Cabrinha Contra 14m Cheap Upgrade From 2008 to _____ (?)

[Paul Isabelle]

I saw a Cabrinha Contra 2007 on Mktpl, new condition (used once) for sale cheap. So I did a bit of research in this kite and came across this fantastic video by Anthony @ St-Petersburg Kiteboarding. Thanks!

 

I knew what I was dealing with. It is was 7 strut (heavy!) with a 2:1 bar system (heavy bar pressure). I was curious to see if this kite could be upgraded in design similar the latest offering, lighter, faster, more responsive. So I bought it to take up this new challenge.

Step 1. I first started the process by flying the kite in light air. The weight of the kite makes it much harder to roll over and relaunch. The kite was powerful but slow to react and bar pressure was really annoying. The kite would stall and set back in the window, or fall out of the sky in lulls. A porker!

Step 2. The second step was to fly with target struts deflated and with the bar 1:1.  I tried various combinations but the best was to keep the center and tip struts. The kite would only turn if I would reach out to grab a rear line, the bar not being long enough to turn sharply. No surprise there.

Step 3. So I proceeded to remove the 4 large struts. I plugged the valves and went for another test flight (unsewn, just taped). To my surprise, there was no flapping, so canopy adjustment (coning) would be required. So I sewed the panels back up. However, I noted that the valve stubs are hooks that can easily catch bridle lines. They will need to go.

Step 4. I went back to try the first bridle mod. I simply removed  the wingtip blocks that linked the rear lines to rest of the bridle. The kite flew well in light air, however, later, I noticed that the kite would deform when loaded up. The wingtip of the kite will need a better load distribution from the bridle that adjusts with AoA. Bridle re-design and balancing turned out to be the most challenging part of the modification that took a few passes. I now have it really sweet, the rear lines ties to a block on the last bridle cascade that the kite can roll around.

While testing, I did not notice that the Boston valve let go, with hindsight, adhesive failure could be expected with such an old kite. Unfortunately the Boston valve twisted in the hole and caused an aneurism in the bladder causing a major blowout. I repaired it but ordered a replacement kit, not feeling confident. Besides, this would allow me to eliminate the 4 valves, eliminating the number of potential failure points going forward.

Conclusion

The major difference in this kite from 2007 to 2023 appear to be the number of struts, better bridles, bar and safety systems and material science improvements (fibres, weaves, coatings…). There is no doubt that there were also subtle canopy and shape adjustments, but the kite design appears to be relatively unchanged. Apart from market hype and trends (ex: more struts = better shape = faster, more power), kite designs were pretty well tuned in 2007.

I really love this kite now, it is a true light air machine like it was intended to be. Three struts are enough for it to fill nose down, roll over and pop up. The only hick is water that may now pool on the unsupported canopy, but that is a minor issue. The canopy does not flap, just a little rustle once in a while like I have seen on many modern lightweight kites.

I can post images if anyone is interested to know more about this.

[Kamikuza]

Nice one. Wanted to do this with my old Crossbows but will never have the time

 

…And as I suspected, “deformed under load” would have been the result. The new 5-strut kites do that anyway 😂