I've been looking for a backup board to my beloved Natural for a while now. I finally decided to go with a Cartel even though I have never ridden one. I was told the Natural and Cartel ride very similar... WRONG!
The Natural rides higher in the water, cuts and let's off much easier, and has relatively consistent predictable pop.
The Cartel rides somewhat tail heavy in the water, but when you lean over and put it on edge, the board takes off like a rocket, and pops you straight up huge! I have a tendency to build speed into the wake, and flatten out just a hair as I ride up on my toeside cuts. This board wasn't havin any of the ole cheat the wake habbits. When I tried to pull this little stunt it would slip and slide me up the wake and throw more over the front. When I finally started staying on edge all the way up, it rewarded me with big lofty pop. Lastly, for a board that is much narrower, and shorter than my 144 Natural, it has much softer landings. I'm gonna stick with riding this board for a bit, and see if I can correct my form well enough to ride it a little more consistently. For those who like a fast, abrupt popping board, I highly recommend giving it a demo.
Pics for reference.
Cartel 141
Natural 144