Cabrinha Link 4’5

Cabrinha is continuing to push wingfoiling’s progression by supporting riders with more advanced and higher performing gear every year. As more riders are developing the skillset to exchange their mid to high volume wing board for a high-performance sinker, Cabrinha has added the Link to their board lineup. Coming in three sizes ranging from 4’0 @ 37L to 4’7 @ 51L, the Link is a great board for intermediate to advanced riders looking to move into their first sinker board, or update their current board to a new, modern design.

Using a traditional bamboo sandwich construction over a lightweight EPS core, the Link is strong, and durable without being over built and heavy. A unidirectional carbon stringer reinforces the board nose to tail and provides a very stiff ride. The deck has a comfortable profile for strapless riding, and a variety of well-placed footstrap inserts, so the Link can be customized to your individual rider preferences. The bottom rails are beveled to prevent unwanted touchdowns, and tail cuts help the Link get up on the water and shed drag through takeoff. A large, comfortable carry handle on the bottom just in front of the foil track is a great addition for easy handling in and out of the water.

The outline of the Link is designed around the sinker board water start, with the wide point pushed forward into the shoulders of the board, most of the volume is under the front foot. This allows for the nose of the board to rise up early which is key to the board getting out of the water and engaging the foil. The Link is comfortable and easy to control when submerged and will lead the rider through the water start without requiring significant input.

Riders will need to appropriately size the volume of their board. For reference, 1L will displace approximately 1Kg of mass. This means an 80L board will be more or less neutrally buoyant for an 80Kg rider. Learning to sink the board can be a challenge if there is too much board volume and buoyancy, but too little board volume can be tougher to get out of the water. As a general rule of thumb, a “sinker” board volume will be a little less than half your body weight, so an 80Kg rider would be around 35-40L.

The Link 4’5 x 20.5 x 3.9 @ 44L was tested using a 1075 surf foil, 4m wing, wind 25-30mph. Rider 6'4, 170lb.

The first impression of the Link is how it performs exactly as Cabrinha claims, the volume pushed forward towards the shoulder of the board lets it sit nicely in a “nose up” position under water, with the nose/front foot naturally sitting just above the tail/back foot of the board ready to take off. As the Link moves up through the water the wide nose quickly and easily planes and releases off the water to immediately engage the foil. When flying on foil the Link feels solid and controlled, with moderate responsiveness. Freestylers will appreciate the wider outline and floatation from the Link for landing aerial tricks, and wave riders will find comfort in the controlled and evenly weighted nature of the board. The foil tracks felt appropriately positioned relative to the footstrap inserts and only took minor adjustments to get everything dialed in. At 170lb, the 44L Link felt a bit floaty, and while it was still relatively easy to submerge, the 37L 4’0 would be my personal selection from the range. The Link is a touch wide to comfortably prone paddle, but it absolutely has potential to be a one-board quiver.

Overall, the Link is a great board with a sinker friendly design and is capable of performing under any conditions and all riding styles. Riders looking to take the next step and progress to a smaller sinker board should seriously consider the Link as their next choice. ST