Cabrinha Vision 2023
Reviews / Wings
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At a glance
As the sport of winging develops, the disciplines are becoming more clearly defined, and there is a divergence in terms of approach between the big players in the industry. Some are choosing to expand and diverge their product offerings to try and tailor each wing and optimise certain characteristics. Others, including Cabrinha, are keeping their range smaller (for now at least) and aiming to improve all characteristics of their products with each release. Time will tell which approach will be better received by the market, but for now, let’s get stuck into the Vision.
The Vision is a medium aspect wing with a relatively consistent chord length across its wingspan resulting in a relatively even distribution of canopy material over the whole wing. It features very generous windows, approximately in line with the front handle, which are manufactured from a low stretch, weather resistant TPU material. Without getting too scientific, the window material definitely feels lightweight and pliable (I wouldn’t be worried about taking this wing in extreme temperatures or packing it away without much care). The visibility through the windows is very good. They’re well placed, generous in size, and the material is transparent and low glare.
The Vision features Cabrinha’s new ‘composite widespan handles’. I had to do a bit of digging to confirm the details of their construction. It doesn’t surprise me that they’re keeping it a little secret, as they are one of the standout highlights of all the ‘03’ collection Cabrinha wings this year. They feature a TPU/TPE covered alloy core that is then wrapped in EVA. Thanks to this construction method, they had full freedom to make a very ergonomically shaped handle. The central section of the handle has nice ridges to wrap your fingers around, while either end of the handle where it attaches to the strut is perfectly curved to nestle your hand into and wrap your thumb around when controlling the wing with one hand (which I found myself doing far more than usual because of how much control you still had!) They are still lightweight and stiff thanks to the efficient use of material to reinforce the handle load paths. As a rider who is fairly indifferent between hard/soft handles, never uses a harness, and rides with a fairly open grip (handle resting between the first and second joint of the fingers), these were some of the most comfortable and grippy that I’ve used!
Each wing comes with the handles packed separately in the bag for efficient shipping and also includes handle riser adjusters, which are like washers to fine tune the height of attachment of the handle to the strut (and therefore the angle of the whole handle if you use a riser on one end and not the other). The already ergonomic design, along with the adjustability, should maximise comfort and control for all users. The depower handle has also had a rework which Cabrinha now calls the ‘pure impulse front handle’. It is semi rigid and definitely allows you to give the wing more input from the wrist while flagging to put the Vision exactly where you want it.
The Vision has a significant amount of dihedral and this, in combination with the tip twist has made the wing extremely stable when flagged on its depower handle. This was immediately noticeable when handling the wing on the beach. It stays extremely horizontal at all times and provides a lot of resistance if you try to push one side of the leading edge away from you.
I think it is worth noting that the ‘03’ Cabrinha wings do not include a leash as standard, so you’ll have to remember to source and fit one before hitting the water.
Sizes: 2m, 2.5m, 3m, 3.5m, 4m, 4.5m, 5m ,6m, 7m, 8m
On the water
The Vision has the ability to deliver power to the rider without requiring too much energy expenditure once you start pumping it. This was noticeable from the first take offs. My first session on it started underpowered, and whilst it didn’t initially feel like there was lots of grunt available, it was actually very easy to dial in the pumping cadence, amplitude and power distribution between the handles required to get up on foil quickly without it being too taxing. Once up on foil, the Vision had decent forward drive. Even when it felt like I only just had enough breeze to get up in the first place, I felt powered once riding with easy access to speed which gave me confidence going into tacks and gybes allowing you to relax knowing you aren’t going to touch down mid-way and have to pump to get going again. This easy access power, in combination with the ergonomic handles, results in the Vision being very comfortable to use for long periods of time.
The Vision has very user-friendly flying characteristics. It only requires light inputs from the rider to maneuver it from one side of the wind window to the other. Despite it feeling light in the hands and only requiring light steering input, it is stable in any given position, and you never find it doing anything unexpected. Ideal characteristics for beginner riders or for those looking for something intuitive that isn’t going to take constant concentration to get the best from their wing. Maneuvers were fast and straight forward, especially thanks to the excellent ‘composite widespan handles’. It was super easy to find them, slot your fingers in and feel re-assured straight away. I found it easiest with the Vision to let the wing lead the tack rather than the rider/foil doing so. Concentrate on getting the wing overhead and to the other side, and the rest will follow. For Cabrinha fans comparing the Vision and the Mantis, the Vision is definitely the lighter and more relaxed feeling of the two, whilst the Mantis feels stiffer and more like it is egging you on to push hard.
The vision is very stable on the depower handle. This is no surprise with such a prominent dihedral leading edge design. For more advanced riders blessed with cross-off/offshore conditions in which the wing will naturally sit behind you or beginners who focus on straight lining waves while keeping the wing steady in the depower position, the Vision is ideal. It stays very horizontal and wants to stay in a downwind position. If you are trying to do aggressive turns in onshore conditions however, things get tricky with the Vision when you try to get the wing behind you. Even with good riding speed and a push on one side of the leading edge, the Vision wants to stay stable with the leading edge downwind in front of you. This is another defining difference between the Vision and the Mantis, as the Mantis is happy to act as your cape and get behind you with little encouragement in similar situations! (read the Mantis review to find out more).
Summary
The Vision is an easy to use wing and a welcome addition to the Cabrinha line up. It feels light in flight, light when luffing and requires only gentle steering inputs from the rider to get it doing what you want it to do without feeling too ‘nippy’. The high dihedral of the Vision has a noticeable effect and makes the Vision stable in all positions, whether lufing on the depower handle or powered up riding in one direction. The new composite wide span handles were some of my favourites on the market and will be the go to for all of the wings since the ‘03 release’. This all adds up to a wing that is enjoyable to use but allows you to relax and enjoy your riding or focus on your board and foil without worrying about what your wing is going to do without 110% concentration.
Videos
This review was in Issue 17 of Tonic Mag.
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By Liam Proctor
