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DUOTONE Free
Sizes Available: 4´1″ x 18 1/4″, 4´6″ x 18 1/4″, 5´0″ x 18 11/16″
Sizes Tested: 4´6″ x 18 1/4″

Duotone Says:

The Duotone Free is a modern, all-round, foil specific board offering the easiest entry to the world of foil boarding in a very durable construction at a very interesting price point! The Free is aimed at riders looking for an easy to ride board. The rubber and cork deck reduces the risk of injuries during a wipeout. The low volume makes it easy to handle whilst a big planning surface gets you going with ease. The robust twin tip construction is nearly indestructible and unique for a foil board. Getting into foiling and improving your skills on a foil board has never been so easy.

Visit for more info: www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/boards/foilboards/free/

Tkb Says:

The Free is Duotone’s paired down foilboarding deck that features a solid mix of basic functions and durability that works for all skill levels of foilers. The Free sports thin twin tip style construction with a wide rounded template with the wide point set farther forward and a solid rocker in the nose that decreases through the tail. The deck is flat and features a stamped pattern into a rubber/cork non-skid style deck that covers ¾ of the deck. The deck is flat and offers up the option of two or three footstrap configurations, with the front and back centerline straps getting two placement options and the windsurf/race duck inserts getting three forward/aft options. The back footstrap gets two insert options down the center. The Free doesn’t have a mast track, instead, it uses a simple 4-bolt threaded mount that lowers weight and simplifies the rigging process.

The Duotone Free falls into that class of entry-level boards that boils down the foil deck into its basic functions while achieving an attractive price point with lightweight performance. The Free is the only board we tested to use an innovative rubber/cork non-skid deck, which means that it was the only board that skipped the standard EVA deck pad which resulted in a lighter and lower cost deck. By shedding both the EVA and the bulky mast mount track system, the Free lost some weight and complexity; you don’t miss the EVA because you’re riding a magic carpet that floats over chop and has a bit of flex in the core when needed. With little flotation/volume, the board sinks down in the water when you put your feet on the board for a waterstart. Our assessment is that these lower volume boards are easier for strapped waterstarts because your feet sink to the level of the water and the straps keep you glued to the board. Strapless waterstarts require a bit more skill because the board can sink too much if you put your feet in the wrong place as the board has little float to push back. Strapless waterstarts on this class of board also tend to teach you about putting your feet in the right place. That said, it’s certainly not hard to strapless waterstart this board, it just teaches you better technique. The Free’s larger template and rocker make transitions out of the water easy enough with sufficient surface area to work your way up to foil-up speed, even in lighter conditions. We loved the simple deck ”” the non-skid gave us a good grip and without the foam pad, our feet felt a direct connection to the foil and made our inputs feel crisp and responsive. The Free has a sufficiently scooped nose to help you with accidental touchdowns and while this board doesn’t offer a chimed rail, its narrowing template toward the tail seems to make rail touchdowns fairly smooth without directional chaos. Overall, the Free demonstrates a well thought out approach to distilling the basic necessities of foilboarding into a lightweight yet durable deck that offers up sufficient ease of use for beginners while maintaining a purity of design and function that will resonate with more advanced riders.


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