Duotone Wing & Foiling Tech Talk - Unit Range 2025

[@shen7256]

I noticed the canopy is attached quite a length from the clew, what is the advantage? The baffle is obviously smaller than most other manufacturers and seems negligible now. Some talk about the advantage of a large baffle opening to equalise pressure either side of the strut etc, but with the strut partially following the draft profile this doesn’t seem possible with the Duotone.

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

Hi there, checking with the design team and will come back to you.

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

So here is the answer from Ken Winner, our designer: We use strut and infill panel to stabilize canopy profile in the center of the wing. We choose the strut shape for its ergonomic impact: Moving the back hand farther from the back shoulder. We choose infill panel size for its effect on profile stability. We don’t run the infill panel farther forward because it’s not needed, and if there’s a benefit to equalizing air pressure on both sides of the wing we get that benefit from having some distance between the front of the infill panel and the leading edge tube. There’s no persuasive rationale that I’ve seen to do it differently from the way we do it.

[@GreKno63]

Great video explaining what's new for 2025 on the Unit. Wish Ken had explained why the Dlab Unit's strut has what looks like a short section of Dacron in the middle, between the handle mounting patches. Is it a reinforcement in the area that gets folded in half when packing up the wing ?

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

Hi there, glad you liked it - correct, that is what the patch is there for, we also added it on the 2024 wings, just as a precaution for folding.

[@WhatEver-zx3xe]

The difference between Slick and Unit is not „too“ big. With the boom option on the new Unit… does the slick makes sense anymore ? Do you take the slick from the market in the long term?

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

Hi there, we are still considering all options, but yes, the Boom does cover now a lot of the range that the Slick did. We are going to see how the feedback is, but so far most customers seem to think we would only need one Wing with either booms or handles.

[@WingNut63-f2c]

Is it expected the ergo handles will reduce not only fatigue but also reduce numbness? How will flagging be impacted with the handles vs the boom? Also when you pump aggressively the swivel on the leash hits the top of your hand, has that been looked at?

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

Hi there, yes the thinner more oval shape helps a lot to be more ergo for sure, reduces fatigue. Using a harness will also help obviously, even if only part of the time, especially an integrated version with impact vest makes sense for protection from the foil. Flagging is pretty much the same when tested back to back, the boom is actually lighter than the 2 handles, the new front pistol grip on both handles and boom also allows you to hold on there nicely, in case you don't want to flag on the leading edge handle. Finding a way to get the leash not to hit the wing is a challenge, especially on the coiled leash - a straight leash does not do this, but can then also have it's issues too?

[@edArmstr]

Have u made something with trailing age. Mine is tearing apart after 40-50 sessions on 2023 wings (I ve changed 4 already)

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

the new Mod3S canopy material has a stronger and stiffer coating, so the leech flutter is less than previous models. But that does sound quite extreme ok tearing apart - most wings will loose some leech tension after normal use over a 1 yr period. However as the very young sport progresses, we are looking to improve durability but also keep the wings as light as possible, so it's always a delicate balance. 2024 and also 2025 models should be stronger in this area, with better reinforcements as well as the above mentioned canopy material improvement with Mod3 and Mod3S.

[@wynnebuilding]

Now that the Unit is available with a boom, what would be the performance difference between the Slick and the Unit?

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

The Units have a slightly wider span, more power, better depower/flagging on the waves and are better for jumping/tricks. The Slick, with its more compact shape offers a very smooth ride, great for free riding and in the upper end more control. Both are very good wings, if you like a more compact/forgiving shape, then the Slick is a good option, the Unit has better overall performance but the Slick is probably a touch easier overpowered - question is if you want to ride overpowered at all, as whole idea of foiling/winging is to ride as comfortably as possible as foiling in general is more efficient than classic planing hull sports.

[@Wing-n-surf]

How you compare new Unit to Slick? I'm on market for 3.0 and trying to decide between Unit and Slick. I already have quiver of 2024 Slicks (4.0, 5.0, 6.5).

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

The Units have a slightly wider span, more power, better depower/flagging on the waves and are better for jumping/tricks. The Slick, with its more compact shape offers a very smooth ride, great for free riding and in the upper end more control. Both are very good wings, if you like a more compact/forgiving shape, then the Slick is a good option, the Unit has better overall performance but the Slick is probably a touch easier overpowered - question is if you want to ride overpowered at all, as whole idea of foiling/winging is to ride as comfortably as possible as foiling in general is more efficient than classic planing hull sports.

[@vornamenachname188]

Ken designs the best-selling wing, although your designer always finds the ugliest color combination 😉 neon pink and neon yellow on the original🤦‍♂️

[@duotone.wingfoiling]

Colours are indeed a very personal choice, right now the Pink/Magenta has a lot of fans, as does the Lime - if you want a more neutral look then the White SLS is also an option.