Seems to be that a lot of people here associate Cabrinha with bad/uncool kiters??
Would this be accurate, why?
I'm starting to wonder about my choice of kite purchase... But it seems to be a pretty good kite... hehe, saying this, i use a seat harness (also seems to be uncool).. and i did accidentally crash my kite into another kiter last week (really really****** sorry about that!!.. was a complete accident though, loss of concentration, bad hangover)...
I've possibly answered my own question.. but should i be worried about appearing any more uncool when i walk my Cabrinha kite along the beach back upwind?
yes,as a kitesurfer we have to make sure we look as good as we possibly can all the time. Doing so is far more important that being able to ride, jump or even launch the kite. Until you have the skills required to match your board shorts to your kite you can.t even call yourself a kiteboarder (thankfully most school run weekly style workshops on this topic)
Generally, riding a cabrinha is a bad start, but fear not! since you are also using a seat harness you actually enter a category of style that your regular North or Slingshot rider can not even comprehend. I suggest you acquire some gloves, helmet, glasses, flares, life vest, leg rope, pickle-fork wakeboard, kite-pants and booties. Yes, get back to your roots, lead the pack, retro chic is the kite fashion of 2010 and you are well on your way to amazing everyone down your local with how cool you are.
Just imagine, you would not even have to pump up your kite, just go to the beach and parade around looking this cool and you will have so much respect from fellow kiters you wont even have to show off your quadruple front roll one footer, this is the ultimate dream of any kiteboarder.
But are all Cabrinha kites on the same level of uncool? They have cool sounding names, like x-bow and switchblade (admittedly switchblade sounds a little bit dangerous).. not sure about the convert tho (sounds a little bit cultish)..
I might try a fake tan.. I'm a little bit white and it sounds cheaper than buying all those accessories..
It's an ongoing joke that should be ignored. They make some very good kites with effective market leding safety systems and have very good backup service.
Disclosure-I ride Slingshot and have never owned a Cabrinha-did judge some comps with Pete once.
As posted, their effective marketing sees them more Cabrinha kites sold and therefore more on the beach. That obviously transforms into more people who are learning being noticed crashing their Cabs.
They are about the easyest most forgiving kite on the market, making them the obvious choice for anyone that has know idea how to kite properly to buy one. Which means that you do see a lot of cab kites in some bad situations, and as there are more and more getting around these type of riders are going to make up a larger percentage so expect to see a lot more in trees in the future.
But saying that there are allso experienced kitters who buy these kites and really rip on them, but they know to get rid of them at the end of the season, as the cabs dont seem to last as long as other brands, and really look like dog **** after just over a year.
Which is really uncool
Yes Cab riders are generally KoOKs, however..
Before you can join team cab, and the Corey Worthington lookalike sales assistant hands you your shiny new cab, you must meet the selection criteria for one of the two cab tribes.
(a) The retro survivalist cabsters - As correctly suggested by Sandaman you must obtain, seat harness gloves, helmet, glasses, flares, life vest, leg rope, pickle-fork wakeboard, kite-pants and booties. Also a Jim Bowie or Rambo knife is a must.
An SUV is essential, fitted with DVD, Blue tooth, Satellite dish, so you can get up to the minute weather updates. Double coffe holders for you double double decaf soy latte frapppa lappa chinos.
(b) The early to mid life crisis cabsters - To join this tribe you will need.
1 - A subaru WRX Impreza, or V8 Holden ute.
2 - Sub woofers
3 - Either a partial hair transplant, blond tips, spikey hairdo (all three makes you king o the cabs)
4 - White sunnies - larger the better -name brand only.
5 - Boardies over the wettie -name brand only.
6 - Can of Caffeinated drink.
One you have selected and been accepted into your new cab tribe, you will be required to abide by the "ten cab-mandments".
1 - Though shalt learn to launch my 14mtr in 35 knots.
2- Though shalt kite amongst swimmers.
3 - Though shalt not kite where there are no trees.
4 - Though shalt carry extension ladder and garden shears to retrieve cab from such trees.
5 - Though shalt not kite where there are no power lines.
6- Though shalt make sure extension ladder is insulated and wear rubber gloves to retreive cab from such power lines.
7 - Though shalt covet getting dragged through car parks.
8- Though shalt always crash and burn in busiest areas.
9 - Though shalt embrace and engage with the "cabrinha love touch" all toilet blocks, playground equipment, bollards, park benches, pedestrians, retaining walls, storm water outlets, senior citizens with their walking frames and battery powered buggies, phone towers, piers, and any other fixed or moving structures.
10 - Though shalt collect all george of the jungle DVD's, and the theme song shall be the mantra of all ca riders......watch out for that...treeeeee
All I know is yesterday 17/18 knots 12m switchy staying upwind AND enough grunt for back-rolls and jumps, While my un-kookish friends on 12/14m kites struggled to do anything but walk back upwind. Its the kiter, not the kite. Now where is that hair gel?
It is uncanny that in the last 2 weeks it was visiting Cabrinha riders that managed to ride right through the flags and nearly hit swimmers and piss the lifeguards right off prompting the NO KITESURFING sign to be promptly planted by the lifeguards further up the beach than ever before allowing king only on the reef or fight it out with the flatwater "legends" off the headland.
To be fair tho a couple of days back a guy on a big yellow 5 line slingshot managed to ride for the best part of 2 hours just upwind of the flags at another spot with his kite over the swimmers .This didn't seem to bother the lifeguards and by some miracle the boosts that he was doing right over the swimmers didn't result in his pickle forking itself through some swimmers head
Now to be even fairer .I got a bit close to the flags the other day when I hadn't noticed that they had been moved up the beach .I did apologise tho to the lifeguards (who said no worries)so i at least am off the hook
The only reason why slingshot is cool is that len10, wilson ride them. Man their bars are rubbish, the depower rope keeps on wearing and the cleat system has been an ongoing tragedy for years. If you want to be cool buy slingshot but if you want a kite and bar that will last more than a season stick with the cab. The IDS system is the best thing to come out in kiteboarding
If Cab riders are the volvo drivers of kiteboarding then Slingshot riders are the "showbags" of kiting. On the outside they look cool but really on the inside they are full of crap
Somebody told me anyone riding a kite with a bridal is a kook completely unsure of their kiting ability. 
If you don't have Ed Hardy clothes on already you should get some, they are all the rage for any budding Crapinha sporting kook.
I have been using a 10m Switchblade I bought second hand in Perth for 2 1/2 seasons. It is rigged with some Peter Lynn lines, a slingshot bar that is a bit tatty and has a bit of duct tape on the canopy plus two canopy split repairs that I had done very cheaply and effectively. Any kite would have bust under the circumstances. I am an experienced wave hopper now but a year ago a few misjudgments resulted in the kite going under the waves.
I wear a seat harness over a pair of blue work shorts supplied by an ex employee. I have been using the harness for three years. There are two waist harnesses in the house and after a ribbing I tried one. Half way through the session I had to run home for the seat. It does not consstrict my ackers although when my zip bust it was not pretty and embarrassing as I did not relise until a mate pointed it out!
My floppy surf hat is lost but Santa is bringing me a new one and another pair of Dirty Dogs which I used in the surf for three years but left on a train in Sydney.
Would I buy another Cabrina? Definitely, but I have flown quite a few kites and unless you are very talented is it not going to make too much difference so I will make my choice from what is for sale second hand, too soon I fear!
One of the few benefits of aging is the fact that competing to look good no longer impacts your wallet!
Totally. They tell the world that you are a kook and a space invader.
I always give Cabrinha riders a very wide berth, just to on the safe side.
