Uni.XT

The UNI.XT allows the most universal usage of any extension out there. With its different thread options it fits to any sail brand and -model without the rope ever getting crossed or tangled.

In addition you can either use all 3 rollers at the sail plus the 2 rollers at the base (THREAD THROUGH OPTION = 6:1 power-ratio).
Or you just loop the rope through the 2 outside rollers at the sail and over 1 of the rollers at the base (LOOP LOOP GO OPTION = 4:1 power-ratio).

When designing the UNI.XT we measured the downhaul forces of both options on all kind of sails.
We've found out these interesting facts:

1. Threading the rope through all rollers (without the rope getting crossed) takes at least 4 times as long as just looping the rope.
    

2. When downhauling a cambered slalom sail the forces necessary are nearly 3 times as high as when downhauling a no-cam wave sail (160 kg vs. 60kg).
    

3. With a 6:1 power-ratio you need to pull twice as much rope-length as with a 4:1 ratio. Therefore with a 4:1 ratio you can downhaul the sail in one go whereas with a 6:1 ratio you need to retighten the rope.
    

4. In theory with a 6:1 power-ratio the downhaul forces should only be half as high compared to a 4:1 ratio. Though in real life the friction loss at all rollers reduces the downhaul tension by only 15% at most (wave sail: 57 kg vs. 60 kg / slalom camber sail: 135 kg vs. 160 kg).
    

HERE ARE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS:

• For no-cam sails the massive comfort- and speed advantages of the 4:1 ratio (LOOP LOOP GO OPTION) outweigh the very slightly reduced downhaul forces of the 6:1 ratio
   

• On cambered sails the downhaul forces are so massive that even a small reduction helps. Here you should use the 6:1 ratio (THREAD THROUGH OPTION)

• Downhauling is a combination between pulling with your arms and lower back and pushing with your feet.
   

• To avoid back strains you should try to push more with your feet (min. 60%) versus pulling with your arms/back.
   

• With all current standard extensions so far you could just prop with one foot against the cup.
   

• With the UNI.XT you now can prop with both feet against the base cup.
   

• This results in 30% more efficient trimming and reduced back strain.

1. Over time even stainless steel and aluminium parts get affected by salt water. Therefore after holidays in salt water please put the UNI.XT in a bucket full of sweet water.
    

2. Once or twice a year spraying some WD40 or Caramba onto both axles helps to reduce the friction and thus reduces the downhaul forces. When done wipe the UNI.XT clean with a cloth to remove all excess oil. Especially the teeth of the cleat must be free of oil.
    

3. Need any spare parts? Here you go

With alloy booms we don't recommend to use the whole extension range - at least if you're a heavy guy and/or are sailing in heavy conditions.
However with mast extensions you can use the entire range. At least our tests and experience have shown no difference in durability by doing so.

On our TIPS & TRICKS youtube channel you can find everything to maintain and/or get the most out of your Duotone products.
Check it out here: 

Sustainability is the most important and pressing challenge of todays mankind to secure a livable mother earth for future generations to come!

Over the last 50 years Windsurfing has developed into a super high tech sport. But let's face it despite what others might tell you with the exception of aluminium booms and extensions Windsurfing products are a "mixture of petrol-based plastic trash". And most times up to 100% of this plastic trash are non-recycled (means "freshly produced") plastics. 
At least as of today there are no eco-friendly substitutes existing offering the minimum requirements necessary to design modern Windsurfing products. Or why do you think no one wants to sail with wooden booms, aluminium masts or stretchy sails made of woven fabrics anymore?
There is only one sustainable way out of this dilemma:

MAKING LONGER LASTING PRODUCTS (LONGEVITY = SUSTAINABILITY)
A high performance product that lasts longer and best case can even be put into additional use on the second hand market is the best and only way to conserve the resources of our earth.
Of course light components have a massive impact on the performance and handling of your rig. That's why light weight is always on our briefing list when designing and engineering new products. And DUOTONE products are among or in many cases are the lightest on the market.
But durability and longevity were and will ALWAYS be on top of our priority list. Our industry leading warranty extensions bear witness to this philosophy:
- 2 year unconditional warranty on almost every hardware product (masts, booms and extensions+bases).
- 5 year warranty on 80% of our sails.
On sails we cannot emphasize enough that especially reducing the thickness of the monofilm and the XPly laminate has a radical influence on the longevity/sustainability. Reducing the film thickness by 50% reduces the UV-stability by 70%. Just to shortterm impress magazine testers or customers some brands use up to 70% thinner laminates/films than we do. This is not our understanding of sustainability.

DOING MORE
However, since we are fully aware of the importance of sustainability, we cannot simply stop here.
>> Only we have stopped using any plastic for packaging our sails. This saves approx. 5 sqm of plastic film and foam per sail.
>> Only our aluminium products (booms and extensions+bases) are manufactured in a CO2 neutral production facility.
>> Only our aluminium products (booms and extensions+bases) are produced in Germany using 100% European raw materials in order to keep shipping distances (to our manufacture and then to our central warehouse) at a minimum.
>> Only our sail bags are made out of 100% recycled plastic.
>> Only we compensate all carbon emissions caused by our sails during manufacture and transport by supporting a hydropower carbon offset project in Sri Lanka, the country where our sails are produced.

Wanna know more?

DO YOU HAVE ANY INPUT OR IDEAS ON HOW TO IMPROVE OUR PRODUCTS?
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH US!

We strive to create products that are superior in performance and function to anything else on the market. Therefore, we are not just interested in the opinion and experience of professional riders, but listen to ALL windsurfers out there. Because we know we can learn from everyone, we want to collect the opinions of windsurfers worldwide.

This project runs throughout the whole year. Every year on January 15th, the best ideas will be rewarded and might actually be implemented into future products.

So, you have got an idea? Contact us >HERE<  and take your chance to make a difference. (Please use "R&D input for DTW" as a subject line)

REWARDS

1st - One sail (free of choice)

2nd - One Silver Boom (free of choice)

3rd -  One Power.XT 2.0 (free of choice)