I'm not so sure. Slingshot has two different type wings right now with a third type coming soon! Duotone is covering a lot of bases with their Echo (boom and no centre strut), Unit (centre strut with no solid boom) and the Slick with a centre strut and a solid boom. I think we're going to see companies offering several wings to satisfy customers with different needs (wave riding, slalom with upwind racing, free-ride and tricks).
my info suggests they are joining the 2 into one
mini boom,
one kite does all
not used a boom wing, so a bit undecided
I'm on Units 5.0/3.3 and love them. 3.3 gets me going in a 15 knot gust with a bit of pumping, such a grunty little wing. I have used Echos and really like the boom in transitions and flat water but the Unit is lighter in the hand more neutral on a wave. Really hope the Slick is the best of both worlds. I asked Alan Cadiz for his thoughts and he was positive but hadn't used the Unit.
I think we're going to see some manufacturers offer different wings for wave riding, slalom racing, free style and free riding. I see a market for different type wings starting to develop now and some companies will attempt to address these needs. There seems to be a huge amount of interest about winging from kiters, windsurfers, SUPers and surfers -- that's a solid market to draw from.
I expect Duotone to offer at least three different wings in 2021. Slingshot now has the Slingwing V2 and Dart with another wing expected in a few months. A number of companies will have at least two different wings on offer in 2021 (i.e. F-One).
Gong has 5 wings but critically none with any sort of boom which I think for me is very desirable. I've only used the Wasp but even my simple mini-boom made a big difference.
Here's a video (first half of video) featuring the Eleveight wing, which only comes in a 4 metre size -- uses a solid boom with two rear straps. If there were more sizes it might be another boomed wing to consider. This wing looks somewhat similar to the Duotone Slick -- curved middle struct to accommodate the boom.
I noticed the board of the the first guy in the video with the boom appeared to fly super nose down. Is this simply a "shim the foil base to neutral-fix"? Might help his recovery from landings a bit too.
Here's Alan Cadiz riding the Duotone Slick (prototype?) last Fall (at 4:36). In a couple of shots you will see that the wing has a centre strut as well as the hard boom.
Inflated strut with pockets on each end to hold the carbon boom. Strut has a "cutout" in the middle where the boom sits. Wing is not much different than the Unit or Echo. Lighter than Echo, heavier than Unit. People who tried them really like them. Shipping in April.
Inflated strut with pockets on each end to hold the carbon boom. Strut has a "cutout" in the middle where the boom sits. Wing is not much different than the Unit or Echo. Lighter than Echo, heavier than Unit. People who tried them really like them. Shipping in April.
I hope the carbon boom helps out with the weight....
www.mackiteboarding.com/2021-duotone-slick-wing/
Duotone's Slick looks like a (Ken) Winner!
Nice to see lots of sizes on offer.
I haven't looked into the Slick yet.
What is the chance that one mini boom will fit the whole range?
My favorite so far: unit 5m (like a feather)
Rest of my quiver: Echo 6m, 4m,3,3m (so far happy with it - especially the smaller ones - due to the trimmability!)
I will sell my 6m and order Slick 6,5m just to try it out (light wind:the inflated center strut should be better for the getting big wing out of water)
Depending on comparison Slick vs Unit - I might sell my Echo 4m and 3,3m and change to Unit or Echo.
Does anyone have any quantitative info on the slick's wing span? I have 4/5/6 echo but my wife's shorter than me and struggles with the wingtip dragging on the larger sizes.
ta
k
A partial answer about wing span is found at around the 26:00 mark of the Blue Planet interview with Alan Cadiz attached below:
So what will be the perceived differences/ upgrades between the Echo and the Slick?
I get that the Slick will be lighter, but are they aimed at difference disciplines or such i.e. Flat water vs Downwinding vs Surfing vs Freeride? Or do people just think the Slick is the replacement of the Echo?
Asking because I like my new 4m Echo and looking for a 6m with a boom...
I guess you have to wait for the answer till people actually tried it.
So far only a handfull of sponsored riders use them.
For what its worth: specialisation will probably be a thing but yesterday Belgian Rad man Kjell showed us Yesterday at the Dutch coast (Europe) and air of +6C if you wonder the full suits) that even with the first Duotone wing you can go rad in the waves. Not sure what size wing he was using, but with my 97kg I was wavesailing with a 3.7 fully powered.So of course one wing will be better in this and the other better in that, but its still the skills that count the most and can make pretty much everything work in each discipline. Pics by Benny Jansenwww.facebook.com/bjsurfphoto
So what will be the perceived differences/ upgrades between the Echo and the Slick?
I get that the Slick will be lighter, but are they aimed at difference disciplines or such i.e. Flat water vs Downwinding vs Surfing vs Freeride? Or do people just think the Slick is the replacement of the Echo?
Asking because I like my new 4m Echo and looking for a 6m with a boom...
If you listen to Alan's interview he specifically says that the Slick is "heads and shoulders above" any other wing he has used (he also says it's very "tight" and hauls upwind). He's used Duotone wings for the last couple of years but mostly the Echo and anything else he's had a chance to try on Maui. That's a pretty good endorsement of the Slick coming from a top guy. There are videos of Alan on the Slick (check out Youtube) just flying on this wing -- in fact he showed a video during the interview where he hit 28 m.p.h. Apparently the boom is shorter and lighter than the Echo's boom, which is nice if you're looking for a lighter "boomed" wing.
The one thing the Echo does that the Slick does not -- the draft on the Echo can be tuned by extending or contracting the adjustable boom. That may give it more range than the Slick and just about any other wing on the market. I doubt the Slick will replace the Echo. We'll just have to wait and see.
From the interview linked below it seems Duotone will offer all three wings this year -- Slick, Echo and the Unit.
For English click the cc button and then move to the settings button to the immediate right and click on subtitles (opens new window), click on auto translate and scroll to English. The instant translation isn't very good but you'll figure it out.