Tkb Review: CABRINHA H650 Foil

Sizes Available: H650, H800, H1000, H1200
Sizes Tested: H650

Size: 650cm²,
Wingspan: 720cm
Aspect Ratio: 7.9
Chord: 125mm

Cabrinha Says:

The H-Series High Aspect foil range is the latest offering from Cabrinha’s state of the art foil design program in collaboration with Keahi De Aboitiz. The H-series wings represent the pinnacle in hydrodynamic efficiency & performance while seamlessly integrates into the Cab Fusion Foil system. The high aspect shape allows for effortless pumping, insane glide while retaining an ‘easy-to-steer’ feeling. Whether you use them for wing, kite or foil-surfing, rise to the occasion with all of the H-series’ cutting edge features and be prepared for the endless ride.

Visit for more info: www.cabrinha.com/products/fusion-h-series-wings

TKB Says:

The H650 is the smallest size in Cabrinha’s Fusion Foil system and belongs to the H family of high aspect wings that focus on maximizing speed and glide. If you can handle going fast, the H650 will not disappoint with superb glide and impeccable control while carving smooth high-speed turns.

The H650 features a beautiful carbon layup and thin profile on its super high-aspect wing. The H-series wings typically connect to the HS180 stabilizer, a one-piece carbon stab and rear fuselage package that’s slim with very little curvature in the stabilizer wing’s tips. Since the Fusion system is completely modular, we were given the H650 with the XS220 stabilizer (normally connected to the X-Series front wings) which is the smaller of the two XS stab options and that was mounted to the aluminum back half fuselage (also available in carbon).

The modular design on the Fusion setup makes it really easy to swap components. The front wings are fused into the front half of the fuselage which reduces the use of bolts and provides a stiffer connection between the rider and your lifting surface. The carbon mast slots into the front fuselage for a super snug fit and the baseplate is integrated into the carbon pre-preg mast to eliminate all play between the board and the wing. The back half of the fuselage bolts together with reliable torx screws and setup is very clear and easy.

When you hold the H650 assembled with the fusion foil you can see the precision carbon work on the blade’s clean surfaces and feel the extra lightness from the carbon parts. Just looking at the high-aspect smaller size of this wing, we anticipated a much higher foil-up speed than a regular freeride foil, and true to form, the H650 definitely wanted more board speed before it began to create lift. Once we adapted to the higher speed range of this little speed demon, we had no problems keeping it on foil or railing through carves and transitions.

On our waterstarts, we quickly became accustomed to accelerating the board to a higher speed before attempting to lift off, but the initial lift was smooth and intuitive with a nice even climb off the water. In the air the H650 feels really balanced with intuitive control inputs. The roll felt very reactive which helped initiate turns while the yaw was equally agile for correcting turns. The pitch axis was right in line with the other adjustments and the setup had sufficient stability that created confidence in both low and high-end speeds, which tended to encourage us to carve harder and go faster.

The H650 feels super-efficient flying through the water and reactive for big carvey turns, but it could also snap tight hard angled turns just so long as you stayed in its faster speed range. The H650’s middle and higher top-end speed makes it really easy to stay locked into windswell and helped penetrate beyond the trough, through bottom turns and back to the top of the swell. We could definitely see the H650 working for tow-ins on big waves with its high-speed glide and ability to accelerate, letting you really dominate higher speeds without being held back.

We tested the H650 with the 70cm carbon mast which would be sufficient for most but we’d probably choose to size up to the carbon 80cm mast in the Fusion collection which would help keep the front wing deeper planted in the water for our choppy testing conditions and during more high-speed maneuvers. The H650 screams upwind and with really high angles, so a longer mast would be helpful to keep the H650 wet at all times. However, we did aerate the wingtips a couple of times and found that the wing recovered very nicely. Sometimes foils become unstable when the wing rises to the water’s surface, but the H650 did a great job of reengaging and regaining traction without missing a beat.

The H650 is a great kitefoiling option for those that want to push the boundaries of speed while still having a very controlled and stable ride. The efficiency that is built into the H-Series wings really comes alive in the quest to break your speed records and is a great option for riders that are trying to keep up with larger swells. In the pursuit of speed and glide, the H650 still is a really fun wing for carves that range from big drawn out lines to hard and tight turns that spin up the G-forces. The stiffness built into the modular carbon design makes it feel crisp and reactive at all times. For uncompromising speed and control, the H650 is a high performing glide machine that will do just about anything you want, except go slow.