Cabrinha Xcaliber - Wood Vs Carbon kiteboards

An interview with Evan on his choice boards!

The Cabrinha Xcaliber, one's carbon, one's wood. Depending on the day, depending on what I'm doing, I'd use either one of these as my go-to boards from Cabrinha. 

What are the major differences when you go for a wood board or a carbon board, and why might you choose one? 

The main difference is the wood board's going to be a little bit of a smoother ride. It's going to be a little bit flexier, cut through chop a little bit better, and be a little easier on your knees, where the carbon might be a little bit more performance-oriented, take a little bit of a harder landing, slightly more pop. It's that same outline, a lot of the same performance characteristics, but this one should be a little bit more of an aggressive-riding board, for sure.

In my experience, when I have used older versions of the wood versus carbon, with wood it's kind of a damper feel, like a little softer, When you go to the carbon you can kind of feel that pop; you can literally feel it on the tail. You get a little more feedback, I'd say, out of the carbon board, but at the same time that feedback can be a little more abrasive on you, especially if you're in a really heavy chop situation. You're going to feel all that, and it's going to be like having a car with stiffer suspension in it. 

Yeah, that's a good analogy. I like that.

So I've got both of these boards; I actually use them both about equally depending on different days. The carbon's the 138, so for me this is more like my freestyle board. If I'm unhooking, if I'm doing tricks, I'm landing hard, I want a little bit of a bigger board. Maybe the wind's a little bit lighter, better, bigger surface area for landing, a little more pop, and a stiffer flex profile for taking heavier landings.

For sure. And you're doing footstrap freestyle as well, correct? 

I kind of go back and forth, honestly. This board, I'd say, is maybe a little bit small for me for riding boots, but I do ride boots on this one a lot. And again, I think that's where I definitely want that stiffer board, is when I do ride boots. I'd say as I'm getting older I'm probably not riding boots as much, but I still do put boots on this board, especially a couple years ago. This is my dedicated boot board, and now it's evolved. I ride straps on it a bit more than I have in the past. I've actually been riding the 138 carbon Xcaliber for I don't know how many years--a lot of years--and this has been my go-to board and I really love it a lot. This size, that construction.

It's actually a really efficient board too. I'm one of those guys that rides big boards; I was riding a 147 all last year, which sounds ridiculously huge, but it was really rockered out, more park-focused. I actually tried Damo's 138 Xcaliber down in Florida this winter, and the efficiency of a board like that... 

This board is so stupid efficient, really, really fast... it didn't feel like a small 138--not that that's small to most people, but to me it sounds like a small board--but it worked really well.

Yeah. For me, if I was to have one board, this is the board, but like you said, I think a lot of people, especially now, have been going bigger and bigger on their board sizes, especially for park riding or whatever in boots with a lot of rocker. But this board is definitely a more efficient outline and it maybe rides a little big for its size. Like when you get on even the 135, it feels like it's got a little more board to it than a 135.

I would agree.

So this is the wood one, the 135, and I ride the wood in a slightly smaller size because normally, if I'm riding the 135, it's going to be that super windy day. I'm boosting big, I'm doing kite loops, I'm riding through marsh and channels and stuff here in Hatteras. So one, I want to be on a smaller board because I'm not unhooking, I don't really care about that extra board surface area for landing, and two, it's super windy. I'm maxed out on a nine meter, it's usually really choppy, and I want something just a little bit more forgiving, usually, for those days. 

Makes perfect sense.

Hooked in, riding lit up, then I go for this Xcaliber wood, and sometimes we do pretty long downwinders too, and it gets pretty choppy and pretty gnarly and the wood feels just a little bit smoother on the knees. If I rode this in carbon I'd be super happy as well, but I think towards the end of that downwind run, sometimes you're hurting a lot anyways, and this just makes me at least hurt a little bit less being on the wood version.

That's cool. I love some of the points that you brought up as well. I think it's a good opportunity to share some things with people out there. You mentioned sometimes when riders are doing things a bit more powered and they're landing harder, a lot of guys like the bigger board because they've got the extra surface area to land on. A lot of guys will break the water with their tail to kind of soften up the impact, but when you're doing more big air, when you're lit, a big board can be kind of unbearable. When you're lit on a 9, and if you're doing more floaty tricks like the heli loops and coming down like that, having a smaller board is almost like two different sports, and it's interesting how the tools will change depending on what you're doing. 

For sure. I say when I'm on this board I usually come down--even though it is that much windier and I'm super powered--I'm usually coming down really, really soft. Or I'm coming down ridiculously hard and out of control, and at that point I just want the board away from me.

Haha, you do you do see a lot of the big air riders where they come down, they're kicking the board out, or they hit and they're just crashing and fall onto their back.

I could honestly be happy with either of these boards in either construction, either size, but this combo, for me, is what makes sense for what I'm doing.

I think there's benefits to both for somebody who might be newer and they're not going out and riding powered. Something like a 138, even a 140, 141 is kind of nice because it's a little extra board for them to land on. They can ride a slightly smaller kite and still make up for the lack of power and learn tricks. This is just my two cents when I think about these things and talk to people.

Somebody skilled like you might really, really love the 135 all the time; that's what a lot of people are gravitating towards, is smaller boards because they want to be able to hold down all that power, but just some things to think about, throwing it out there.

Yeah, I would agree too. I think most people would probably enjoy the wood version maybe a little more than the carbon just because it is a little smoother, maybe a little more well-rounded in that sense of if you're going out in super choppy conditions. The carbon is great, but you are sacrificing a little bit of nice, smooth ride for some performance. I think for a lot of people, myself included, on a lot of days I don't need that stiff carbon feel. I want a little bit smoother wood feel.

Yeah, and I think it's important to remember too, with modern kiteboarding gear, the average person is never going to outgrow the most basic product. And not that this is a basic product at all, because this is obviously your freestyle board, but just in general when you're looking at wood versus carbon and different kites, it's pretty hard to max out the potential of your gear.

You could put a beginner on this board. It doesn't make a difference, but you can really appreciate some of the better qualities in it. 

Absolutely. I love that snappy feel of carbon for sure, and I do the same; I bounce back and forth between wood and carbon boards, and when I have a carbon one to play with and the water's flat it's like magic.

Yeah, for sure, yep. Absolutely.

Well cool, man, I appreciate it.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Yeah man. I hope you guys found this video helpful. If you did, hit that thumbs up button, subscribe to the video, we'll catch you next time.

Ryan (Rygo) Goloversic

Many people dream of quitting their job, traveling the world and pursuing their passions. Rygo is one of those people who pulled the trigger. A few years into his career, he decided to change everything and travel as a kiteboarder, freelance videographer & writer. His mission is to share the stoke & help people put the boarding into their kiteboarding. Get outside and kite!

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