Duotone Mag 2024

Thanks to all of us being on Maui, Ken, the Spencers and me, we can meet up any given day in person to discuss open design topics and test new concepts together. Maui is a hot spot for wind sports and a fertile breeding ground for new ideas. It’s crazy to think it wasn’t that long ago Ken called me up to come meet him at the beach to try out some new hand-wing thingy he had rigged up in his garage and we all know how that turned out.” Ken Winner about Sky: “Sky is now arguably the most experienced kite designer in the world and I would have to learn from him if I were to take up kite SKY SOLBACH – KITE DESIGN In 2004 Sky Solbach joined Duotone as international team rider. The same year he started testing kites together with Jaime Herraiz and Ken Winner. Competing actively until 2012, he became responsible for board design for Duotone in 2010, in this position initiating the first Wing Foil specific boards. Ten years down the road he added kite design to the list, making his first prototypes in 2020, by then having spent 16 years testing kites with Ken Winner, witnessing some important innovations along the way. His first production kites are the 2024 Neo an d Neo SLS. Currently he is working on all kite models for 2025. He today is one of the most experienced kite designers out there. “I began working with Ken Winner when I was 21 years old at the end of 2004. At the time I obviously had very little experience testing and developing kites, but as a top ranked competitive kiteboarder I had the necessary skills to judge how a kite performed, which helped to inform Ken’s designs. Over all the years of testing I learned practically everything I knowabout kite design fromKen. He became a mentor to me and I’m proud to say also a close friend. Ken and I communicate regularly about design topics and share what we are working on. Ken has always been very open with me about the process of kite and wing development and we have shared many frustrations and victories over the past two decades of working together. Taking over kite design from Ken are big shoes to fill, that’s for sure. I am still working together with him, only that he has handed over the reins so that I can continue building upon his work over the last 20 plus years. Ken has designed some of the best kites in the industry and I am happy to have been there with him through most of it. Two years ago, at a time when I was transitioning to designing kites full time and no longer had the capacity to continue multi- tasking with wing boards, kiteboards and kites, we started collaborating with Finn and Jeffrey Spencer on the wing boards. In the beginning we worked together on all aspects of design and testing. Using my latest design files as a base, Finn and Jeffrey were able to begin further development. Lately they have become mostly independent from me and are able to work on new concepts directly with our team of product managers from the Duotone Wing Foil department. design again. He is smart and he works hard. Also he has a good feel for how a kite or board is performing when he’s testing it. I’m pleased that he has taken over kite design from me and that he’s doing so well. The fact that he is continuing the consistent improvement in performance of kites that I’ve spent so much time working on is extremely gratifying.” Finn & Jeffrey Spencer about Sky: “Sky has taught us a lot about board and wing design and is a really good mentor to us. He’s very professional and easy to work with. He’s also a great person so it is a pleasure to spend time with him.” R & D MAUI KITE MANUEL ZWINZ Product Development and Kite Designer As an active snowboarder and successful national league sports sailor (J70), Manuel saw the logical combination of both sports in Kiteboarding. After working as a kite instructor and freelance kiteboard builder with a press in his basement at home, he studied mechanical engineering and specialized in sports equipment technology. His start at Boards & More took the engineer from twintip design and surfboard technology across all hardgood development topics such as Trust Bars, straps, foils and foil wings to kite design, which is the absolute focus of his work today. Manuel continued his educationwith university lectures on aerodynamics, sailmaking training and knowledge of simulation software. A few months’ stay on Maui in the summer determined the process of how Manuel communicates with Sky Solbach during development and testing. Manuel himself lives with his family in Portugal and can be out on the water every day for testing – an invaluable advantage in a targeted development process. His aim is to examine the mathematics behind all aerodynamic profile data in order to maintain maximum control down to the smallest data file when making changes to the angle of attack, cloth tension, profile transitions and all shapes. His tool for this: not conventional kite design software but CAD software from automotive design. An analytical approach that makes a difference. MUNICH VALENTIN PEIKER Junior Product Manager Kite Boards From student intern in the marketing team to demo tour helper on German beaches to working student (industrial engineering with a focus on mechanical engineering) and finally to Junior Product Manager: Valentin is responsible for the Duotone twintips and surfboards. The direction of the entire board range (characteristics, requirement profile) is developed in the team during joint brainstorming sessions. Valentin then takes care of the technical construction of the boards, the data and communication with the production facility, graphics, initial prototypes, testing these, adjustments in shape and construction and completion through to final acceptance. MALTE GESSER Team Lead Product Management Kite Malte has been a passionate kiter since the age of thirteen and worked as a kite instructor during school and university. After graduating, the mechanical and process engineer worked in the development of high- performance plastics and carried out tests for a kite magazine. He joined Boards & More in 2022 and immediately dedicated himself to expanding the laboratory tests. To date, he has doubled the testing options in the Boards & More laboratory. Each product manager can test their own products here and carry out their own test procedures. Nevertheless, all colleagues benefit from Malte’s deep immersion in the subject matter: many stitching techniques, constructions and material combinations that Malte tests in the lab find their way into a variety of Duotone products. ARON MATHES Team Lead Product Development Kite After completing a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Technology, Aron went on to complete a Master’s degree in Integrated Design Engineering, where he studied everything needed for product development at the interface of mechanical engineering and design. In his bachelor’s thesis on the ISO standard for kitebar safety systems, he scrutinized the Duotone Iron Heart and developed it further. He has been with Boards & More since 2021 and is responsible for the technical development of both bars (Click Bar and Trust Bar) as well as line development. In addition to product management, CAD design and further development of the Duotone bars, his current focus is also on a new binding project. Colleagues appreciate his technical feedback in discussions on all overarching development projects. D U O T O N E D U O T O N E 84 85 W H Y R & D T E A M