Cabrinha Fusion H-Series 1000 & 800 2022
Reviews / Hydrofoils
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At A Glance
If you were asked a year ago which brand would be selling some of the best wings for prone foiling on the market, I’m willing to bet that none of you would have chosen Cabrinha. How things change. While Cabrinha has been at the forefront of kitesurfing & wingfoiling since their creation, they were yet to enter the prone market competitively. The H-Series wings do just that, and more.
As I’m sure you’ll know by now, high-aspect means ‘wide & thin’, just like a glider. This allows the rider to glide & pump exponentially further than on low-aspect designs. These foils are designed for wing, kite, or foil-surfing, and in all of these sports, they allow maximum speed & glide. This in turn gives you more time to complete your manoeuvres.
They come in four sizes, the H650, H800, H1000, & the H1200. We had both the H800 & 1000 on test for this issue. The three larger sizes all have a 90cm wingspan, whereas the smaller 650 wing has a 72cm wingspan. The wings connect to the Fusion Mast, a very aesthetically pleasing full carbon mast that tapers towards the fuse and has an integrated baseplate for stiffness. We had the 80cm mast on test. The tail wing on test was the HA180, again a high-aspect wing that has a strong connection to the fuse.
On The Water
Before I go on, I want to point out that these foils are not for beginners. They are high-speed machines that aren’t nearly as forgiving as many foils out there, however, when tamed, they’re outstanding.
I used the Cabrinha H-Series 800 & 1000 prone foiling and the 1000 winging. I’ll start with my prone foiling experiences on these wings. Before they’d arrived to test, I’d heard impressive things about these wings across the internet, many comparing the 800 in particular to the Lift 120.
To be transparent with you, I weigh 68kg, so I’m not the heaviest of guys. I found both the 1000 & 800 super-efficient even in super small waves. I did find when popping to my feet that it took me a little longer than on other foils to lock in & get my stability. But once I was balanced the feeling was insane, I could really feel the work Cabrinha & Keahi de Aboitiz had done to create a super stiff foil setup, both foils pumped at incredible speed. I found that, for me, a higher, faster cadence pump was most efficient. Despite their high-aspect design, they rolled in the turns really well, particularly the 800, which no doubt would be an insane tow wing on the right day.
I used the H1000 winging on a couple of pretty marginal days but had an absolute blast. Riding the 5m Crosswing X3 & 5’0 Code I was able to get on foil easily in fairly light and gusty winds. Once up, I had an epic time free-flying the wing and gliding down side-onshore waves, the H1000 held a ton of speed and I'd often just kept the wing in freely mode while connecting to another bump (see video). Riding in those marginal conditions really proved to me that the H-Series foils have a slow stall speed and therefore a low-end ‘get up and go’, only adding to the versatility of these foils! It really does feel like the 1000 is as close as you can get to having a ‘one foil quiver’.
Overall
I love versatile foils, already I had some awesome sessions prone foiling & winging on this kit. While I didn’t have the time to try it, I have no doubt they’d be amazing for kite foiling, and a friend of mine SUP foils on them. In a sport that can be pretty expensive, it’s a huge bonus to have do-it-all equipment. The H-Series foils do that, and more!
Videos
This review was in Issue 12 of Tonic Mag.
For more information visit CabrinhaRelated
By Jack Galloway
