Duotone Slick SLS Review

[Toby]

[Dave K]

Average Joe dedicated boom user here and in the process of switching from my 6, 5 and 4m Slicks to 6, 5 and 4m SLS Slicks. Just got my first session on the 5m SLS. My perspective is just “ole guy” flat water strapless, but very happy so far. Some first impressions (sorry about the slightly blurry GoPro Max footage . Guess I had some challenging sun angles):

[Peter_Frank]

Nice fluid smooth style Dave

I can't do that...

Peter

[Dave K]

Peter, I’m guessing that just based on your kitefoil skill level, you could easily surpass my wing foil level. I’m just happy there is a wind sport out there that I can still do with my bad knees and bad back.

FWIW I’ve been using Duotone boom wings from the very beginning (Sept 2019) and it’s amazing how much better the new Slick SLS is compared to the original Duotone wings. Night and day!

[Axis1050]

Hi Dave K
With your bad knees do u have a magic technique for getting up to standing in lightish wind?
Thx Warwick

[Dave K]

Hi Dave K
With your bad knees do u have a magic technique for getting up to standing in lightish wind?
Thx Warwick

Towards the end of the video I posted, I show one of my knee starts. I normally wear knee pads but forgot them this session. Nothing magical about anything I do . I’ll get up on my hands and knees with my “downwind” hand holding the wing front handle but also resting on the board for balance. I get my balance tweaked so that when I lift the wing (going from hands on board to hands on boom) I can grab the boom very quickly and immediately get power in the wing for balance and forward momentum

I don’t like spending much time on my knees and the clip shows I’m reasonably quick about getting to my feet. Not too crazy (after 3 years!) if you are well powered. If underpowered it’s much tougher, and if underpowered in messy chop it’s really tough! Again. this is what works for me. Plenty of other start variations out there

[Peter_Frank]

I have had the SLS in 4½ and 5½ m2 for a while now, loving these.

Superlight (Platinum boom), really stable when in your hand surfing, LE seems strong and sturdy, pumps up really fast and nothing can twist not even the pump nozzle as close to the boom attachment (clever), you can grab the front of the bar even faster than the Echo as it sits quite far forward, wide handle make surfing even with a cam in balance or allow for hand switching, really stiff.

Only small thing I have noticed, is when the wind picks up, the 5.5 can have a little flutter sound in the canopy because it is so light, dissapears when sheeted in more.

Was afraid I would miss the longer boom but the SLS is so balanced and you can hold with one hand in the middle but also with two hands very wide without reaching the ends

The best thing about the Slick SLS is it looks great, compared to the square Slick I dont like....

Peter