Pffft...pffft...pffft, anyone who has ever inflated a SUP board can only smile mildly at the "set-up" of the DUO Wind 129. With significantly less volume and only 12 to 13 psi, the board is ready to go faster than if you had to get it off the car roof first. This is because the folded board can be removed from the boot in one easy step. Then it's there, faster than expected: A normal hardboard at the back, to which the inflatable part has been flanged and glued at the front - with a proper overlap to the fixed segment. The transition from the laminate to the rubber skin looks harmonious and the whole thing looks like a real windsurfing board. Of course, with a weight of 9.5 kilos, a short length and not an oversized width, you wouldn't expect an early glider.
In chop with the 7.5 mm sail, we chose the rear mast foot position, the board initially seems a little smaller than a wide 130 mm freerider - a little more tippy. You have to stand further back so that the nose doesn't dip and keep the board on course with active sail control. A slight tendency to turn into the wind cannot be denied - similar to a short freestyler. But rubber feeling? Not at all. You only feel the softer deck when tacking, otherwise everything seems completely normal. Then the first gust: sail tight, build up pressure, and with a little more sail pull than you are perhaps used to, you quickly enter the planing phase. When accelerating, you briefly feel a slight, really minimal vibration. So get into the straps, the board is now planing - very similar to a normal board. The inflatable part only touches the water slightly from time to time, and the connection to the mast foot, which is fixed in the rubber part, is absolutely direct and tight. The planing can be accelerated by pumping the board - until now this was a pointless waste of energy on purely inflatable boards.
Sure, the board doesn't glide through wind holes as well as a 130-litre light wind freerider, but compared to other windsurfers, you won't be standing around much more in gusty light winds. The advantages of the laminated tail (the straps are real straps, the deck is pleasantly shaped) don't end in the planing jibe either. You glide through the turn well past the apex even in light winds, only when the front rubber rail kicks in do you noticeably slow down in the turn. If the wind is consistently good, this should be even better.
ConclusionThe concept is far ahead of all previous inflatables on the water. The 129 is not quite as easy to surf, but this is due to the shape and not the construction.
PLUS Transportable; almost normal gliding feel despite rubber nose; robust against skidding fallsNEUTRAL No experience with durabilityMINUS (Still) heavier than many hardboards; slight glide deficits;
Length2.28* metresWidth: 73,5* cmVolume: 129 litresWeight: 9,5* KiloPrices1499 Euro (Elite); 1399 Euro (Eco)Finn/a Info: www.duo-boards.com
*surf measurement
