So this is just a repost from "The Duotone Wing" thread in the hydrofoil section.
OzBungy wrote: ↑Sat May 25, 2019 8:11 am
Lighter, more compact and greater wind range than a sailboard sail. Easier "relaunch" and quicker setup than a kite. Less room on the beach and in the water than a kite. Easier self-rescue when coupled with a bigger board. Better depower, float and drift than a kite when on a wave.
Correct!
But how about the bad stuff. Remember when we switched from windsurfing to kiting. Suddenly we did not have that sail obscuring the half the view. Now we are going back to that? No way!
Then, remember when we realized the "pumping a windsurfing sail compared to sining the kite" thing? Maybe some kiters on sub 12m linesets might not notice, but having a wind window is the reason that kiting rules in windsports - and that is before you even consider jumping. This wingythingy (I'm coining that term, even though I owned and used a kitewing for some time) is a step down overall, regardless of it's possible advantages.
Does it have a niche in the outdoor users market? - For sure!
Will it attract kiters, get them to ditch their kiting gear in favor this superior new sport? NO WAY!
What this new "wingythingy" thing is, is a verification of the wall that kite development is up against. R&D is essentially useless in our sport anymore. Sure there are some attempts being made at innovation, but there is no path clear path that advancements in kiting, are on. So we get the watersports MFG's looking to make a buck on something that might be a few year fad to capitalize on.
Another addition I would like to make to this post is to point out how patents have played a huge role in multiple MFG's coming out with the same design almost all at once - or at least us hearing about it. Duotone, Slingshot, and a host of others seem to just be cranking out products all of the same design. Thus it is easy to assume that there are no enforceable patents on this general design. And so we get many iterations of a new toy, with plenty of competition among manufactures to quickly develop this product to it's full potential.