My Personal Surf Foil Gear
Cabrinha Bump Board
I’m excited that Cabrinha has decided to embrace prone surf foiling with the new Bump board! This sport has become much more beginner-friendly with the introduction of larger high-aspect foils and longer, efficient boards. Sizing couldn’t be simpler, with the 5’0” aimed at beginners and the 4’8” designed for experienced riders. The 5’0” size paddles incredibly well and feels shorter once up and flying. I ride the 4’8” and love how nimble it is, although I’ll admit I wouldn’t have been able to learn with that size. There’s a noticeable amount of deck concave, which I think is crucial for control, especially at speed. The EVA deck pad has just the right feel: not too soft or too stiff, and isn’t slippery while still allowing you to adjust your foot position while flying. You can press your toes into the pad about 2-3mm, which I think is ideal for foil boards. The high-chine rails allow for extra clearance while carving turns, and also help to make touchdowns more forgiving (important because you’re likely riding a shorter mast!).
Cabrinha H-Series Foils
I’ve been loving the H1000 front wing for surf foiling and am thrilled that it’s in the H Series Mkii Collection, along with the H800. They’re updated with the new hole pattern featuring the horizontal “barrel nut” for additional stiffness in the mast-fuselage connection. These original H-series wings make incredibly smooth, surfy turns, while still having the glide and efficiency you’d expect from a high-aspect wing.
The H-series mkii front wings launched this past year with the 03 collection, and I love their efficiency and top-end speed. There are 5 wings in this range: 550, 700, 850, 1050 and 1300. I wing foil with the 850 frequently and have a 1300 on order for learning to Downwind SUP foil this summer. While I do prefer the feel of the H1000 & H800 for making turns on the wave, the 850 (and all other H-series mkii wings) is great for days where you have a long distance to pump while connecting waves and the 1300 will be great for the smallest swell days at home.
Cabrinha’s foil kits are sold with a front wing, fuselage and tail wing/stabilizer. While I started surf foiling on the 346 fuselage, I’ve recently switched to the shorter 276 in order to make tighter turns. These kits are sold with the V180 tail (or V200 for the H1300 kit), which I think has a great balance of stability and speed.
Experienced riders may prefer the H180 tail for additional speed, and the latest version allows you to trim the wingtips to a 150 sq cm size. I love my “Chop Shop” H180 tail and use it on larger swell days with the H800 and smaller front wings. It includes the rear fuselage as one integrated part, and is the same exact length as the medium 346 alloy rear fuselage. Many of my surf foiling locations feature shallow, rocky bottoms, and small dings/scratches are just part of the game! I’ve run these foils aground many times, both winging and surfing, and their durability is impressive.
Cabrinha Carbon Hollow Mast Mkii
The new Hollow Carbon mast is incredible, and its performance is even more noticeable when surf foiling. This mast is feather-light, but feels just as stiff as any alloy mast that I’ve used. I’ve ridden Cabrinha’s original carbon mast and the difference between the two is striking. The original carbon mast will flex while turning or when encountering waves/chop, making it feel as if your front wing is breaching/ventilating. I’ve pushed the new Carbon Hollow Mast to the top speed of most H-series foils, put my full body weight into it while wing surfing, and pumped for miles without feeling any flex. After spending my first six months of surf foiling on an alloy mast, using the 74cm Carbon Hollow Mast felt like a cheat code from the very first session. Takeoffs suddenly required less power and precision, I could pump for much longer, and the foil felt much more lively while surfing waves. Pricing is reasonable compared to most “performance” masts: $999 retail for the 74cm size, $1099 for 84cm, and $1199 for the 94cm mast.
Dakine Foil Board Floating Board Leash
Surf foiling requires a board leash and I prefer the Dakine coil leash. Coil leashes are essential for surf foiling, as a straight leash will drag in the water and hamper your progression. The leash is 7’ long, 1/4” thick and has floats to keep it at the water surface and away from your board, wing and wing leash. I have several of these leashes and decided to cut the floats off one of them for surf foiling (I think the floats are most helpful when resetting for a water-start with a wing foil setup). The latest leash features a calf cuff which I feel is a better setup compared to an ankle cuff.
