Tkb Review: 2022 DUOTONE Jaime SLS

Sizes Available: 33×40, 136×41, 139×42, 142x43cm
Sizes Tested: 136x41cm

Duotone Says:

The ultimate freestyle and freeride board is even lighter, more responsive and also more fun to ride, thanks to the SLS construction! The unique construction utilizes Textreme Innegra carbon; this makes the board light and a little stiffer with a medium to stiff flex. More importantly, the dampening abilities of Textreme Innegra leads to more overall control, therefore offering more control of the edge and an even harder edging, which results in incredible pop. The new Light Base further reduces the overall weight creating the lightest Jaime we have ever built. With impressive pop and total control, When you kitesurf, your equipment should help you push the progression forwards, the Jaime SLS will take you to the next level and beyond; get on board now!

Visit for more info: www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/boards/twintips/jaime-sls/

TKB Says:

The Jaime is a legendary model in the Duotone lineup that has earned itself a huge following for its user-friendly handling while delivering precision performance that lets you push your personal boundaries. This year we tested the SLS version which features a number of construction changes that make the Jaime feel even lighter in your hands and more playful and responsive in the water.

Design and Features
The Jaime has a fairly complex bottom shape with its Double Diffuser bottom that starts with quad channels in the tips and transitions into a center section with a double concave with a center spine. The Jaime uses a board template that tucks the rails into the nose while still providing a boxy tip that is able to launch into explosive airs. The Jaime SLS comes with 4.5 carbon fins in the two smaller sizes and slightly bigger 5.0 fins in the larger sizes. The pads/strap system mounts to the board via a sliding track system that gives you the freedom of finding your perfect stance width setting and the tips feature a bit more flex because the wood core stops short of going all the way into the tips.

Impressions
The Jaime is always one of the boards that we look forward to riding whether in Duotone’s regular or upgraded SLS construction, and this year’s SLS Jaime continues to refine the combo of its lightweight and responsive feel while retaining a stiff enough flex pattern for eye-opening load and pop on jumps.

Our first impression of the Jaime started on the beach when we picked it up and felt its weight which continues to fall on the lighter side of the spectrum; it seems that Duotone has been peeling off weight without compromising the core’s flex and substantial performance feel of the board in the water. On out first upwind tack, we were reminded of the grippy and fast feel of the Jaime that gives you lots of edge control at all angles. Unlike a basic progression board, the Jaime feels a bit more locked in and can handle higher speeds and more power. While the bottom has significant bottom shaping that softens the turbulence under the board, the Jaime still feels very fast and efficient in the water with easy planing and acceleration. The pull in the nose cuts through chop and the flex dampens the hits, but the Jaime really delivers on its ability to control tons of speed and execute perfectly timed load and pop into jumps.

With the extra grip that the fins and rocker provide, it’s very easy handle more speed and power as you enter into jumps which translates into bigger airs. While the lighter weight of the chassis is most apparent when you are in the air, it also feels light on your feet and responsive to acceleration and changes in direction during tricks. However, this lightness is also felt on load and pop where the board can be released from the water incredibly easily while the tip channels and fins give you lots of control going into the jump from start to finish. The Jaime’s innegra and wood core construction attempts to put more flex in the tips and extra stiffness under foot which seems to nail the sweet spot on loading power into the core for good push-back on the pop and release. Some testers noted that the carbon construction was stiffer with less dampening in the overall feel compared to Duotone’s regular construction Jaime, but the load and pop and board weight were significantly improved by the SLS upgrade.

Landings felt good with just enough stiffness to absorb harder drops with the Double Diffuser bottom helping us regain control and ride away with confidence. When it comes to carving, the Jaime’s grip can be felt through the entire carve while quite a bit more power has to be put into your back foot to break out the tail. While the Jaime is fun to carve with easy transitions from rail to rail combined with its high-speed control, the best part of the Jaime SLS is pulling the trigger on big jumps with perfectly controlled load and release. The Jaime shape and handling is impeccable, but if you’re trying to decide whether the SLS trim is worth the upgrade, our sense is that if you prize extra responsiveness and a lighter, sportier feel, then SLS is the only way to go.

Pads and Straps
We rode the Jaime with the Entity Ergo footpad system which notably comes in four sizes (S, M, L and XL). While that’s a lot of options, Duotone provides instructions on their website for exactly how to measure your foot and select the perfect footbed to fit your size foot. From there, you get to play with the placement of the footpad on the Jaime’s track system for getting not only the precise stance width but also the distance from the heelside rail as well as lots of duck options.

The Entity strap can be adjusted to how it sits over the pad in two dimensions; you can choose the width of the strap and the forward and aft placement of the strap over your foot’s arch. The snap button enclosure is one of those unique designs that takes a bit to get used to, but once you get it set, the snap buttons give you a visual reference for what setting works best for you and make it easy to get a symmetrical setting across both feet. Testers often struggle with the snap enclosure because it requires more dexterity than a Velcro strap, but the adjustments are not hard, however, they do require two hands and should be adjusted on the beach, not on the water. The straps are all-encompassing with a soft and comfy terry cloth feel over the arch of your foot and the pad has tons of cupping around both the heel and the arch to give your foot lots of support and a locked-in feel. When you install the binding onto the board there are multiple EVA inserts with varying densities under your heel, so you can adjust exactly how plush or direct the feedback you get from the board is. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the Entity pad system is probably one of the most well thought-out and feature-rich pad/strap systems on the market, and once you dial in your settings, you will be hard-pressed to find better comfort or a more solid connection to your twintip board.

Visit here for more info: https://www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/boards/bindings-boot/entity/