2023 Cabrinha Mantis Apex

I just picked up a 4 meter last week and I've managed to squeeze in 5 sessions in the last week. I'll lead with this... I have been very curious about how the premium material wings perform, but have been cringing at the cost. In a weak moment, I decided to pull the trigger.

I've been riding it with a 69L board, Armstrong performance mast and the MA1000 and MA800 wings (I'm 75kg). I've had it out in conditions ranging from 12-20 to 15-25mph winds with waist to overhead surf.

Set up:
Pumping this wing manually is not for the faint at heart. I counted 120 pumps on the included pump to get the 4M up to the recommended 13.5psi. My electric pump doesn't have the right attachment and doesn't currently offer one so I've been stuck with the manual pump. If it's 120 pumps for the 4M, I can't even imagine what it must be for the 5 or 6M...

Construction:
At 13.5psi, the leading edge is rigid. The construction of the wing seems top notch. The Ultra-HP (aluula-like) leading edge is narrower than any other wing I've used. It's almost scary to pump a wing to this pressure. The nano ripstop seems slightly heavier than typical canopies of other wings I've owned (Armstrong, Reedin, Ensis). It comes with hard handles that are fairly comfortable, but also are taking a little getting use to.

Initial Performance Observations:

1. I increased my top peak speed on my MA1000 by 1.5mph and my top peak speed on my MA800 by 2mph

2. Overall speed averages were similarly higher which lead to more overall glide on the foil

3. Acceleration compared to my other wings felt like I had switched from a mid aspect foil to a high aspect foil.

4. On a wave it feels near weightless and is very stable. It's only slightly lighter than a regularly construction wing in the same size, however, the rigid and smaller diameter leading edge seem to make this wing float better than anything else I've ridden. Flagging is fantastic off the leading edge handle and off the front boom strut handle. It's easy to go down wind without the trailing edge dropping in front of you. I also found the reduction in drag while flagging led to greater overall speed and glide on a wave.

Downsides:

1. Price for sure

2. A bigger size would almost definitely require an electric pump unless you have a team helping you pump, seriously

3. Right now, my hands are still getting used to the ridged handles. After 5 sessions, my hands are a little more sore than if I had been using my Reedins. I'm not saying they are all bad just that it's something different that takes adjustment. The upside of the handles can definitely be experienced in transitions.

4. After riding the 4M and switching back today my heavier, standard frame size 5.2M I'm thinking about selling a kidney so I can get another Apex in 5M or 6M... My 5M Reedin is a GREAT wing, but the Apex is so much lighter in the hands that I'm not sure I'm going to want to ride a standard wing in larger sizes again. FYI the 5M Apex is only .4kg heavier than the 4.

Conclusion:

It's a great wing, but may be overkill for a lot of riders. I'm on the water a lot and in my 50s so I want the best I can get for the time I have left doing these sports (hopefully many years still).

If I did this all over again, I would probably have bought the 5M Apex and stuck with standard wings for my 4 and 3. A friend who is riding all Aluula wings told me that he is finding them to last far longer than his non-aluula wings so they make up for the cost over time. I suspect the frame not flexing would reduce the amount of canopy stretching flex that you would normally experience.

Also, I don't think less experienced riders will appreciate the difference of the Apex wing as much as someone who has ridden a few other wings. I wouldn't say this is a totally game changer, but it is a VERY good wing and, to me, represents a solid step of evolution for wing design (the narrow leading edge). If you're super picky and willing to pay, you owe it to yourself to try one. If, like me, the money makes you cringe, don't try one, it's better not to know, lol.

I'm afraid it's going to be really hard to live without the narrow and super rigid leading edge on my other wings. I'll likely pick up a 6 or 5M Apex in the coming months.

The Aeolian pump is great for these high pressure wings.

A closer look at some of the best 2023 wings including the Apex:

The standard Mantis is a powerhouse, I dropped from a 4m Dlab Unit to the 3.5m standard Mantis and get going just as early. It really rewards pumping and once up it pulls hard. Last 2 strong and gusty sessions I dropped 0.5 PSI on my 3.0m and 1 PSI on the 2.5m and it really helped tame the gusty conditions without a noticeable drop in pumping ability. Well worth a try

Had a chance to ride the Mantis (normal, not Apex) and Vision. The Mantis felt good. Very familiar and intuitive feel, good grunt and loft, manageable handling, pulls nicely upwind and luffs neutral. Not my all-time favorite wing, but It is a very good all-around wing that I can easily recommend. I did not like the Apex. It is quite unstable, and when you point it upwind it kind of dives down and wants to flip. It also has a very downwind pull - pumping onto foil, it doesn't want to generate power cross-wind, it just wants to pull downwind. Also locks into yaw and doesn't want to flip its orientation (like in a tack). Pretty odd behavior, and I can't imagine these being favorable traits for anyone (beginner or advanced). I can't see a situation in which I would recommend the Vision - other than in a very large size where the dihedral reduces the span (I didn't ride the very large size Vision), but even then the CWC is a very easy and intuitive wing and I have to imagine it is better for the same application. The Mantis and Vision share DNA but are very different in personality.

The handles are identical on both wings and are very nice. They are very narrow diameter, which is kind of unusual, but not bad. Love how long that front handle is - very easy to ride the Mantis one handed. Luff handle on both of these wings is excellent.

not sure how long I'm going to survive without my kidney, but my 5M just arrived...

I've been out with an injury for 5 weeks now. As soon as I'm functioning again and there's wind, I'll be sure to post a review. Hopefully get the clear soon.