge, the stitching seems solid and I do not foresee having issues with either of these areas. The kite uses a one pump system, and each strut has a neoprene cover over the clip to protect against abrasion if it rubs against the fabric of the kite. The bridle system is simple and effective, with only one pulley and straightforward connections. The most unique feature of this kite is the vents it has built into the canopy. These run between the middle three struts and make a noticeable difference when riding, which I’ll get into later.

The Bar

I really like the feel of this bar. It is very simple yet effective. The lines connect directly, so there are no pulleys, and the overall appearance is a clean user-friendly design. The power/depower strap is attached to the side of the chicken loop, which makes for incredibly easy adjustment. It is great not having to lean forward and reach up trying to get to the ones that are mounted higher. There is also a sliding stopper built into the chicken look rope. This is a great feature and really helps with the C-like feel of this kite. The lines come with extensions as well, which help add to the range possibilities of the kite.

Tuning

The way the bridle system is set up allows for four separate options to mount their connection to the kite. Each of these four has different characteristics regarding bar pressure, turning speed, depower, and tendency to stall. This is great because depending on how you plan on riding each session allows you to rig it specific to those conditions. Meaning that if you planned to ride waves you can set the kite to have max depower potential and very low stalling tendency. Or if you plan on working on unhooked moves you can set it to low bar pressure. Lower winds, you can set it to faster turning, etc.

Riding

This kite has an awesome feel on the water. The main thing that I can not get over is how much like a C it feels like, while still having the SLE/bow characteristics. This kite is the only kite I have flown that I honestly feel is the best of both worlds. Naturally the kite is designed as an SLE, but looking at the shape it has a very C-like look, which reflects in the way it flies. The bar stopper is probably the main aspect of this characteristic. Once set, you can just set the bar against it and ride as you would a C kite. The constant in and out of the bar that many SLE’s seem to require when riding is nearly nonexistent on this kite. At the same time if you are not comfortable riding it in this way and using board edging to control speed and gusts, you can slide the stopper further away from you and then control the gusts and board speed by moving the bar in and out.

Unhooked

Simply put, this kite is an absolute dream unhooked. It is so smooth and easy to control you will try to find every excuse you can to ride unhooked. Unlike most SLE/bows were you need to pull in a lot of depower before unhooking to prevent backstalling it, the rise needs only two or three inches. If you have the bridle set in the forwardmost position then you do not need to depower the kite at all, just unhook and go. I know many might think this is a stretch, but the rise unhooked feels very similar to the fuel unhooked. The C-like feel of this kite unhooked is what I think is its best attribute. Additionally, the vents help tremendously to keep the rise from backstalling if you unhook without it trimmed properly. The kite will begin to backstall and you can actually see the vents fluttering open. Once this happens it will almost always stop the stall. Occasionally it will continue to stall if the trim is completely off, but it does help a lot with normal flight.

Jumping

This aspect of the kite is where its SLE design truly shines. Jumping ability is good, and hangtime is excellent. Like I said earlier I have yet to have it out in higher winds so I don’t know how high it can get you, but what I have been impressed with is its ability to get you off the water in lighter marginal conditions. Winds between 13 an 15 will still be enough to get decent sized jumps with plenty of hangtime.

Wind Range

The low end of this kite is very good. Most of the time I have had it out so far everyone else has been riding 16s and 14s. Staying upwind might have been a problem but we were running downwinders so that was not an issue. It has been enough to get me up and going in 10 to 15 conditions. Granted, during the lulls it was a huge pain to keep moving but it wouldn’t fall out of the sky. That all being said although you can get moving in the lighter air it really is more of a fight until the wind gets to be consistently around 15 before it really feels worth it.

Depower

This kite has more depower than I know what to do with. It has enough depower line that you can completely stall the kite out of the sky if you want to by pulling in too much.

Conclusion

Overall I am very impressed with the Rise. The two best features are its unhooked ability and its remarkable C-like feel. The kite is solidly constructed and feels great in the air. I would highly recommend it to anyone. If I forget to mention something or anyone wants more opinions on it let me know. Unfortunately I kept forgetting to bring my camera to the beach so I don’t have any pictures of it in action, but as soon as I do get some I’ll post them.