Gong's new "pro" stabilizer/fuselage, Cabrinha Code 5'0"

Just got my first sessions in with the new Gong pro fuselage and stabilizers. Fluid H 42cm to go with my Veloce LT (and new to me, Fluid LT; 1250 sq cm/85cm/0.9l volume) and a Fluid H 45cm stab to go with my Veloce XXL for light winds. Noticeable improvement to glide, speed, agility. The Fluid LT was also really fun in powered conditions; very carvy and stable in choppy water. They all work great with the 85cm V2 carbon fuselage (closer 90cm if your wondering). Only minor issue is the front wing set screws (3 of them) can work loose with that huge XXL wing (smaller wings are fine). My past solution has been to tap in a third m6 screw position. Probably do the same here. Despite that minor issue I think these are truly worthy foil rigs.

Even though the Cabrinha Code 5'0" is almost the same volume as my FoilSurfMachine 75l board and only 1.5" longer (exact same weight at 5.7 kg) it has more volume up front giving me better fore-aft stability while knee starting in rougher conditions (stink bugs don't work for this ole timer). Oh, and finally got my a 1st session on my 4m SLS Slick as well. So now ridden the 6, 5 and 4m. Awesome wings.

Be aware that this assessment and video is from a strapless, limited repertoire, mostly flat water, "ole guy" perspective

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Grantmac said..
I have a Veloce XL and L stab, considering the new one of the new Fluid stabs and possibly wing as well.
Interesting to hear that the stab works well with the older wings.
Is the new stab and fuselage much lighter?

I measured a 417 gm difference between the pro fuselage/Fluid H 42cm stab and the standard fuselage/Veloce 43cm stab.

I think the new pro stabilizers definitely benefit the Veloce line and Fluid LT line since these are both very efficient, low profile (low volume) foil models. The more beginner oriented foil models (thicker and higher volume) won't benefit nearly as much since they are already quite a bit
more draggy to start with.

I've been really happy with the switch. But I also don't think it's an absolute must have. Same thing with carbon over aluminum. All comes down to personal choice.

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Grantmac said..
I've been debating getting a smaller tail for my Veloce, I wanted the large for learning but I think I'm ready to go smaller plus I find it can toss me off when there is decent swell. Sounds like getting the Fluid H medium would be worth it.
Out of curiosity what do you weigh?

I'm ~78 kg.

I used the large Veloce stabilizer (47cm) with my very big Veloce XXL front wing strictly for light wind foiling. With the XL Veloce I would definitely go for a smaller stabilizer whether it's the new pro version or not. You'll definitely notice the difference as your skills improve. I also owned the Veloce XL as my main foil as soon as it was released which was probably close to 2 years ago. I sold mine when I progressed to the Veloce LT as my daily driver, but the XL is still a great wing. Patrice was producing thin profile wings well before the idea caught on with Axis and the other producers. So many people still seem fixated on aspect ratio and area, but never consider the profile (thickness) of the wing. It has a huge impact on drag.

Plus Patrice tends to make all his foil components a bit more plug-and-play friendly. You can put on the smallest stabilizer in a model line and it will be more more pitch sensitive, but not by such an extreme amount that it becomes almost impossible to ride. In other brands that isn't always the case (though I completely understand why some people prefer a wider range of choices)

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Camarillo said..

Dspace said..
Even though the Cabrinha Code 5'0" is almost the same volume as my FoilSurfMachine 75l board and only 1.5" longer (exact same weight at 5.7 kg) it has more volume up front giving me better fore-aft stability while knee starting in rougher conditions (stink bugs don't work for this ole timer).

Can you tell us some more about the Cabrinha Code 5'0" ?
5.7 kg is a good weight and at 25" wide it is a bit narrower than most other boards of this length.
Your FoilSurfMachine 75l has a completely flat bottom at the back i suppose while the Code has a (minimal?) tailkick and these cutouts.
Kick tail with release channels for earlier flight and easy pumping Cabrinha says on the website

How do the FoilSurfMachine and the Code compare in light wind take off?
I am an 85 kg oldtimer and stinkbug doesn't work for me either....
And how is the concave deck? I tried a board with a lot of concave and I didn't like that.
The tracks are quite far back I hope this won't be a problem with the Cabrinha fusion h-series foils, they have to a bit more forward than Kujira's and Axis foils.
I hope longer tracks will become standard some day....

Dwight's 75l FSM board is 4'9" x 24.5" while the 5'0" Code is actually -4'10" x 25" and officially listed at 78l. Both weighed exactly the same at 5.7 kg. The biggest difference I noticed was that the Code had a more even distribution of volume from front to rear in part due to the more blunt nose versus the pointy nose on the FSM. That means better fore-aft stability while you're getting up. As far as quickness onto foil I'd give the edge to the Code but not by a large margin. This is my first concave wing board and honestly I didn't even notice it much, so I guess I'd consider it mild.

I would imagine the Code tracks would have to be properly positioned for the Cabrihna fusion h series
but I have no first hand experience.


The Codes are popular here at the moment. One friend is on a 5'2"/88l, his wife is on the 4'8"/58l, and another local is on the 5'0" like me. Evan Netsch is a team rider for Cabrinha and local as well, so we actually had access to demo boards. His dad, Robert just downsized from the 5'0" to the 4'10"/68l which is a -8l for him and he's fine with it. Be aware that the Codes do seem to be a bit more fragile compared more bomber construction heavier boards. Deck pad is thin but I'm generally wearing knee pads or in a wetsuit

I still think the FSM boards are great. Another local friend rides the same 75l FSM board as me, but he's 140# (64 kg) so very different for him. One more old timer friend who probably weighs around 70kg, and he's perfectly happy riding a 90+ liter FSM board with no desire to downsize in the future

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Camarillo said..
Do you know anything about the differences/similarities between the Cabrinha Code and the Cabrinha Macro?
Cabrinha Macro 5'0 x 25 78l
Cabrinha Code 5'0 x 25 78l
The Macro is discounted, very tempting

Sorry, no experience with the Macro. Maybe someone else on the forum does. I've seen a few Macro's listed on line at a discount as well. Maybe you can negotiate an even better deal than the listed discount