2026 Cabrinha Union Foil Review

Tucker and Jeff have an early review of the 2026 Cabrinha Union foil. Cabrinha sent them some prototypes to ride, and so far they're stoked about it. Now they're ready to chat about what it is, what each wing is for, and who might want to pick this new system up.

What Is the Cabrinha Union Foil System?

This is a complete redesign that uses a monobloc construction, with the front and rear wing pieces each forming half of the fuselage. It's streamlined and incredibly stiff, and a few brands are moving to a setup like this rather than having a separate fuselage.

The connection system has been licensed from Mike's Lab, and that's a very good thing. It's well known in the industry for being reliable and bringing everything up a level in build quality and performance.

Cabrinha did bring their own tweak to the system. While the Mike's Lab foils use M6 bolts, the Union uses M8 for extra stiffness and durability with the larger wings. That's a nice improvement, but it's also worth mentioning because it means that you can't swap parts with Mike's Lab foils.

The connection system uses one screw that pulls the fuselage together, going in at an angle to lock it securely. Two screws attach the mast to the fuselage, with one passing through both halves of the fuselage for a rock-solid connection.

Is the Union System Backwards Compatible with the Fusion?

This is a fair question because the Cabrinha Fusion foils were very popular. It was a good system, and while the Union offers some nice improvements, starting all over can be tough. Fortunately, it is partially compatible.

Initially, there wasn't going to be any compatibility between the two systems, but Tucker and Jeff chatted with Cabrinha and they came up with an adapter that will let you use your aluminum Fusion mast with the new Union wings. You won't be able to use your Fusion wings with the Union masts but, for most people, the new wings are the exciting part anyway.

So yes, you can hang on to your mast and give the new wings a try! And if you've got a Cedrus mast, it also has a Union adapter.

What Components Are Available?

At launch, you can get:

• A 16mm carbon mast or a 14mm high modulus mast
• 1105, 905, or 705cm2 front wings
• 180 or 160cm2 tails

These options are going to meet the needs of most high-end riders.

Who Is the Cabrinha Union Foil System For?

If you're up and riding and have moved past all the basics and are looking to move to high performance, then this would be a good option to look at.

These are quite high aspect wings. The 705 has an aspect ratio of 8.5, the 905 is 11, and the 1105 is 11.5. This means the wings will deliver more speed and glide than other wings with similar surface area sizes.

How Do the Union Foils Perform?

Jeff was blown away by how surfy the wings were for having such a high aspect ratio. The 905 turned incredibly well, pivoting with very little input. In fact, it almost felt unstable until he realized he didn't have to push as hard to turn, and once he adjusted to that, it was incredibly fun.

The shape of the front wing has a lot to do with that. It has a thicker profile near the center for lift, but as you get to the tips that tapers off for speed, finally ending in a sort of upward twist like a mustache to keep the turns surfy.

The fuselage isn't especially short, so the foil doesn't have a pitchy, twitchy feel. You can push against it and rip in and out of turns. Although the tail is a little longer, it is efficient and doesn't catch.

You can take this setup on a downwind swell and get not only the glide and speed you need, but it's also very pumpable. Jeff's no expert pumper, but he found it to pump easily. Tucker liked how its faster pump cadence allowed it to accelerate.

What Did Jeff and Tucker Think?

Jeff's first session was in chest-high swell, and he was impressed at how he was able to keep up his speed. Once he'd adjusted to how easy it was to turn the wing, he found its rhythm and discovered that he could power into a turn and drive through it. Foils that are that maneuverable tend to be too twitchy to do that, but the guys felt comfortable laying into this one.

Jeff was able to get a couple intermediate locals out on the Union setup, and they rode with no issues. They'd ridden Cabrinha foils before and moved on to other brands, but they were so impressed with the speed, glide, and ease of turning that they were considering going back to Cabrinha by the end of their session.

Wingtip breach can be a concern with high aspect foils since they have a wider wingspan, but Tucker found that even with 8 inches of wing out of the water, he didn't lose control. That's thanks to its profile. The lift is in the center, with the wingtips being used mainly to add glide. As Tucker looked back over his footage, he was surprised at how often he'd breached without realizing it.

Which Components Should I Get?

You can probably do a one or two wing quiver with the Union. It's incredibly versatile.

Tucker and Jeff both liked the 905 front wing and 14mm mast. They could use it to wing, prone, and Foil Drive.

In lighter conditions or for parawinging, they'd swap out to the 1105 wing for lift and 16mm mast for a little extra stiffness with the wider wingspan. The larger surface area will make it easier to pump out of lulls and between swells, too.

Once conditions get overhead, then the 705 makes sense, though the 905 can also handle the waves if you want a one-foil quiver.

It includes covers for the wings and mast, and a deluxe case is available. It has pockets for each component and folds flat to just the right size to pack in your travel bag. It opens up into a nice pad for setting up. It'll protect your board from the concrete, and it's even helped catch dropped screws. Although it's a separate purchase, it's well worth it for many foilers.

The Union is a high-performance machine that's user-friendly as well. If you're not sure which pieces to choose, of course the shop is just a call or chat away and can look at where you ride and what you want to accomplish to make some suggestions that should make you very happy on the water.

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