Duotone Duke 2024 Windsurfing Sail

Sail Category: All rounder – B n J, Freeride, Wave.

Duotone Duke 2024 sail – Light Done Right all round moderate to high wind sail.
This sail targets real world all round windsurfing conditions to provide the best sail performance for your local conditions. It targets riders looking for a light sail that works in moderate to high winds. The Doutone’s entire know-how and experience designers combined a mix to create the most sophisticated Jump N’ Ride high performance 5 batten Duke sail ever. It combines our Light Done Right construction and all the other build concepts developed over the past decade to set a new benchmark for large wind-range oriented handling sails. This is especially true for maximizing performance in changing and super gusty wind conditions. To help power and pumping performance for planing, Instead of the usual even batten distribution the Duke features a bigger gap between the foot batten and the batten above the boom vs the usual even batten distribution found in models prior to ‘22. This makes the boom area easier to inflate plus increases the stability in the top (due to the increased batten density in this area). The forward/up draft position makes it also very capable for classic and even new school freestyle tricks. And last but not least it’s a great sail for medium wave and/or jumping conditions especially in gusty or challenging wind conditions. So, the new Duke is a real all- round high performance contender challenging any handling sail out there. To make tricks and turns as easy as possible the sail should go completely neutral during maneuvers. Therefore, the Duke comes with a more forward oriented draft position. The forward draft turns the power off and goes completely neutral as soon as you sheet out or shift the sail. Another important factor is that all the sails in your quiver should have a similar feeling/behavior. The major reason why sails feel different is the position of the draft in the sail. Fortunately, the Duke features a very similar draft position to the vast majority of all modern freeride sails. The regular Duke (vs Duke HD) features a 50% monofilm construction with all high load areas (foot, clew, top, luff) being beefed up with X-ply.

Duotone has thrown their entire know-how and experience into the mix to create the most sophisticated Jump N’ Ride high performance sail ever the Duke.

Features:
- All round moderate to high wind sail.
- Size options: 4.2, 4.5, 4.7, 5.0, 5.4, 5.8, 6.2, 6.7.
- Targets Jump N’ Ride performance - B n J, Freeride, Wave, Freestyle.
- Similar feeling to bigger Freeride/Performance sails.
- Ultra light feel and excellent durability.
- Monofilm upper with high load areas (foot, clew, top, luff) being beefed up with X-ply.
- Maximum wind range especially in changing and/or super gusty conditions.
- Superlight feeling in your hands but without falling apart after 1-2 seasons.
- Early planing power even without excessive pumping.
- Super neutral in maneuvers.
- Good lift and control for jumping.
- Straight forward and fast to rig.
- Draft Forward design.
- Batten Free Center.
- Light Done Right - Weight reduction of a clearly noticeable 200 to 300 g without reducing the thickness of the main panel thus maintaining the well-known durability and longevity!
- VTS Tail Outhaul Specs (requires VTS Tail Duotone boom).
- Irocket 2.0 - Factory calibrated individual batten tensions using a torque wrench.
- Triple sail pulley tack.
- Beefy mast pad.

Size Options:
4.2, 4.5, 4.7, 5.0, 5.4, 5.8, 6.2, 6.7.

Colors:
C12:red/turquoise, C11:white/violet

Construction:
The regular Duke features a 50% monofilm construction with all high load areas (foot, clew, top, luff) being beefed up with Xply. Weight reduction of a clearly noticeable 200 to 300 g without reducing the thickness of the main panel thus maintaining the well-known durability and longevity!
Light Done Right = By replacing the usual multi layer reinforcements with a single layer of high-quality fabric and introducing the One Piece
Sleeve Duotone was able to reduce the overall weight by 300g. Most important we are the only brand out there where these weight savings
have been achieved without reducing the thickness of the film and XPly panels. Only this way Duotone can still guarantee their unmatched 5 year warranty (see details for the Warranty Extension with Duotone) 2-year warranty is standard on Duotone sails. Another issue when reducing the film thickness is that the sail becomes spongy as the energy fizzles out in the increased elongation. This leads to the sail feeling heavier in your hands. So in contrary to others Duotone sails are not just lighter on the scale but especially in your hands on the water when you use them.

Windsurfing Magazine test review - June '24: DuoTone Duke 5.8

"The Duke offers punchy power that sits forward and up from the rider, while it is almost impossible to rig it wrong and allows the rider to tune it appropriately for the conditions, allowing you to keep as much power as you dare, while offering Duotone’s signature plug ’n’ play approach."
"A true Duotone sail, both visually and with its user-friendly features, which are prevalent all over the sail. Available in two colour-ways – red and turquoise or white and violet, the latter of which we were provided with for the test, it offers a cool, distinctive and slightly retro look. Constructed from monofilm and X-ply Plus, which can be found in areas under particular stress, it delivers power and overall stability. The Duke is also available in a more costly, but more durable monofilm-free HD version. Consisting of a five-batten layout, you will notice that Duotone has a larger ‘batten-free centre’ between battens above and below the boom to increase inflation with the intention to provide extra power in the gusts. As a result, this pushes the remaining three battens further up the sail, which adds further stability to the top of the sail. Staying with the top of the sail, rigged and at rest, the Duke has a notable amount of fall away at the leech. Yet, in the lower half of the Duke, a noticeable amount of sail and batten sit proudly over the mast, ready to create great depth in the belly of the sail. With handy rigging guides all over the Duke, it doesn’t disappoint in its easy-to-use personality and it offers the rider great tuning options in each of the tuneable components."
"With a medium to high draft that sits forwards, the Duke packs plenty of oomph from the moment you step onto the board. The inflation characteristics in the front of the sail are a real asset in getting you planing and up to top speed with ease. Its power, centred around the rider, makes it easy for the sailor to move back into the footstraps. Up top, the sail is stable and holds its twist as the leech forms a nice, uniformed rotation. Matching the power of something larger, yet remaining smaller in overall size, is a welcomed characteristic, especially in marginal bump-and-jump conditions where you are always searching for that little bit of extra power. In well-powered to overpowered conditions, the Duke definitely requires some tuning to maintain its stable and controllable feel. This is easily achieved as the Duke guides the rider with all the appropriate tuning guides. Through the transitions, the Duke maintains its grunty power delivery and pulls you positively into the gybes, ensuring you use the front foot to carve and maintain a flat and fast board. On the flat, with its medium to high draft, the Duke has the ability to be sailed like a freeride sail. Drop a little outhaul off and allow yourself to really sink into it on the flat. In messy bump-and-jump or marginal waves, the Duke retains its bold power delivery, allowing you to hit sections or a ramp with power. With some added downhaul the Duke is capable of being put through its paces on a wave, in bump-and-jump or where the waves are one-hit wonders, it delivers with ease, allowing you to make the most out of the conditions with real gumption."