You may think why does one brand have 12 different twin tip kiteboards. Quite rightly and we thought so at first. And then we are only talking about the newly designated Duotone 2021 twin tips. In addition, there are 3 twintips in the range. So in total 15. Anyway, if you read on about the properties, it immediately becomes cool and it strikes the imagination. Imagination about which kiteboard suits you and how good you could kite surf with it. In this kitesurf blog brief explanation about the different Duotone twintip kiteboards per sailing style.
Sailing styles twintips
You want a kiteboard that suits your level and your riding style. There are roughly four riding styles for twin-tip kite surfing. Briefly explained below.
- Freeride: everyone's kiteboard for fun sessions to participate in whatever you feel like at that moment.
- Freestyle: more radical shooting, high and long jumps and perform tricks at pressure and speed.
- wake style: perform radical tricks with fixed boots and enormous pressure and possibly go over sliders and kickers.
- light wind: special twin tips - large, wide and flat - for little wind, especially for cruising.
Feel free to view the extensive item about kiteboards and what the different ones kite boards being suitable. You may also view which size twintip kiteboard is right for you.
Duotone 2021 twintips per sailing style
Freeride Duotone twin tips
Duotone Select SLS
The Select SLS is a so-called performance freeride kiteboard. An all-rounder. Duotone recommends this kiteboard as the best kiteboard in the world that has been improved again. SLS stands for Strong, Light, Superior and is defined by Duotone as the top when it comes to kites and kiteboards. Each SLS indicates that Duotone has applied the new technologies in that kiteboard or kite. The Select SLS is therefore light, fast, direct and generates a lot of pop for a freeride board. It is also a kiteboard for making sharp turns on flat water and in the waves. In addition, it is a fairly flat kiteboard so that it also gets going quickly in less wind.
Duotone Select twin tip
The Select is just like the Select SLS a freeride kiteboard. This 'normal' Select is slightly heavier and less stiff than the Select SLS. Also cheaper and therefore different technologies have been used than with the SLS. The Select stands for reliable, forgiving and uncomplicated. Due to the mono concave on the underside of the kiteboard, it can be sailed with smaller fins. After all, the concave ensures a good grip on the water.
Duotone Soleil SLS twin tip
The Soleil SLS is a kiteboard especially for women and is assigned the same scores by Duotone as the Select SLS. 100% suitable for freeride, very suitable for freestyle and also above average suitable for unhooked freestyle tricks. As explained in more detail with the Select SLS, SLS stands for Strong, Light, Superior and is defined by Duotone as the top when it comes to kites and kiteboards. The Soleil SLS is less stiff than a Select SLS and comes in other sizes and of course a print more specifically for women. For example, the Soleil SLS is also narrower, which is generally nicer for ladies than a very wide kiteboard. With less weight and a smaller foot size, a narrower kiteboard is easier to bend and a flexible kiteboard is easier to control.
Duotone Soleil twin tip for women
The Soleil is a kiteboard especially for women and is assigned the same scores by Duotone as the Select. Very suitable for freeride, above average suitable for freestyle and suitable for unhooked freestyle tricks. This 'normal' Soleil is slightly heavier and less stiff than the Soleil SLS. Also cheaper and therefore different technologies have been used than with the SLS. The Soleil is a flexible kiteboard. The Soleil is also narrower than many other kiteboards and that is generally nicer for women than a very wide kiteboard. With less weight and a smaller foot size, a narrower kiteboard is easier to bend and a flexible kiteboard is easier to control. In addition, the print of the board is slightly more focused on women.
Duotone Gonzales
The Gonzales is described as a perfect kiteboard for beginners to start your kitesurfing career. We can confirm that because we also use this kiteboard ourselves when we give kitesurfing lessons. In addition, we can also agree that this kiteboard is a very nice kiteboard even for advanced users. The Gonzales is fairly flexible and has a concave bottom. This makes the Gonzales very forgiving and gives a lot of confidence in everything you do on the water. The board is also fairly round and has flexible ends. This makes the board great for making turns. Our personal opinion is that the Gonzales can also be a wonderful kiteboard for the average kite surfing.
Freestyle Duotone twin tips
Duotone Jamie SLS
A performance freestyle board in the SLS version. SLS stands for Strong, Light, Superior and is defined by Duotone as the top when it comes to kites and kiteboards. The Jamie SLS is fairly stiff and thus generates good pop and control at high speed. The carbon in it makes the kiteboard even more explosive. The flexible tips nevertheless support soft landings. This is also the board on which we see our Lasse Walker riding and that immediately confirms previous statements.
