Duotone Foil Mast Guide: AL 3BS vs SLS 2.0 vs D/LAB Slim 2.0

Choosing a Duotone wing foil mast used to be simple: aluminium to start, carbon when the budget allowed. For 2027 there is more to think about. The aluminium range now comes in the 3BS fitting, the new SLS 2.0 sits right underneath the D/LAB, and most of the range comes in a quick mount version too.

So we put them on the scales. Every mast length weighs something different, so we have worked in percentages rather than grams. That way you can see what each step up the range actually buys you, and what quick mount costs you.

The short version: it is one cross-compatible system, quick mount is almost free on aluminium but a big weight hit on carbon, and the SLS 2.0 is no longer just the cheaper carbon option.

Duotone Mast SLS 2.0 2027 — the new stiffer carbon option below the D/LAB.

One system: start on aluminium, upgrade later

Every mast in the range now has the same 3BS (three-bolt) fitting at the bottom, whether it is aluminium or carbon. That is the beauty of the Duotone system. You can start on an aluminium mast as a beginner or intermediate, and when you are ready to go carbon you do not have to change your fuselage or your foils. Everything is cross-compatible.

It also makes the second-hand market useful. Find a used aluminium mast, learn on it, then step up to carbon later and keep the rest of your setup.

Duotone Mast AL 3BS — the entry point to the system.

The Duotone Mast AL 3BS comes in 60, 75, 82 and 90cm from £259, and there is a quick mount version, the AL 3BS QM, from £409.

Aluminium to SLS 2.0: where the weight comes off

The new Mast SLS 2.0 now has a similar outline and profile to the top-level D/LAB, the Mast Slim 2.0 D/LAB. It is the same profile with a slightly different carbon layup, and it is stiffer. Weighed against our 82cm aluminium mast, the 84cm SLS 2.0 is about 18% lighter, even though it is 2cm longer.

Here is the bit people find hard to get their head around. D/LAB is still the top of the range, but the SLS 2.0 is the better mast for heavier riders, or for anyone who wants a really stiff mast without giving up performance. More expensive does not automatically mean better for you.

Duotone Mast SLS 2.0 2027 — from £919.

Quick mount: what does it cost you in weight?

Quick mount adds weight, but how much depends on the mast. On aluminium you will barely notice it: our 82cm AL 3BS went up 1.7% going quick mount. On the carbon SLS 2.0 it is a different story, with the 84cm mast gaining nearly 20%.

The reason is the head. On the aluminium masts the top fitting is a straight fit either way. On the SLS 2.0 the standard mast has the newer, more fluid hydrodynamic head, while the quick mount version has a lot more aluminium in it. That is where the extra weight comes from.

Quick mount heads: AL 3BS QM (left) and SLS 2.0 QM (right).

Here is how it all stacks up. Each comparison is between masts of the same length wherever we could, and we have kept it to percentages because that is what carries across the different lengths.

Aluminium masts were weighed at 82cm and carbon masts at 84cm, so the aluminium-to-carbon gaps are very slightly understated.

The one to remember: go quick mount on the SLS 2.0 and most of the carbon weight saving over a quick mount aluminium mast disappears. It is only about 3.5% lighter.

D/LAB Slim 2.0: still the top of the range

The Mast Slim 2.0 D/LAB is the lightest of the lot. Our 84cm weighed in 8.2% lighter than the SLS 2.0 and nearly 25% lighter than the aluminium mast. It does not come in a quick mount version.

Duotone Mast Slim 2.0 D/LAB — from £1,149.

Which fuselages fit these masts?

Because every mast is 3BS at the bottom, the same fuselages go on whichever you choose, aluminium or carbon. The cheapest way in is the Aero AL 3BS fuselage, which comes in lengths from 60cm up to 90cm.

Aluminium masts can also run the D/LAB fuselages and monobloc tails, thanks to the Duotone Frontpiece AL 3BS 2027 Monobloc Adapter Fuselage at £169. It means any of these masts can take monobloc tails, with a mini or full-length aluminium fuselage behind the front wing and either standard stabilisers or a monobloc tail, whichever you prefer.

Duotone Frontpiece AL 3BS 2027 — the aluminium monobloc adapter fuselage.

Duotone mast range at a glance

Weights are measured by us on the masts listed. Individual masts and lengths vary, so treat the percentages as the guide.