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Click here to see all online kiteboarding magazines, the review and why The Kiteboarder came out on top….

Download the August issue at at www.thekiteboarder.com. Be sure to check out the featured video on PDF page 2 from Slingshot!

Launch features Extreme Elements extreme vision.

Our local doc talks about how you can prevent and treat Surfer’s Eye in Ask the MD.

Get the lowdown on the latest news from the world of kiteboarding in 411/Smack.

Close Up interviews pro riders Blake Harrington from Caution and Linn Svendsen from Ocean Rodeo.

The story of EH, designer for Eric Hertsens Kiteboarding and Freak Dog Kites.

This is the first feature of several that we will be doing on industry leaders…. coming Oct issue: Slingshot Kiteboarding

Pro rider Jeremie Tronet shares his childhood ‘home away from home,’ Martinique.

Get the scoop on what changed and what’s new on 8 new products from your favorite brands on Designer’s Corner.

The TKB Test Team’s take on 6 new kites and boards.

What it’s going to take to keep our beaches open and how to handle the village idiot.

How to do an F-16 kite loop the right way.

Build your own board rack for under $20 bucks.

Send us your local riding shots and you could win some killer swag from Transcend Apparel!

Xposed features cool lifestyle and action shots from around the world.

The Kiteboarder August08 issue, 4 years of back issues, over 126 podcasts, breaking ktieboarding news, cool videos, and great shop bargains on clothes, dvds, subscriptions and more available at www.thekiteboarder.com

Coming of the incredible success of the 2008 150 Mako Wide, we’ve listened to your requests - I am stoked to present the 09 Mako 140 Wide! This board is every bit as phenomenal as the 150 - these boards are truly in a league of their own!

The 2009 150’s and 140’s will be available in limited quantities in approximately one month’s time. Contact your retailer now or you will not be able to get one from the first run!

It’s the unique combination of heavy concave, flex and the sweet outline that makes these boards:

Cheers,

Evan

Comments from John

The Mako 150×40 was last year’s run away best seller in the Mako line up, and some would say one of the most talked about boards of the season from any brand. This board proved popular because it was quick to plane up, ripped up wind, allowed for agressive carves, smoothed choppy waters and had a very “surfy” feel on the waves. All around we often called this board an ATV and it has already been flogged hard by tons of riders on this forum who have no association with our company. Locally some riders have started waxing the board up and riding it completely strapless with great sucess.

The Mako 140×40 is a different but similar board. It has the same “damp” ride over choppy waters and carves like a son of a gun. It also throws to switch, in my opinion, a bit faster and easier than the 150×40 and is a ton of fun for low powered up jumps as it releases off the water a bit better than the big one and because it is smaller for a more “tight” feel in rotations, etc. Where it looses to the 150×40 is just a bit on the upwind leg and on lighter winds. The 150×40 tracks up wind so hard you don’t even need to concentrate on it whereas the 140×40 does require a more concious effort to get on your back foot and point higher. That being said, both these boards rip up wind compared to a conventional TT. At 140×40 it also does not quite have the same plane as the 150 and so looses a bit in the light winds, but it is only a marginal loss.

Of note as well is the re-release of the original Mako 150×34. For 2009 we have re-cast the mould to make the board thinner (top to bottom), in line with the thickness of the 140 and 150×40. This has allowed the original to hold its status as the hardest carving Mako in our line up but also loosened it up a bit in the rough waters which was always a bit of a stiff ride on the original 150×34.

Overall we are gambling that the 140×40 will be the run away best seller of the lot for this year as it is a more “conventional” size, allowing the general public (yet to be initiated into the Mako cult) to ride a board in a size more similar to their existing experiences. The 150×40 will continue to win the hearts of those willing to give it a ride and the new 150×34 will be a sure fire seller to all those riding their original 150s from late ‘03 to’07 looking to replace their ride and already sold on the benifits of the Mako.

John

Learn how to do a Kung Fu Air move from team rider Josh Nehf. The Kung-Fu, originally created by Cousin Brucey in the twintip days of wave kiting, is a kite assisted wave arial, difficult to land and is guaranteed to ruin at least one knee.
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Check this new video of Susy May

Tyler C from EastKB.com just published a review of the Bandit 08 size 11:

Well I’ve had the Bandit for about a month now, so I suppose it’s time to share some feedback. Keep in mind that I am relatively new at testing out kites, I’ve only flown a few besides my own. I’ll do my best to describe what I’ve noticed thus far.

I was looking to replace my 12m Rebel. I wanted something that was faster turning and better unhooked, but still had a wind range that would make for a 1-kite quiver. Initially I was learning towards the North Vegas, but being close to a C shape it doesn’t have the depower to make a 1-kite quiver. I demo’d one and liked it, but it also seemed like it would have a slight learning curve coming from the slower-moving Rebel.