Duotone Jamie
The Jamie has been referred to as the 'godfather' of all twin tips. This is a bit correct because we had a lot of fun with the Jamie about 15 years ago. It can be used for both freestyle and freeride riding style. Of course Duotone has significantly improved the Jamie compared to then. The Jamie is a stiff kiteboard due to the carbon web that is incorporated in it. The Jamie also twists easily and this, together with the channels, gives it a lot of grip on the heel side. This also supports soft landings. In addition, the Jamie is praised for its speed. It is an active kiteboard that you can sail nice and fast.
Wakestyle Duotone Twin Tips
Duotone Gambler
A wakestyle / slider park kiteboard described not only as for use with a kite but also by cable behind a boat or on a cable car. The Gambler is a somewhat rounder kiteboard and therefore really a board to turn corners and make waves yourself. Special attention has also been paid to the rails. It must be able to withstand a lot. For example, by scraping over sliders, ramps and other fun park objects. The Gambler is moderately stiff and almost goes without saying with fixed boots.
Duotone TS Hadlow SLS
A freestyle kiteboard good for unhooked and hooked-in tricks. The board would have an extremely good grip on the water because of deep channels and its stiffness. SLS stands for Strong, Light, Superior and is defined by Duotone as the top when it comes to kites and kiteboards. It is not for nothing that the Team Series SLS is being promoted by none other than Aaron Hadlow who recently took a podium place on the Big Air Kiteboarding League 3rd Edition Cape Town.
Lightwind Duotone twin tips
Duotone Ultraspike SLS
The Ultraspike SLS is Duotone's absolute top board for low wind. SLS stands for Strong, Light, Superior and is defined by Duotone as the top when it comes to kites and kiteboards. The Ultraspike SLS is 165 cm long and 47,5 wide. So a good kiteboard. However, it is so light and the specifications are so good that the Ultraspike SLS is also an ultimate kiteboard for the novice kite surfing who later wants to cruise mainly with little wind. Duotone also gives the Ultraspike SLS the sailing style High Performance Freeride and on the website Lasse shows what it can do with it. Of course, tricks also work, but wonderfully uncomplicated cruising in little wind and the occasional fun trick, that's what the Ultraspike SLS is designed for.
Duotone Spike SLS
The Spike SLS is classified as a High Performance Freeride and Lightwind kiteboard. The Spike SLS is 153 cm long, 46,5 cm wide and weighs less than 3 kilos. SLS stands for Strong, Light, Superior and is defined by Duotone as the top when it comes to kites and kiteboard and that is immediately reflected in, among other things, the light weight. The Spike SLS is fairly flat and therefore starts quickly and easily. The size of the Spike SLS ensures that you are guaranteed to be one of the first to sail with your twin tip. With more wind in combination with a smaller kite, this is a board to enjoy your tricks and to further expand.
duotone Spike
The Spike is just like its SLS brother 153 cm long and 46,5 cm wide. Also features very good and thoughtful design and solid construction but not like the SLS. This makes it almost 500 grams heavier. In contrast, the price is a bit lower. The Spike is fairly flat and therefore starts quickly and easily. The size of the Spike ensures that you are guaranteed to be one of the first to sail with your twin tip. Tricks can also be done with the Spike. No point. He gets slightly less scores for this, but because the board is so forgiving, we would immediately make a big backroll with it. 100% The board is also flexible, which guarantees a nice soft landing on the backroll. Good for the knees.
Pay attention to the climate
Producing kites, kiteboards, bars, and kitesurfing accessories always will impact on the environment to have. However, Duotone strives to make the impact as climate neutral as possible. Duotone has been taking this very seriously for years and is looking beyond just raw materials and greening the production process. For example, attention is also paid to transport routes, the recycling of material and the contribution to organizations that develop initiatives against global warming. You can read that Duotone takes this very seriously in the objective of the Save our Playgrounds program.
SLS comes at a price
SLS stands for Strong, Light, Superior and is defined by Duotone as the top when it comes to kites and kiteboards. Each SLS indicates that Duotone has applied the new technologies in that kiteboard or kite. And that logically also has a price tag. For example, an SLS kiteboard is approximately 400 Euro more expensive than a non-SLS version of the same type of kiteboard.
12 twintips not so bad at all
We felt the need to explore the Duotone kiteboards. Especially the Dutone twin tips. We did this and that's how we were able to explain these kiteboards and their most important properties. We have explained 12 of them. Duotone has divided the 12 kiteboards into sailing styles. Of course you can also freeride with a kiteboard classified as a freestyle board. However, the properties are arranged in such a way that the difference is clearly visible and you also notice that on the water. When we read it and watch the videos and photos, our blood starts to flow faster. Beautiful kiteboards and something for everyone. And then a choice of 12 kiteboards suddenly makes a lot of sense.
