2023 Cabrinha Nitro Review

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This is Pat from MACkiteboarding.com, and I'm going to give you my review of the Cabrinha 03 Nitro. I've had a couple sessions on it now, and I've really been enjoying this kite.

What Is the Cabrinha Nitro?

The Nitro is Cabinha's all-new big air kite. It's a 5-strut, higher-aspect kite made for boosting really high and doing kiteloops.

So far, I've been really impressed with this kite. I felt at home as soon as I got on it. It falls right in line with the other 5-strut big air kites I've been riding this year: the Rebel SLS, the Eleveight XS, and the Airush Lift. It didn't stand out above any of those kites, but it did feel right on par with them, and I am quite happy with it.

Bar Pressure & Flying Characteristics

It's pretty light in the bar. In fact, it probably has the lightest bar pressure of any Cabrinha kite I've ridden. Normally Cabrinha kites are a little heavier when it comes to bar pressure, but this one was even lighter than some of the other 5-strut big air kites I've been riding. It's lighter than the Rebel SLS, and roughly comparable to the Eleveight XS, so I'm impressed with that design move away from the traditional Cabrinha feel.

Apex Frame Construction

The Nitro is the only kite in the Cabrinha lineup with a full Apex frame, which is their lightweight HT material. Compared to the Rebel SLS in the same size, the Nitro weighs about half a pound more, so if you're looking for the lightest kite out there, this might not be the one for you. The Nitro 9m weighs 7.1 lbs. vs. the Rebel SLS 9m at 6.65 lbs. However, I found the Nitro to be just as fast and reactive in the air, so I'm still impressed since I didn't notice the extra half a pound while I was flying. In my opinion, it's not a make-or break deal in terms of performance.

Pros & Cons

The Nitro flies pretty far forward in the wind window. That could be a pro or a con for you, but I did notice that my load-and-pop tricks tended to drive it forward in the window. When doing a traditional loaded backroll or loaded frontroll, the kite would slide forward in the window and not catch me as much as I was used to with the 3-strut kites that sit a little deeper in the wind window. Some people like that feeling and some don't, so take that as you will.

Being a 5-strut, higher-aspect kite, the relaunch was okay, but not great, in my opinion. While I had no problem holding one of the outside lines, it did take a moment to roll over and relaunch. It didn't pop right up off the water like some of the more compact, 3-strut kites do. This is due to the arcing shape of those kites compared to something flatter like the Nitro.

Who Is This Kite For?

I would give this kite to anyone trying to push their big air boundaries. It's really confidence-inspiring. I was only on my second or third tack on the Nitro, and I was already throwing kiteloops. It usually takes me longer than that on a new kite to get a good enough feel for it and how it reacts in the air before I want to do that. But this was a comfortable-feeling kite and I felt at home on it after just a couple tacks. Of course, that may vary for you, but for my style of riding, it checked a lot of boxes right away, such as bar pressure, turning speed, and the ability to feel where the kite is in the air.

However, I would not bring this kite surfing in the waves. It sits too far forward in the window, and when you run at it, it would drop out of the air on you.

Conclusion:

If you're looking to do some all-around freeride with it, it does cross over into that area, though I wouldn't sell it as that. It really is a big air-specific kite. If you're looking to dabble in the waves and foil, I wouldn't put you on a Nitro. A Switchblade or a Moto X would be a better option for that rider.

If you're looking for a kite that flies like a Switchblade but uses the lighter material, the Nitro isn't it. This is a fast-turning, light bar pressure, big-jumping kite. It has similar hangtime and boosting compared to the Switchblade, but the kite feels completely different.

If you have any questions, be sure to reach out to us. This has been Pat from MACkiteboarding.com, covering the all-new Cabrinha 03 Nitro

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