The Bandit seemed to fit the bill, and after demoing it it felt perfect. It was a very easy transition coming from the Rebel, it felt great as soon I picked it up. It’s quick turning and still easy to control. I think it’s a very happy medium between the fast/responsive C kite and the depower/stability of a bow.

I first rode the 11m in very light wind at Assateague bayside, the kind when you have to wait for gusts to ride. There were people out on 14-16m kites, and I would be riding at the same times they were. Granted I weigh ~150 lbs, but this proved to me that the low end of the kite wasn’t going to be a problem. Relaunching in very light wind had sometimes been a problem for me with the Rebel, just because of the size of the kite. The Bandit’s shape is very compact, so it doesn’t deform when there isn’t much wind to keep the kite full when it’s on the water. So I’ve had no trouble relaunching it in very light wind.

I think it was my next session on the 11m I got to test the high end of the kite. The biggest thing I noticed was how well it handles depowered. The Rebel depowers like crazy, but it’s handling deteroriates quickly as it does. The depower on the Bandit is not as noticible, but it handles nicely when depowered. It also feels a lot more stable in gusty wind, it doesn’t want to fall in the lulls.

Jumping is a bit different than on the Rebel, but when you figure it out it PULLS! Very big jumps with lots of hangtime, it seems to pull downwind quite a bit on big jumps. This kite makes looping easy, it’s a lot of fun to loop! Unhooked the kite handles the same as hooked in. It still pulls hard downwind, but I have a feeling most kites do. It’s definately a lot more comfortable than the Rebel unhooked, it doesn’t seem to lag or get stuck anywhere in the window.

Construction on the kite seems great, I don’t see any issues there. I like the bar setup - it’s very simple. The long bridals can be a nuissance if they get tangled, but most of the time they are fine. The default throw is very long, so the depower is a bit far away as is mentioned elsewhere. There is a setting to shorten the throw, I’m going to try this out soon. One minor annoyance is the kite bag is pretty small, it’s tough to fit everything (pump+harness+whatever) in there at once, though it does fit. The kite is a lot easier to handle both in the water and out, and it’s noticibly lighter than the Rebel.

Overall I’m very pleased, the Bandit seems to be the perfect second kite for me. It’s a great all-around kite that handles the conditions of the area nicely, and is very fun to fly. I like the 11m size, it still performs on the low end and has a little more top end. Really though I’d say it’s range is about the same as the 12m Rebel’s, but it feels like a smaller kite in the air. I don’t have any pictures yet - I’ve been busy riding! I think there are enough around online, and maybe I’ll try to take some next time I get out.

Hope this is helpful, maybe some of the other guys who have had time on it will have more to say.

For all kiteboarding products from F-ONE visit www.dckites.com

F-one kites - http://www.dckites.com/_catalog_20974/F-One_Kites

F-one kiteboards http://dckites.com/_catalog_22999/F-One_Kiteboards

Comments from John Z regarding Ocean Rodeo Rise kite, Mako kiteboard and 09 kitebar.For all ocean rodeo kites and kiteboards please visit www.dckites.com
1) Aspect ratios are all almost exactly the same as 08. As Evan mentioned Ross spent the year tweaking the kites to try to get the smaller kites to be more stable and less edgy and the larger kites to turn even faster. As such, as Paul guessed, some aspects were tweaked but for the most part it was bridle changes to the sizes that made the difference. The result is a rock solid feel across the whole spectrum of Rise kites, allowing a rider to switch sizes with confidence in the feel and performance of their kite.

2) Clear-outs. Unlike some other brands Ocean Rodeo feels strongly that the release date of our new equipment needs to be timed to coincide with the end of the season. This allows riders to buy with confidence that their gear will not be outdated by the middle of June as well as allowing our dealers to stock our equipment with confidence. In September we will be rolling out the 09 samples and expect to have full stock available for October 1st. As such you can expect to see clear out kites available through our dealer network around the beginning to middle of September. It is important to note though that each year we work hard to avoid having excess stock at the end of the season so there is no guarentee that key sizes will be available on clear out.

3) Comparisons of the Mako to the Naish Sol are a bit foolish. The outline is similar but that is where the comparisons stop. No board on the market has the same deep concave of the Mako line up. Further, the first 40 limitted edition (read: experimental) Makos first hit the waters of BC in late 2003 with full production available for the 2004 season. The Mako board is arguably one of the longest running board styles on the market today and still has no competitors in its class as a deep concave board.

4) Ocean Rodeo 09 Bar. For 2009 we have elected to go with 850lb test lines for both front and back, a jump from this years 650lb line set. We have further refined the swivel we are using and have plans to introduce a new moulded chicken loop which features a release similar to our existing bar and an easily replaced (and re-sized) loop for riders to both easily maintain their bar and to decide what size loop they wish to use. This moulded CL has been delayed slightly but I will have photos up as soon as possible, I expect to ship early 2009 kites with a hybrid bar from 08/09 and make the chicken loop available for upgrade once available, hopefully no later than Christmas.

John Z - Ocean Rodeo