The Cabrinha Contra Vs the Slingshot Turbine- Versus w/ Rygo

Lightwind kites have come a long way in just the last 5 years really. I’ve said it before, if you’re not taking advantage and kiteboarding in the sub 12 knot days, you’re really missing out. This week, we’re breaking down two of the longest standing light wind kites in our shop. The Cabrinha Contra Vs The Slingshot Turbine. Their both built with the same purpose and rider in mind but they do have some pretty distinct differences.

Let’s start with the Contra.

There are a few things that come to mind on why I love this kite With its three strut construction, this kite is incredibly lightweight allowing it to fly in extremely light winds for its size. For a large kite, it has surprisingly fast turing speed, particularly the 15m. The bar pressure is moderate yet, not overbearing and the relaunch is consistent reliable.

What about the Turbine

On the other hand, the the Turbine, while not as lightweight as the Contra, it does have a more durable heavy duty construction and more low end. Meaning it will have more power pound for pound in less wind in the kites respective wind range. More on that later.

The Slingshot Turbine has a lot of power.

The trade off here is that with the lightweight construction, the Contra will actually work in less wind and you can sign the kite with less effort. Something to consider if you love pushing the bottom end of those lightwind days. However, as far as park and go when your not pushing the extreme bottom end of light winds, the Turbine will have more power.

An important note is that the Turbine does have more low-end but you will get overpowered faster on the Turbine as well. I’ve pushed the 17 Contra into 20 something knots before, and while I’m not advocating that, I find around 18 knots the Turbine will start to pull a bit to hard making it difficult to ride upwind or jump. I find that to be a fair trade off for the low end

What about bar pressure?

Regarding bar pressure, the Slingshot Turbine has a bit more than the Contra and this can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preference. Heavy bar pressure on lightwind days can create a sense or perceived power and it’s actually kind of satisfying when you don’t have enough Juice. As for the Contra, I wouldn't say it has more moderate bar pressure. Definitely not as much as the Turbine. To this, I would say to each their own, I actually prefer heavy bar pressure but I do often opt for the Contra.

Relaunch

Something else to consider would be the Relaunch.I mentioned that the Cabrinha Contra has a reliable relaunch and this is particularly important for light wind kites. It can get difficult especially during those spring thermals where there is actually less wind on the surface of the water than say 15 meters up in the sky. Its kind a weird phenomenon I’ve noticed on our local beaches here. I’m sure some of you have experienced this. As long as your kites in the sky you can ride but if you drop it, game over. Back to the Turbine. I would say, the Contra relaunches better but it’s only noticeable on the absolute bottom end.

Dropping my kite in the local slick.

The Turbine also has a good relaunch....

To give you perspective, I’ve dropped the Turbine in a wind shadow at our local slick and to my surprise, it popped right back up. A fun little trick is that if you know how to swim at the kite and roll it on it’s back, the Turbine will launch pretty effortlessly. I should note, there was some debate at the shop regarding what kite has a better relaunch. So to that end, it’s fairly marginal between these two. If anyone one else watching has any input on the relaunch I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments.

Construction

I touched on it earlier, the Turbine does have a more heavy duty construction while, the Contra uses less material in contrast to the rest of the Cabrinha line up. What this means is the Contra is going to stay in the sky when the wind gets lighter. Now, don’t let this scare you. While it is a lighter construction this kite can still take a beating. I’ve really put this kite through the ringer for the last three years and running and I’m yet to have any problems.

Something else regarding construction would be how customizable each kite is. One aspect I love about Slingshot is how many options they give you. On the Turbine, there are three options for setting up your steering lines that will affect the turning speed and the bar pressure.The Contra, will have two options to the same end.

Jumping

A fun point to touch on is how well each of these kites jump. The Turbine is actually going to jump a little better and have more hang time. A large part of this is simply the shape of the canopy. The Turbine has a higher aspect ratio making for a lofty powerful kite. This is an instance where I find the Contra to be a bit more well rounded meaning any freestylers out there looking to unhook in marginal winds will enjoy the Contra but if you love big air, the Turbines just a bit better. That’s not to say, the Contra isn’t good at jumping because it’s still an all around performance kite. And just to get some bias out of the way, the Contra is actually my go to lightwind kite for three years running.

Upwind-ability

Another important point to consider is upwind ability. So, the Turbine does ride upwind more efficiently, it sits further forward in the wind window, the open delta high aspect ratio shape that almost pushing into the foil kite realm makes for a very efficient lightwind kite. However, the Contra isn’t that far behind regarding upwind ability. It’s not nearly as high aspect but the big trade off is the further forward a kite sits in the wind window, the more efficient it becomes but the less stable it can be in rough or light winds. So the Contra might not ride upwind quite as well but it will be more stable when the wind gets rough. As well, the contras shape lends itself to more depower.

Recap

These kites are both a great lightwind option. I would happily ride either one. The Contra, will have a larger wind range as its lighter and you can work it in marginal winds. It also works well in stronger winds and your less likely to get pinned when the wind picks up meaning you won’t have to switch kites as the winds build up. It has a slight edge when launching in extremely light wind and more depower.

On the flip side, the Turbine jumps a bit better, has more hang time, it will ride upwind better in its respective wind range. While it’s not as light as the Contra, it does have slingshots surf tough construction. And you have more options to customise the kite to your liking.

So when it comes to deciding between these two kites just ask yourself what you want to do with it. And what trades offs we covered are most important to you. For me, I like the Contra for the wind range and how playful and well rounded it is for a light wind kite. the but I can certainly respect that the Turbine has some pretty strong advantages for riders looking to rock upwind and get the most airtime possible. 

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. About eight years into a postal career, he decided to change everything and travel as a freelance videographer & writer. This took him from coast to coast and a variety of countries. Nowadays you can catch him on the phones, doing lessons, or working on videos. Of course, he still makes a point to travel as often as possible. He is passionate about helping people and sharing the stoke with his customers and students alike.