Racing, Freeride, Carving, Surfing Waves, it’s all about your choice!
Foil boards have been the latest trend in kitesurfing in the last couple of years and slowly but steady developed into an own niche in kiteboarding, requiring specialized equipment and even developing own categories like freestyle on a foil, freeriding and racing. Due to these quite fast developments, we will try to assist you in finding exactly what you need for your style to experience the fastest progression and the most fun.
Depending on the circumstances of the spot and the discipline you want to practice, you’ll find a quite big variety of options for foil boards, foil masts and foil wings. E.g. if you want to win races, only the racing dedicated Duotone Indy is the right board for you; if you want to go freeriding only, a harder to ride racing setup could probably lead to frustration.
Compared to Twintips or Surfboards, length and volume are of different importance. The length of Duotone Foil boards is chosen by expertise, the shorter the board, the more experienced the rider should be. Even the Free might look like an entry level board, but the smaller size 4’1 is definitely made for the more experienced rider. Volume and length still plays an important role especially for not that experienced riders when the board is on the waters’ surface, it will help to float and to have an easier water start as well as forgiving touch downs.
We’re using all our expertise to build Duotone foil boards, using the knowledge of our Twintip production in offering the Duotone Free in a classic snowboard construction, for the Duotone Hybrid SLS we use the knowledge of our surfboard production relying on the Duotone Pro construction, for the Duotone Pace and Duotone Indy we worked together with specialists experienced in the America’s Cup.
D-LAB stands for "Duotone Laboratory". As the name suggests, this is where completely new materials, production techniques and construction methods are developed. D-LAB products push the limits in terms of what was previously thought feasible or conceivable, setting new standards in the kite industry. These new technologies appear to defy the laws of physics. D-LAB products are genuinely the pinnacle of engineering prowess and will usher in long-term changes in kite sports.
The “strapped” versus “strapless” decision is down to your own preference and skill level. For Freeriding and riders with a surfing back ground, boards are often used without straps, in racing three straps are a must to go fast and hard. Learning some schools and teachers experiment with only straps in the front.
Lots of issues need to be considered when it comes to the shape of a foil board. Even small modifications can have a large impact on the board’s characteristics. Here is a summary of the most important features:
The outline of a foil board is essentially the shape of the board. This determines the rail line and how easy it is to ride, which angles of attack are possible without touching the water and how forgiving or crucial touch downs are. A shorter outline makes the board more reactive and responsive, a longer outline helps to make the board more locked in and easier to control at racing speed. Narrower outlines with a bigger angle allow the highest leaning angles/angles of attack.
The rocker is an important characteristics of a foil board, especially when the foil board is still touching the water. It’s responsible how easy you can water relaunch and how the board reacts when touching the waters’ surface. In general, the rocker indicates how curved a board is when examined from the side and is strongly influenced by the outline of the relevant board. A larger rocker makes touch downs a bit more forgiving.
The volume of a Foil board determines its buoyancy. Beginners will prefer a board with a rather bigger volume or surface, as it is easier to handle, especially at the water start. As foil boards are meant to be flying, the volume is more important for the level of rider than the weight of the rider, but it is still to consider when choosing the size.
The nose is the front end of the board and, just like the tail, is closely linked with the outline and rocker. When flying, the nose of a foil board is important for aerodynamics. On the water it shouldn’t catch.
The Foil itself, mast and plane (fuselage, front and back wing) are at least as important as the board, if not more important, please check the information in the Duotone Foil chapter!
Now and again you may find that you have lost or broken a screw or foot strap. Spare parts can be obtained from lots of kite shops or from the Duotone online shop.